Linger
New Home
A ray of spring sunshine filtered through the small, dirty window, illuminating the dark, dank attic space. Forgotten memories and mounds of dust were all that remained now. Grime and dirt had settled upon the floorboards, cardboard boxes ripe with small chunks eaten out by mice. The house had been abandoned a year or two earlier, leaving it to slide slowly into disrepair.
The trapdoor squeaked open, the rusty hinges screaming in protest. For the first time in what seemed like forever, a set of eyes looked upon the forgotten space. A girl clambered up, dust rising from the floor and encircling her. She coughed as it settled once more, whilst she peered around curiously. She made her way to the window and wiped it with her sleeve, rubbing the grime away to observe the street below.
A large removal van sat blocking her new driveway, in which sat the family SUV. She saw her father helping a removal man heave a heavy looking cabinet slowly towards the front door. Her mother, she observed, was conversing over the garden fence to one of their new neighbours. David, her little brother, was running around the front lawn with his arms outstretched and pretending to be an aeroplane, it seemed.
The house itself was a detached property in a quiet suburban neighbourhood. All of the cars that sat neatly in every driveway was spotless and sparkling with perfection. The large front lawns looked trimmed, smart and pristine, the houses even more so. The elated shouts of excited children permeated and echoed through the atmosphere, adding a positive soundtrack to the faultless surroundings. Clearly, the residents of Boston Rise took pride in looking well kempt and cheery.
Pulling herself away from the stained window, she surveyed the tight, cramped attic room. Boxes were piled everywhere like toy building blocks. Some stood tall and precarious, threatening to topple at any moment. She had no idea what they contained. The floor was thick with dust, her feet leaving fresh and clean footprints. The rafters above her head looked high and mighty, the very skeleton of the house. She smiled to herself before heading for the trapdoor in the floor.
What did this room hold? Dark secrets? Forgotten memories? Discarded junk? Buried treasure?
She carefully descended from the space, looking at it once more before closing the trapdoor. She vowed to take a closer look once she and her family had settled in properly. She couldn’t help but feel there were things to discover and mysteries to be uncovered in the dark, dusty space. It was a place practically begging to be explored.
She found herself on the landing, in the middle of the upstairs corridor. The door at the very end was to be her new room, somewhere she had yet to see. She made her way towards it, and her hands grasped the doorknob, twisting it to the left. She frowned as she rattled it from side to side. Groaning to herself, she realised the door was locked. She turned on her heel and grasped the banister, ready to go downstairs before she heard the lock click quietly and the door swing open.
She walked towards it tentatively, her eyes searching the space as she walked over the threshold. She sat on the bed and surveyed the room carefully, almost in a scrutinising manner. It was currently over-run with cardboard boxes, in which her life was packed away. A standard box-shaped room, cosy but not cramped. The walls were painted a dingy shade of blue. It had clearly faded over time whilst certain patches were a more vibrant colour, hidden away from the shining light by posters and pictures. The floor was wooden and stained with a dark varnish.
No memory of the previous occupant was left, not even a scrap piece of paper riddled with scribbles or a small, forgotten item. It felt completely void of existence, as though the heart and soul of the room was missing. She knew this had once been someone else’s haven, their private space and sanctuary. Her mind began to wander; who had lived here before? Who were they? What were they like?
She was pulled mercilessly from her thoughts a second later, as the loud cry of her mother echoed up the stairs and reverberated in her head.
“JAYDEN?”
She stood and headed for the door with a frown as her gaze fell upon the handle. She shook her head as she exited, hurrying down the stairs.
The door didn’t have a lock.
The trapdoor squeaked open, the rusty hinges screaming in protest. For the first time in what seemed like forever, a set of eyes looked upon the forgotten space. A girl clambered up, dust rising from the floor and encircling her. She coughed as it settled once more, whilst she peered around curiously. She made her way to the window and wiped it with her sleeve, rubbing the grime away to observe the street below.
A large removal van sat blocking her new driveway, in which sat the family SUV. She saw her father helping a removal man heave a heavy looking cabinet slowly towards the front door. Her mother, she observed, was conversing over the garden fence to one of their new neighbours. David, her little brother, was running around the front lawn with his arms outstretched and pretending to be an aeroplane, it seemed.
The house itself was a detached property in a quiet suburban neighbourhood. All of the cars that sat neatly in every driveway was spotless and sparkling with perfection. The large front lawns looked trimmed, smart and pristine, the houses even more so. The elated shouts of excited children permeated and echoed through the atmosphere, adding a positive soundtrack to the faultless surroundings. Clearly, the residents of Boston Rise took pride in looking well kempt and cheery.
Pulling herself away from the stained window, she surveyed the tight, cramped attic room. Boxes were piled everywhere like toy building blocks. Some stood tall and precarious, threatening to topple at any moment. She had no idea what they contained. The floor was thick with dust, her feet leaving fresh and clean footprints. The rafters above her head looked high and mighty, the very skeleton of the house. She smiled to herself before heading for the trapdoor in the floor.
What did this room hold? Dark secrets? Forgotten memories? Discarded junk? Buried treasure?
She carefully descended from the space, looking at it once more before closing the trapdoor. She vowed to take a closer look once she and her family had settled in properly. She couldn’t help but feel there were things to discover and mysteries to be uncovered in the dark, dusty space. It was a place practically begging to be explored.
She found herself on the landing, in the middle of the upstairs corridor. The door at the very end was to be her new room, somewhere she had yet to see. She made her way towards it, and her hands grasped the doorknob, twisting it to the left. She frowned as she rattled it from side to side. Groaning to herself, she realised the door was locked. She turned on her heel and grasped the banister, ready to go downstairs before she heard the lock click quietly and the door swing open.
She walked towards it tentatively, her eyes searching the space as she walked over the threshold. She sat on the bed and surveyed the room carefully, almost in a scrutinising manner. It was currently over-run with cardboard boxes, in which her life was packed away. A standard box-shaped room, cosy but not cramped. The walls were painted a dingy shade of blue. It had clearly faded over time whilst certain patches were a more vibrant colour, hidden away from the shining light by posters and pictures. The floor was wooden and stained with a dark varnish.
No memory of the previous occupant was left, not even a scrap piece of paper riddled with scribbles or a small, forgotten item. It felt completely void of existence, as though the heart and soul of the room was missing. She knew this had once been someone else’s haven, their private space and sanctuary. Her mind began to wander; who had lived here before? Who were they? What were they like?
She was pulled mercilessly from her thoughts a second later, as the loud cry of her mother echoed up the stairs and reverberated in her head.
“JAYDEN?”
She stood and headed for the door with a frown as her gaze fell upon the handle. She shook her head as she exited, hurrying down the stairs.
The door didn’t have a lock.
♠ ♠ ♠
Okay, so this was basically a descriptive chapter.Thanks for reading, i hope you enjoyed it. Comments are always welcome!
:]