Miriam's Short Story: The Haunted House

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"I'm not feeling well today. Maybe you should just go alone." She kept a placid expression on her face, knowing full well she was lying, and it might show. "Well you don't exactly have a choice, dear. I have a lot to pick up today. It's too much for just me, and I don't want to take two trips." Miriam finished up on the blouse she was sewing and neatly folded it to add to the pile that had been accumulating. "But I--" "Enough Lydia! You need to get out of this house! Ever since..." she paused, "Ever since Elliot died you haven't left this place. You won't even step off that porch. You can't be like this when that baby comes. She or he is gonna need a mother who isn't afraid to live her life. You need to learn to live and be happy without …show more content…

Unlike the sun, who she went to when she sought comfort, the ceiling acted as a distraction. She recognized every crack and crevice of the wooden surface better than she knew her own body. Each flaw told a story of the house's past. The way the wood dipped in the center after having a terrible rainstorm warp its material. How there was a gaping hole with jagged edges in the corner, where they had to remove a patch of rotting wood, and cover the hole with a plate of corrugated metal; which had rusted over the years, becoming a copper color which trickled down the neighboring walls, permanently staining them. She knew which places would leak when it rained and which water spots had grown the most as time passed. She knew all of this because whenever she felt her mind growing heavy with thoughts that threatened to devour her sanity, she would lie in bed and stare at that ceiling for hours. Recalling imperfections she'd been there to witness, and cultivating endless stories about the ones she hadn't. It was a way of distracting herself from the impending darkness when the light wasn't there to accompany her; which it rarely ever …show more content…

Lydia was waiting with 3 large bags ringed around her torso. She knew her back would eventually ache from all the weight, but that was a problem she'd deal with later. Miriam grabbed the last 2 remaining bags before settling on the front of the bike and scooching forward to make room for Lydia. Once they were both settled, Miriam handed Lydia a pair of riding goggles. Without them, they wouldn't have been able to see through the thick dust clouds that sometimes formed in the area. The engine sputtered for a bit before coming to a steady purr. Miriam revved the engine once and then they were off. From what Lydia remembered, the trip to the city consisted of nothing but the remnants of structures that had been destroyed in the war and eroded to dust over the centuries. Most of the world was like this. Spaces that had once housed colossal structures; now left empty and

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