narrator
10-19-2002, 01:59 PM
This was the first short story I ever wrote so, be gentle
William had come home early that day. He entered the house as he usually had. Throwing his coat on the coat rack. He walked slowly into the kitchen, flipping through the mail, all junk mail. He threw it into the garbage can. He placed his car keys onto a hook he had purchased not long ago, and then walked into his small living room. He put his glasses onto a small table by the sofa and sat down onto his large green chair and, that's when he noticed the window.
The window was open. It was never open. William inspected the window carefully. The latch was lifted and the window was slid open. Outside the wind blew maybe strong enough to blow it open William really didn’t know enough about windows. William stuck his head out into the wind hit him blowing his black hair across his head. He could barely make out the fence, about five feet from the window. It was dark out but he still relied heavily on his man-made eyes.
Will pulled his head out quickly out of the wind. He slid the window, screeching all the way, shut. The latch fell as the window hit the wall. He hadn't remembered a screeching sound, although he never did remember ever opening this window anyway. How did it open?
His mind ran through all the possibilities. When a burglar crept its way to the top of his mind he tensed. It couldn’t be a burglar. William didn’t have anything he would want to steal. But of course they wouldn’t know that would they. But it was really just the wind because in fact as he thought more about it he did remember maybe bumping the latch last night when he was grabbing the newspaper that had been on the floor. As his own built-in self-defense system of denial was beginning to kick in a soft moan came from the floor above him.
William grabbed his glasses and walked into the garage glancing over his shoulder at the stairway leading upstairs more than once. He didn’t bother to flick the light switch in the garage he just grabbed the bat
propped up onto some boxes and went back into his house.
William walked up the stairs with the bat in hand. He tried to avoid any groans in the floorboards as he ascended the stairs. His feet made little whispers in the carpet as he stepped. It was almost inaudible but he heard another moan. William tightened his grip on the bat and walked faster.
William reached the top of the stairs, he was exhilarated, his heat was thumping in urgency but despite everything William did want to meet a burglar in his home.
The second floor consisted of three rooms, his office, his bedroom and the bathroom. He went to his office first, the closest. He pushed the door open and entered quickly bat raised high. No one. He went to the bathroom next. Empty. Last he entered his bedroom. Nothing. He inspected the closet and also nothing. Nobody was in his house.
William relaxed and went back down the stairs holding the bat loosely. He went back over to the sofa, sat down, and turned the television on. He was flipping through the stations when he noticed the window again. It was open. His heart froze. He shot up and he felt his heart miss a beat then try furiously to catch up. The window had to be broken that was the only explanation. He tried to walk over to the window but only managed a slight limp over. He shut it hard the metal screeching louder than it had before. The latch came down with a small clink.
William went and sat down on the couch staring at the window waiting for it to open. He closed his eyes for a second.
William Gray awoke on the sofa. He glanced around a little displaced. The TV was on and the window was closed, he sighed relief and decided to go to bed.
He got up and went into the kitchen and got himself a glass of water. He grabbed a glass and put it into the water dispenser on the refrigerator. It fit tightly into the depression, pressing onto the button without his aid. He looked at the TV from where he was standing. His entire body went numb. The window was open.
The police found him two days later with the TV on and water nearly filling the entire bottom floor. The carpet had sucked it up like a sponge until it could hold no more and then the water began to pool. It looked like just a heart attack of a single person, who had died alone. There was no sign of an intruder all the doors were locked and all the windows were closed. Sometimes things like this just happen.
Andrew was the last policeman on the scene. Everyone else was leaving or about to leave, and his partner Jerry was waiting outside for him. He looked around the bottom floor and like everyone else; he found nothing out of the ordinary. But wait-
(That’s strange)
He could've sworn that that window was closed when he came in.
William had come home early that day. He entered the house as he usually had. Throwing his coat on the coat rack. He walked slowly into the kitchen, flipping through the mail, all junk mail. He threw it into the garbage can. He placed his car keys onto a hook he had purchased not long ago, and then walked into his small living room. He put his glasses onto a small table by the sofa and sat down onto his large green chair and, that's when he noticed the window.
The window was open. It was never open. William inspected the window carefully. The latch was lifted and the window was slid open. Outside the wind blew maybe strong enough to blow it open William really didn’t know enough about windows. William stuck his head out into the wind hit him blowing his black hair across his head. He could barely make out the fence, about five feet from the window. It was dark out but he still relied heavily on his man-made eyes.
Will pulled his head out quickly out of the wind. He slid the window, screeching all the way, shut. The latch fell as the window hit the wall. He hadn't remembered a screeching sound, although he never did remember ever opening this window anyway. How did it open?
His mind ran through all the possibilities. When a burglar crept its way to the top of his mind he tensed. It couldn’t be a burglar. William didn’t have anything he would want to steal. But of course they wouldn’t know that would they. But it was really just the wind because in fact as he thought more about it he did remember maybe bumping the latch last night when he was grabbing the newspaper that had been on the floor. As his own built-in self-defense system of denial was beginning to kick in a soft moan came from the floor above him.
William grabbed his glasses and walked into the garage glancing over his shoulder at the stairway leading upstairs more than once. He didn’t bother to flick the light switch in the garage he just grabbed the bat
propped up onto some boxes and went back into his house.
William walked up the stairs with the bat in hand. He tried to avoid any groans in the floorboards as he ascended the stairs. His feet made little whispers in the carpet as he stepped. It was almost inaudible but he heard another moan. William tightened his grip on the bat and walked faster.
William reached the top of the stairs, he was exhilarated, his heat was thumping in urgency but despite everything William did want to meet a burglar in his home.
The second floor consisted of three rooms, his office, his bedroom and the bathroom. He went to his office first, the closest. He pushed the door open and entered quickly bat raised high. No one. He went to the bathroom next. Empty. Last he entered his bedroom. Nothing. He inspected the closet and also nothing. Nobody was in his house.
William relaxed and went back down the stairs holding the bat loosely. He went back over to the sofa, sat down, and turned the television on. He was flipping through the stations when he noticed the window again. It was open. His heart froze. He shot up and he felt his heart miss a beat then try furiously to catch up. The window had to be broken that was the only explanation. He tried to walk over to the window but only managed a slight limp over. He shut it hard the metal screeching louder than it had before. The latch came down with a small clink.
William went and sat down on the couch staring at the window waiting for it to open. He closed his eyes for a second.
William Gray awoke on the sofa. He glanced around a little displaced. The TV was on and the window was closed, he sighed relief and decided to go to bed.
He got up and went into the kitchen and got himself a glass of water. He grabbed a glass and put it into the water dispenser on the refrigerator. It fit tightly into the depression, pressing onto the button without his aid. He looked at the TV from where he was standing. His entire body went numb. The window was open.
The police found him two days later with the TV on and water nearly filling the entire bottom floor. The carpet had sucked it up like a sponge until it could hold no more and then the water began to pool. It looked like just a heart attack of a single person, who had died alone. There was no sign of an intruder all the doors were locked and all the windows were closed. Sometimes things like this just happen.
Andrew was the last policeman on the scene. Everyone else was leaving or about to leave, and his partner Jerry was waiting outside for him. He looked around the bottom floor and like everyone else; he found nothing out of the ordinary. But wait-
(That’s strange)
He could've sworn that that window was closed when he came in.