The Phoenix Garden: Desensitizing Alice
Okay, so this tiny little short story is a bit of character background for a story that I'm doing called The Phoenix Garden. It takes place in the late fifties. I'm not too fond of it, but I love my characters and will continue to post these little stories
R&R. I hope you like it
.
Alice Taylor had been walking through her neighborhood since early in the afternoon on a very nice day in the middle of the summer. The exact date isn't important, which is probably why neither she or anyone else involved remembered it. Except for her father who loves her dearly and was very protective.
Alice had started walking just after eating the peanut butter an jelly sandwich her mother m ade for her for lunch. She had this itch to leave the house whenever she could that started soon after summer vacation started. She just couldn't stay put. So, she assured her mopm that she would stay near the house and went walking.
It was a very nice day for a walk. It wasn't very hot for summer, and it was sunny. Alice was very content walking the tree-lined street that she lived on, and the ones around it, for a little while. Soon, however, she found herself moving out of her neighborhood. She knew she shouldn't have, but she couldn't help it. She got tired of seeing the same things over and over again.
It seemed to be only a few minutes before the sun was setting and Alice found herself in a busier part of town. A street that had she been on before, but only in cars. She had never walked down it before. The sidewalks were full of people. Cars rushed by continuously and there were no trees in sight.
She was enjoying how busy this street was. She made a mental note to learn the name of it. Alice was having fun looking into all the stores. It was a while before she realized that it was getting dark.
When she noticed the sun setting, though, she became scared. She sat down on a bench on a small patch of grass between buildings, trying to remember exactly how she had gotten there. Her parents would get worried if she wasn't home soon. She thought of her father going out to look for her.
Her parents were much younger than her friends' parents, but they were much nicer. She hated the thought of worrying them.They had always been able to trust her before. She just hoped that wouldn't change.
Alice quickly remembered how to get home and she stood up. All of the elements of the busy street-the crowds, the sounds, the buildings- that had been so enticing to Alice before turned into a haze as she walked quickly back the way she came, thinking only about going home. She thought of the dinner her mother had probably prepared in anticipation that she and her father would soon return. She thought of the conversation that the three of them would have at the table. Telling all of the details of their days and being truly interested in each other's stories, like they did every evening. She also thought of her bed which che was sure that she'd return to that night and forget that any of this had happened.
In the midst of these thoughts, and of walking home so quickly that she was practically running, she didn't notice that she was being closely followed. She was abruptly pulled into an alleyway and the person pulling her kept running. She tried to look at the person, but all she could tell was that it was a man. Actually, he didn't look like he was all that much older than Alice.
They reached a dead end in the back of the alley. Alice could hardly see anything through the buildings' shadows. The man let her go, but then pushed her against the wall with such force that she fell to the ground, and he dropped to his knees beside her. Alice could just barely make out the figure next to her. He was staring at his lap and rapidly mumbling words that she could distinguish from each other. He seemed distracted, but Alice couldn't find the strength to run away.
The man started to calm down and Alice started to understand what he was saying.
"...lost for so long. Promised. I promised... I said I wouldn't"
Alice listened curiously, struck by the emotion in his words. He sounded guilty, somehow.
"Said you wouldn't what?" She asked cautiously.
The man looked at her as if he was surprised that she had spoken. He didn't look like he was going to answer her, and it wouldn't have mattered. Suddenly there were sirens The noise from the street became even more frantic and louder.
The man quickly covered Alice's mouth with his hand, but her voice wouldn't come to her to scream, anyway. She would have been ashamed to admit that the noise from the streets still excited her, even in her current position.
"Alice!"
She could see them through the narrow opening of the alleyway. They were looking for her. Someone must have seen her in town earlier.
The man with his hand on her mouth turned to her, making her jump.
"Is it you they're looking for?" He spoke clearly, not mumbling and shaky like he'd been before.
Without thinking, Alice nodded. Had she thought about it first, she probably wouldn't have. The man stood up and pulled her into a door on the side of the building with surprising strength, but not before she got a glimpse of her father walking into the alley.
The small room seemed to be dome sort of closet. The man slammed the door, pinned Alice to the wall and replaced his hand on her mouth. The sound of running came from the other side of the door, followed by a banging on the door.
"Alice!" It was her father. "Alice, are you in there? Is that you?" He kept shouting. Alice screamed, but it came out muffled against the hand on her mouth. Her father must have heard it, though, because his screamubg became louder and more insistent. She began to feel very distressed at having worried him so much.
Suddenly, Alice's head was pulled to the side by her hair, and the teeth of the man pinning her to the wall were smoothly sinking into her neck.
Was this man a vampire? She had learned what vampires were from scary stories her friends told her, but she was never gullible enough to believe them. Now she wasn't sure The spot on her neck radiated warmth to the rest of her body, which had become cold in the night air.
Her father's shouts and banging at the door were still there, but to Alice, they got quieter as conciousness seemed to slip away from her. She felt a single unswallowed drop of blood run down her neck and catch on the collar of her blouse. That was the last thing she remembered before passing out.
"Alice!"
There was one more shout of her name, before all noise seemed to stop. Her father sunk to the ground against the door. Aiden, the man in the room with Alice, did the same thing, and they both cried.
R&R. I hope you like it
.
Alice Taylor had been walking through her neighborhood since early in the afternoon on a very nice day in the middle of the summer. The exact date isn't important, which is probably why neither she or anyone else involved remembered it. Except for her father who loves her dearly and was very protective.
Alice had started walking just after eating the peanut butter an jelly sandwich her mother m ade for her for lunch. She had this itch to leave the house whenever she could that started soon after summer vacation started. She just couldn't stay put. So, she assured her mopm that she would stay near the house and went walking.
It was a very nice day for a walk. It wasn't very hot for summer, and it was sunny. Alice was very content walking the tree-lined street that she lived on, and the ones around it, for a little while. Soon, however, she found herself moving out of her neighborhood. She knew she shouldn't have, but she couldn't help it. She got tired of seeing the same things over and over again.
It seemed to be only a few minutes before the sun was setting and Alice found herself in a busier part of town. A street that had she been on before, but only in cars. She had never walked down it before. The sidewalks were full of people. Cars rushed by continuously and there were no trees in sight.
She was enjoying how busy this street was. She made a mental note to learn the name of it. Alice was having fun looking into all the stores. It was a while before she realized that it was getting dark.
When she noticed the sun setting, though, she became scared. She sat down on a bench on a small patch of grass between buildings, trying to remember exactly how she had gotten there. Her parents would get worried if she wasn't home soon. She thought of her father going out to look for her.
Her parents were much younger than her friends' parents, but they were much nicer. She hated the thought of worrying them.They had always been able to trust her before. She just hoped that wouldn't change.
Alice quickly remembered how to get home and she stood up. All of the elements of the busy street-the crowds, the sounds, the buildings- that had been so enticing to Alice before turned into a haze as she walked quickly back the way she came, thinking only about going home. She thought of the dinner her mother had probably prepared in anticipation that she and her father would soon return. She thought of the conversation that the three of them would have at the table. Telling all of the details of their days and being truly interested in each other's stories, like they did every evening. She also thought of her bed which che was sure that she'd return to that night and forget that any of this had happened.
In the midst of these thoughts, and of walking home so quickly that she was practically running, she didn't notice that she was being closely followed. She was abruptly pulled into an alleyway and the person pulling her kept running. She tried to look at the person, but all she could tell was that it was a man. Actually, he didn't look like he was all that much older than Alice.
They reached a dead end in the back of the alley. Alice could hardly see anything through the buildings' shadows. The man let her go, but then pushed her against the wall with such force that she fell to the ground, and he dropped to his knees beside her. Alice could just barely make out the figure next to her. He was staring at his lap and rapidly mumbling words that she could distinguish from each other. He seemed distracted, but Alice couldn't find the strength to run away.
The man started to calm down and Alice started to understand what he was saying.
"...lost for so long. Promised. I promised... I said I wouldn't"
Alice listened curiously, struck by the emotion in his words. He sounded guilty, somehow.
"Said you wouldn't what?" She asked cautiously.
The man looked at her as if he was surprised that she had spoken. He didn't look like he was going to answer her, and it wouldn't have mattered. Suddenly there were sirens The noise from the street became even more frantic and louder.
The man quickly covered Alice's mouth with his hand, but her voice wouldn't come to her to scream, anyway. She would have been ashamed to admit that the noise from the streets still excited her, even in her current position.
"Alice!"
She could see them through the narrow opening of the alleyway. They were looking for her. Someone must have seen her in town earlier.
The man with his hand on her mouth turned to her, making her jump.
"Is it you they're looking for?" He spoke clearly, not mumbling and shaky like he'd been before.
Without thinking, Alice nodded. Had she thought about it first, she probably wouldn't have. The man stood up and pulled her into a door on the side of the building with surprising strength, but not before she got a glimpse of her father walking into the alley.
The small room seemed to be dome sort of closet. The man slammed the door, pinned Alice to the wall and replaced his hand on her mouth. The sound of running came from the other side of the door, followed by a banging on the door.
"Alice!" It was her father. "Alice, are you in there? Is that you?" He kept shouting. Alice screamed, but it came out muffled against the hand on her mouth. Her father must have heard it, though, because his screamubg became louder and more insistent. She began to feel very distressed at having worried him so much.
Suddenly, Alice's head was pulled to the side by her hair, and the teeth of the man pinning her to the wall were smoothly sinking into her neck.
Was this man a vampire? She had learned what vampires were from scary stories her friends told her, but she was never gullible enough to believe them. Now she wasn't sure The spot on her neck radiated warmth to the rest of her body, which had become cold in the night air.
Her father's shouts and banging at the door were still there, but to Alice, they got quieter as conciousness seemed to slip away from her. She felt a single unswallowed drop of blood run down her neck and catch on the collar of her blouse. That was the last thing she remembered before passing out.
"Alice!"
There was one more shout of her name, before all noise seemed to stop. Her father sunk to the ground against the door. Aiden, the man in the room with Alice, did the same thing, and they both cried.