Original fiction: Creaking Floorboards
Title: Creaking Floorboards.
Author: jtsbbsps_dk.
Length: 850 words.
Genre: Original Fiction.
Warnings: Mention of suicide.
DisClaimer: MINE! :)
Authors notes: Written for English class in school. Assignment: Write a short story in no more than 1000 words. Your writing style should imitate Hemingway’s. (<- Which is the reason for the many line breaks.) Idea inspired by RL. I felt like posting it :) Written 30th January 2010.
She was pacing across the kitchen floor and back again. Her slight limp made an odd rhythm on the creaking floorboards. James looked up at her.
“Mum, what’s wrong?”
“I’m just missing your daddy, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me that,” he crossed his arms and looked down.
“I’m hungry.” She sighed, found some bread and opened the refrigerator.
“I want the chicken sandwich spread.”
“We’re out, honey.”
“Why didn’t you buy some yesterday? And don’t call me that.”
“I had to stay home, darling.”
“Why? There’s nothing to do here.” She crouched down in front of him.
“Daddy is away right now, and I’m waiting for him to come home. I have to be here when he returns.”
“Where is he, mommy?” Her eyes blinked more than usual.
“I don’t know, darling.” She ruffled his blond hair as she stood and gave him a hug. His face got smothered by her stomach. He pushed her away.
“But he’s been gone since Friday, and it’s Wednesday now. Where is he?” He glared at her, but she did not answer. The floorboards began complaining again.
“What did you do to make him go away?” She stopped.
“I didn’t do anything.” It was half a roar and half choked up. James had never heard a sound like that before.
“I don’t understand. I don’t know why.” She leaned against a wall and slid down on the floor, hiding her face in her arms. Her shoulders shook. James backed away slightly. The absence of noise from the floorboards was hanging in the air.
“Mum, what’s wrong? He’s coming back, right?” She looked up and her eyes were glistening and red around the edges. She opened her arms.
“Come here, sweetheart.” He walked over to her tentatively. She opened to him and held him close. Her hair tickled his nose. Now he was taller than her, he thought.
They heard a knock on the front door. James tried to move out of her arms to open it, but she held on tighter. The door unlocked and he tore out of her arms despite her clutch.
“Dad! Dad! Where were-,” he stopped as he reached the hallway. It was not his father, but his maternal uncle. He looked down on him with a slight smile.
“Hey there, boy. It’s just me.” He went down on his knees and hugged him, too. His arms were a lot less clingy. James took a deep breath and hugged him back. It would be alright, his uncle was here.
“Where’s your mum, James?” He asked as he stood up again. James took his hand.
“In the kitchen, William.” The floor creaked contentedly under their steady feet.
“Up you go.”
“No.”
“She’s been like that for minutes.”
“Get your act together and stand up. I have news.” Her head shot up and the red trimmed eyes searched his face greedily. He remained steady.
“Go sit on the couch and I’ll take James to his room.” He held on tighter to his uncle’s warm hand.
“I want to be with you!”
“I just have to talk to your mum about something. Go to your room and be a good boy, then I’ll come talk to you afterwards.”
“Okay, uncle.” His mother finally rose on wobbly legs.
James went to his room, but did not close his door completely. He sat down on the floor and peaked through the crack between the door and its frame into the living room.
They were sitting on the couch. William was holding her hands in his.
“They found him.”
“Is… is he..?” He put his arm around her shoulders.
“He’s with God now. In a better place.” James curled in on himself and stuck his head between his knees.
“Why..? What happened? Was it an accident? …surely someone didn’t..?” William took a deep breath.
“Evidence suggests suicide.”
“What?!” James heard a loud crash and knew that he would be sweeping up glass shards later. Again.
“How could he leave me like that?! The bastard!” Her voice was shrill and piercing. He could see her sitting on her shins on the floor and banging her fists into the wooden boards. William picked her up, sat her back on the couch and took her face in his hands.
“Sit here. I’m going to talk to James. He’s your responsibility now!”
James ran quickly to his bed and buried himself under the covers. He heard a knock and the hinges on the door whine, followed by comforting squeaks nearing.
“James?” The mattress dipped and he saw light behind his closed eyelids. He opened them to Williams caring expression.
“Listen. You can do this. You’re strong. I know this.” James shuffled up to sit beside him.
“Your father is never coming back. He left you. But you don’t need him.” He was gazed upon by wide eyes.
“Your mother is having a really hard time because of this. Do you understand that?”
“Yes.” James clung to one of his uncle’s strong arms.
“You’ll be here, right?”
“Of course I will.”
The end beginning.
Author: jtsbbsps_dk.
Length: 850 words.
Genre: Original Fiction.
Warnings: Mention of suicide.
DisClaimer: MINE! :)
Authors notes: Written for English class in school. Assignment: Write a short story in no more than 1000 words. Your writing style should imitate Hemingway’s. (<- Which is the reason for the many line breaks.) Idea inspired by RL. I felt like posting it :) Written 30th January 2010.
She was pacing across the kitchen floor and back again. Her slight limp made an odd rhythm on the creaking floorboards. James looked up at her.
“Mum, what’s wrong?”
“I’m just missing your daddy, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me that,” he crossed his arms and looked down.
“I’m hungry.” She sighed, found some bread and opened the refrigerator.
“I want the chicken sandwich spread.”
“We’re out, honey.”
“Why didn’t you buy some yesterday? And don’t call me that.”
“I had to stay home, darling.”
“Why? There’s nothing to do here.” She crouched down in front of him.
“Daddy is away right now, and I’m waiting for him to come home. I have to be here when he returns.”
“Where is he, mommy?” Her eyes blinked more than usual.
“I don’t know, darling.” She ruffled his blond hair as she stood and gave him a hug. His face got smothered by her stomach. He pushed her away.
“But he’s been gone since Friday, and it’s Wednesday now. Where is he?” He glared at her, but she did not answer. The floorboards began complaining again.
“What did you do to make him go away?” She stopped.
“I didn’t do anything.” It was half a roar and half choked up. James had never heard a sound like that before.
“I don’t understand. I don’t know why.” She leaned against a wall and slid down on the floor, hiding her face in her arms. Her shoulders shook. James backed away slightly. The absence of noise from the floorboards was hanging in the air.
“Mum, what’s wrong? He’s coming back, right?” She looked up and her eyes were glistening and red around the edges. She opened her arms.
“Come here, sweetheart.” He walked over to her tentatively. She opened to him and held him close. Her hair tickled his nose. Now he was taller than her, he thought.
They heard a knock on the front door. James tried to move out of her arms to open it, but she held on tighter. The door unlocked and he tore out of her arms despite her clutch.
“Dad! Dad! Where were-,” he stopped as he reached the hallway. It was not his father, but his maternal uncle. He looked down on him with a slight smile.
“Hey there, boy. It’s just me.” He went down on his knees and hugged him, too. His arms were a lot less clingy. James took a deep breath and hugged him back. It would be alright, his uncle was here.
“Where’s your mum, James?” He asked as he stood up again. James took his hand.
“In the kitchen, William.” The floor creaked contentedly under their steady feet.
“Up you go.”
“No.”
“She’s been like that for minutes.”
“Get your act together and stand up. I have news.” Her head shot up and the red trimmed eyes searched his face greedily. He remained steady.
“Go sit on the couch and I’ll take James to his room.” He held on tighter to his uncle’s warm hand.
“I want to be with you!”
“I just have to talk to your mum about something. Go to your room and be a good boy, then I’ll come talk to you afterwards.”
“Okay, uncle.” His mother finally rose on wobbly legs.
James went to his room, but did not close his door completely. He sat down on the floor and peaked through the crack between the door and its frame into the living room.
They were sitting on the couch. William was holding her hands in his.
“They found him.”
“Is… is he..?” He put his arm around her shoulders.
“He’s with God now. In a better place.” James curled in on himself and stuck his head between his knees.
“Why..? What happened? Was it an accident? …surely someone didn’t..?” William took a deep breath.
“Evidence suggests suicide.”
“What?!” James heard a loud crash and knew that he would be sweeping up glass shards later. Again.
“How could he leave me like that?! The bastard!” Her voice was shrill and piercing. He could see her sitting on her shins on the floor and banging her fists into the wooden boards. William picked her up, sat her back on the couch and took her face in his hands.
“Sit here. I’m going to talk to James. He’s your responsibility now!”
James ran quickly to his bed and buried himself under the covers. He heard a knock and the hinges on the door whine, followed by comforting squeaks nearing.
“James?” The mattress dipped and he saw light behind his closed eyelids. He opened them to Williams caring expression.
“Listen. You can do this. You’re strong. I know this.” James shuffled up to sit beside him.
“Your father is never coming back. He left you. But you don’t need him.” He was gazed upon by wide eyes.
“Your mother is having a really hard time because of this. Do you understand that?”
“Yes.” James clung to one of his uncle’s strong arms.
“You’ll be here, right?”
“Of course I will.”
The end beginning.