[Original: Drabbles] "Raised By the Dead" [G]
Title: Raised By the Dead
Prompt: writerverse challenge #17 ‘zoom in, zoom out’ (write a story)
Word Count: 436
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original (Raised by the Dead ‘verse)
Pairings: none
Summary: Zoe is the only person who lives at her house, but she isn’t the only person who resides there.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_bookclub
Raised By the Dead
The school bus driver didn’t seem too happy to open his door beside the huge wrought-iron gates, but seven-year-old Zoe was already out of her seat and grinning out the window at the winding road that disappeared into the dark trees.
“See you tomorrow!” said Zoe, and bounded down the steps.
She waved as the bus pulled away, then unlatched the gate. It was rusty in places, but swung easily when she pushed on it. Zoe skipped over the dips in the gravel driveway, until she rounded the bend where the trees thinned and she could see her house.
There was no car in the driveway. The garden and the flowerbeds were all a little overrun. In fact, there weren’t any signs of the people living there that Zoe saw in the houses her bus passed on the way to school that morning- mostly because everyone who lived at her house was actually dead.
Grinning, Zoe raced up the walk and through the front door. “I’m home!” she called.
“Quietly, my dear,” said an elegant voice. Miss Cordelia glided down the staircase, her long gown trailing behind her as though in a gentle wind. When she was alive, Zoe was sure that Miss Cordelia could have seemed like she was floating, but now her semi-transparent feet actually landed just above the floor.
The ghostly woman held her stern expression for a moment, then smiled. “How was your first day of second grade?”
“Great!” said Zoe. She held out her backpack, then her coat, so that Miss Cordelia could hang them beside the door. “Even better than last year.”
“I’m glad.”
Zoe reached out to take Miss Cordelia’s hand. Like always, it felt cold to the touch and not quite as solid as her own. “I wish you could come with me,” she said, softly.
“Oh, my dear,” said Miss Cordelia. “I have been away from the world for so long. We all have. But it warms my heart- metaphorically, of course, as I haven’t got a heart anymore- to see the wonderful young lady you’re becoming. But perhaps it is time…”
“Not this again!” said Zoe, frowning. “You’re my family. You raised me, you love me. Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you can’t be just as good as all the other parents. Better, even.”
Miss Cordelia squeezed Zoe’s hand and dabbed at her eyes with a transparent handkerchief. “Well,” she said. “Well. Goodness knows this house would never be the same without you.”
“This is my home, Miss Cordelia,” said Zoe, then smiled. “So, what’s for snack?”
The ghost smiled back. “Your favorite, of course…”
Title: Raised By the Dead
Prompt: writerverse challenge #17 ‘zoom in, zoom out’ (re-write first story with a different person- from 3rd person to 1st)
Word Count: 587
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original (Raised by the Dead ‘verse)
Pairings: none
Summary: I’m the only one who lives at my house, but I’m not alone there.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_bookclub
Raised By the Dead
I was out of my seat almost before the school bus came to my stop. I could see the iron gates, and the path through the woods that led back to my house.
The bus driver frowned, but I grinned at him. “See you tomorrow!” I said, and bounded down the steps.
I waved after the bus as it pulled away, then unlatched the gate. It looked a little rusty, but even someone small like me could open it easily. I was so excited to be home that I skipped down the long driveway, dancing around the potholes, until I got to the bend where I could see my house.
It didn’t look anything like the other houses that the bus passed on my way to school. Our house is really old, and kind of broken in places. There weren’t any cars in the driveway, and the flowerbeds were full of weeds. The whole house was dark, like nobody lived there. And technically, that was true- except for me, everyone in my family was dead.
I raced up the walk and through the front door. “I’m home!” I called.
“Quietly, my dear,” said Miss Cordelia’s voice. I looked up to see her coming down the stairs. She seemed to glide more than walk, especially in her long gown, and I know she must have been just as elegant when she was alive.
Miss Cordelia stopped at the bottom of the steps, looking stern for a moment, then smiled. “How was your first day of second grade?”
“Great!” I said. I held out my backpack and coat so that Miss Cordelia could hang them on the peg beside the door. “Even better than last year.”
“I’m glad,” said Miss Cordelia.
My family had been sad to see me go off to school last year. They wanted me to learn, of course, and knew there were things they couldn’t teach me, but they still missed me when I was gone. Just like I missed them.
I reached for Miss Cordelia’s hand. No matter how warm it was outside, her hands were always cold and didn’t feel as solid as mine. “I wish you could come with me,” I said.
“Oh, my dear,” said Miss Cordelia, sounding sad and pleased at the same time. “I have been away from the world for so long. We all have. But it warms my heart- metaphorically, of course, as I haven’t got a heart anymore- to see the wonderful young lady you’re becoming. But perhaps it is time…”
“Not this again!” I cried. As hard as it had been for my family to send me to school the first time, once I’d started going, they’d started to think that maybe they weren’t the best guardians for a living little girl and that I might be better off with a family who was alive. They were wrong, and I told them so as often as I could.
“You’re my family,” I said firmly. “You raised me, you love me. Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you can’t be just as good as the other parents. Better, even.”
Miss Cordelia squeezed my hand and dabbed at her eyes with her transparent hankie. “Well,” she said. “Well. Goodness knows this house would never be the same without you.”
Inside, I gave a cheer- that wasn’t what she usually said. Maybe I had finally convinced her!
“This is my home, Miss Cordelia,” I said, then smiled. “So, what’s for snack?”
She smiled back. “Your favorite, of course…”
Current Mood:
creative
Prompt: writerverse challenge #17 ‘zoom in, zoom out’ (write a story)
Word Count: 436
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original (Raised by the Dead ‘verse)
Pairings: none
Summary: Zoe is the only person who lives at her house, but she isn’t the only person who resides there.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_bookclub
Raised By the Dead
The school bus driver didn’t seem too happy to open his door beside the huge wrought-iron gates, but seven-year-old Zoe was already out of her seat and grinning out the window at the winding road that disappeared into the dark trees.
“See you tomorrow!” said Zoe, and bounded down the steps.
She waved as the bus pulled away, then unlatched the gate. It was rusty in places, but swung easily when she pushed on it. Zoe skipped over the dips in the gravel driveway, until she rounded the bend where the trees thinned and she could see her house.
There was no car in the driveway. The garden and the flowerbeds were all a little overrun. In fact, there weren’t any signs of the people living there that Zoe saw in the houses her bus passed on the way to school that morning- mostly because everyone who lived at her house was actually dead.
Grinning, Zoe raced up the walk and through the front door. “I’m home!” she called.
“Quietly, my dear,” said an elegant voice. Miss Cordelia glided down the staircase, her long gown trailing behind her as though in a gentle wind. When she was alive, Zoe was sure that Miss Cordelia could have seemed like she was floating, but now her semi-transparent feet actually landed just above the floor.
The ghostly woman held her stern expression for a moment, then smiled. “How was your first day of second grade?”
“Great!” said Zoe. She held out her backpack, then her coat, so that Miss Cordelia could hang them beside the door. “Even better than last year.”
“I’m glad.”
Zoe reached out to take Miss Cordelia’s hand. Like always, it felt cold to the touch and not quite as solid as her own. “I wish you could come with me,” she said, softly.
“Oh, my dear,” said Miss Cordelia. “I have been away from the world for so long. We all have. But it warms my heart- metaphorically, of course, as I haven’t got a heart anymore- to see the wonderful young lady you’re becoming. But perhaps it is time…”
“Not this again!” said Zoe, frowning. “You’re my family. You raised me, you love me. Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you can’t be just as good as all the other parents. Better, even.”
Miss Cordelia squeezed Zoe’s hand and dabbed at her eyes with a transparent handkerchief. “Well,” she said. “Well. Goodness knows this house would never be the same without you.”
“This is my home, Miss Cordelia,” said Zoe, then smiled. “So, what’s for snack?”
The ghost smiled back. “Your favorite, of course…”
Title: Raised By the Dead
Prompt: writerverse challenge #17 ‘zoom in, zoom out’ (re-write first story with a different person- from 3rd person to 1st)
Word Count: 587
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original (Raised by the Dead ‘verse)
Pairings: none
Summary: I’m the only one who lives at my house, but I’m not alone there.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_bookclub
Raised By the Dead
I was out of my seat almost before the school bus came to my stop. I could see the iron gates, and the path through the woods that led back to my house.
The bus driver frowned, but I grinned at him. “See you tomorrow!” I said, and bounded down the steps.
I waved after the bus as it pulled away, then unlatched the gate. It looked a little rusty, but even someone small like me could open it easily. I was so excited to be home that I skipped down the long driveway, dancing around the potholes, until I got to the bend where I could see my house.
It didn’t look anything like the other houses that the bus passed on my way to school. Our house is really old, and kind of broken in places. There weren’t any cars in the driveway, and the flowerbeds were full of weeds. The whole house was dark, like nobody lived there. And technically, that was true- except for me, everyone in my family was dead.
I raced up the walk and through the front door. “I’m home!” I called.
“Quietly, my dear,” said Miss Cordelia’s voice. I looked up to see her coming down the stairs. She seemed to glide more than walk, especially in her long gown, and I know she must have been just as elegant when she was alive.
Miss Cordelia stopped at the bottom of the steps, looking stern for a moment, then smiled. “How was your first day of second grade?”
“Great!” I said. I held out my backpack and coat so that Miss Cordelia could hang them on the peg beside the door. “Even better than last year.”
“I’m glad,” said Miss Cordelia.
My family had been sad to see me go off to school last year. They wanted me to learn, of course, and knew there were things they couldn’t teach me, but they still missed me when I was gone. Just like I missed them.
I reached for Miss Cordelia’s hand. No matter how warm it was outside, her hands were always cold and didn’t feel as solid as mine. “I wish you could come with me,” I said.
“Oh, my dear,” said Miss Cordelia, sounding sad and pleased at the same time. “I have been away from the world for so long. We all have. But it warms my heart- metaphorically, of course, as I haven’t got a heart anymore- to see the wonderful young lady you’re becoming. But perhaps it is time…”
“Not this again!” I cried. As hard as it had been for my family to send me to school the first time, once I’d started going, they’d started to think that maybe they weren’t the best guardians for a living little girl and that I might be better off with a family who was alive. They were wrong, and I told them so as often as I could.
“You’re my family,” I said firmly. “You raised me, you love me. Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you can’t be just as good as the other parents. Better, even.”
Miss Cordelia squeezed my hand and dabbed at her eyes with her transparent hankie. “Well,” she said. “Well. Goodness knows this house would never be the same without you.”
Inside, I gave a cheer- that wasn’t what she usually said. Maybe I had finally convinced her!
“This is my home, Miss Cordelia,” I said, then smiled. “So, what’s for snack?”
She smiled back. “Your favorite, of course…”
Current Mood:
creative