Short Story
Weathering The Storm
As I sit here holding the heart shaped locket with the picture of my father in it that was given to me shortly before my world was turned upside down it takes me back to that moment in time. On a small Island east of the states we received news that there would be an apocalypse that would change our lives forever. On the small Island lived about 600 people in total. We all were in danger no one exempt. About 7 am on a Tuesday morning the anchorman came on to the television and stated that Hurricane Todd would be making its way to Samaria Island possibly wiping away everything and everyone that did not get out before 7pm that night. I lived there on the Island with my stepmother Ms. Ruby who I was left with after my father passed away 2 years prior. Ms. Ruby was a great caretaker for me however Ms. Ruby was just as stubborn as she was strong. An hour after the announcement everyone on the Island was scrambling and packing up as much as they could fit in boats to evacuate and get to safety. Everyone except Ms. Ruby and I, “Ms. Ruby are we going to pack and get going I asked?” No, she replied with a stern voice and a straight face “I am tired of the government and their manmade tactics trying to scare us away.” “Every time they get on that television screen fear mongering and talking of disasters they never come” she exclaimed sounding frustrated yet not showing it. Ms. Ruby got up and walked to the window and stared out into the waters that was surrounding the island before turning to me and saying, “your father would have wanted us to stay here and not run Nokia.” I rolled my eyes and walked away and mumbled under my breath “my father would have wanted you to take me to safety.” I went into my room and began to pack everything I could fit in my bag because if we were not leaving, I was leaving and going to safety by myself. As I eased down the back steps heading for the back door Ms. Ruby called out to me “Nokia where are you going? I order you to come here now.” I sat my bag behind the kitchen door and slowly made my way toward Ms. Ruby who was still gazing out of the window. “You don’t trust my judgement, do you” she asked. I nodded my head yes and proceeded to turn and leave her presence when she grabbed me by my wrist squeezing tightly as she whispered, “If you leave here never come back.” Her words and her gesture took me by surprise because never in the 10 years that she was with my father did she touch me in any way or speak to me in that manner. At that point I knew I had to plan my escape and exit faster something had gotten into Ms. Ruby and I did not want to find out what it was. I grabbed my bag from behind the kitchen door and headed toward the back door just to realized Ms. Ruby had boarded the kitchen door shut as well as nailed close all the first-floor windows some time ago. “You thought you were leaving” She yelled out from the front room slightly laughing as if something was funny. “Yes, I want to leave” I replied to her. “I know all the other times they were wrong but this time I feel something coming and it’s coming fast” I said to her. She began to laugh again “Not you too, they have brainwashed you all, when you wake up tomorrow still here on Samaria Island you will be glad that I didn’t let you leave.” Ms. Ruby had gone mad and here I am stuck with her as he awaits death. I ran back up to my room and stood in the window as I began to cry chills covered my body, that was a sign to me that my father was there comforting and protecting me. Several hours had gone pass and it had started to lightly rain, then the rain got heavier, and the skies darkened. Sitting on my bed I could not think of any other way out because my room was on the second floor and jumping from that window I may as well just await death with Ms. Ruby because I was more than certain that I would have broken both my legs had I jumped. I was almost certain that Ms. Ruby would change her mind, then call me downstairs and try to get out since it was now dark and raining. I was wrong as I eased down the steps Ms. Ruby was down on her knees in front of the living room couch praying as she did 3 times a day facing east. It was something she did as part of her spiritual practice. I did not want to interrupt her, but we had to get out of there and do it fast if we were to survive the rainwater had begun to make the ocean waters rise slowly covering the land of Samaria Island and the winds were heavy almost taking down the palm trees. “Ms. Ruby we got to get the heck out of here it is happening” I yelled to her. Unbothered, Ms. Ruby turned to me and said, “Nokia it is too late all the boats have left and all we have now is each other and faith.” “I tried to warn you, but you did not listen to me and now we are stuck here to die” I yelled at her before running back up to my room and burying my face in the pillow to finish crying. As I laid there in bed the rain never slowed down and the winds picked up. I could feel the entire house shaking as if we were having a small earthquake as well as a hurricane and then I seen the tree right outside my window go down. I jumped from the bed and rushed down the stairs to check on Ms. Ruby even though she could have taken us to safety but chose not to. When I got to the bottom of the steps there was water inside the house and all the wall pictures in the living room had fallen off the wall. “Ms. Ruby” I yelled out and she did not reply, and I did not see her anywhere in the living room. I ran all over the house looking for her thinking she had decided to just leave me there and save herself, which was a horrible thought and feeling to have. But after she grabbed my wrist and stopped me from being able to leave, I no longer put anything pass Ms. Ruby. Ms. Ruby was 64 years old and did not care if we lived or died, had I known she would turn out to be this way after my father died 2 years ago, I would have asked to be put in the system or sent to the states to live with my grandmother. My father met Ms. Ruby 10 years ago when I was just 5 and he thought the world of her and now he is probably very disappointed in her behavior and her unthought through decision to stay here during a hurricane. “Ms. Ruby” I yelled her name again as I went into every room on the lower-level splashing through water looking for her. Suddenly I heard movement coming from upstairs. I turned and ran toward the stairs. As I got on to the stairwell simultaneously, I can hear the anchorman saying the speed of the wind has finally reached hurricane force and I heard the gusting winds shattering the windows of our home. I continued to run up the stairs looking for Ms. Ruby when she greeted me in the hallway with a scared and concerned look on her face. Ms. Ruby dropped down to her knees and begun to cry as she apologized for not taking the warning serious and risking both our lives. As angry as I was with Ms. Ruby, I cared so I sat down beside her and hugged and comforted her as we both listened to the winds ripping our home apart and the water quickly speeding up the steps toward us. She turned to me and pulled a heart shaped locket from her top shirt pocket, placed it in my hand and told me to always cherish it. Shortly thereafter Ms. Ruby took me to her room and into her closet where she pulled the chain that was hanging from the ceiling and a door opened to what looked like an attic and she pulled a latter that only came halfway down. “Climb in” she said. I was skeptic but also nervous about going up in the attic and was scared that this may have been another one of her dark tricks she was using to trap me in the house. I heard the winds rip half the house away and I had no time to debate her I jumped up grabbed the latter and climbed as fast as I could. When I looked back down to see id Ms. Ruby was coming, she was gone and nowhere in sight. When I stood up and turned around half of the attic had been torn to shreds also. Tears began to wail up in my eyes and I just knew that this was the end for both Ms. Ruby and I. The winds were still gusting at high speed and the waters had approached the attic I was in disbelief that Ms. Ruby stayed to die and did not fight. With no time for sobbing, I looked around and noticed that my father’s kayak set was up in the attic at the far corner that did not get ripped to shreds yet. I quickly ran through the water and stacked 1 kayak on top of the other and climbed in, fastened the belt, and sat to await the passing of the storm or to be carried away too, whichever came first. As I sat in the kayak with my head covered, my body covered in chills, and I could feel my father’s presence there keeping me calm and covered as the storm passed. After about 10 minutes I could feel the kayaks rocking as if they were getting ready to fall over or be taken by the winds. I held on tightly and begun to beg for my father’s protection. The kayaks continued rocking until they fell over being taken out of the house into the high rise of water. Though I was fastened in I still found myself fighting to keep the kayak right side up to avoid tipping out. As I struggled to keep the kayak form tipping it felt like someone had given me a hand to turn it upright. The kayak I was in had been carried out of the house and immediately the winds slowed down drastically. As I floated around on the waters all I could do is sigh in relief that the storm was finally passing, and I was still alive. After about 45 minutes to an hour of just floating around I was approached by the rescue team who had came in to look for any survivors floating above water. I was thankful that they had come for me because I had no idea where I would float to. Ms. Ruby body was later recovered, and I was sent to the states to California to live with my grandmother. Upon arrival I had remembered the locket Ms. Ruby had given me. I ran to my new room and laid back on the bed and opened to discover it was a picture of my father. I smiled.
By Brittany Brown5 years ago in Fiction
where are you?
I never really liked jewelry. It’d either turn me green or break, so I never saw the point. It was never “me” anyways. For some reason though, I still carry around your necklace like it’s my own source of life. Strange how one person can flip your world upside down and suddenly, everywhere you look, you can see them, smell them, hear them, feel them, and even taste them. After you went missing, the locket was the only thing I had of you. It was the only thing I really had at all, really. Silly necklace… How this little trinket can hold so much hope for someone who might just be dead. It’s been weeks since I last saw you, and now the only times I can see you is when I open this god-forsaken necklace. I hope you are well, though. The search for you is what has kept me alive. I don’t know what I’ll do knowing that you’re gone. The air around me collapses my lungs with every breath I take and I am nothing more but rattling bones blanketed in sheer skin. The stench of corpses is unbearable and I have nobody left, not even a ghost of a peer. I have no salvation besides this broken street lamp. I feel myself slowly losing my sanity. What would I do without you? Please, someone! Dear God, I cannot be alone here. The silence is deafening! I can’t do this alone! Please come back to me, where are you? Damn this necklace! Where are you?!
By Tram Duong5 years ago in Fiction
STARLING ALLEY
The lane was uneven in every possible way. The brickwork gutter ran not quite down the middle creating an uneven slant to both halves of the dog-legged little byway. Even during peak hour traffic or the busy city nights, there was never any traffic. In the window of one of the town houses that backed onto this urban capillary stood a thin woman in an old fashioned house dress. Her silver hair gathered in a hastily prepared but still perfectly shaped bun.
By Grant Kininmont5 years ago in Fiction
Crow Secrets
It happened on the couch on our front porch. That old couch that had been out there since Mama decided a few years back that we needed a new one. Some new neighbors moved in down the road and she saw the fancy couch that they pulled out of the back of the moving truck. Daddy said he didn’t think there was anything all that special about it, but Mama did. She went on for days about the white, lacy upholstery and wonderful leather trim. For the next week, whenever she walked through the family room, she would look at our couch and sigh. And the louder she would sigh, the more frustrated Daddy would get. White upholstery wouldn’t last three seconds in this house with all us kids runnin’ round and all the dirt comin’ in from the farmhouse every time someone opened and shut the kitchen door, he would say. Daddy was right. I didn’t think the neighbors’ couch was gunna look real great after one of our long, dry summers when the dust crept in even the tightest shut windows and layered itself up in every nook and cranny. Heck, the white linen napkins that were tucked away in the dining room drawer even seemed to turn brown in the summer. Mama knew this was true too and eventually said that it didn’t have to be white, but that she still wanted a new one. And she continued to sigh every morning as she passed the couch on her way to make breakfast for me and Jake and the twins. And then, one day, comin’ home from school, there was our couch, out on the porch. When I went inside, I found Mama sittin’ all smiles on a brand new blue couch. She was quick to point out the carved mahogany feet. The neighbors’ couch didn’t have no carved mahogany feet.
By Megan Clancy5 years ago in Fiction
Locket of Emotions
You ever have one of those days you can’t forget? Well, I can tell you about yesterday which I can’t seem to stop thinking about. I was already having a long day by ten or so in the morning. So me understanding you can’t help anyone if you can’t help yourself had me ready to go for a walk and think about something other than my life. Now this wasn’t me fantasizing about being rich or famous, this was more so me questioning why they force you to stay alive when you’re probably better off. After walking and clearing my head I noticed this guy that seemed to be walking with me. Now I’m confused, because it seems like he’s been talking to me while walking with me and was asking me a question. I tried to think of something catchy to say that might change the subject to something else. “ You know what? It’s pretty hot outside we should go get something to drink.” He was quick to respond because he must have been thinking the same thing. So we go to the store buy some water and then he asked me if I wanted a ride home. Perfect right, because I wasn’t really tired from walking but I just didn’t feel like walking home so of course I’ll take an offer for a ride seriously. Consistently his car just seemed to be park at the gas pump, which was questionable, but I didn’t feel like asking myself anymore questions about the reality I live. So while he driving he tells me he saw me walking and parked his car at the station so he could walk with me and guide me to safety because it didn’t seem like I was paying attention. For that I was most definitely grateful. He tells me how he hasn’t seen me in a while and after my car accident I just seemed to have disappeared. Luckily one of his friends said I ended up moving to the area he was in at the time hoping he’d run into me. I smiled but I honestly didn’t care and since I already had the GPS up on my phone I just spaced out again, but not enough to not see what he’s doing, I had to copy his actions so he felt like I was listening. So as we pull up to my house he puts the car in park and grabs my hand. I listen to him tell me how he wants to actually hang out one day , which so happens to be today, and he had something to give me. Now I don’t consider myself above taking candy from strangers but this, this was completely different. He put a box in my hand and said he made this specifically for me. So I’m thinking okay should I open the box in the car or after I get in the house. Thinking was pointless because he started opening it for me, like okay cool. So inside the box was this beautiful necklace like a diamond heart shaped locket, but he said it wasn’t diamond because I didn’t have his last name yet. Whatever it was I liked it until he said there was something important he had to tell me before I put it on. Like “Okay here we go, just tell me before I don’t want it anymore.” So he says it’s a prototype and he thought I would be the right one to give it to because he put some thought into it after him and his friends made the decision. Now I don’t know how to feel about a group of guys sitting at a table judging me but again I really didn’t care. So before getting out the car he tells me “ If you ever feel the need to cry let your tears fall inside of the locket and it will show you what’s in your heart before attempting to make it into reality. It’s something like those little mood rings you could buy in the store, so it does change colors to fit your emotions and if it ever turns red you have to, I repeat HAVE TO calm down.” I figured it was a speech he practiced in front of the mirror to persuade me into putting it on if he ever got the chance, so I picked it up and it started glowing the pale green color. He said I was relaxed and had my attention, so I asked him to help me put it on knowing I could but I figured he wanted to anyway. So while he’s putting it on he says he’s going to pick me up tomorrow so we could hangout and catch up on missed time. This was a good idea because sitting in the house all the time was getting annoying, I just couldn’t get anything done. I accepted his offer and put my number in his phone because one thing I can not stand is someone popping up at the house unannounced.
By Jazmine King5 years ago in Fiction
Pretty little nightmare
5 years before: July 21st I swear the way people act when something out of the norm happens you would assume the world was ending. You would think the fact that it has been winter since last October and it is now July, wouldn't cause mass chaos, yet it does. People hoarding essentials and non essentials alike, the same people refusing to even help their neighbor while looking down on those less fortunate. 10 months of below freezing weather, occasional snow fall, and semi busy streets, have became the normal every day life. Random sicknesses that leave kids and adults alike hospitalized, some even dead, with no idea what medicine would heal or help, and all we get is global warming, a pandemic or even doomsday, but no real help or insight.
By Sharon Marie5 years ago in Fiction
Ethan
[8/17/XX 16:47] FACILITY 4 DR. ERMINE CALLASTER - CENTER MONITOR [Subject #6] Subject has reached full maturity after 6 cycles. We have provided it with only positive stimuli in order to receive better results than the last experiment. The community is still cleaning up after the devastation caused by Subject #5 who has since been terminated. The Nurture department has seized full control of this project with promises of a peaceful future and are fully willing to hand it over if the subject proves to be dangerous.
By Elise J Lewin5 years ago in Fiction
Doomsday Diary
Diary entry, August 26, 2071 Our family is driving back to the, now burned, home that we had to abandon when the wildfire entered and devastated our town. We want to look for anything salvageable in the ashes. As we drive along the “escape “route, by the burned -out cars, with burned bodies in them, and more burned bodies on the roadside, where people had tried to escape on foot when traffic was jammed, I wish I could say that I’m surprised or shocked by this. But how could I be surprised, when this scene is so common?
By Janet Robinson 5 years ago in Fiction
Franklin Evermore
In Alaska in the spring, great grizzly bears gorge themselves on berries. A diet of northern red currants, raspberries, low-bush and high-bush cranberries, and crowberries turns bear fat pink. Berry-fed bear fat is melted down and mixed into teas with honey. It’s used for making biscuits, pancakes, and waffles. Women, and men, too, apply the rosy fat on the skin and it cools and tones the complexion, and it gives hair a healthy shine. It’s believed by some to restore hair, fortify gray matter, and increase sperm count. Berry-fed bear fat may as well be rose gold — it’s as expensive. An ounce can sell for a hundred dollars. Each year in the spring, hunters come to Alaska in search of brown bears, kodiak, glacier, and black. Franklin Evermore is one such hunter.
By Tony Marsh5 years ago in Fiction
She Searches For His Soul In Someone Else's Body
She walks the streets at night as though she’s the crusader of her heart, her body and her soul. But all she rules is a dark and murky empire where stale tobacco smoke fills the air. In her kingdom are stains on the bar counter, surround by stools reserved for the lonely. When she takes her seat on her throne, her wine glass becomes her magic wand. Each night she arrives just as the darkest of the night sets in, dressed in a silky dress, sparkling jewels and shoes that are slightly frayed.
By Author Alice VL5 years ago in Fiction
THE TINY TITAN
Cracked. Scattered and lost. Pushed away by the rend in the path. The little ant was out searching. The dedicated soldier marching in the wild. I wondered what it was that caused to navigate so. His road was rough and covered with gaps and spidery cracks. Why was it that it came this way?
By Grant Kininmont5 years ago in Fiction
