Susan stood shaking in front of the basement door. She couldn’t tell if she was shaking from anger that her brother hid her most prized possession inside there or from being scared that she would have to go inside and retrieve it. She reached for the cold metal door handle which sent chills through her arm. She slowly pulled it open and her nostrils were immediately hit with thick smells of mold and dust that covered the walls and floor of the basement. The room was pitch black for she still wasn’t tall enough to reach the light switch. Step-by-step she made her way the top of the wooden stairs and regretfully heard the heavy door slam shut behind her. She also heard the faint laughter of her brother, proud of his achievement.
The heat of the basement was overwhelming. Sweat began to form on Susan’s forehead and trickled down around her eyes. And the darkness was almost tangible, covering her like a blanket. Faking bravery, Susan began to make her way down the stairs which were invisible to her except for the creak made with each step. The fact that the stairs were old and worn didn’t add to her confidence. She held her right arm out and reached for the railing. Its rough surface pricked her soft skin but she continued to use it for balance. The steps seemed to never end and the darkness grew with each step. But she wouldn’t give up and turn around. She had to prove to her brother she wasn’t scared of this place. Suddenly tiny sticky strings tickled her face. If she could see she would have screamed for she knew for where there is a spider web, a spider is always nearby. But she decided to ignore it by wiping it off her smooth face and onto the disposal of her skirt.
She continued to walk but stopped when her foot hit a hard surface. She bent down to feel it and it felt cold like the door handle but bumpy like pebbles. She confirmed it was the concrete floor of the basement. She had reached the bottom. But this would be the hardest part of her journey for she no longer had the aid of the hand rail to guide her. Her feet moved two more steps forward before a hard edge pierced her stomach. She began to rub the area which was hit and used her other hand to examine the source. It was a flat thin surface and if she reached along the corners, long metal poles would emerge from underneath. A table was the obvious culprit.
Guessing she was in a corner Susan turned to her right carefully made her way through the darkness. Her hearing sense became more aware of its surroundings and began to tune in. To her left came a continuous ticking noise. The noise seemed to be traveling from high up. The ticking reminded her of the tall grandfather clock her parents used to keep in the living room next to the fire place, although she couldn’t recall what ever happened to it. And to her right she heard an annoying buzz. Maybe it was the water-heater her daddy always came down to fix. Her mind began to wander trying to classify what other noises surrounded her but she quickly snapped out of her trance and continued to move ahead.
Without warning she bumped into another object, this time with her right elbow. It was fairly easy to move and took the shape of a cube. Her hands greedily ran up and down the slightly fuzz cube and Susan had an educated guess that it was a cardboard box. The boxes surrounded her, some stacked to the ceiling and others laid randomly around the room. Her hope slowly vanished from her as she sat on top of a nearby box. But instead of sitting flat on the box’s surface, something formed against her butt. Her heart began to race as she jumped off and grabbed the item. She felt the hollow plastic details of hands, feet, and face. The nose was perfectly straight and the lips plump. Susan held the doll close to her chest, running her fingers though its short and wiry blond hair. She couldn’t wait to rub this in her brother’s face. She had found Mary.
The heat of the basement was overwhelming. Sweat began to form on Susan’s forehead and trickled down around her eyes. And the darkness was almost tangible, covering her like a blanket. Faking bravery, Susan began to make her way down the stairs which were invisible to her except for the creak made with each step. The fact that the stairs were old and worn didn’t add to her confidence. She held her right arm out and reached for the railing. Its rough surface pricked her soft skin but she continued to use it for balance. The steps seemed to never end and the darkness grew with each step. But she wouldn’t give up and turn around. She had to prove to her brother she wasn’t scared of this place. Suddenly tiny sticky strings tickled her face. If she could see she would have screamed for she knew for where there is a spider web, a spider is always nearby. But she decided to ignore it by wiping it off her smooth face and onto the disposal of her skirt.
She continued to walk but stopped when her foot hit a hard surface. She bent down to feel it and it felt cold like the door handle but bumpy like pebbles. She confirmed it was the concrete floor of the basement. She had reached the bottom. But this would be the hardest part of her journey for she no longer had the aid of the hand rail to guide her. Her feet moved two more steps forward before a hard edge pierced her stomach. She began to rub the area which was hit and used her other hand to examine the source. It was a flat thin surface and if she reached along the corners, long metal poles would emerge from underneath. A table was the obvious culprit.
Guessing she was in a corner Susan turned to her right carefully made her way through the darkness. Her hearing sense became more aware of its surroundings and began to tune in. To her left came a continuous ticking noise. The noise seemed to be traveling from high up. The ticking reminded her of the tall grandfather clock her parents used to keep in the living room next to the fire place, although she couldn’t recall what ever happened to it. And to her right she heard an annoying buzz. Maybe it was the water-heater her daddy always came down to fix. Her mind began to wander trying to classify what other noises surrounded her but she quickly snapped out of her trance and continued to move ahead.
Without warning she bumped into another object, this time with her right elbow. It was fairly easy to move and took the shape of a cube. Her hands greedily ran up and down the slightly fuzz cube and Susan had an educated guess that it was a cardboard box. The boxes surrounded her, some stacked to the ceiling and others laid randomly around the room. Her hope slowly vanished from her as she sat on top of a nearby box. But instead of sitting flat on the box’s surface, something formed against her butt. Her heart began to race as she jumped off and grabbed the item. She felt the hollow plastic details of hands, feet, and face. The nose was perfectly straight and the lips plump. Susan held the doll close to her chest, running her fingers though its short and wiry blond hair. She couldn’t wait to rub this in her brother’s face. She had found Mary.
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