A Short Story : A Story?

I am forced out of bed before the sun gets the chance by the high-pitched screaming of my alarm. Working against the clock, my brain fights the last-minute task of arranging all my clothes into a suitcase. The taxi ride to the airport is all but a tired blur. With a long hug and a bittersweet speech from my parents, I am off on my own to break new boundaries. The airport and I are no strangers.

Emma Henderson yawned and rubbed her eyes as she stepped off the plane at Leonardo Da Vinci airport in Rome. Her vision was still a little fuzzy from leaving her contacts in during the flight. She hoisted her backpack onto her shoulder, and let out a sigh of relief as she walked down the airbridge that lead to the airport. There was nothing she hated more than airplanes, and she hadn’t been able to sleep at all during the eight hour flight from the U.S. Every time she began to drift off, the little kid behind her would jam his feet into the back of her seat, or the lady in the row across from her would rattle off yet another loud complaint. She was definitely glad it was over.

The sun was high in the sky, gleaming down on us. The air was breezy, but not cold. The day was ordinary, or so it seemed. But what was out of place? That would be my brother, the only person who could possibly get himself into such a situation, with his impossible ability to almost die, but just miss the mark. As he sat there on the ground with his back to us, legs sprawled out in front of him, we didn’t even realize that there was anything wrong. Hold on a second. Let’s rewind this just a little.

I had no idea where to go, so I decided to take my brother’s advice and follow a nice looking family, hoping they would lead me to the baggage claim. Once I got off the plane and into the airport, that plan fell apart. It was packed with noisy people running around all over the place, with mini cars full of people honking to get past. I soon lost the family I was following and ended up standing in the sea of people. I found a flight attendant and asked for her help. She pointed me in the direction of my baggage claim and told me what numbers to look for. After walking for what seemed like an eternity, I finally found the room. Luckily, it took forever for the bags to come out, so I had time to call my friend. They were lost trying to find what gate I was at, and since I was lost I couldn’t help them much. Once I spotted my bag, I decided to try and figure out how to get outside. As I made my way around the terminal, I spotted an exit sign with the gate number on it. I told my friend the number and waited outside by the road for them. I was scared to wait alone with all these strangers surrounding me, it was causing my hands to get clammy. As I was waiting, three different men came up to me and asked if I wanted to go downtown with them. That’s when I really started to get a sick feeling in my stomach. Luckily, as one was talking to me, my friend to save me from the awkward encounter. I had so much fun on my trip, but the real problems started on my way

Leaving the motel on Highway 74 around 3:00 o’clock, Marlene drove faster than usual to get home ahead of Jerry and Andrew. Smiling, her thought lingered on the last few hours spent with her lover. Pulling into the garage, Marlene parked her Mercedes, brushed her hair put on fresh lipstick, before going into the house, relieved she was home when her husband and father-in-law arrived. Wanting to surprise them, she went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, sat down at the counter and glanced through the mail.

*Slam*. The door shuts. The room was silent, you could hear a pin drop. Leah left and I heard the car start up. We’ve never gotten in a fight like this. Tears started streaming down my face. The tears started streaming down my face harder and harder by the second. AGHHHHH I screamed. I slowly got up from the table the chair squeaking making the same sound it made when Leah left. WOOSH. I think that was the fastest I’ve EVER turned around. I saw a small shadow. Nobody else was home. but there was still a shadow? I walked around the corner…nothing. I ran upstairs and WOOSH again. I checked my bedroom and Leah’s bedroom. There was nothing in there.

It was very late and the living room was beginning to smell of a foul odor. A woman was sitting on a wooden stool near the east-side window, crouched. She had a rosary in her hands and kept murmuring something to herself. The man, sitting down in her chair, was waking up. He opened his eyes and wondered where he was, but he didn’t panic. Seeing the white carpet beneath him, his naked feet feeling the Afghanistan wool, he knew he was safe. Wherever he was. His lungs were waking up too, for he coughed uncontrollably for a few seconds. His cough pierced through the soft quietness of the room and caught the woman by surprise. She had thought he was dead.

It was a bright and sunny morning in the city of Istanbul, the streets were full of people and vehicles rushing to their destinations. A small but beautiful looking home stood in front of the Bosporus. It had a white picket fence and roses growing everywhere. Inside the home, a man who looked to be in his late 40’s sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee while his wife was cooking breakfast at the stove,” Aisha, I am going to be late where is Elif?” he questioned.

It was a dreary winter night in Oceana, West Virginia. Tucked away, warmly, was a man by the name of Michael. You see, Michael was a fairly brave individual that was very rarely frightened. He was sort of a leader to his peers and those around him by showing his courage and virtue. As he lay tucked away in his comfortable bed, he heard the strange sound of footsteps in the snow outside. Dismissing it as possibly an animal or the wind, he paid no attention to it and went back to watching his television show. It was only after hearing it once more that he grew immensely curious and decided to check it out. At first, he opened his window and peered outside where he heard the strange sound from but saw that the ground was completely undisturbed. Given the fact that it was negative five degrees outside and in the middle of a two-week long snowstorm, he did not notice any sign that someone or something was outside. Once more he dismissed the sounds, closed his window, and covered back up in his warm bed.

Sleep had been hard to come by that night. Every time Gabriel closed his eyes, he saw Madeline’s tear-stricken face and it pained him to no end. So he spent most of the night occupying himself with studying the stars and doing his best to keep his mind off his problems. The stars had always helped him with that all his life.

It was always white when Rose made a jump to a new universe. It was similar to a flash of lightning but caused her whole vision to blank out. Involuntarily she squeezed her eyes shut against the bright light, causing her to see a different white wall. A white wall which brought back painful memories filled with screams of take me back, smudged mascara, and a feeling of hopelessness.

“Oh, my God, Jerry, do you think they had anything to do with Mom’s death?” Marlene asked.

I did it, I finally killed him. Sarah thought to herself, with a feeling of adrenaline rushing through her body.

My eyes fluttered open, sighing softly. My body felt restless after that reoccurring nightmare. I stretched out my arm, getting a glimpse at my wrist and forearm- the two areas that were constantly attacked each time I relived that moment. The lavender hammock I laid in swayed, the cotton material allowing my skin to feel relaxed. I stared at the plain ceiling. It was hard to search for the motivation to get out of my hammock every morning.

I see a boy sitting behind me reading over my shoulder, so I snap my laptop shut. I hate writing in public, but I wanted to get some in during this long, boring flight. I’m having a bit of trouble getting across the setting of my story without it sounding like an information dump, so I wanted to figure out that on my long trip. But, I think with a sigh, I suppose that isn’t going to happen. The afternoon sun has painted the layer of clouds below me brilliant gold, so I lean my head against the window to look at the view.