I stumbled along the sidewalk, searching for... something. I knew I was looking for it, I knew it was nearby. I just didn't know what it actually was. My mind raced, thinking over all the possibilities. It could be a jewel, a sack of cold coins, a piece of paper, or perhaps a notebook. I stopped walking for a moment, thinking about my last assumption. Yeah, that sounded right. I believe I had been looking for a notebook. And, upon looking up, there it was.
It sat on the porch swing of a townhouse. I couldn't recall why this notebook was what I had been searching for, but I knew that it was definitely what I wanted. I began to climb the three steps leading onto the porch when I noticed something beside the notebook. It was slim and looked like a shadow, but it couldn't have been because the Sun shone down on it from its low position in the sky. Upon looking towards the Sun, I realized I would need to be home soon. So, I got up onto the porch and crept towards the shadow with cation. It's just a black cat, I told myself over and over again, hoping to believe it eventually. But as I reached for the notebook, the cat stirred. My hand shot back to my head in a flash as I realized I was leaning directly over the dark creature. If I even breathed too loud, the being would surely wake.
I stood there, quiet as a mouse, light as a feather, and did not wake the beast. Eventually, I heard its breathing slow once more, signaling that it had fallen back into a deep sleep. I didn't have much time. I quickly snatch the notebook and make a quick exit off of the porch, leaving the little house far behind me. I ran and ran and did not look back until I found myself trapped in an alleyway.
Why would I run down an alley? I ask myself hastily. I gasp for breath as I wait to see if the thing followed. The Sun was beginning to set off in the distance, so light in the alley was dim. I slowly made my way back to the street, clenching the notebook tightly in my hand. I peaked out at the sunset-lit road as a red Cadillac drove by, blasting horrid music. The shadow creature was nowhere to be seen. I let out my breath, which I hadn't realized I had been holding.
When I got home that night, I opened the notebook in bed. I sat atop my orange covers by lamplight and cracked open the book. The lined pages were blank. What? I asked myself, flipping through the notebook to make sure I wasn't mistaken. Blank, blank, blank, blank, blank! Nothing was written in this stupid little book which I had spent all evening trying to retrieve.
I threw the book against my bedroom wall, calling out, "Worthless!" at the sound of it hitting the floor. Then, my brother creaked open my door.
"Everything alright?" he asks me, sounding worried.
"Peachy," I respond, aggravated.
"Oh, c'mon, now," he says, coming into my room and sitting on my bed beside me. "What's got your fingers all tied up in a not?" I look down at my hands to see that I had been squeezing my fingers. I groan and pull my knees up to my chest. I drop my head into my arms and groan again. I hear Anthony give a chuckle.
"I spent all afternoon looking for a stupid notebook with nothing written in it!" I exclaim through my cave of darkness.
"Hm," I hear him say, getting off of the bed. "This notebook?" I don't even have to look up to know he's holding the blasted thing in his hand, looking at me for my approval.
"Yeah," I tell him, still hiding away.
I hear him flip through it, then say, "What do you mean blank? This thing is chalked full of stories!"
My head pops out of my arms and I ask, "What?" as I jump off my bed to take the book from him. I open it to find that he was only messing with me. I glare up at him, but he just looks confused. So, I look back at the notebook, flipping through its blank pages. I stop at the very last one which reads, Get rid of this book. NOW! Upon reading the words, I close the book and chuck it out my open window.
"What the heck, Charlotte?!" Anthony runs over to my window and stares down at the street below. He turns back to me and says, "You've got some explaining to do." But before he can ask anything, I've already forgotten what he looks so mad about.
That's when we hear the door squeak open and see a shadow glide into the room.
Author Notes: I just felt like writing something random! Please let me know if there are any mistakes <3
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United States • 16 years old