Short Stories | Sr.I3oSS

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

- Knife in the Back -

I picked up the phone. Nothing. Just a message from what looked like a travel agency: “25% off flights to Sp…”. Agitation had me fully digested by now. I had no whereabouts of my brother, just a simple instruction: wait for the message. I had the money ready, the car ready. Patience was said to be its own reward, but to be honest, that was the last thing I wanted to hear. Patience: what did I ever get from being patient? I checked the phone again. Nothing. I searched my pockets for the car keys and went outside. I didn’t want to waste any more time. I headed towards my Ford as thin needles poured down out of the depressing grey sky. My shoes were still soaking wet since yesterday, which was when I went to the police station. They refused to even take a report of what I had to say, let alone help.

At last. My phone buzzed. I reached for it and tapped view on the “1 new message(s)” notification. It seemed to be from a private number and I was asked to turn up on the by-street near the Old Devon Farmhouse. That was the last place I’d wanted to go. Despite it being quite near to me, it was on the outskirts of the city. The farmhouse had been abandoned by its owner when I was five and there were rumours that the owner didn’t leave, but rather hanged himself after the demise of his wife. No one really drove past there ever since. It was an invitation to extreme danger, and I had no choice but to accept it. I couldn’t risk my brother for my own fear of safety.

The rain was pouring down even harder now, and the sun had started to set. It was starting to get dark. I drove past the abandoned farmhouse and pulled over where the turn led to the by-street; the meeting point I was told to go to. I couldn’t see anyone, so I got out of the car. My shoes dipped into a puddle of muddy, murky water, and I felt an instant shiver go through my body. It was winter, and although it hadn’t snowed this year, the temperature was quite low. I walked down the by-street, where there were terraced houses that had been neglected near the times of the farmhouse incident. Or at least that’s what I figured. Most of the windows were broken, as if there had been a riot here. My phone buzzed again, I brought it up and the message was from a private number, again. ‘Come to the farmhouse’, it read. As much as I didn’t believe in ghosts, I still feared entering the farmhouse; it was dark, horrifying, vague. It was as if it was alive, whispering death into my ear.

I grabbed the briefcase and headed towards the farmhouse as its blind forehead stared tauntingly at my face. The front door was closed, so I walked around and entered through an opening in the left wall. It was dark, the rain had died down, but the air was still moist and it smelled of oak wood. I looked around but no one was there. At least that’s what I thought, until a figure appeared from a passage in the other side of the farmhouse.

 

It was fully dark now, and I couldn’t see his face.

“Money?”, he questioned. I had to know if my brother was safe and present. I couldn’t believe I was foolish enough to not even bring a knife with me. I was like a sitting duck. “Where is my brother?”. I tried to sound demanding and strong, so that I didn’t openly present my defenselessness to him.

“Money first, then brother.”

I had to hurry, time was running out. I wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. I put the briefcase down and stepped back. “Good boy.”, he said. Even though I couldn’t see him, I could sense a devilish smirk on his face.

He came forward and grabbed the briefcase and it wasn't until he did grab it that I noticed that he was pointing a gun at me. “Where is my brother?”, I asked once more, except this time, the fright was clear in my voice. A second later, something pierced through my chest and I hit the wet ground, unable to cope with the agonising pain that had struck me. There, I looked up, life flashing before my eyes. My nightmares had prophesised this, except, the difference was that the last thing I saw was my sweet brother, smiling.

- Light in the Dark -

The empty glass turned into pieces and scattered like droplets of water hitting against the floor. I felt weak, no: weaker every second. It was as if my heart was being compressed in a small space as I struggled to breathe. I tried lifting myself up, but couldn't. I kept falling, because falling's easy. That's what my whole life had been.

I remembered the time when I was younger. How I used to go out to play with my friends, how our family used to eat together, and the next day they weren't there. No one was. I was left alone to face this dark, miserable tunnel, the tunnel of life. Even with the tunnel fully dark, it felt as if it was getting darker. My life had been nothing but a free fall towards the bottom. A long, 75-year fall.

My mother used to tell me: "Look on the bright side. No matter how dark it gets, there will always be light, because the light comes from within". I didn't see anything, though. I didn't know if the light was too weak for me to see or I wasn't strong enough to see it.

I could still breathe, just barely. Every day I used to sit out in the garden, breathing the air, hoping it wouldn't enter my body the next day. After all, isn't that what we all do? Breathe and stop breathing. My heart felt even heavier, my vision blurry. I looked back into my life once more.

All the people I met, all the times I had been happy, I remembered how I used to go out with my friends. I used to smile back then. All those times I used to eat with my family, I used to be happy back then. I did have something to remember, something to make me smile. As tears rolled down my cheek, I smiled once again and thanked for all the times I'd had. My whole life flashed in front of me within minutes. The path I took, the story I wrote; the story of life.

My heart still grew heavier, air no longer entered my lungs. I'd perceived that now I had reached the end of the tunnel. I saw it. I saw the light. I realized that the light was always there, I just needed to see it. The bright side of things... the bright side of life.

- Her -

Every day was like the other. Just living life as usual, the kind I didn’t like; but, I realised that it must be done. Without it, you cannot achieve. Hard work is what it is called. So, there I was, living my life in a routine. A plan. A schedule.

Going to school, working hard, talking to people, friends, teachers. After all, growing up to be useful is what I wanted. Money doesn’t matter, nothing else does. I just wanted to do something. I dedicated my life to this thing. I decided I’m not going to let anything change me from this routine of mine. But of course, talking to friends, teachers, and people – everyone is a person, but not everyone is a friend. No, I am not talking about a sense of disliking someone. Here, I’m talking about a sense of attraction.

I felt a change in myself. My attention wandered off to something else. Or someone else, shall I say? I hadn’t noticed that person much before. We never talked – few mutual friends, I guess; but we study together. My eyes find a sense of happiness, just like my heart, when I see that person every day. And when I don’t see that person, I don’t know why, but that attention I used to give to that plan, that schedule – it doesn’t stay there anymore. I think about her. I used to wait for the weekend to come running towards me, but now I just hope that it is over soon, and that I can feel that sense of happiness again when I see her.

What didn’t she possess? All I could think of, she did: intelligence, kindness, humility, and of course, her beauty. I don’t know which one made me feel a special attraction towards her. Was it her angelic smile, or her hearty and joyful way of being who she is? Or was it just everything? I don’t know. I just know that I… Like? Love? Have a crush? I don’t know what it’s called. I really don’t. I just know that I think about her pretty much all the time. Before sleeping, during sleep. At school, before school. I didn’t know if she liked me, though.

I’ll be modest: I am smart. Compliments are passed on quite frequently. I possess intelligence too. But did she care? We did talk sometimes, but not choicely. It was mostly due to classwork. Like sitting together, or asking for something. The thing is, we both don’t talk much to anyone. We are the shy ones. The introverts. Or me, at least. I’ve been trying to be more social recently, talking more often and all that. But not to her; just to friends, teachers, and people. She is a person, of course; but when I say people, I mean general acquaintances.

So, there I was. Living my life in a routine. And then I walked into the classroom, thinking of her. I just stared at her the whole time, but with pauses of course. I didn’t want anyone to see me do that and then tease me about it. No bad thoughts, I just liked her. It’s not about whether I have the strength to confess this sense of attraction, but rather what happens after. Imagine, she says that she has a sense of attraction towards me too, but what then? The routine I live – it doesn’t have anything interesting. Just hard work. I am still a person, but I do not have much to talk about. What do we do, ‘go out’? What even is that? What do you even do in that? Talk? Well, I don’t have things to talk about. Only work, like I said.

I am that person who works for it. I don’t know if you call it natural intelligence or hard work – but I am using that. I am the person that you borrow homework from to copy it up five minutes before it’s due. I am that person who succeeds in exams, but that is all I am known for. The person who I can copy my homework from when I have not done it. The person who did good in his exams. That is what is seen of me, probably by her too. Not seeing the real me, the person who I am: my personality. Intelligence is a part of me, but it is not me. And that is not what I am like, but still, I do not have much to talk about because of what I do.

Two more months and I am gone. Every day, I will once again follow a new routine, a new plan, a new schedule. Going thirty miles to college. I do not know where she will be, then. I do not know where she wants to be, then. Will we just part, and we just stay friends, or acquaintances? Or we stay as two different people. People who used to study at school together – nothing else. We part our ways; I stay with my work, and she stays with her angelic smile and her way of life. I do not know what will happen in the future. I guess, I will just stay with my life as it is, but this time, the thought of that person will always reside within me. Her intelligence, kindness, humility, and of course, her beauty.



 

- Little Ones -

 

Late March, it is. It’d been raining for the past week, but something was peculiar today, for someone living in England, at least. It wasn’t raining. Was it 11:11? It indeed was. Not exactly, just about 11:05…pm. I went onto the weather app on my phone – “Clear”, it said. I ran up to my room, closed the door and turned out the lights. I knew my room well, for it was small; I’d the smallest room in the house. I found my way in the dark to the blue velvet curtains and parted them to expose the brilliant view of the night sky. I could see little dots all over it, small and shiny. I couldn’t miss this beautiful night.

 

I grabbed my grey and blue Adidas jacket from the wardrobe, after turning on the lights, of course, and went downstairs. The door wasn’t the only thing I had to go through to get outside, there was my Dad. He didn’t stop me or anything, I just hesitated for no reason. “Where are you going?”, he questioned. He was watching TV. Normally it would’ve been the news channel, but today he was watching a documentary of some sort. I didn’t look at it long enough to know what it was about, though.

 

“Out for a walk, it’s a good night. No clouds.” I answered with a smile so that he would allow me. There was a reason I hesitated asking him. It wasn’t any bad relationship, no. It was me fearing that he would say ‘no’, because he’s just trying to protect me. But come on, those people who stroll out at night, I’m going to be one of them. I normally can’t take a ‘no’ for an answer. It’s just a bit hurtful to have an opportunity to see something so rare for me, but then not getting to see it. I remember what happened during the last Supermoon. I woke up at 3 am in the night, expecting a charming sight, and all I got was a dull, grey sky. That was nature saying ‘no’ to me.

 

“This late? Why? Where you goin’?”, he threw doubt onto me once again. It was all about safety, though, per him. Hanging around this late at night… you never know what might happen. It didn’t help with the fact that I went to the park just down the street. The reason I went to it was the same as the reason my Dad wouldn’t let me go there. At night, since most of the lights were broken, it went very dark. Hence the reason I went there. There were no other lights to look at except the beautiful ones in the sky.

 

“Just the park down the street, Dad. Don’t worry, I won’t be long.”, I answered, in a calm voice.

 

“It’s unsafe… you know, with all that’s been going on around here. Get a thicker jacket on, and take your phone with you. And don’t be too late.” That’s something I got to hear every time, wearing something bigger, fatter – keeping me warm. Taking my phone in case I take too much time.  But who cares what I wore, I just ran upstairs, climbing two stairs in one step of mine. I had a leather jacket that I wore almost everywhere I went, for it was warm and kept me from getting wet. Me getting wet was not a concern for today, though. I tried opening the door: it was locked. Clearly, he didn’t expect anyone to be going out or coming in this late. The keys, with keychains shaped like birds, hung in a bird-house looking figure, both keys to the same door – one red, one white. I unhooked the white one, opened the door, hooked the keychain back and headed outside.

 

Cold, fresh air entered my lungs, I felt alive. A beautiful night pleasured you in every sense possible, not just vision. It was quiet, though. No sound was to be heard except the roaring of engines in the distant main road. I headed down the footpath, looking up at the bright lights in the sky. It looked beautiful already, which made me just want to run towards the dark park. But I wanted this all to come to me slowly, for it was a day I experienced not much. There was one light in the sky which was brighter than the rest. I didn’t know if it was a star, to be sure. It was possibly a planet – Venus? Mars? Not Mercury. It didn’t appear this time of the year, and it was too small to be such bright. Lost in thoughts, I’d now reached the entrance to the park. The shop opposite the entrance was closed, which was rather disappointing since I’d brought £1.20 to get a Red Bull, but oh well.

 

I entered the dark place, and with all due honesty – I was scared. Not of ghosts or anything, it was just that ‘safety’ thing. I walked up to a 3-story bench like figure in the middle of the park, not exactly a bench – it was made to climb onto, but I used it as a bench. I sat on it, still staying sharp and alert in case anyone was there. But all this concern was replaced with warmth as I looked up once more. It was more beautiful than ever, like little white dots on a black matte paper. And to top it all off, there was no rain to drench me up. There were no grey clouds to cover the sky. There was no presence to make me feel afraid. I was free to look up, and breathe, and take the moment in. I swear, if I could, I would stare at this forever. The number of lights in the sky kept increasing the more I looked. What beauty could replace nature itself? Nothing. It just showed how insignificant we are. I sat there, thinking of my life, as the cold air still entered my lungs and came out warm. I thought of my past, and of the people I liked, and the people I didn’t. I just wanted to go to sleep, now, under these little dots of light.

 

I don’t like such moments because of the beauty of it, I like them because of the realisation they give to me. They give you time to let out every fear, every concern, and think about your life. Freely. The truth was, we are insignificant. On a large scale, one less human will not affect the whole. One less star will not make the sky dark. As far as I perceive, we are the little dots. We are the little ones.

 

 

Where do I write this stuff from? Well, here's a brief... thingy, about where I got the ideas from. They are mostly inspired from my own experiences.

 

Knife in the Back:

The story is a developed version of what I had written many years ago in younger years of school. The use of the setting is inspired from a book I read, quite a long time ago. The book didn't use a farmhouse, but somewhat similar of a dark, isolated village that had been destroyed by storm waves, near the sea (Duh, 'waves'). The book is 'Never Coming Back' by Tim Weaver

 

Light in the Dark:

The concept of looking on the bright side comes from a similar experience to what I had been having. I realised that life isn't very sweet if you deeply think about it, but thinking positive is what matters. The concept of death puts a bit of tension to the story. And if you are wondering, yes, he is dying, so he dies in the end. If you'd like a 'explain what happened' in a few sentences, just post, and I'll do so.

 

Her:

You can guess. *blush*. Not long left to college, is it?

 

Little Ones:

I just copy pasted the night of 24/03/2017. Literally. It was clear yesterday, no clouds. I love gazing at the sky. Breathing cold air. It's nice. That's where the setting comes from. My Dad didn't say the exact same things, but yeah, 'creative writing' for a reason. A 12 minute walk = New Short Story. Not so bad, huh? The setting described is actually metaphorical, explaining insignificance of humans. If you notice, I did say that we are all insignificant and don't matter, but if you notice, the "bright" light actually represents that if you try, you can stand out. If you don't work out the true meaning of the story, well, you can call it a negative story, but if you do, it's actually meant to inspire you to work harder in life.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Sr.I3oSS

[mydoom.exe 5,154]

Approved.

 

Edits:

-Changed font size to 14.

-Changed font to Trebuchet.

-Minor spelling edits. ("agonising" to "agonizing", etc.)

-Minor formatting edits. (Added a space before each new paragraph)

-Topic headers coloured.

 

 

Nicely done. Interesting suspense there, though a bit on the short side to really build up the tension. Overall, a pretty good story on the darker side. 

Edited March 7, 2017 by Hexed

[Drey 879]

Good Luck, nice stuff by the way. 

 

Write tight and don't let the Writer's Block bite

Edited March 6, 2017 by Drey

[sirogo 3,624]

Bright side of life, and more specifically the bright side of people, should be, to our eyes, their one and only coat.

 

But we already talked about this  ;) 

Glad you're posting this ^^

[Blackdrakon30 2,943]

Excellent job. It combines respectable storytelling with good phrasing. I do hope you continue to write similar pieces in the future.

[Guest]

Good Job Lewis, Really enjoyed reading this.

[Guest Maserati]

Awesome work lewi :)

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Edits:

-Minor spelling edits. ("agonising" to "agonizing", etc.)

Agonising is correct... (british spelling)

[Hex 11,520]

Indentation and spoilers removed.

Redesigned the structure.

Correction b/w American and British English removed.

 

Nice! Really enjoyed reading this ;)

Edited March 7, 2017 by Hexed

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

I'll try and add more in the future... am busy with exams at the moment. Am happy that people like it... although I'm sorry about the ending of "Knife in the Back" being a bit confusing. It has a double meaning. Try and figure it.

 

(Sorry about so much death and bloodshed. It just gets more to the reader ^_^)

Edited March 7, 2017 by Sr.I3oSS

[pieface101 285]

Approved.

 

Edits:

-Changed font size to 14.

-Changed font to Trebuchet.

-Minor spelling edits. ("agonising" to "agonizing", etc.)

-Minor formatting edits. (Added a space before each new paragraph)

-Topic headers coloured.

 

 

Nicely done. Interesting suspense there, though a bit on the short side to really build up the tension. Overall, a pretty good story on the darker side. 

Flabby's been recruited for the army to serve as replacement for the dying reporters promoted I see :D

 

Anyways, nice stories!

[r_F.A.M.E1 158]

Flabby's been recruited for the army to serve as replacement for the dying reporters promoted I see :D

 

Anyways, nice stories!

Don't worry cuz you'll join them soon.

Maybe me too one day but I'm too nug to join xD.

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

Updated 17/03:

- New short story added: "Her"

- A brief... thingy added, explaining where I got the ideas from.

 

If you'd like a short explaination of what happened in the stories, feel free to ask. I'll post that too, in the main post. Don't worry, I will add a 'spoiler alert' so that I don't ruin it for people who really like to open spoilers before reading the story.

Edited March 25, 2017 by Sr.I3oSS

[Blackdrakon30 2,943]

Hmm, I know what you mean in the newest one and had a similar situation in life.  :ph34r:  Also, it was smart adding the explanation sections. Those are useful since I know from experience that sometimes people here need more background to understand. Overall great job with the new piece! 

[X_Death.By.Me_X 1,503]

Amazing stories! I often used to ignore stories in the newspaper and AWC section, but I've been reading some lately, they have been pretty entertaining and moving. The ending of the first story was unexpected. The double meanings were a bit confusing but I did attempt to resolve it. In my opinion, the brother is a psychopath who wanted money from the protagonist, he pretends to be kidnapped and demands ransom from his own brother, and then stabs him.  

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

he pretends to be kidnapped and demands ransom from his own brother

 

That is indeed correct. That was my intended ending, but then I got the idea for the other ending, and all I changed was... nothing. It had 2 meanings either way :)

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

great job with the new piece! 

Thanks ^_^

 

---

 

I'll try and write another piece by the weekend, depending on how much homework I get.

Edited March 21, 2017 by Sr.I3oSS

[X_Death.By.Me_X 1,503]

I'll try and write another piece by the weekend, depending on how much homework I get.

I will be looking forward for it, your stories are pretty interesting.

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

Updated 25/03:

- New short story added: "Little Ones"

- A brief... thingy added for "Little Ones"

 

I hope you like it C:

Edited March 25, 2017 by Sr.I3oSS

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

Is "Little Ones" too good for feedback? :rolleyes:

Edited March 27, 2017 by Sr.I3oSS

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

Sorry, I'm slightly busy with exam revision (GCSEs) so won't be able to write something anytime soon.

[Blackdrakon30 2,943]

Sorry, I'm slightly busy with exam revision (GCSEs) so won't be able to write something anytime soon.

That's okay. AWC is nice because there aren't much obligations.  :P  Best of luck with your exams!

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

That's okay. AWC is nice because there aren't much obligations.  :P  Best of luck with your exams!

Thank you :)

[Mystique 1,127]

Is "Little Ones" too good for feedback? :rolleyes:

:wub: It allowed me to have a nice imagination. 

 

I experience all these in my imagination :ph34r:..only...

 

Edited April 28, 2017 by Mystique

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

:wub: It allowed me to have a nice imagination. 

 

I experience all these in my imagination :ph34r:..only...

 

Hmm gooooood. Let's just say it's meant to give you the power of imagination. :D

 

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Note: I'm preparing an improved version of "Knife in the Back" for my exams (I'm gonna write it in the 'creative prose') so I'll post that as well. It will be quite change but clear.

Edited April 28, 2017 by Sr.I3oSS

[Sr.I3oSS 2,546]

ERMMM! I need some help with the development of a re-draft of "Knife in the Back". This is not just for fun, I'm writing this for my exams (yes, mentioned it before). Would anyone like to help me develop it? There's some serious editing needed, and I need to know if the plot is actually picked up by the reader. I don't want to share it here before my exams, so PM me if you wish to do this little fella a kind favour.

Edited April 29, 2017 by Sr.I3oSS