by Madeline Mora-Summonte
Jenny listens at Clara's bedroom door, hears scratching.
No one likes babysitting Kooky Clara, with her spooky silence and blank eyes, but her parents pay well, and Clara's no trouble. Usually.
Jenny goes in, gasps.
A map of their town covers the walls, floor to ceiling.
Clara can't reach.
Buildings, roads labelled.
Clara can't read, write.
Slashed X's over all the houses, except Clara's. Two girls huddle in the basement. Clara circles them again, again.
Clara can't see.
Screams tear through the streets.
Jenny grabs Clara. They run for the basement.
Halfway down the stairs, they are plunged into darkness.
Author bio: Madeline Mora-Summonte is a writer, a reader, a beach-comber, and a tortoise-owner. She is the author of the flash fiction collections The People We Used To Be and Garden of Lost Souls.
Sight is part of 101 Fiction issue 22.
Clara saw enough though!
ReplyDeleteShe certainly did!
DeleteI had a nice shiver down my spine at the end. Well done!
ReplyDeleteExcellent, MJ! Thanks!
DeleteYou've got me interested here. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Natalie!
DeleteDefinitely creepy! Well done.
ReplyDeleteYeh for creepy!
DeleteAwesome story. So spooky!
ReplyDeleteI love that you thought it was spooky. :)
DeleteDeliciously eerie! Well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Lee!
DeleteWow! I'm glad Clara can see what's going on and the babysitter is smart enough to take the clues and run for safety!
ReplyDeleteWho knows what would've happened if Jenny had dismissed Clara and her map?
DeleteHow can somebody so darned sweet write something so darned creepy? (shudder) Great job!
ReplyDeleteIt's a very clever disguise. :)
DeleteSounds like a good fit for the new Twilight Zone show. Very creepy.
ReplyDeleteOh, nice! :)
DeleteOh I agree with Susan. Well, actually both Susans! But this does seem like a Twilight Zone episode. I'm so curious about what the heck is going on in that town.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Julie!
DeleteI'm pretty sure we don't want to know what's happening in that town.... :o