I write short stories and I want to share some of my stories with you the reader.
I’d like any feedback from you about my stories that I am serializing here.
It helps me write and edit.Enjoy my story: Between Floors
I had a small office set-up at the end of the hallway.We lived in the upstairs apartment of a two family town house.We got a decent rent from the landlords because we helped them rehab the upstairs apartment. We sanded, painted, stained and polyurethaned the upstairs apartment into liveability.
The office was on the landing with a window overlooking the front door walk-up. A couple of trees rose up from the curbside to give me a little privacy from passersby. It was a tiny office with just enough room for a designer’s table, chair and two drawer file cabinet. Just enough room for you to squeeze around the corner and up the steps to our bedroom on the third floor.
Late at night the flexible artist lamp was the only illumination in the house, the jazz station playing low the only sound.
Sometimes I’d get a creepy feeling someone was standing in the hall behind me. I’d turn around in my chair. All I’d see was an empty hall, into the dining room where moonlight fell on the dining room table and the giant “Swiss” design calendar, with horizontal monthly pages as big as a wall poster. The Helvetica type numerals declaring emphatically the days of the year and just a sliver of the kitchen through the next doorway.
Sometimes, I’d be working on a paste-up or project and I’d swear someone was standing behind me; usually, it would be a draft from the stairway, or the old house settling, easing out relaxing house noises.
My little girls’ bedroom was off the living room, just five quick steps, a left through the living room door and a quick right into her room. She was old enough (2yrs. Old) to climb out of her baby bed and after 9pm she slept soundly until the morning. It was rare for her to climb out of bed now to race through the hallway and up to our bed for comfort.
She was happy having her own space, HER ROOM, every toy in it’s proper place.
Besides, I’d hear her release the bedrail, the way we taught her…to climb safely down to use the bathroom or visit us in bed.
Sometimes it was a strong feeling, a certainty, someone was just outside the doorway of the landing, observing my work.
I had a full time position as a “Corporate” designer with a major downtown retailer.I needed freelance work to cover expenses while my wife finished her degree.
Sometimes on the weekend, late in the afternoon, my daughter would sneak-up on me and I’d act like she scared me. I’d grab her up and tickle her and let her draw on my tracing pad till it was time for dinner.Then other times I’d turn around quickly, trying to surprise her before she “scared” me
…no one there…
On hot summer evenings, I’d leave the downstairs door open with the screen door locked to facilitate a breeze.My wife would turn off the TV in the living room, walk up behind me,place her hands on my shoulders and kiss me on the cheek on her way up to bed.
“Don’t stay up all night, why don’t you watch the rest of ‘Carson with me?”
“I’ll be up in a minute.” I’d say, as she padded barefoot up the carpeted stairs.
I’d go down and lock the big door, run up the stairs two at a time, turn down the hall through to my office, turn off the lamp, then two-at-a-time up to bed. One night I was racing off to bed when I just reached my office landing. I felt a sudden chill, like opening a freezer door, then quickly closing it.
I began to ignore the feelings or maybe I was concentrating on my work or just worried about other things. I put those creepy feelings aside until one night…
I was adjusting some type with a T-square and triangle, when I heard wet feet slapping on the hardwood floor behind me, it had to be Addy.But,why was she traipsing water on the floor?
I turned to reprimand her, she stood behind me naked as the day she was born, arms akimbo. Glaring at me. Her beautiful brown eyes seemed on fire.
“You left me!”, she shouted.
I could see my wife coming from the bathroom down the hall with a towel trailing her.
“Wha…what did you say?” I asked. She demanded again, “Why did you leave me?!”
If my eyes were shut, I could have sworn it was a full grown woman speaking to me with such anger. She was only two.
My wife caught her up in the towel on her arms and asked,”Addy, what got into you, why’d you jump out of the tub!?”
“Did you hear what she just said?,” I asked my wife astonished.
“What did you say to Daddy?”, my wife giggled and tickled her. Addy, laughed and cuddled with my wife like a two year old. The fire in her eyes was replaced with simple joy. I looked at my wife, at Addy , they both seemed oblvious to anything other than their nightly bath routine.
“I guess I misunderstood her.”, I said bewildered.
“Well it couldn’t have been that bad.”, she said drying Addy’s thick hair.
“No…I guess not.”, I said.
“You’re just tired…why don’t you let some of those outside jobs go?”
“You know we need every dollar.?”, I said.
“Well dinner ‘ll be ready in a few minutes, come on Addy and get into your pj’s.”
She bundled Addy off to her room.
I know what I heard.Something wasn’t right.
(to be continued)
