Random Works

Short Story 1: "Ivy"

 The horrifically loud scraping noise that was created simply by me sliding across a rusty bolt forced me to bite down on my lip so hard I drew blood. It was completely fascinating to me that sounds could make your body react in strange ways- like how a high pitched scream could make every single hair on your arms stand on end, or a certain voice at a certain pitch could make you shiver…

 Once the gate was locked I turned to face my home. The large gothic house had previously been uninhabited for years and was still falling apart. I neither had the money nor the patience to fix it up, and I honestly rather liked the way you needed to be wary of where you stepped.

 Sharp stones cut into my cold, bare feet as I walked across the gravel path that led up to the house, but I rarely even felt them anymore. Also underneath my feet were the corpses of a thousand leaves. Autumn was my favourite season because things which had grown so majestically over your head and blown in the wind were now rendered dead and beneath you. It made me feel a sort of pride. The sky above everything was as black as my heart and twice as terrifying.

 I unlocked the large oak front door using a key which was always kept alongside another on a silk ribbon around my neck. It seemed strange that it was actually colder inside the house than outside, but that was almost always the case with this building. It was one of my favourite things about the place; no matter how warm or how freezing it was outside, it was always just that couple of degrees colder inside.

 Grime covered most surfaces in a thick blanket- not just inside the hallway, but in most of the house. I had no time for cleaning and it seemed rude to disturb the dust. A single candle lit the space, melted wax dribbling slowly down the side. It was just light enough for me to see a girl leaning against the wall.

 Ivy had been my roommate for many years now and she was a good one. She never made a lot of noise or any mess and was always at my beckon call. Her honey blonde hair and denim clothes made her such a contrast to me and the house.

 She nodded to me and I to her and then I used the second key to unlock the door she was leaning next to. I picked up the candle, pushed open the door and we descended into yet more darkness. The candle only gave a small amount of light, and so navigating the stairs was somewhat tricky but it was so thrilling to not know what situation would be waiting for us.

 “Have you heard any noise?” I whispered to her.

 “No, Silver.”

 Once I had passed over the final step I used the candle to find others in the room, slowly lighting them and making it easier to see. I had always found that the light of candles was far less obnoxious than that of light bulbs, and it was rather practical considering the house had no electricity.

 The dim lighting allowed me to see the rest of the room. The plain, concrete walls housed nothing apart from the candles and a young man, his wrists bound in metal chains. The man did not move even as the room got lighter: he appeared to be asleep.

 “I picked him up outside a club…” I informed Ivy.

 “Just make sure you feed him this time. We don’t want the same situation as we had with the last girl-”

 “I know that!” I snapped. “It wasn’t my fault she wouldn’t stop screaming.”

 Ivy sighed. We often argued over the care of our friends. I turned to face her and smiled, noticing how the candlelight danced in her eyes. She was the only person I could ever share this life with, but sometimes she infuriated me. She constantly reminded me of things I didn’t want to know, and then I would get angry and take it out on our latest friend and we would have to start all over again.

 “I know it wasn’t your fault, Silver.”

 “It’ll be different this time, you’ll see. All I need is to-”

 “Who are you talking to?”

 I span on my heel and turned to face the man. He was curled up on the floor in the corner, watching me with a panicked look in his eye. That look was very familiar; it was the look they all had before they started yelling. Crouching low to the ground, I crept slowly towards him and smiled.

 “It’s alright. It’s just me and Ivy…” My voice was so quiet it even I could barely hear it.

 His eyes darted around frantically and I prepared myself for the worst. I couldn’t stand it when they disobeyed, it was rude and they always spoke with quick, cruel words that resonated in my mind for weeks after. This one was stronger than the others- it had been more difficult than usual to get him here. He didn’t move, however. His eyes just kept flickering from corner to corner of the room, never landing on me until the very last moment before he spoke, his soft lips parting as he murmured-

 “But there’s nobody there…”

 I turned back around quickly and stood at my full height, but sure enough Ivy was gone. I screamed for her but she didn’t call back or come running like she normally did. I flew back over to the man and shook him violently, for he had made her go away. She had never left me before when I needed her and now she was gone. My knees went weak, my head span, and I hit him hard across the face so we would both be unconscious…