One Liners | One-Shots | Short Stories

Girl

It was a grand castle. Tall. High. More majestic than anything I had ever seen.

I heard Mom and Dad squabbling behind me, about the moving van and all our belongings. Our petty house looked so tiny next to the neighbouring castle.

"Jack, can you stop daydreaming and help us?" Mom sounded irritable, angry almost. She was always in moods like this, nowadays. The marriage hasn't been getting any better.

"Yeah, sure," I hurried forward and scooped a box from the open trunk of our Buick. But even then, I couldn't help but look back at the castle, moss streaming and wisping from all directions. It looked abandoned.

Almost lonely, even.

:::

It took us a couple of hours to settle in. I saw Dad scratching his beard in that way he did, when he didn't agree with Mom. Mom saw it too, and once again they were arguing.

It didn't stop for another hour.

After Dinner, I was setting up my new bedroom, when I caught sight of something through my window. Across the hill, there was someone sitting at the castle.

A girl.

About my age, with ash-brown hair trailing down her back. She was reading a book while sitting idly on the window sill. Her foot dangled across a length of the wall.

As if she could feel my stare, she looked up.

And directly at me.

For a Long moment, all I could do was stand there and stare back. I wasn't sure how to make my expression. Surprised? Friendly? Cautious?

Eventually, I had time to do neither, because there went Mom's voice, hollering at me from the kitchen.

"Jack! Chores!"

I breathed out a heavy sigh, "Coming."

:::

Towards the end of my chores, I stole another glance at that window, where the girl had been sitting. She wasn't there anymore.

I wondered if I imagined her.

"Hey - Dad?" I pushed into the master's bedroom. Dad was sitting at the foot of the bed, glasses perched on his nose as he read through some papers. He looked up at my calling.

"Hey, kid," he smiled wearily, looking for once old. "Done your dirty work?"

"Yeah. I did," I answered, distracted. "So, you know that mansion we live next to? The castle?"

"Yeah," Dad replied, brow quirked. "How could I forget?"

"Do you know if anyone lives there at the moment? It seemed ... abandoned." Until I saw the girl.

"No, no one lives there."

I blinked for a second, surprised.

"No one?"

"It's been abandoned for years."

"Are you sure?"

We had a little bit of a conversation about it. Eventually, Dad's solid blue eyes managed to get to me. I guessed I did imagine her.

Although I wasn't sure if my imagination was that broad.