Today, I'm taking part in Spooktoberfest. The idea is to write a flash fiction piece between 300 and 500 words, inspired by a selection of pictures and including 3 key words. More details
here
I chose the staircase picture and the key words will be highlighted.
The concrete
staircase was dark and narrow, enveloped by rough stone walls either side and
the musty smell of years of neglect. Glancing up towards the heavy wooden attic
door at the top of the staircase, Carrie felt a shiver, as though sensing
something wretched had happened here.
‘Shall we see what’s up
there?’
Carrie turned to face
her fiancé. Jason’s face was alive, his eyes bright and eager, a wide grin on
his face. His grip on Carrie’s hand tightened and she feared he was about to
drag her up the staircase against her will.
Should they venture up there? Who knew what lurked up there – spiders,
rats, skeletons? Carrie gave herself a mental shake. Of course there weren’t
any skeletons up there! Yes, the house was old and hadn’t been lived in for
over a decade and the dark made it feel eerie, but Carrie was sure there was
nothing untoward going on.
‘Let’s do it.’ Carrie
attempted to mask her fear with a sunny smile but her hand tightened around
Jason’s like a vice. Being so narrow, the pair had to climb the stairs in
single file, Jason first and Carrie following. The smell and the dust were
overwhelming so Carrie had to cover her mouth to prevent a coughing fit as they
neared the heavy door.
‘Ready?’ Jason turned to
Carrie, who gave an almost-nod of her head. She didn’t think she would ever be
truly ready to step into the dark depths, despite the powerful torch they each
held. A small squeak escaped Carrie’s lips as Jason let go of her hand to reach
for the brass handle. ‘It’ll be ok, babe. I’ll protect you from the ghouls.’
Jason placed the torch under his chin, the beam creating spooky features on his
face.
‘Not funny.’ Carrie gave Jason a nudge, though there was a smile on her
face. ‘Let’s just get in there and then we can go back downstairs and let Mr
Raven know what we think.’
Jason pushed the door. It stuck in its frame for a moment before it
creaked open. Two torchlights shone into the room, illuminating the worn, grubby
carpet covering the floor and the cobwebs draped across every available surface.
The room needed a good scrub and the light fitting needed replacing but it had
huge potential.
‘What are you thinking? Huge master bedroom with en suite?’ Jason asked
as they stepped fully into the room.
Carrie turned in a circle, aiming the beam of her torch into every nook
and cranny. A smile crept across her face. She was thinking nursery, with a wooden rocking horse and beautiful crib.
‘I’m thinking this house will be perfect for us.’
‘Shall we go and let Mr Raven know we want to put an offer in?’
By the time they’d found the estate agent down in the kitchen, Carrie
had already mentally picked out the lighting and colour scheme to brighten the
staircase.
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