KAMSI AND I — The Quiet Halls
Flash fiction for you
The first chord struck my heart as I raced down the staircase, my sister behind me.
Dusty portraits lined the pale blue walls of the brown linoleum stairs. Clay pots housing dead plants hung on partitions on the wall soothed by cobwebs.
A stuffed owl stood on a white console in the right corner of the abandoned living in the east wing. Yellow curtains lined the white walls of the spacious living room and a refrigerator sat beside a large portrait of a mother and a crying baby by a river at sunset.
"But Daddy said we should never come down here!" Kamsi whispered before sliding her small hands into mine.
"He doesn't have to know now, or will you tell him?" I asked her.
She stifled her laughter by placing her hand over her mouth.
"There are many cars outside and mummy is not entertaining guests, she didn't read us a story today, and…" I was saying when we heard a loud thud from the room at the far end of the dark hall.
Kamsi cowered in fear while I felt chills down my spine.
"Let’s go back," Kamsi cried as she pulled me up the stairs.
The eerie music intensified and I had no will to further my investigation, my legs felt like sap.
A solemn song filled the house and someone's voice echoed all around the hallway, it sounded like a loud whisper.
I felt the cold floor caress my heels as I dragged myself up the stairs. I could feel Kamsi quivering with each pull.
We soon arrived at the top and sat beside an artificial furnace. Kamsi looked lost while I lay there, sprawled like a winged angel.
We heard footsteps sometime later and hid behind a bookshelf.
Some people dressed in black and red capes carried a body covered with white cloth smeared with blood stains.
A hand, thin and long fell out from the cloth and hung loosely, the red nail polish unmistakable.
Then it dawned on me, my father was not the man he claimed to be.
True forgiveness is a personal gift to self. If you’ve been hurt terribly, here’s a link to an online bookstore that can help you feel better. You can also put a call across if you want to talk to someone. Don’t let pain define you.
