The Things We Carve: A Short Story Challenge
When You Just Feel Like Writing a Story
I love my Random Generator Series where I take a word, sentence, phrase, or any sort of prompt to write my short stories. But sometimes I just want to write a story without the challenge, and that's how I felt going into today's short story. I wanted to start from scratch. So I sat down with a blank sheet of paper and wrote down my ideas. Fall elements along with my typical spooky themes were coming to mind, and after a page of items I began writing.
The Things We Carve
"I found the room chalk full of stuff," Lizzy's voice carried down the hall plastered in mismatched paintings and photographs of people the didn't know.
"Coming," Kat and Cassie yelled while giggling to themselves as they pointed at the faces they passed.
"In here," Lizzy called again, her voice much louder. Lizzy was correct, the room was full from floor to ceiling. Halloween decorations covered not only the walls, but the numerous tables as well as the carpet.
The room looked just liked the photo they saw on the estate site a few days prior, and the reason they all woke at 4am to stand in line with the resellers who wanted to make a few bucks from granny's old antiques collecting dust in the basement. The sale didn't open until 8 am, but they braved the brisk fall air to claim their 6th, 7th, and 8th spots in line. The girls wasted the time reminiscing about their experience in the dorms where they became friends within days of moving in, and now rooming together their final year of college by leasing a small house a few blocks from campus. It wasn't much, but they wanted to make it a home especially now with fall descending upon them-their favorite season.
Unlike the states they grew up in, where it was either sunny and warm year round, or covered in snow nine out of the twelves months of the year, Vermont actually had a autumn season to enjoy. Nothing felt more comforting than watching the colors of the leaves change from a lush green to vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows.
Similar to most college students their age, they were lacking the household essentials let alone decorations to liven up their new home. A scattering of chairs, and half empty bookshelves didn't really give the homey feeling they were going for. So when Casey came across a post about an estate sale with one of the rooms looking like Halloween threw up in it, they knew they needed to go.
"Where are the bags?" Lizzy reached out a hand as Kat handed her one of many plastic bags marked with the Walmart and Target branding. "Here, start cleaning up before everyone else makes their way down the hall."
At the entrance the estate coordinators informed the group of buyers anything with a purple sticker was considered fill-a-bag worthy. Anything with a white tag needed to pay the marked price. All three girls began stuffing anything with a purple sticker into their ba, filling them to the top before tying them shut and grabbing another bag.
"I don't even know what I'm grabbing," Kat said while snatching a frightened looking black cat statue with a garland as a scarf around it's neck off a shelf.
"We can access once we get home, but for a $1 a bag grab whatever you can," Casey chucked a pair of ghosts holding a heart between them into her bag without a second glance.
"I can't believe all the stuff we got. The house is going to look so fun once we are done with everything," Lizzy spread the estate findings across the living room floor.
"Right? Such a good deal. I think that's my favorite piece," Casey pointed to a leaf shaped dish near her feet.
"So adorable," Kat agreed, plopping down one of the three pumpkins they picked up from the grocery store on the way home. "Should we discuss where everything should go while we crave pumpkins? I'm itching to get the porch decorated tonight."
"Here," Casey hit a button on the TV remote bringing up a fall playlist. "We can listen to this while we carve."
"I don't think mine's turning out that great," Lizzy stood back from her pumpkin squinting her eyes. "Can you tell it's a scarecrow?" The other two leaned over peering at the mess scattered in front of their friend's pumpkin.
"Just clean up some of this mess and you'll see his head and arms much better," Casey flung a strand of pumpkin innards onto the newspaper pile. "See, already so much better."
"Ugh, I wish I was crafty like you both," Lizzy grimaced plucking out the pumpkin seeds, "Yours turned out great."
Both Kat and Casey had finished their designs 20 minutes prior which included a carving of the headless horseman and Grim Reaper glowing from the lit candles hidden inside.
"Oh stop complaining," Kat was on the floor organizing the remaining decorations she hadn't found a place for yet." It looks great, plus it's Halloween, the more messed up the better remember. Oh hey, a candle!" Kat stood pressing the candle to her nose. "Wow you guys, have a smell of this."
Casey snatched the black candle from her hands and took a whiff, "Hmm, so good. It's like a woody vanilla cinnamon mix." She held it to Lizzy's nose as her hands were still filled with pumpkin guts.
"That is amazing! We must light it. I have a lighter in my purse Kat," Lizzy nodded toward the kitchen counter.
"And why would you have a lighter in your purse, Liz?" Kat dug until a handheld lighter appeared.
"Oh hush Kat. It's Damon's from the other night. I was holding it for him."
"Ooooo, Damon uh. You know he's bad news. You've heard the rumors right?" Kat snagged the candle lighting the wick which crackled to life.
"It's not like anything happened. It's just a lighter," Lizzy rolled her eyes. "I think I'm getting a little queasy from touching this." She sprinted into the kitchen blasting her hands with water.
"How do you think I feel?" A large pile of seeds separated from the gunk sat near Casey.
"Let me start the oven for you, it looks like you are almost done," Kat followed after Lizzy into the kitchen.
The rest of the evening came and went as decorations where divided, pumpkin seeds placed in several bowls for them to snack on, and now their favorite movie, Casper playing. The wood/vanilla smell encompassing and forgotten about amongst the chaos and pumpkin mess still sitting in the dining room.
"I'm heading to bed," Kat stretched her arms above her head, yawning.
"Me too."
"Same."
Both agreed with a yawn themselves, none of them blowing out the candle as they scuttled upstairs.
Lizzy could feel she hadn't been asleep long, wondering what could have woken her. She'd been dreaming of Damon and the kiss they shared a few nights back. "What the hell?"
Lizzy could feel it now. The scratchiness of her body the same feeling she got back on her grandparent's farm whenever she entered the barn.
Hay.
Hay caused her to break out in hives and took days to dissipate. It was one of the reasons she had to stay in the house whenever she visited. Even though she knew she shouldn't Lizzy scratched at her arms the hives in full bloom. Pushing herself into a sitting position, she could feel something scattered about her. She leaned, flipping on the side lamp, a dim glow lighting the room. Tossed about her bed, straw. Horrendous amounts of straw and with it more hives breaking out.
"Shit!"
Lizzy jumped from the bed her feet landing in a large pile on the floor. It was rare one of them pulled pranks on each other, but she knew with it being Halloween season Kat might pull something. But this? Why would Kat do something like this when she knew how bad Lizzy broke out?
Trying to avoid more of the piles along the floor, Lizzy hopped her way to the closet in the hopes of a fresh outfit straw free. She would also need to wash her sheets. Lizzy's eyes adjusted peering into the closet.
"What the.." she trailed off as a handful of straw coming out instead of the shirt she grabbed for. "This has gotten out of line." Lizzy went back into the closet, but instead of her clothes she found hollowed eyes watching her.
Kat shared a wall with Lizzy. For the most part they weren't paper thin, but the nights Lizzy decided to get rowdy with a lucky frat boy, a few moans and groans could be heard. But instead Kat was woken to a louder thud. She listened and when she didn't hear anything rolled to her side. Another thud, this time much louder, startling her. She was fully awake and sitting up now.
Bang!
Something hit the wall, the hung pictures shaking in response. Kat's breath filled her ears with the sudden silence and after a few minutes she creeped out of bed tip toeing to her door. The latch gave a low click with the turn of the handle. One that sounded like nothing on a normal day, but now felt as if an alarm was going off the whole neighbor could hear. The hallway was soaked in darkness, but she kept to the wall slithering her way down the familiar path. A glow from under the door told her Lizzy was up and possibly studying. But what had been the banging?
"Lizzy," Kat kissed under her breath, "Lizzy are you okay?"
Kat pushed open the door. Straw...she could see every surface covered in it and as she searched the room for Lizzy. A pit in her stomach formed when she saw Lizzy limp body on the floor. Not just limp, but her mouth stuffed with hay, her beautiful blue eyes now gaping black holes. A strawman stood over Lizzy. His black eyes matching Lizzy's except his mouth was turned upright. Into a smile sewn shut with thread.
Kat whirled as a scream rang out from Casey's room, her body telling her to run. Except she couldn't. Instead a cloaked figure stood blocking the hallway. Kat backed towards Casey's room whose screams still filled the darkness. The figure mirrored her gait until she felt herself pressed against the door her hand fumbling for the knob. Kat opened her mouth ready to match Casey's cries for help, but with a swoosh of the blade he was holding Kat felt the air become liquid, the blood rushing from her split neck and down her body.
"What do we have?" Detective Emery walked under the caution tape surrounding the premises.
"Three homicides from what we can tell. Seems to be multiple intruders with different weapons. The worst being one of the victims who still needs to be identified."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she's been decapitated and the head has still yet to be found."
"And who are the other victims?"
"Lizzy Anderson and Katherine Montgomery. The third is most likely their roommate Casey Lancing as they are all listed on the lease."
"Next of kin have been notified?"
"Yes, they are on the way."
"Good, Let's see who they've been hanging out with lately. Boyfriends, ex-lovers, etc. Let's make this an easy shut-closed case."
"Already on it. Forensics is getting evidence now. Checking for fingerprints."
"Anything so far?"
"Just a lighter with a young man's going by the name Damon Henderson."
"Damon Henderson, uh? I know the name. His family is alumni who donate a lot of money to the school to keep their name out of the public eye if you know what I mean. Damon has been accused of assault and battery before. Let's get his location ASAP and see what he was up to last night. Has the dining room and kitchen been cleared?"
"It's cleared."
"Great, I'll be in there. Let me know when forensics is done so I can check out the crime scenes."
Detective Emery glanced into the kitchen noting nothing seemed out of the ordinary and so continued to the dinning room. A woodsy vanilla smell hit her nose that she hadn't noticed before. There on the table sat a black candle, it's wick ready to lit surrounded by some uncarved pumpkins. If she didn't know better it looked as if they were planning on craving pumpkins today. She looked around taking in all the fall decorations placed around the room. A classic small cozy fall vibe most people would love to have in their home.
"They are ready for you Detective Emery."
"K. I'll be up in a minute."
"You look like you've found something."
She shook her head and pointed to the pumpkins. "No, I was just thinking about how we used to carve pumpkins and bake the seeds every year as kids."
"Well, it looks like they didn't get to it this year."
"Too bad really," she stood admiring the pumpkins and smell of the candle, "I wonder what they planned on carving?"
She turned, making her way up the stairs, the pumpkins and candle forgotten.
Final Thoughts
This was one I had a great time writing as well as didn't at the same time. I felt the story drop off some in the middle up I think it redeemed itself towards the end. For a first draft I think it makes the cut. Can you tell me which movie I might have taken my inspiration from? I can think of at least two.
Let me know what you think of the story. Where do you think the killers went? And will you ever buy anything from an estate sale? Tell me in the comments below!
Comments