Our Special Short Story
#1 of Short Stories
Our Special Short Story
Act I "The Roof"
It had taken him years to find this place, but finally he stood before it. The long forgotten ruins of a once beloved home still held some of its charm, even taking on some over the decades. It seemed to be suffocating under the heavy embrace of the wood surrounding it, but it had just enough room to breathe, if barely. The building was an old brick farmhouse, one of its sides covered in vines thick enough for multiple adults to climb safely. Since the innards were too damaged, the man decided to scale the green.
As he looked down upon the forest surrounding him, he marveled at the size of it. Recounting the somewhat troublesome memories of this place, he wondered what had become of his brief shelter. The memories weren't the best, but one cannot move on without getting over such things. When he was only ten, he and his family of four became homeless, hiding in this massive forest to survive. One day they happened upon this house, long since emptied of any former inhabitants.
The fact it was a once beloved home doesn't apply to the then boy or any member of his family. They only remember it as the brief shelter they used it for. When they first entered it, they thought luck had shined upon them, keeping them safe from the storm that had just hit the area. Only part of the first floor was explored by the three children, two of which were the boy's sisters. Unfortunately, something sinister lurked in the attic, unbeknownst to the family two stories below.
Since the storm raged outside during their entire stay, the three children ran, screaming, through the living area. The mother kept them within sight, reprimanding one when it started to wander out of it. The loud rumblings of thunder outside prevented them from hearing the quiet tiptoeing of the unknown house sitter. IT wondered what all the ruckus was, mumbling about how the trespassers ruined his century-long slumber. Reaching the bottom of the stairs leading from the second floor to the first, IT eyed the four with utter disdain, thinking how to rid himself of this inconvenience.
The mother, after putting the three to bed, joined them. The last thoughts in her head were of worry for her children's future. Sensing this, the boy stayed awake, trying to convey thoughts of wellbeing unto his guardian. When he knew all three of them were asleep, he went into the other room to relieve himself. As he was finishing, he heard the last thing he expected; the screams of his little sisters.
With all the speed he could muster, he returned to find the worst sight imaginable. A strange, hollow-faced man stood over the headless body of his mother, holding a bloody sickle in his right hand. Before the horror of the sight could cloud his judgment, he quickly grabbed the hands of his sisters, and guided them out into the rain. He tried to create as much distance between them and the monster, not knowing if they were being followed or not. IT didn't follow, just let out a sigh of relief and returned to his eternal slumber.
The three were able to find a small town a day's travel north, and were taken in by a couple that felt pity for their suffering. All of them had constant nightmares of that night, the girls spending most of them with their brother. They lived there till the girls reached adulthood, and set off to find a home of their own. Unfortunately, one of the sisters couldn't handle this along with the bad nights, killing herself one day. The other two became inseparable, until an argument separated them.
It had been twenty years since then, and the man didn't even know if she was still alive. Returning from his trip down memory lane, he remembered why he was here. He wondered if the demon from then still lived, and how he should rid the world of IT should it still be. Before he could descend the vines that scaled as years passed by, he noticed a strangely familiar figure standing at bottom of them. The ghost of his past looked up at him, with what looked like a smile on its face.
The apparition then pulled something from its pocket, and before he knew it, a fire had lighted from the bottom of the green. As the flames raced up towards him, the man began to panic. Before they reached him, he jumped off the roof without thinking. At the same time, he screamed, "This place is nowhere after all!" On the way down, he got a better look at the person who set the fire.
He was completely dumbfounded. It looked just like her mother, but slightly younger. Suddenly, she had a look of both realization and horror on her face. Thinking it was the monster on the roof was why she burned the building. Terror now griped her, as she watched her brother fall head first into the ground. Before the words of warning could reach her lips, it was too late.
He never got to hear her apology, nor did he feel his neck snap.
Act II "The Clouds"
The depression started setting in once the diagnosis came in. His wife of fifty years had just turned eighty, but was soon going to lose her life to cancer. She fought it for the past decade, about to lose it soon. The doctor tried briefly to console him, giving up quickly. There was no helping him now.
After the funeral, he decided to write a will, having his assets split between his three kids. Of course, they wouldn't hear about it until he passed, to prevent any fighting. Strangely, he started looking into different religions in the months. Most were jokes to him, very few holding his interest. One, however, had quite the idea about the afterlife.
This group, known as the Brotherhood of the Sky, believed it was possible to visit heaven by climbing the highest point in the world. It was founded by one of the oldest men to climb Mount Everest. He believes he visited his wife in heaven when he climbed past the tip of Everest. Not thinking clearly due to his recent loss, he began to prepare for his own visit to the Mountain. First, though, he visited the headquarters of the local chapter to join them.
As he entered the building, he was reminded more of a temple than a church. This slightly alleviated his worries, but not enough to deter him. The head of the group helped him with gathering the supplies he needed, all of which were stocked onsite. He also got him quite the deal for the plane trip, guide arrangements, and even taught him how to mountain climb. Knowing what to pack, he went home to prepare.
It was a week later that he and his fellow Brotherhood members were on their way, praying to catch at least a glimpse of a lost love. It was a fifteen hour flight, but over the years the man had developed quite the patience. Luckily there weren't any young people in their compartment, so it was a peaceful flight. The in-flight movies could be better, but they were the least of his worries. When they arrived, the guides were already waiting for them.
On the ride to the base, he couldn't help but worry that he wouldn't see her, that it was some kind of sham. It must have shown on his face, because his climbing buddy helped to alleviate his fears. They had a nice, peaceful talk about life on the way, easing the stress of the event. After a few hours, the angle of the landscape started to rise. When they reached their destination, it was already hard to walk straight.
Ascending the first quarter wasn't bad, but from there it got quite difficult. Luckily he had plenty of help, or else he wouldn't make it past this point. Three quarters of the way up, breathing became a chore. He started worrying that he would really be joining his wife in the afterlife. In no time, they were at the peak, practically on top of the clouds.
Looking up, the man couldn't see anything remotely like heaven. He figured he needed to climb higher, so he started to do so, headless of the others warnings. Walking on the clouds, he looked back down at the mountains, wondering if this was high enough. Turning back, he reached out, trying to find something hidden from view. Crestfallen that he couldn't see his wife, he wondered if he should even bother going back down.
Deciding to try going higher, he began to climb into the nothingness. Back at the rest group, unable to stop the elderly man, they began to feel despair for his and their losses. A woman started to cry her eyes out, seemingly just to fill the clouds with grey. Hearing this, the man quickly turned around, losing his footing. As the man fell down to earth, the rest of the people who were with him swore they heard him say, "This place is nowhere after all."