Stormy Night At Grandmothers
Thump thump thump, the constant pounding echoed through the old frame house. Rianna searched the rooms and hallway to find the source. Outside the evening storm raged as claps of thunder reverberated to the core of her bones. She searched the upstairs bedroom windows, checking the shutters to see if they were the cause. Lightning flashed and Rianna glanced outside to see large old oak trees along the driveway. The moss hanging from their branches gave her an eerie feeling, as wind whistled through the eaves and the rain pounded against the clap-board siding. She was not one to fear summer storms, they were common in Florida, but somehow tonight…this one seemed different.
Rianna went from room to room checking the shutters and window sills against the harsh weather. Suddenly a loud clap of thunder with a flash of lightning left the house dark. The power was out and she found herself in the furthest corner upstairs in her grandmother’s house. She tried to feel her way back to the hallway, back to the stairs. Rianna felt that if she managed get to the living room downstairs, things would be alright. Then she heard it again, thump thump thunp thump. It was growing louder, more disconcerting than before.
She made her way to the top of the stairs and paused as lighting flashed again. In its brief glow she caught a glimpse of something or someone, at the bottom of the stairs. A shiver went up her spine. She tried to breathe but found that difficult. She cautiously and slowly started to descend the stairs to the living room. The thumping continued and amplified her uneasiness, reaching to her very soul. Somewhere in the darkness the sound of someone crying could be heard. The old stairs creaked with each step as she made her way down. Finally reaching the living room, she looked around trying to make out familiar shapes. To the left she saw a light underneath the kitchen door and heard the pounding again…thump thump thump. It was coming from the kitchen. A cold feeling came over her, as her lungs seemed to tighten, it was getting harder and harder to breath, She pushed herself forward though inwardly she wanted to turn and run out the front door. But something was pulling her on
She opened the kitchen door a crack and peered inside. The pounding continued and felt as if it were ripping through her body. Then she saw a man hammering nails into a long box, and a body lying on the table next to him. “Hello?” but there was no answer. She entered the kitchen, “excuse me, who are you?” But the man didn’t even turn around, he just kept on hammering. She slowly walked around in front of him, and a wash of recognition came over her “Dad?... Dad, it’s me Rianna” He didn’t even look at her, but continued hammering tears running down his face. Then she realized what he was building. It was a coffin, he was building a coffin for the person on the table. Her mind raced with thought s of who it could be. Was it her Grandmother, Had Granny passed away...why wasn't she told? She lifted the edge of the sheet, to look under it. Rianna fell to her knees in shock “This can’t be…it’s me…the casket is for me!”
