37 comments

Drama Fantasy Thriller



I kept my head down as I slowly walked through the cramped city of New York. I was walking back to my back alley behind the huge makeup sign, complete with a small cardboard box, which I used as a table for whatever food I could snag on from the streets. (I found the box in the giant dump) When I turned to go into my alley, no one looked at me. No one even took a small, quick glance at where this girl with a dirty brown coat was doing by strolling into a dark, frightening alley. No one takes interest in me. Maybe it’s because I’m homeless, maybe it’s because I look as sad as someone would look if they’d just lost their puppy.


Β As I sat down behind my cardboard table, I thought, Why do I wonder if someone would want to be my friend? I’m homeless, I’m dirty, I live in an alley with black cats and repulsive rats. Why would I want to be friends with myself?Β 


Β Ever since I left school, I’ve been lonely from not having any friends for so long. Today I had managed to find a half-eaten donut and a half-full coffee cup in a garbage can beside a small coffee shop. I started chewing on the donut. It wasn’t too stale, maybe in the garbage for a few hours. How did I know these things? I’ve been homeless for almost 4 years, living on the back end of Times Square. I used to have parents, but one day they just disappeared one day when I came after school, and I’ve been homeless ever since. My parents’ jobs paid for everything: our apartment, food, school, our clothing. So when they disappeared, I lost everything I had. I’m 12 now, so I know what I should trust and what I should not.

(so I thought)Β 


I finished the donut, and started sipping the slightly-cold coffee. I thought about back when I was in school, my friends biggest worries were if they were going to get an A on their science test or not. I chuckled, as if worrying about if you’ll survive through the next week was funny. I gulped down the now cold coffee down my throat, settling in my stomach while I think. I think about all the same things every, single, day, I don’t know why they don’t change. Where’s Mom, I thought. Where are you. All I want to do is be with you, at least one more time. Me and my dad didn’t have the strongest relationship, so I didn't think about him as much as my mom, though I would still love it if I could see him again. And then an idea struck me. What if I find Mom and Dad?Β I got up and started pacing. I know all the good hiding spots in Times Square, I should be able to find them in a jiffy. Oh. But what if there’s someone else. What if they are luring me into some kind of trap with my parents? But then I hesitated for a moment. What would they want from someone like me? I thought like I was jumping ahead of myself, so I decided sleep would clear my head. Normally it takes me forever to go to sleep, but today I went to sleep, as Mom used to say, as fast as a mouse scuttling away from a cat.


I stretched my arms out, yawning like a roaring lion. The sky was a bright tangerine, turning into lavender, into blue. It was probably about 6 am, which is much later than I normally wake up, but that’s fine. I have a plan to make, I thought.Β 


I paced back and forth, trying to form a plan, but after doing that for one whole hour, and making no progress, I thought, This is useless. So I just started my search. I checked every nook and cranny of Times Square that I knew about; the other alleys, the city dump, everywhere. When I finished, I was so exhausted. It was probably the late evening, with the navy blue sky taking over the orange.Β 


I walked into the closest passage, and I crumpled down to the alley floor like a piece of paper. I was just about to give up when I was grabbed by my coat collar. I flinched, waiting for something to happen, but eventually I opened my eyes. A huge, bulky figure towered over me, wearing all black clothing except for a slit in his mask, exposing his ice-blue eyes. β€œDo not speak”, he mumbled in a growling voice. I zipped my mouth shut. He carried me like that, for a while actually, through multiple alleys, back-ends, and tunnels, but finally he brought me into a dark, terrifying-lookingΒ building.

Β When he hauled me inside, the building looked like it had been abandoned for quite some time. There were cobwebs, empty boxes, andΒ flickering lights everywhere. He dragged me over to a wall, with cracks creeping overΒ it slowly, like a spider. He peered at me, his blue eyes piercing my eyes so much that my eyes hurt. β€œDon’t move. Or else.” He walked over to the other side of the room, and disappeared into the darkness. After a few seconds of registering what had just happened, I took a quick glance to my left. There were two people, a man and a woman, wearing quite normal, everyday clothes, unlike me.

The man had a dark red-brown beard which made him look a bit like a leprechaun. I couldn’t see his expression, since he was turned away from me, but he seemed to be worn out, just like me. I got a strange feeling of nostalgia.

The woman was closer, and then she turned to me. She had wavy blond hair, with bright, hazel eyes. She had a gag wound around her mouth tightly, but then she squinted at me. A wave of realization hit me, and then I whispered,” Mom?”


September 15, 2020 23:35

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

37 comments

Sapphire 🌼
21:05 Dec 11, 2020

Hello I is back. Decided to compare your most recent story with your very first one, and wow you have improved your writing! Keep going!

Reply

tHaNk yOu! this story took AWHILE actually. like the whole week

Reply

20:06 Dec 26, 2020

oh wow, it was worth it!

Reply

20:36 Dec 26, 2020

your online!

Reply

yeah, im online a lot :D

Reply

Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Sapphire 🌼
14:32 Sep 16, 2020

YAYYYYYYYYY! YOU DID IT AMETHYST!!! YOU WROTE YOUR FIRST STORYYYYYY! and oh my gosh it's amazing!!! Wow. You nailed the prompt and amazing ending! Luv ya sis!

Reply

Thanks Sapphire!! I had such a good idea for the story, I just kept typing, and typing, and typing until it was done. See ya soon, sis! πŸ˜ŠπŸ˜‹

Reply

Sapphire 🌼
14:43 Sep 21, 2020

Lol your bio...."I don't know any popular bands like 1D so..." haha.

Reply

lol yeah, but that's the truth. πŸ˜‚πŸ€£

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply

I always read first stories. You're is a million times better than MINE.

Reply

aww thank you! lemme go read urs, it can't be bad your writing is :D

Reply

Yeah, it's just kind of cut short at the end, which is weird. :)

Reply

just read it, it's rly good!

Reply

Thank you!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Ruby πŸ’«
21:07 Jan 08, 2021

ps. I know you made a part 2β€πŸ–€

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Ruby πŸ’«
21:06 Jan 08, 2021

Hello..............It's me I decided that I wanted to look at your first story. Kind of short, but still really good! ❀😁 you have improved a lot. Great job! -RubyπŸ’–

Reply

elloo yeah, i had to add words to get it to 1000 thank uuuu ~ Amethyst

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply

I really enjoyed that ending.It was great cliffhanger.You also have some very proficient imagery in this story.My favorite sentence is: The sky was a bright tangerine, turning into lavender, into blue. I enjoyed reading this. The title fits well. Sincerely, Ruthy_May

Reply

Thank you so much! It was my first story so I’m really happy you like it :)) Thank you!

Reply

A honest pleasure:)

Reply

Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
TJ Squared
16:34 Apr 10, 2021

wow! you did a great job of explaining her hardships and struggles. I'll hop on over to the other parts ;)

Reply

TJ Squared
19:56 Apr 10, 2021

np ;)

Reply

Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in Reedsy Studio. 100% free.