I THINK SHE'S DISTURBED!

• Rebecca Langtree, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2010

(Based on true events)

“Look what happened!”

CLANG!

“There’s even blood.” She murmured raising her hand to her forehead where she touched it lethargically. “How did that happen?”

CLANG!

“I fell!” she continued, her expression remaining unchanged.

CLANG!

I watched her nervously between the slats in the fence, as she repeatedly brought the shovel down hard on the rocks. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Usually I would have walked right past her to the mailbox, retrieved the specials and not given it a second thought. However her voice had morphed into a poisonous rasp heavily impeded with deep exhales and shallow inspirations. The words she spoke made the seemingly innocent act unsettling and somewhat sinister.

“Come in darling, we’ll fix that up” she continued. CLANG! “What a brave girl you are”. The clanging subsided as she moved slightly, forcing me to shift so the narrow view through the fence became clearer. Her eyes were now glued to the neglected shovels head. “How did it happen? What have you done?” she repeated the same two questions thrice before spinning the shovel in her hands, raising it above her head and pausing. With the sharp decline of her arms I screwed my eyes shut!

Her silver voice drifted sleekly into my frightened darkness “Look what you’ve done!” she whispered. I opened my eyes to see her once more lethargically touching her forehead, only this time thick red blood pulsed from a deep gash. She shot upright oblivious to my presence - or so I hoped- and ran down her driveway to where a little boy sat upon a small ride on truck. A drop of blood fell into his short stubbled hair as she stood over him. “What happened?” he spoke cautiously.
“I fell!”
He didn’t make eye contact.
“Well aren’t you going to take me to your mother to get fixed up?”
“Yes” he shyly replied.

I dared to walk to the middle of my driveway, lined by a hedge think with hibiscus and Ixora. The shrill voice of the blonde woman in number 27 was inaudible from my fortress of foliage. She grabbed her son and pulled him inside before screaming something and locking the door. I retreated back to the fence as the girl returned angrily and disappeared into her own house. I stood frozen confused and somewhat disturbed at her behavior.

Screeeeeech! The security screen of my neighbour’s laundry moaned open and was closely followed by the crunch of the stone groundcover lining the fence.
“Hi, I’m Susan, I’m your new neighbour!”
“I, I know” I stuttered. The intensity of her stare alone had a strange effect of ventriloquism, planting words with in my mind.
“What happened to your head?” I asked robotically.
“I fell” she smiled, pressing her face to the fence and staining it red with blood.
“Well, aren’t you gonna help me?”
Without a word I turned and sprinted through my front door, locking it behind me!
I mean, wouldn’t you if she was your neighbour.