Beyond The End

CHAPTER 1

I was standing alone. Alone, on the terrace with my feet bare against the damp stone floor, waiting for someone, anyone to come, but I knew nobody was coming for me. The sky was clear but still windy. I could feel the chilly wind against my face. I was looking at my hands, felling alone. That was when I heard my mother call for me. I jumped over the low wall onto the terrace of my own house. The terrace I was standing on was our neighbors’. But they don’t live here now, they had moved out sixteen years ago, that was before I was born. They had just bought the house; they lived there for about five months but then moved out. This house is rumored to be filled with ghosts. I never met one, so I didn’t believe this nonsense, but mind you, I’ve been going there for over twelve years now. It was on my fourth birthday, that I was big enough to cross the wall and go there, since then the house has been my favorite place in the world. It seemed more like home to me than my own house. I’ve seen all the rooms; I’ve spent all my free time here. It was a place where I felt like I belong here. I just like to sit—

“KIARA”, my mother called, screaming on top of her lungs. I climbed down the stairs and entered the kitchen.

“What mom”, I asked bored

“I have invited your grandmother and your aunt tomorrow evening. I hope you have no problem, as your friends are also coming—I know shouldn’t have called them, but you know it is necessary as we do it every year, should I call your uncle too?” she asked.

“Whatever you want mom”, I said uncaringly, as I left the kitchen. I sat on the couch in the living room, flipping through the channels on TV. Don’t they have something good to show on TV? Life has become so boring. I thought to myself.

“Honey, it’s your sixteenth birthday, aren’t you excited?

“I am excited, but I want to have a quiet birthday.” I said, stressing on the first two words.

“Do you want me to cancel the family dinner?” she asked, a bit surprised.

“No, it’s alright mom. But make sure they leave as soon as possible.”

“Good girl” she said and kissed my forehead left the living room.

            To tell you the truth, I wasn’t really excited about my birthday. I don’t know why, but I felt something was missing. I watched the television for about two hours, then I was bored, I looked at the clock, 8 pm, it said. I was feeling sleepy, so I just changed for bed and went to sleep. I didn’t even wait for dinner, I just wanted to rest. I lay on the bed and was thinking about the neighbor’s house. Why did the neighbors leave the house? They just lived there for five month. What made them leave the house just after five month? Is the rumor about ghost true? With these thoughts in my mind, I dint realize when I drifted off to sleep. I pushed all the thoughts out of my mind and closed my eyes. I saw someone staring at me from the corner of my eyes but was too sleepy to respond. I’ll see tomorrow who it was. I thought. But I was wrong I should have seen who it was, it would have saved me a lot of trouble.