It was around three in the morning when there was an abrupt knock on my apartment door, startling me into consciousness.
I groggily shifted underneath my blankets, struggling to make it to the edge of my bed to turn the nightstand light on. Once I managed, I collected my glasses and settled them on my face before throwing my blankets off and getting out of the bed. My cat jumped at my sudden movement and ran out of the bedroom.
"Sorry Kitty," I mumbled, wiping the sleep from my eyes under my glasses.
The mattress shifted under my weight before I stood up and sleepily made my way to the bedroom door, following the same path my cat took. I fumbled through the apartment, tripping over things in the dark, until I made it to the front and flipped the light switch on.
I opened the door without checking the peephole, too tired to register anything I was doing.
"Yes?" I called softly, eyelids heavy and half-closed. When no one answered, I opened them wider and looked around.
No one was in the hallway.
I wet my lips and then smacked them together, realizing I was thirsty. My feet automatically traced a beeline to the fridge, allowing the door to click shut behind me. After gulping down an entire bottle of water, my cat, Kitty, brushed against my legs with her head.
I scooped her up in the same instant another obnoxious knock sounded through my entire apartment, catching me by surprise and causing me to almost drop my cat. She thrashed and struggled in my arms, but that only caused me to hold her tighter.
I was scared. My cat's anxiousness for the freedom to run and hide only unnerved me further.
So it was decided. Kitty was going to accompany me to the door in case there was someone who wanted to murder me. At least I would feel a little more secure by the fact I wouldn't be alone.
Shoulders as squared as they could be with my fully grown cat still in my arms, I strided to the front door and pulled it open again. The door was still unlocked from the first time I answered it.
This time, instead of an empty hallway, a medium sized cardboard box occupied the space in front of my door. I almost tripped over it to step out and check my surroundings.
Kitty finally broke free from my arms and ran back inside the apartment, probably to hide under the bed. That time it didn't bother me that my cat didn't want to be next to me during my late night investigation.
My full attention was on the cardboard box. It had a neatly folded note resting on top of the box with my name on it in the nicest cursive I'd ever seen.
"Hello?" My voice traveled down the hall. No answer. The dead silence in the hallway indicated that I probably wouldn't be able to find whoever left the stuff from me. No footsteps. No soft voices or heavy breathing.
It was late anyway and I had work in the morning.
With the final thought in mind, I picked up both the box—which was surprisingly light—and the letter and carried it inside with me. That time I made sure to lock the door before carrying the box to my living room.
I unfolded the note and my eyebrows immediately raised in reaction to what was written on the tiny slip of lined paper.
For your doll house.
___
Unedited.
Just so you guys know this whole entire story is basically going to be a rough draft. I don't want to edit it down to perfection right away or else I'll lose motivation to finish it. I'm just pointing all of this out because my writing is normally waaaay better.
But what do you think so far? Let me know! x