Here's just a little idea I had for the beginning of a story...
Josh sat weary eyed at the window sill. All the adults rambled on in the dining room, talking about this that and the other. And Josh really couldn't care less. He glanced down at his watch. It was nearly half past eight. He looked up again, out the window, which was streaked with water. It had been raining nearly all day, which meant Josh had been stuck inside the house all day. Cooped up with nothing to do, except play chess with his father or watch tv. Then his aunts and uncles came, as they did every Sunday evening for dinner. Talking on and on into the middle of the night.
Lightening illuminated the room bright white momentarily, turning Josh's normally red hair to gold. He closed his eyes against the glare. With his head tilted on his hand, his eyes closed and his body completely relaxed, one might have thought he were taking a cat nap, curled up at the window seal.
He continued staring out the window, thinking of everything and nothing all at once. The possibility of a driver's licesnse in a few months time. The many exams he would have to take this upcoming week- no of which he had studied for so far. (As if anyone actually did.) The previous episode of "Universal Wonders" he had watched that day. The friends he would see tomorrow at school. The need for sleep. The urge to tell his family to kindly shut up for a second.
He turned away from the window and slowly stretched out his leaden limbs, resolved to try to go upstairs and get some sleep, away from the babbling adults. Half asleep, he began walking across the living room towards the staircase that led upstairs. An uneasy feeling crept up his spine. The hairs on the back of his neck stood upright and his stomach coiled up in a knot.
Josh turned around, wondering if it was the adults staring at him from their place in the dining room. They were all doing as they had been for the past few hours. Chattering on and on and on. Yet he couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling that he was being watched, observed.
Creeping past the staircase, Josh peered around for any indication of someone watching him.
A flash of lightening blazed through the windows. Josh squeezed his eyes shut against the blinding light. Blinking red spots out of his vision, he glanced round about him, looking for anything unusual. He saw nothing.
Probably paranoid, he thought. Too much tv and too much time spent trapped inside. He proceeded up the stairs.
It was quieter upstairs, with the adult's voices muffled to a mear murmur. Josh opened the door of his bedroom and was confronted with a wave of moist wind hitting him in the face. He had left his window open.
How he had been so stupid, he had no idea. He had probably opened it up during one of the brief intermissions or rain, and forgotten the close it. Josh just hoped that his stuff wasn't going to mold over the next day or something. That would be awful.
Beyond the splatter of rain, Josh heard a faint wimper. Perhaps an animal had been stranded outside. Poor thing.
Now much more awake than he had been a few minutes ago, Josh quickly tiptoed down the stairs towards the front door, making sure to keep an eye on the adults still babling away at the dining table. They always liked to tease him about his love for animals. And Josh wasn't one who appreciated teasing.
Grabbing a raincoat from the rack next to the front door, Josh slid outside into the wet, cold night. The porch light illuminated the street for him, eliminating the need for a flashlight. Already, Josh's red hair was soaked, turning a nearly brown color as it glued itself to his head. Thunder boomed.
A dark figure lay in the corner, ambiguous in the shadows. Indeed, he could catch whimpering now and then, though he couldn't quite discern what was making them.
As he got closer, he noticed that it wasn't a dog at all. Much too big.
Josh inhaled sharply. This was not what he was expecting at all.
Before him lay a boy, probably about his age, with cuts and bruises all along his cheek bone, as well as on his wrist, which lay exposed to the cold, moist air, as the coat he wore went only a bit past his elbows. The boy lay unconsious, his head propped up on the knee of a girl. She had long hair plastered to her back and face, which was bent down towards the boy. Her body was hunched against the wind- a pathetic attempt to block the two of them from the ongoing downpour of rain and wind.
She glanced up at him, her eyes wide. She seemed just as surprised to see him there as Josh was to see the two of them.
Josh knelt down next to the two of them, and tried to make his voice sound as gentle as he could.
"Hey there. My name's Josh. It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you. I won't turn you in or anything. I can help. It's alright, ok? Everything's alright."
She just stared up at him. Lightening struck and the girl's wide, staring eyes flashed a brilliant blue.
Josh gently pried the other boy off of her lap. She grabbed his wrist, her grip like iron.
"It's ok. I'm just going to bring him inside, ok?"
The girl nodded. Gosh, she was mute. He wondered if she could even speak english.
Josh pulled the boy up over his shoulder like a fireman, as he had practiced countless times in his Emergency Protocol class at school. The girl trailed behind him towards the front door.
He closed the front door behind him, as quietly as he could, and proceeded up the stairs. The boy he was carrying was much lighter than he would have suspected, which may not have been a good thing, but it certainly made it an easier trip with the stairs for Josh.
All three of them were soaking wet from the rain. Josh guided the other two to the bathroom, where they dried up the best they could. The girl dried off the still-unconsious boy first, covering him in a clean, fluffy towel before wrapping one around herself. She was still shivering. And silent.
"So, what's you name?", Josh asked quietly.
"My name is Katherine. And this is William.", she replied, in a voice much stronger than he had expected due to her silence earlier.
"Well, nice to meet you Katherine. What brings you away from home in such weather?"
There was silence for a while, Katherine staring at the boy at her feet. After what seemed like forever, she spoke, her voice so soft Josh had to strain to make out what she said.
"Long Story", she exhaled.
Josh had no idea what to make of that. Katherine was still shivering violently and William looked like he had been beaten dead. This was not the time to find out.
For now, he would situate them in the guest bedroom and tell his parent about it tomorrow morning.
"Well, Ms. Katherine," he smiled, "I've found you guys too. And that means you and him get to spend the night at the Nesdam Hotel: where we do not leave kids out on the street in the rain. If you'll follow me..."
He extended his arm towards her, and she took it, smiling the smallest of smiles for the first time.
And that was how it all began.
Josh sat weary eyed at the window sill. All the adults rambled on in the dining room, talking about this that and the other. And Josh really couldn't care less. He glanced down at his watch. It was nearly half past eight. He looked up again, out the window, which was streaked with water. It had been raining nearly all day, which meant Josh had been stuck inside the house all day. Cooped up with nothing to do, except play chess with his father or watch tv. Then his aunts and uncles came, as they did every Sunday evening for dinner. Talking on and on into the middle of the night.
Lightening illuminated the room bright white momentarily, turning Josh's normally red hair to gold. He closed his eyes against the glare. With his head tilted on his hand, his eyes closed and his body completely relaxed, one might have thought he were taking a cat nap, curled up at the window seal.
He continued staring out the window, thinking of everything and nothing all at once. The possibility of a driver's licesnse in a few months time. The many exams he would have to take this upcoming week- no of which he had studied for so far. (As if anyone actually did.) The previous episode of "Universal Wonders" he had watched that day. The friends he would see tomorrow at school. The need for sleep. The urge to tell his family to kindly shut up for a second.
He turned away from the window and slowly stretched out his leaden limbs, resolved to try to go upstairs and get some sleep, away from the babbling adults. Half asleep, he began walking across the living room towards the staircase that led upstairs. An uneasy feeling crept up his spine. The hairs on the back of his neck stood upright and his stomach coiled up in a knot.
Josh turned around, wondering if it was the adults staring at him from their place in the dining room. They were all doing as they had been for the past few hours. Chattering on and on and on. Yet he couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling that he was being watched, observed.
Creeping past the staircase, Josh peered around for any indication of someone watching him.
A flash of lightening blazed through the windows. Josh squeezed his eyes shut against the blinding light. Blinking red spots out of his vision, he glanced round about him, looking for anything unusual. He saw nothing.
Probably paranoid, he thought. Too much tv and too much time spent trapped inside. He proceeded up the stairs.
It was quieter upstairs, with the adult's voices muffled to a mear murmur. Josh opened the door of his bedroom and was confronted with a wave of moist wind hitting him in the face. He had left his window open.
How he had been so stupid, he had no idea. He had probably opened it up during one of the brief intermissions or rain, and forgotten the close it. Josh just hoped that his stuff wasn't going to mold over the next day or something. That would be awful.
Beyond the splatter of rain, Josh heard a faint wimper. Perhaps an animal had been stranded outside. Poor thing.
Now much more awake than he had been a few minutes ago, Josh quickly tiptoed down the stairs towards the front door, making sure to keep an eye on the adults still babling away at the dining table. They always liked to tease him about his love for animals. And Josh wasn't one who appreciated teasing.
Grabbing a raincoat from the rack next to the front door, Josh slid outside into the wet, cold night. The porch light illuminated the street for him, eliminating the need for a flashlight. Already, Josh's red hair was soaked, turning a nearly brown color as it glued itself to his head. Thunder boomed.
A dark figure lay in the corner, ambiguous in the shadows. Indeed, he could catch whimpering now and then, though he couldn't quite discern what was making them.
As he got closer, he noticed that it wasn't a dog at all. Much too big.
Josh inhaled sharply. This was not what he was expecting at all.
Before him lay a boy, probably about his age, with cuts and bruises all along his cheek bone, as well as on his wrist, which lay exposed to the cold, moist air, as the coat he wore went only a bit past his elbows. The boy lay unconsious, his head propped up on the knee of a girl. She had long hair plastered to her back and face, which was bent down towards the boy. Her body was hunched against the wind- a pathetic attempt to block the two of them from the ongoing downpour of rain and wind.
She glanced up at him, her eyes wide. She seemed just as surprised to see him there as Josh was to see the two of them.
Josh knelt down next to the two of them, and tried to make his voice sound as gentle as he could.
"Hey there. My name's Josh. It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you. I won't turn you in or anything. I can help. It's alright, ok? Everything's alright."
She just stared up at him. Lightening struck and the girl's wide, staring eyes flashed a brilliant blue.
Josh gently pried the other boy off of her lap. She grabbed his wrist, her grip like iron.
"It's ok. I'm just going to bring him inside, ok?"
The girl nodded. Gosh, she was mute. He wondered if she could even speak english.
Josh pulled the boy up over his shoulder like a fireman, as he had practiced countless times in his Emergency Protocol class at school. The girl trailed behind him towards the front door.
He closed the front door behind him, as quietly as he could, and proceeded up the stairs. The boy he was carrying was much lighter than he would have suspected, which may not have been a good thing, but it certainly made it an easier trip with the stairs for Josh.
All three of them were soaking wet from the rain. Josh guided the other two to the bathroom, where they dried up the best they could. The girl dried off the still-unconsious boy first, covering him in a clean, fluffy towel before wrapping one around herself. She was still shivering. And silent.
"So, what's you name?", Josh asked quietly.
"My name is Katherine. And this is William.", she replied, in a voice much stronger than he had expected due to her silence earlier.
"Well, nice to meet you Katherine. What brings you away from home in such weather?"
There was silence for a while, Katherine staring at the boy at her feet. After what seemed like forever, she spoke, her voice so soft Josh had to strain to make out what she said.
"Long Story", she exhaled.
Josh had no idea what to make of that. Katherine was still shivering violently and William looked like he had been beaten dead. This was not the time to find out.
For now, he would situate them in the guest bedroom and tell his parent about it tomorrow morning.
"Well, Ms. Katherine," he smiled, "I've found you guys too. And that means you and him get to spend the night at the Nesdam Hotel: where we do not leave kids out on the street in the rain. If you'll follow me..."
He extended his arm towards her, and she took it, smiling the smallest of smiles for the first time.
And that was how it all began.
