Today’s writing prompt and my response.
The first day of this week’s challenge. Let’s see how it goes.
When she arrived home, she noticed …
When she arrived home, she noticed the curtains were closed. Again.
Hilary stood on the footpath and squinted at the sight. She was positive she had opened them before leaving for work. Today, she’d taken a photograph to prove it to herself. She pulled out her phone, scrolled for the proof. And scrolled again. She was certain she’d taken the photo.
Then where is it? a doubting voice questioned, a little snidely.
Hilary chewed her lip, thinking over the time between closing the front door … oh, God! In her keenness to take the photo, had she locked up?
Stuffing the traitorous phone into her bag and pulling out her keys, Hilary pushed at the squeaky gate and ran to the door. She tried the handle. Hooray. Locked. One thing was right, at least.
Inside, with the door locked again, Hilary tossed her (empty) briefcase on the sofa and peered around. She knew there was no point searching for an intruder, one with a weird fetish for curtain closing, and one who stole nothing – except Hilary’s sanity.
She exhaled loudly and stomped upstairs to her bedroom, angry that this was still happening. An early autumn dusk meant it would soon to be time to draw the curtains in any case, but right now she needed to open them, to show any sniggering spies she could deal with this. And also to suggest to the neighbours that she had closed them herself, deliberately– saving the furniture from too much sunlight, perhaps.
Hilary changed into a track suit, and wandered downstairs. The living room curtains could remain drawn. Right now, she needed a relaxing drink and a good hard think about who – or what – was pulling her curtains shut every day while she was out of the house. And why?
Read part two here…
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