"My name's Rosey. I believe you have my wood. Would you be so kind as to
give it back to me?"
"What...?" came Emery's only response. He could only stare at her in disbelief at the request. Who the hell would want some random guy's wood? What did she mean by it?! The girl so aptly named Rosey stifled a giggle at his question.
"The wood. My wood. You have it, don't you...?" her eyes widened in nervous dread, her lip trembling as if she were about to burst into tears, which made Emery's brain scramble for an answer before the waterworks turned on.
He glanced about at his home inside behind him, scanning the walls like they were going to give him the clue that he needed. Finding no such luck, he turned back to her.
"I have no idea what you're talking about! What wood could you want?! If you really need it so bad, just take a crowbar and pry off some lumber from the walls or something! I don't know!" he shouted in exasperation. This girl was a hassle, wanting a piece of wood from his crappy old house.
Emery did a rerun of looking over his shoulder about the living room. First he came to his TV which had a wood coated VCR (that of which he highly doubted she wanted), then to a wooden rocking chair that his mother used to sit in, one he not dare ever touch, and then to the railings that lined the stairway to the second level of the house. It made him want to boil over in frustration. For all he knew this girl could be an escaped quack from the Looney bin.
Deciding that it obviously wasn't any of the recreational items and furniture that was made of wood she was looking for, his eyes finally fell upon the dresser table and to the small box that perched on top of it. It struck him in instant fear when he realized what she was asking for. It had to have been the last piece of Rose Red's wood, the one item Nick had told him to keep safe until it was needed. He questioned whether or not this is what the guy meant, but shoved the thought out of his head for now, returning to look at the now very scary girl.
She had ceased her threat to burst out crying and was now staring at him with a rather thoughtful look, her gaze following his to the box. That same brightened smile resurfaced itself on her lips when she saw it, giving him a sturdy nod in approval for him locating the item she had been looking for. In return of the nod she was given a frightened, but determined stare from Emery.
"That," Emery blandly stated, pointing a limp finger towards the dust- covered chest. A nod answered him, "The wood that's inside the box," he stated again, another dumbfounded statement. He was again given a nod.
"And...what did you say your name was?" Emery asked precariously, on the verge of either freaking out and calling the psyche ward, or fainting on the spot. The girl rolled her eyes sheepishly.
"Rosey!" she chirped happily. He stared at her with wide saucer eyes.
"Aw, hell no!!!" He screamed, lurching back and slamming the door in her face, a click of the handle hastily being locked following soon after.
Rosey stood, shocked at his reaction, her feet giving out from underneath her as she landed on her knees. Trying hard not to cry, she instead held her emotions inside. She was used to it, normally. Even though she expected him to react like that to the request for the small piece of wood, she hadn't planned on how she would react to it. Eventually, the sad, helpless side of her let go, bawling her eyes out. "Waaaaaahhh!! You don't understand! I need that piece of wood!! Please? Pleeeaaase!! It's not like your using it! Besides, you're the one who took it! I want it back! Please, please, I just want it baaaaack!!" She whined in between her sobs, banging the door lightly with her fist.
"Go away!" Emery's voice shouted muffled from the other side.
"I can't leave! I need that back!" Rosey crooned helplessly from the door, "C'mon what's the problem anyway? I don't know anyplace else but here and there!"
"NOT THERE!!!" Emery's voice echoed through the house and outside, Rosey immediately clamping her hands over her head with a yelp. The demand drove her quickly from her spot on the porch and disappeared from Emery's sight by his place in his upstairs bedroom window.
-----------
A while later, what he had guessed a few hours later really, Emery had returned to his bill-paying chair and the ever towering debts and bill notices, trying with all his might to forget about the strange occurrence from earlier. It had been quite a fright, even though he wasn't exactly sure who she was, it became painfully obvious that she knew something about Rose Red...Or really what used to be Rose Red.
Since the time he and the small portion of the group escaped, Rose Red had been torn down soon after, just as everyone had planned. It was hard to see such a beautiful piece of construction go crashing into the piles of almost endless rubble, but it wasn't like he regretted it. Later that day after the awaited demolition the group celebrated the final breath of Rose Red with a get together at Kathy's estate. They could finally lay their tired souls (and Rose Red's soul) to rest. To Emery's stupefied shock though, the city wanted to use the large acres of land for reconstruction. In its own way this was understandable, the land was very flat and had great soil and working pipelines that still ran underground, but the only difference was it was Rose Red's property. Sister and Kathy had tried their damndest to stop any rebuild on the lot, but they were completely ignored. Before they knew it, men were scuttling about the area, readying for the new apartment complex to be built. And now, after a year and a half of painstaking work (he supposed), there stood dinky white condos all lined about where Rose Red once lived.
Emery had no plans on ever returning to that place, regardless of the new construction. He was done.
He again tried to focus his tired eyes on the papers in front of him, but every other line there seemed to appear the same word over and over again...
Mr. Emery:
It has come to our attention that your wood hasn't been paid to the correct wood. Your time for the purchased wood expired prior to one wood ago.
We recommend you pay the required wood for your wood so that this wood can be relieved.
Mr. Wood
It seemed like a slap in the face. That damn girl had him paranoid! After a while he decided that writing up the bills wasn't the best idea in the world. Besides, after being sent a debt letter by a Mr. Wood, he knew that was the time to stop.
Ding Dong.
He froze at the sound of his doorbell going off. No company was expected and if it happened to be the crazy girl again he wasn't too happy with the idea of opening the door. This time, he followed his cowardice side. He didn't open the door.
But as fate would have it, it wasn't that simple this time, especially when the door was sent slamming open, the lock playing no part on security. Emery jumped to his feet this time, ready to bolt from whatever it was that wanted to torment him. At this point he took the time to personally curse all spirits who hated him so.
A pair of feet made their way lightly through the living room, the floor not once making a creak to signify the intruder's shifting weight. He noticed a looming shadow in the kitchen doorway, his neatly stacked bills fluttering back like two magnets of the same side coming together. Emery was mentally locked in place, fear taking its toll on him once again.
"Girl..." a soft voice came from the figure ahead. The familiar sound made him let out a long sigh of relief and irritation. He regained his bearings and stood strait, walking to her.
"Annie, what the hell are you doing here?!" he growled his greeting to her, whatever kind of greeting that was.
Her blank gaze left his stare as the young girl paced back out of the room, bee-lining for the living room windows. Emery snorted, cursing the day since he was already cursing his life, and began to follow her to her spot. Annie slowly made her way around the lower hallway, which was directing them toward the back of the house, stopping at the window. She lifted a finger to point out towards the backyard.
Emery gave her a questioning glance, but followed her direction to look outside. Through the window, Emery's expression lessened to that of a deep frown, seeing the red-headed girl from earlier sitting on his back lawn, moping her life away. Annie's eyes soon shot to a sliding door a few feet away from them, her inner demand sending the door creaking open. Actions like that, Emery had to admit, still freaked him out somewhat, but with her living only a few miles away, he had become just a little more used to her wants and needs.
Annie stepped out onto the slowly drying lawn, apparent that the inside of the house wasn't the only thing being neglected, approaching her way to the girl who was slumped over her knees like a ball, Emery following her close behind. The pair halted a few feet away, Annie lifting her hand again to point at the girl.
"You...girl..." Annie mumbled half-heartily, not at all too used to speaking out loud for herself. Rosey's head snapped up from the voice, turning two large glowing red eyes up to gaze at her.
"What? You know her?" Emery scoffed. It was bad enough having the two in his presence together on such a bad day, but now they know each other?! Annie turned her head to stare at him with an expression that told him that he should've known, slowly nodding her head at him. Her blank gaze slid back to the still depressed girl.
Her next answer would scar Emery for the next few years.
"Rose Red," Annie answered him.
((Okay, another chapter done. It's kinda slow, but promises are being made-- it will get better! But I think the normal rule stands, tell me what you think! And just so we all know...This is Mr. King's flick, not mine! ))
"What...?" came Emery's only response. He could only stare at her in disbelief at the request. Who the hell would want some random guy's wood? What did she mean by it?! The girl so aptly named Rosey stifled a giggle at his question.
"The wood. My wood. You have it, don't you...?" her eyes widened in nervous dread, her lip trembling as if she were about to burst into tears, which made Emery's brain scramble for an answer before the waterworks turned on.
He glanced about at his home inside behind him, scanning the walls like they were going to give him the clue that he needed. Finding no such luck, he turned back to her.
"I have no idea what you're talking about! What wood could you want?! If you really need it so bad, just take a crowbar and pry off some lumber from the walls or something! I don't know!" he shouted in exasperation. This girl was a hassle, wanting a piece of wood from his crappy old house.
Emery did a rerun of looking over his shoulder about the living room. First he came to his TV which had a wood coated VCR (that of which he highly doubted she wanted), then to a wooden rocking chair that his mother used to sit in, one he not dare ever touch, and then to the railings that lined the stairway to the second level of the house. It made him want to boil over in frustration. For all he knew this girl could be an escaped quack from the Looney bin.
Deciding that it obviously wasn't any of the recreational items and furniture that was made of wood she was looking for, his eyes finally fell upon the dresser table and to the small box that perched on top of it. It struck him in instant fear when he realized what she was asking for. It had to have been the last piece of Rose Red's wood, the one item Nick had told him to keep safe until it was needed. He questioned whether or not this is what the guy meant, but shoved the thought out of his head for now, returning to look at the now very scary girl.
She had ceased her threat to burst out crying and was now staring at him with a rather thoughtful look, her gaze following his to the box. That same brightened smile resurfaced itself on her lips when she saw it, giving him a sturdy nod in approval for him locating the item she had been looking for. In return of the nod she was given a frightened, but determined stare from Emery.
"That," Emery blandly stated, pointing a limp finger towards the dust- covered chest. A nod answered him, "The wood that's inside the box," he stated again, another dumbfounded statement. He was again given a nod.
"And...what did you say your name was?" Emery asked precariously, on the verge of either freaking out and calling the psyche ward, or fainting on the spot. The girl rolled her eyes sheepishly.
"Rosey!" she chirped happily. He stared at her with wide saucer eyes.
"Aw, hell no!!!" He screamed, lurching back and slamming the door in her face, a click of the handle hastily being locked following soon after.
Rosey stood, shocked at his reaction, her feet giving out from underneath her as she landed on her knees. Trying hard not to cry, she instead held her emotions inside. She was used to it, normally. Even though she expected him to react like that to the request for the small piece of wood, she hadn't planned on how she would react to it. Eventually, the sad, helpless side of her let go, bawling her eyes out. "Waaaaaahhh!! You don't understand! I need that piece of wood!! Please? Pleeeaaase!! It's not like your using it! Besides, you're the one who took it! I want it back! Please, please, I just want it baaaaack!!" She whined in between her sobs, banging the door lightly with her fist.
"Go away!" Emery's voice shouted muffled from the other side.
"I can't leave! I need that back!" Rosey crooned helplessly from the door, "C'mon what's the problem anyway? I don't know anyplace else but here and there!"
"NOT THERE!!!" Emery's voice echoed through the house and outside, Rosey immediately clamping her hands over her head with a yelp. The demand drove her quickly from her spot on the porch and disappeared from Emery's sight by his place in his upstairs bedroom window.
-----------
A while later, what he had guessed a few hours later really, Emery had returned to his bill-paying chair and the ever towering debts and bill notices, trying with all his might to forget about the strange occurrence from earlier. It had been quite a fright, even though he wasn't exactly sure who she was, it became painfully obvious that she knew something about Rose Red...Or really what used to be Rose Red.
Since the time he and the small portion of the group escaped, Rose Red had been torn down soon after, just as everyone had planned. It was hard to see such a beautiful piece of construction go crashing into the piles of almost endless rubble, but it wasn't like he regretted it. Later that day after the awaited demolition the group celebrated the final breath of Rose Red with a get together at Kathy's estate. They could finally lay their tired souls (and Rose Red's soul) to rest. To Emery's stupefied shock though, the city wanted to use the large acres of land for reconstruction. In its own way this was understandable, the land was very flat and had great soil and working pipelines that still ran underground, but the only difference was it was Rose Red's property. Sister and Kathy had tried their damndest to stop any rebuild on the lot, but they were completely ignored. Before they knew it, men were scuttling about the area, readying for the new apartment complex to be built. And now, after a year and a half of painstaking work (he supposed), there stood dinky white condos all lined about where Rose Red once lived.
Emery had no plans on ever returning to that place, regardless of the new construction. He was done.
He again tried to focus his tired eyes on the papers in front of him, but every other line there seemed to appear the same word over and over again...
Mr. Emery:
It has come to our attention that your wood hasn't been paid to the correct wood. Your time for the purchased wood expired prior to one wood ago.
We recommend you pay the required wood for your wood so that this wood can be relieved.
Mr. Wood
It seemed like a slap in the face. That damn girl had him paranoid! After a while he decided that writing up the bills wasn't the best idea in the world. Besides, after being sent a debt letter by a Mr. Wood, he knew that was the time to stop.
Ding Dong.
He froze at the sound of his doorbell going off. No company was expected and if it happened to be the crazy girl again he wasn't too happy with the idea of opening the door. This time, he followed his cowardice side. He didn't open the door.
But as fate would have it, it wasn't that simple this time, especially when the door was sent slamming open, the lock playing no part on security. Emery jumped to his feet this time, ready to bolt from whatever it was that wanted to torment him. At this point he took the time to personally curse all spirits who hated him so.
A pair of feet made their way lightly through the living room, the floor not once making a creak to signify the intruder's shifting weight. He noticed a looming shadow in the kitchen doorway, his neatly stacked bills fluttering back like two magnets of the same side coming together. Emery was mentally locked in place, fear taking its toll on him once again.
"Girl..." a soft voice came from the figure ahead. The familiar sound made him let out a long sigh of relief and irritation. He regained his bearings and stood strait, walking to her.
"Annie, what the hell are you doing here?!" he growled his greeting to her, whatever kind of greeting that was.
Her blank gaze left his stare as the young girl paced back out of the room, bee-lining for the living room windows. Emery snorted, cursing the day since he was already cursing his life, and began to follow her to her spot. Annie slowly made her way around the lower hallway, which was directing them toward the back of the house, stopping at the window. She lifted a finger to point out towards the backyard.
Emery gave her a questioning glance, but followed her direction to look outside. Through the window, Emery's expression lessened to that of a deep frown, seeing the red-headed girl from earlier sitting on his back lawn, moping her life away. Annie's eyes soon shot to a sliding door a few feet away from them, her inner demand sending the door creaking open. Actions like that, Emery had to admit, still freaked him out somewhat, but with her living only a few miles away, he had become just a little more used to her wants and needs.
Annie stepped out onto the slowly drying lawn, apparent that the inside of the house wasn't the only thing being neglected, approaching her way to the girl who was slumped over her knees like a ball, Emery following her close behind. The pair halted a few feet away, Annie lifting her hand again to point at the girl.
"You...girl..." Annie mumbled half-heartily, not at all too used to speaking out loud for herself. Rosey's head snapped up from the voice, turning two large glowing red eyes up to gaze at her.
"What? You know her?" Emery scoffed. It was bad enough having the two in his presence together on such a bad day, but now they know each other?! Annie turned her head to stare at him with an expression that told him that he should've known, slowly nodding her head at him. Her blank gaze slid back to the still depressed girl.
Her next answer would scar Emery for the next few years.
"Rose Red," Annie answered him.
((Okay, another chapter done. It's kinda slow, but promises are being made-- it will get better! But I think the normal rule stands, tell me what you think! And just so we all know...This is Mr. King's flick, not mine! ))