Laney: A Short Story

The cottage like house staring Laney Marshall in the face was depressed and calling out for a match to rid it of its misery. Apparently the universe thought the ugly brown color of the siding wasn't enough and bestowed the house with acute scoliosis. The grass grabbed at her and her mother's ankles while they dragged their two suitcases containing their entire lives to the front door. Something about the dark green slab of wood separating them and the inside of their new home gave the appearance of a frown. Laney wasn't sure where in the bad paint job, brass handle, and lock she saw it, but she knew she saw it. Maybe she was just feeling it in her chest. Whichever it was, she wasn't happy about the move that had jerked her away from her quiet …show more content…
One look at the worn furniture and Laney felt it was divine intervention when she heard the rusted creak of the mailbox closing. She turned just in time to see the mail truck puttering away. "I'm going to check the mail," she told her mother, leaving her suitcase on the porch which groaned in defiance. It would seem the house liked her about as much as she liked it. There was a single letter. It was junk mail addressed to what Laney would call a neighbor if the house was visible through the phalanx of trees. Her stomach told her to bring the letter to her neighbor and the rest of her body agreed eagerly. No part of her wanted to step foot in the house yet. That would make it real and there's nothing scarier than facing a reality you aren't ready to. She called to her mother. After a moment her mother's tired ageless face appeared poking out a window on the bottom floor. "We got the neighbor's mail. I'm going to bring it to them." She held up the letter as proof. Her mother's face grew lines filled with …show more content…
Laney wasn't entirely comfortable being so exposed to the passing cars, but not enough to turn back and enter the Beast. She decided she would call the house the Beast. It groaned like one and was certainly ugly like one so it only made sense to her presently immature mind that it would be labeled as one. Although, there was a piece of her, however miniscule, that hoped she would grow into the Beast. The neighbor's driveway was an excessive trail of gravel that wound through thick trunks. The trees here glared harshly at newcomers leaving Laney feeling meek and helpless. Finally, trees broke open into a yard of evenly cut grass with an intimidating castle like structure in the center. It was a brute of a house, swollen and muscular all around with two jutting witch capped towers. A rather tall porch hugged the entire front of the monotonous Queen Anne where two darkly stained rocking chairs were perched patiently. Suddenly, Laney was having second thoughts about her delivery. If the dark house itself wasn't enough to disturb Laney the large deep red door was. It seemed to be trying to ward her off. Stubborn as ever, Laney Marshall gave three loud resonating knocks. It took half a minute for the door to