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Tuesday
February 14, 2012
10:59pm EST


Content Rating Notice:  Recommended for Readers 18 Years and Older Only
  >> Book >> Writing >> ID #1565859  |   Show DetailsPrinter Friendly Page Tell A Friend
Writing Day By Day
Challenging myself to write 500 words per day!
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Entry #653254, added on 06-04-09 @ 11:17 pm EDT
   Entry Access Restriction: None.
June 4--576 WordsEntry #653254

Two weeks until Halloween. Ruth hated this time of year. Grotesque masks began staring at her from store aisles in September as if taunting her. Decorations leered at her from seemingly every yard and window including the windows of the small town convenience store in which she worked.
Her aging bones didn’t take to the cooler weather like they used to. It made her cranky and the kids around town had marked her as a hateful old hag. They made rude remarks and gestures to her. And every year she would have to wash and scrape stinky egg mess off of her house and the store where they had been egged. And heaven forbid if the holiday fell on a weekend or right in the middle of a week. The kids would be egging both weekends and most of the weeknights. They hated her, she knew. She refused to sell the offending, shell-covered missiles to them. This marked her as a target and she paid dearly each year.
Tonight was quiet at the store. Ruth had already stocked the cooler, doing so wrapped in a heavy coat and wearing gloves. The sweeping and mopping were done and the deli cleaned out. Everything was in order for the next morning’s crew. She sat on the rickety old stool behind the counter reading a trashy romance book. Two large windows—one behind and one to the side of her reflected the interior of the store but still allowed her visibility to the outside. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted movement.
A shape stepped just out of her view behind her. Damn kids! It was just another early prank. Well she was ready for this one!
After several minutes passed with no other disturbance, she decided maybe she was seeing things. She settled back into her reading. She only had one more hour until closing then she could go home and have a cup of hot tea while she finished her book.
Then she saw it. The figure stepped out from the shadows at the corner of the building. It had a shuffling walk and leaned heavily on a walking stick. A long black robe covered all but the head which was one of those “old woman” masks Ruth had seen at the store. What caught Ruth’s attention wasn’t the mask as much as the build. This wasn’t a kid. By the time this registered in her mind, it was too late to pick up the phone, the figure was inside the store. It hobbled over to one of the tables and sat down with a whomph.
Ruth’s mind was screaming in panic. She kept her eyes on the book while trying to think out a plan. Could she reach the phone and dial 911 before it shot her? She knew in her heart that this was a hold up and that she would be shot and killed. She was no match for it physically. It was a half a foot taller if it stood straight and probably had a good sixty pounds on her.
Just then, it stood. It ambled over to the counter slowly. A scream was building in Ruth’s throat. As it reached the counter, it stood to its full height and casually said, “Aren’t you going to say something Ruth?” A gloved hand reached up and snatched the mask from its head. There, in all his dignity, stood the mayor. Ruth fainted.















© Copyright 2009 Nikola (UN: nmarshall at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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