6:37 AM

Sophie Wray

by Sophie Wray

Story

Empty.

I did my laundry on Saturday, so where are the clothes from yesterday?

I look in the washing machine, but it’s also empty. I didn’t leave them on the counter or island, not the barstools, neither on nor under the sofa. They’re not in the bedroom or bathroom. What did I even wear?

Ping.

I startle and stare at my bed, the phone screen dimming down again. I don’t want to look. I really don’t want to look.

But it’s just a reminder that work starts in 20 minutes, so I take my phone and latte and go back to the living room. In front of one of the ceiling high windows, I put a small wooden desk. It always looks ready to collapse under the weight of the heavy work notebook.

It greets me with its familiar sound and fans already working hard. I place the mug next to the notebook and sit down, looking at my phone again.

3 pm Zoom Meeting is written next to the date. Right, the French lesson. How could I forget? How could I not after the … surprise this morning. Who even texted me? How could I not check? Was it WhatsApp or SMS? Where … where are the messages?

The fans of the notebook die down, the blue login screen glaring at me. I type the password in and remember my phone. What is it I was looking at again? It will come back to me if it is important, I should focus on working.

As usual, no one else is logged in yet, which I like. All that dumb small talk and shallow friendliness, as if anybody cares. The less I have to deal with it, the better. I actually can’t understand why so little accepted the offer to work from home, as if they would lose something. Work is for work, not friendships.

The doorbell rings.

I groan and get up. Can’t I even have one day of peace and quiet? Saturday was already ruined and now Sunday? When I look through the peephole, there is only the empty hallway. The once pale blue carpet is now of undefinable shades and the light at the end is still flickering after many complains.

I open the door, but can’t see anyone passing by or kids running away. As I’m about to close the door, something small on the floor catches my eye. A single diamond stud earring. Maybe someone lost it and is asking around for it? I examine the stone closer, the thousand facets catching and throwing back light. I’m surprised by the rainbow shimmering inside, the colours soft yet still mesmerising.

One colour stands out in particular, a deep red, separating and swimming around on its own. It dys the whole diamond crimson, swallowing the specs of light. I flinch back and let go. It falls back on the floor, a red dot spreading where it lands, growing bigger, drowning the filthy carpet in blood.

© Sophie Wray 2024-04-28

Genres
Suspense & Horror
Moods
Mysteriös, Dark
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