PROLOGUE:
Christmas Eve. A night that 28 year old Maggie doesnt want to remember, but somehow every year, it creeps back into her mind. She was seven years old, and her little sister Amanda was only four..... “ Our father went out after dinner with his drinking buddies as usual. We helped mom clean up the kitchen and then we were off to bed. I woke up when I heard the front door slam around 1:30 a.m. I got up from my bed and crept over to my bedroom door to listen. Almost as soon as I put my ear to the door, I heard the shouting. It was mainly my father doing the shouting and swearing and my mother was doing the crying. Their was a quiet knock on my door from Amanda and I opened it slightly and told her to go back to bed that everything was going to be fine. A few minutes later I heard a loud crash, so I opened my door and tip-toed to the stairway to see if I could see what was going on. I could see my mother and father in the living room. The coffee table had been knocked over on its side and the lamp was laying on the floor. The Christmas tree lights were on and I could see the fear in my mothers eyes. She started yelling at him, telling him to leave and never come back. He punched her hard in the face and she flew back onto the couch. I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. My father went into the kitchen and my mother was on the couch, crying and bleeding from her mouth. The next few moments went by in such a flash that it almost seemed like a dream. I watched as my father came back into the room. In one swift movement he pulled my mothers hair back and sliced the knife across her neck. He then moved towards the stairway and with piercing dark eyes that looked like pure evil, he lifted the bloody knife and said, “Your next”. I ran as fast as I could back to my room and locked the door. For what seemed like hours, I sat hiding in my closet. Then, realizing that I hadnt heard any noise in awhile, I panicked; wondering if my sister was okay. I ran out of my room into the hallway; paralyzed with fear. My mother had been killed, my father was gone, and Amanda was no where to be found”......

CHAPTER 1 :

It was Sunday, and for Maggie Morgan, that was a wonderful thing. She had been working so hard all week and was thankful for her one day off of rest and relaxation. She slept in, till about 10, then got up, took a shower, and decided to go into town to do some shopping. She lived in a small town in Pennsylvania where there wasnt much to do. There wasnt much as far as shopping goes in the small town, a few stores here and there, but she needed to get out of the house. Her aunt and uncle had been fighting a lot because her uncle had been laid off from his job and wasnt doing much to find another one. Money was tight and the jobs were scarce.
She wanted to tell her aunt that she was planning on moving soon; but didnt have the heart just yet. She had been working two jobs for the last 3 years with the hopes of getting out of the small town and moving to New York. But her aunt and uncle had been fighting so much lately she was almost afraid to leave her aunt alone.
She had gone into town but most of the stores were closed because it was Sunday , so she headed back home; feeling a little depressed. She was itching to leave this mangy little town and decided that when she got home, she was going to sit down with her aunt and finally tell her.
She could hear the yelling when she got out of her car in the driveway. As she started to walk towards the front door, a sheer sweat had fallen across her entire body. She couldnt understand what was happening to her. She felt pure, infinite fear, and was rooted to where she was standing. She felt as if she could not move and was frozen in time. Closing her eyes, she started to take some deep breathes to calm herself down. Flashes of images started to appear in her minds eye. She saw a lighted Christmas tree. It looked so real and alive. A shadow of a little girl was next to the tree. Maggie tried to open her eyes but could not. The last thing she saw before she fell into unconsciousness was blood; lots of blood.

CHAPTER 2:

When she woke up, she found herself on the couch in the living room. Her aunt was sitting by her side, rubbing a cool cloth on her head. Maggie looked up at her and saw that her eye was bruised and there was a small drop of dried blood in the corner of her mouth.
“What happened?”
Maggies aunt looked away and said, “ I dont know what happened, but I heard a noise outside and found you laying on the sidewalk. I helped you inside and put you on the couch”. Maggie thought she could detect some shakiness to her aunts voice. She wondered how she got the marks on her face, but she had a feeling she already knew.
“Aunt Carrie, what happened to you? And where is Uncle John?” Her aunt turned around and Maggie saw that she was crying.
“Your Uncle and I had another fight Mags, and this time it got a little out of hand.”
“A little out of hand? Look at your face! Where is that son of a bitch!” Maggie was fervent.
“Just leave it alone Mags. He had a little too much to drink thats all.” She could not believe that she was making excuses for what he had done to her. She sat up slowly from the couch. She had a throbbing headache and felt a little unsteady. She carefully got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen where her aunt was sitting at the table. She was starting to remember a little as to why she had passed out but at the moment she was more worried about her aunt.
She sat down across from her and said, “ Why are you sticking up for him?”
“Its more than that Maggie.”. She was worried. She had never heard her aunt sound so serious before.
“Please tell me whats going on.” Her aunt put out her cigarette, took a sip of her coffee and then folded her hands in front of her.
She looked up and said, “Maggie, we need to talk.”

The Eclectic Pen » All Stories by Heather M. (heather73)

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Comments 1 to 5 of 5

IONE L. (zaneygraylady) - 2/12/2007 4:46 PM ET

Good. I look forward to more.

katzpawz - 2/15/2007 1:17 AM ET

I want to read the rest!!! Have you written it and have you submitted it anywhere? Keep writing!

Kim T. (kimt6) - - 3/1/2007 12:38 PM ET

AWESOME!

Marnie M. - 4/5/2007 9:24 PM ET

This is a great story. The beginning was reminding me of a scene from my childhood, until it got to the part where he killed her. Everything up until that part happened to me.

Linda S. (Dreamin1) - 5/4/2007 2:36 AM ET

Interesting story. The prologue is a bit jarring, and maybe reveals too much. I would have rather seen this revealed bit by bit. I didn't like knowing what happened to her that fast. I wanted time to know her more. The first chapter brings up the questions, which is what you want to happen in a story. I can guess where this is going, but hope you let use know over a period of time, and that will lead to what is coming up. Nice work.

Comments 1 to 5 of 5

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The Eclectic Pen - I Remember You ( Prologue, 1st Chapter and part of 2nd Chapter)

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