It
was after 2 a.m. when Mary kissed Joe goodnight and quietly opened
Miz Gryder's front door, trying to keep it from squeaking. Mary took
off her shoes and softly eased down the hall to her room, cringing at
every creak and crack from the hardwood floor.
She
reached her bedroom door. Carefully, slowly she turned the knob. The
bolt made a faint click as it slipped out of its hole. She could feel
her heart pounding. She could hear every sound the old house made as
air found its way through the aged boards. The squealing of the
hinges sounded like a banshee scream in her ears. Better to push
quickly and get it over with, or drag out the agony, making one
heart-shattering squeak at a time?
The door was open a crack. Mary took a deep breath and pushed again. The noise, it seemed to her, was enough to wake Clayton County. Every second she expected to hear Miz Gryder's chiding voice. The space widened. Soon she would be able to slip inside. Her blood pounded in her temples. One more push, one more heart-shattering squeak. She pressed her body against the door. Her back scraped against the door frame. She was inside.
The reverse ordeal dragged on for torturous minutes, until the door was closed. She undressed in a daze and slipped under the covers. She did not sleep.
A thousand demons chased themselves through her harried thoughts. Joe. Jim. Jim. Joe. Miz Gryder. Miz Gryder. Miz Gryder. She couldn't go back to Hungry Jim's. She had to go back to Hungry Jim's. She mustn't tell Miz Gryder. She had to tell Miz Gryder. She had to see Joe. She had to be with Joe. She had to be with Joe. With Joe. With Joe. With Joe.
Her dreams were more terrifying than ever before.
The door was open a crack. Mary took a deep breath and pushed again. The noise, it seemed to her, was enough to wake Clayton County. Every second she expected to hear Miz Gryder's chiding voice. The space widened. Soon she would be able to slip inside. Her blood pounded in her temples. One more push, one more heart-shattering squeak. She pressed her body against the door. Her back scraped against the door frame. She was inside.
The reverse ordeal dragged on for torturous minutes, until the door was closed. She undressed in a daze and slipped under the covers. She did not sleep.
A thousand demons chased themselves through her harried thoughts. Joe. Jim. Jim. Joe. Miz Gryder. Miz Gryder. Miz Gryder. She couldn't go back to Hungry Jim's. She had to go back to Hungry Jim's. She mustn't tell Miz Gryder. She had to tell Miz Gryder. She had to see Joe. She had to be with Joe. She had to be with Joe. With Joe. With Joe. With Joe.
Her dreams were more terrifying than ever before.
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