The Apartment Below

A contest piece

I live in a dingy little neighborhood in a basement apartment. I don't own much furniture. I want to keep it simple. I am cooking myself diner when I hear creaking.

I smile, hearing a family walking around on the floor above. They probably have guests over as their are more footsteps then normal. There is some thumping, most likely the young son that they have.

The boy seems to like me. We play in the apartment yard when no one is watching. No one would notice me anyway, I'm the kind of person you dismiss very easily. But the boy is always waiting for me to come out to play with him. He doesn't have many friends, he says that they live far away and I'm the only one who plays with him anymore.

He reminds me of my little brother, cute and full of energy. He loves to talk about dinosaurs and aliens and play make believe in magical lands. It was great fun when he was around to talk to, but he died of lung cancer a few years ago.

But a few days ago the son in the apartment above mine disappeared. I do not see him playing outside anymore. He no longer calls me to play in his whining board tone I have come accustomed to. I hear his parents above me crying.
I listen closely to hear their words.

"He said he wanted to see her" His mothers voice is soft and cracking "The one he plays with out in the yard"

"He doesn't play with anyone dear" His father, calming voice "It was an imaginary friend"

"No!"His mother is loosing her grip "He said she lives in the apartment below ours!"

"No one lives there, no one can" His father, trying to reason "Below us is solid foundation, there are no apartments below us"

I pull away, tuning them out. There was apartments down here. They got filled in to cover up the smell of rot. My brother and me still live down here. We want some company.

Their son will be perfect.

Reviews

[idiotproof--1]

I love it. this is perfectly disturbing. some small things to fix though "he no longer calls my to play" should be "he no longer calls me to play" "the family above walking around on the floor above" you really don't need the second "above" so as I said just some small things to fix up otherwise this is great.