A Walk By The River Essay, Research Paper
The sudden, swift, severe summer storm
caught me totally unaware. I was walking down Old Salem Road when the clouds
started to build. I looked around as I huddled under a large, dead oak tree.
Almost all of the houses on this abandoned street were too badly damaged for me
to take shelter in, except for one. The house loomed impressive and morbid in
the greenish-black sky. A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the house. The
windows were broken, but the superstructure seemed sound. I was becoming soaked as I pondered my
dilemma. Should I stay under the tree and risk getting hit by lightning or
should I go into that old house, not know who, or what, might be in there? The
storm decided for me. Lightning hit the tree, filling the air with the sent of
scorched sap. I dashed onto the porch and pounded on the door. It was open. What was that? I thought, my heart in my
mouth. I slowly turned around. I didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean that
there couldn’t be someone else in the house with me. It was a large house. I
hesitated before I went into the living room. My lantern, my best friend at the
moment, showed off ancient paintings of a red-haired man with angular features
and a host of antiques. Over a marble fireplace, in the far side of the room,
hung a silvery mirror with plump, little cherubs surrounding it. Crash.?
I jumped and almost dropped the lantern. My heart stopped as I listened
for another sound. The silence throbbed in my ears. I stood at the bottom of
the staircase. The sounds had come from upstairs. I swallowed my fears and
climbed the stairs. On the second floor I found a bathroom so
obsolete that it didn’t even have any running water. Since I didn’t have any
business to do in there, I left it undisturbed. I found several bedrooms laden
with cloth-covered antiques, moth-ridden clothes that might have been beautiful
at one time, and tarnished jewellery. At the end of the second floor, I found yet
another stair well. This one was dark and coated with lacy spider webs. It led
to what must have been the children’s floor at one point. There was a play room
that took up most of the space, along with two bedrooms with dainty furniture,
and the nurse’s room. What I mistook for a closet at first was really a narrow
flight of stairs that lead into the attic. A giant rat scampered across my feet. Its
beady eyes glowed red in the flicker in lantern light. It hissed at me. I
screamed and dropped my lantern. Suddenly, I was plunged into utter darkness. I
took several deep breaths to calm my trembling body and finished my trek up the
stairs. Vivid flashes of lightning illuminated the
attic. A vase lay in pieces in front of the broken window. Well, at least I
know what caused the crash. I mused to myself. I found an old thread bare cloak.
I had intended it used it to cover the broken window, but on my way there, I
tripped over a large box. The trunk wasn’t locked, but age had rusted
it shut. I gripped the top and pulled with all of my strength. The trunk
protest, but finally gave in. Another rat jumped at my ankle. I yelled and
lunged forward. I hit something solid inside the trunk. Whatever I had hit, it
didn’t feel like antiques or clothes. My hand wondered upward and found a large
protruding….nose! I turned my head and gasped. A flash of lightning briefly seared the
sky. The harsh light highlighted a wide mouth with vermilion lips, glowing
canines, a nose, red curly hair and stern eyebrows. The man’s eyes were open
and staring at me. Suddenly, the faint, acrid smell of wood
smoke reached my nose. I felt something burning me. I pushed the man away and
cried out. Fire felt like it was licking at me. I backed up against the far
wall. The flames had already enveloped the man.? As a second flash of lighning suddenly blinded me in a flash, I
blinked.? Opening my eyes quickly to
maintain a view of the burning figure, nothing, just a mirror. There was a sudden explosion when lightning
hit the rof above me. I was blown out of the window and into a slimy fountain.
The piercing wail of a siren cut through the crackle of the burning house. A firefighter lifted me out of the
fountain. I stared at his neck. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my mouth. I
cried out. The firefighter hugged me once then wrapped me in a blanket. I
blacked out as I was slipped into a waiting ambulance.
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