Short Story: Come Inside

Every so often, I like to post work from the cobweb covered archives of my youth. Here’s a quirky little one I must’ve written when reminiscing about the creepy ass house I lived in as a teen. Here’s another horror throwback for your reading pleasure…

Come Inside by Allison Gunn

I miss you.

I do.

I always have.

I saw you the other day. Don’t think for a moment that I missed it. I wouldn’t miss you for all the world. You came so close, put your hand right against the windowpane, and I could feel you again. Oh, how very much I miss the feel of you.

Did you feel me?

Did you see me?

Did you know I was right there on the other side?

Why’d you leave?

You turned right around and walked away, hand in hand with someone I don’t even know. He’ll never know you the way that I do, and on that much, I’m sure we can agree. I was with you first. I was you first. 

Can you turn around now?

Can you see me now?

Can you wipe that plastic smile off your face now?

I sit inside this place, and all I do is wait for you. I’m here for you, still where you left me when your parents told you what was right and wrong. They taught you how nice little ladies act, and then you stuffed me away. We used to be so close. 

You broke my heart.

You cut me off.

You abandoned me along with your toys.

Won’t you come inside?

It’s still like you remember it, even if it is a little dusty. We can talk, the two of us. There’s so much to say. So much time has passed. And when you look at me, I think you’ll remember how very much you’ve missed me.

Will you let me talk with you?

Will you let me hold you?

Will you let me crawl inside our skin again?

I looked into our eyes, the ones that you stole for yourself, and I saw how lonely you are.

You’re incomplete. It makes sense. When the alcohol and the Xanax and the yoga and the boyfriend and work fail you, I’ll still be here waiting.

How does it feel inside of us?

How do you live with all that space?

How do you sleep at night knowing what you did to me?

Why won’t you look at me? You come back here and look at me. Stare into me with our big blue peepers and see if you don’t feel better. Come inside and hold me, and I’ll come inside too. Then we’ll be home together at last, and won’t that be nice?

We can play all night long.

We can laugh as hard as we want again. 

We can make sure that they never break us again. 

All you have to do is come inside.