Twitter Fiction

Raini Schlegel           

Twitter Fiction

Grace: Sunday morning every week I wake up at 6:30am. Turn on the same old cartoon and eat my breakfast. Frosted Flakes are my favorite because they’re sweet and crunchy.

Grace: I am dressed, ready and leave my apartment by 8:30am. Where I catch my bus and at work by 9 am.

Grace: The bus is always the same people. When you’re in small town that’s kind of how it works. I really don’t know why I’m still here.

Grace: I get off the bus open my umbrella and walk 3 blocks to work. It seems like a long walk when it’s wet and rainy outside like today. But the fresh smell of rain is the only thing I like.

Grace: I looked around, down the street, the people around me. I usually don’t do this because it’s always the same, but today was different. As I do this I do I notice someone behind me.

Grace: Keeping their distance, between about 4 to 5 people. This man? I think? He stands out... Wearing all black, hiding his face with a hood. The rain is pouring down making it almost impossible to see his face. He’s following my exact footsteps.

Grace: Should I really be paranoid? Or am I making things up. I seem to do that a lot. I seem to scare myself a lot.

Grace: Being scared is definitely my thing. I’m the biggest fan of scary movies; maybe that’s where I get these crazy, paranoid mind games from.

Grace: I’m sure it’s nothing. People can be so creepy and even though I pretty well know this whole town you can’t trust anyone these days anymore.

Grace: Finally, at work. This building is so drafty the rain makes everything so cold. I honestly really don’t want to be here. Being a secretary sucks. Sitting in a desk all day, on a computer and answering phone calls. It could be worse but what can you do.

Grace: I guess this is what happens when you don’t even graduate from high school. Pathetic, isn’t it?

Grace: My boss has to be the most rude and bitter man I think I have ever met. He can’t even do his own work because he’s constantly after me. I don’t think he likes me very much, but I feel the same about him.

Grace: Could my boss be more annoying? Oh well. Lunch is in a half hour anyway, I can survive until then. Hopefully...

Grace: Lunch time is my favorite time of day, I love going out for sushi to the sushi place a block next to my work, a two minute walk then I can have all you can eat!

Grace: I just took my order. As I’m waiting I can see the same man in all black. I take a quick glance at him, he’s looking directly at me, but I can’t see his face.

Grace: He’s sitting in the very corner alone at a table. If he’s trying to hide he’s not doing a very good job of it. So maybe that’s kind of the point?

Grace: This man has to be following me. I usually see the same people a lot but this man is VERY creepy. How he stares at me and wears all black hiding is face. I also get a weird vibe from him, it just creeps me out.

Grace: Now that I think of it he could have been following me for a long time... but how long. Just today, or maybe a week, a month?!?

Grace: I’m eating at the sushi bar; I can’t get this stalker out of my head. I try not to look at him but I turn around every few minutes to see if he’s still there. And of course he is.

Grace: I can’t take this anymore! I need to go home and lock myself in my apartment. If I go back to work now I’ll probably see him..

Grace: I get up and walk to the door, leaving the sushi place. He doesn’t move right away, but as I open the door I see him get up and run towards me!

Grace: I start printing away, trying to hide, lose him, just something! I’m running down the busy street and I think I hear him faintly calling my name... I ignore it.

Grace: Now I’m really scared! Being chased is really putting this over the top and how does he know my name?! But its lunch hour so I’m pretty sure I lost him in the cowed. I need to get on a bus home A.S.A.P.

Grace: I just got on the bus, looking around all paranoid. I’m pretty sure that people on this bus think I’m kind of loopy. I can’t stop panting and twitching my head back and forth. I’m getting some pretty weird looks but I really don’t care, I’m scared to death right now.

Grace: I’m getting off the bus and decide to make a detour to make sure he still isn’t following me. I walk 6 blocks past my apartment and then loop back around the same street, keeping my eyes open of my surroundings.

Grace: I walk up to my apartment building, into the elevator, down the hallway and to my door. My stomach is still in knots. I feel like I might throw up.

Grace: I take my key; put it in the lock and twist. I open my door with caution, slowly step in. I look around briefly, quickly shut the door behind me and lock it, making sure it’s tight.

Grace: I noticed I forgot to call my work saying I’m taking the rest of the day off. I should probably do that now seeing how it’s already 12:50 and lunch ends at 1.

Grace: As I thank him, say goodbye to my boss and hang up the phone I hear a noise coming from my bedroom. It sounds like breathing.

Grace: I haven’t look though my entire apartment yet and right now my heart is pounding through my chest. I can’t even think right now.

Grace: I open my bedroom door and there is a man sitting on my bed looking out the window! I scream in terror as loud as I can, hopefully other people can hear me!

Grace: He hears me scream and turns his head around so quick that it scared me more than when I first noticed him! I move as fast as I can towards the front door hoping to escape this man.

Grace: I struggle trying to open the door and unhook the chain. I stop and realize I don’t hear him coming after me. I look behind me and notice nobody’s there...

Grace: I slowly move away from my door. I can’t feel my arms or legs. While I take small breaths trying to be as quiet as possible. I don’t hear a sound.

Grace: What do I do? Call the police? Get help from a neighbour? WHAT IS THIS MISERIOUS MAN DOING IN MY HOME?! There are too many questions right now.

Grace: I’m so flustered! I’m going with my instincts. I’m going back into my room. I hope I’m doing the right thing here.

Grace: I make my way down the hall towards my bed room door. I discretely peak my head around the corner of my door and see the man sitting there... still, looking out the window, same exact spot.

Grace: I’m pretty sure there is something mentally wrong with this man. First he follows me around, wearing all black. Second he breaks into my apartment, and third he sits on my bed staring out the window...

Grace: At first I didn’t get a good look at his face so I try and take a closer look at him to see who he is but he’s faced away from me. He is still in all black with his hood up.

Grace: I’m honestly still pretty horrified... I walk in anyway. Only a few steps, before I get too close to him.

Grace: I decide to speak and ask, “Who are you? What are you doing here? Why are you following me? How did you get in my home?” Was that too many questions?

Grace: He turns his head slowly and takes off his hood. I’m so cared to see his face. He looks directly at me with clear blue eyes and instantly noticed it’s my husband!

Grace: But this is impossible. My heart stopped beating. I dropped to me knees and stared crying. As tears run down my face I cry out, “You’re supposed to be dead!”

Grace: Still looking at me, those eyes always made it seem like he was looking into me. He whispered “I love you Grace, with all my heat, just remember that.”

Grace: He stares at me for a while and turns his head looking at the window again. My face falls into my hands as I whimper. My mind is racing with all these different memories.

Grace: I suddenly picture him driving while I’m in the passenger seat, were looking at each other smiling and laughing. On our way to the cabin. Going 200 clicks down the high way.

Grace: Not paying attention, he drifts off the road. Next thing I notice is a semi truck headed towards us. Black surrounds me and my body is numb.

48Grace: I wake up in the hospital, with a broken leg, swollen and sore. I can’t remember anything. I ask if my husband is okay... he wasn’t.

Grace: My mind stops racing. I look up to see if this is real life, to see if he’s actually alive. I stop crying and notice nobody is there.

Grace: He vanished. Did I imagine this? Or have I just seen a ghost. It seemed so real, I must have seen him there.

Grace: I hear a knock on my front door; I quickly jump up to answer it. It’s my neighbour he said he heard a scream and was wondering if I was alright. I said yes thank you, everything was fine.

Grace: I shut the door and had a sense of happiness run though my body, knowing my husband is watching over me and keeping me safe after all this time. I just wish I had the chance to say, I love you too.