Short Story Beginning: Carter Photography

Silence wafts through the house, settling in around her slight figure. She tiptoes into the black room.  The absence of light impairs her vision, but she doesn’t dare turn on the light in fear of waking up the two sleeping children in the next room.  She’d tried to close the door fully, but Alice insisted it remain precisely three centimetres open.  They’d played that old game where Hannah stands at the door and Alice directs her.

“A wittow more,” she’d said.  When Hannah tried to close the door a little more than a little more, Alice frowned.

“No! That’s too faw Hannah!” Alice whined.  So, the door remained in its regular position: three centimetres open – just enough to let light into their room that might wake the sleeping rascals.  Hannah isn’t about to risk waking them up, so she blindly fumbles around in the Carter’s bedroom.  She just needs twenty or maybe thirty bucks for the fair this weekend.  They’re loaded so they won’t notice – right?  Hannah glides over to Mr. Carter’s dresser with grace that would surely please her ballet instructor.

            She inches the first solid oak drawer open.  She wrinkles her nose in disgust as she sifts through some socks and underwear.  She finds nothing.  Hannah pulls the next drawer open with a little more haste.  Again – nothing.  As she searches the pockets of some brown corduroys from the third drawer, a magazine that was under them catches her eye.  She grabs it to examine it.  The eyes of half-naked women are locked in a seductive stare at Hannah.  Disgusted, she holds the magazine by the spine with two fingers and goes to place it back in its original position.  A wallet-sized photo falls to Hannah’s feet from the magazine.  As she picks up the photo, Chase’s voice interrupts her gasp.

“I’m thirst — what’s that?”

“I – it’s nothing,” Hannah stammered.  Chase stares at her with his arms crossed and a quizzical look stamped on his face.  Hannah takes a moment to gather her emotions.

“Well, do you want water or not?”  She asks.

“You’d better get to bed before your parents return.  I’ll go get you a glass.  Come with me.”  Chase eventually pulls himself away from his curiosity at the idea of quenching his thirst.  Hannah takes one last look at the photo before slipping it in her pocket and sliding the drawer shut with her foot as she walks past.  No, she wasn’t mistaken.  The image she saw was of her, taken last summer, in her favourite red bikini.  She clutches her stomach and struggles not to imagine why he would need that photo.