The Boy In The Book

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The Boy in the Book

Edward sat in his candlelit room. As the wind whistled through the window shutters, and the rest of the wooden house creaked its usual noises, Edward sat in his chair and read. He had been reading for several hours so far in his quiet, glowing room.

His mother, Francine, called him from down the wooden staircase. “Eddie, dinner sweetheart”.

Her calls went without a response. She called again. Edward remained in his seat, reading from the old, brown, dusty book. Footsteps were heard from the stairway, and then a head appeared in the door of Edward’s room, it was his mother.

“Dinner is ready” she said softly.

Edward continued to read. Francine became agitated, and moved towards Edward, reaching out to grab the book. Edward swivelled on the chair so that his mother could not reach it, all the while he read. Francine now became worried, this was not usual of her son, Edward was normally such a polite and friendly child, and would never disobey his parents.

She decided to ask again, “Edward, honey, are you okay? Dinner is ready if you want some”.

Still no answer. In the doorway appeared another face, Edward’s sister Victoria. Vicky, as she preferred to be called, had been recovering all day from a late night. She had been out with two boys in her village and had arrived home in the early hours of the morning.

“Well hello Vicki”, said her mother in an enquiring voice. “Didn’t think we would be seeing you today.”

Victoria remained still and quiet, her eyes were a little bloodshot and her mouth looked very dry. She peered over her mother’s shoulder to look at Edward, who was still silent, reading. “Hey, dinkus, dinner, downstairs” she said in a menacing but familiar voice. Edward continued reading, with a frown on his face which had appeared since his mother and sister had begun talking. There was a crash downstairs. A silence fell between the three in the room.

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After listening to the rumblings downstairs, Victoria said “I take it dad is eating with us?” .

“Yes” replied her mother.

Both formed a troubled look on their faces. There was a quiet silence for a few moments as Edward continued to read, turning the pages of his old book every now and then. Suddenly, boom! A loud footstep was heard on the stairs. BOOM! An even louder step. Then, continuous, harsh footsteps heading in the direction of Edward’s room. Francine and Victoria tensed up simultaneously, and both moved slightly more into the room, gathering close to Edward. An awkward ...

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