Enjoy this short story as I work on my full-length novel.
“I can’t talk to strangers,” the girl said.
Mary asked where were her parents. The girl said nothing. Mary reached for the light switch. The girl moved toward her. Mary jerked her hand back. The girl stopped moving. Mary feared others were with the child. Mary asked for her name.
“Lilith Barnes and I want to go home.”
Mary Watkins walked into her Boston, Massachusetts home and froze mid-step. The small girl stood at the end of the foyer. She seemed not to notice Mary. Or she did not care.
Mary asked the girl, who looked four or five, who she was. She called Mary a stranger.
“Why are you in my house?” Mary asked.
“He brought me here,” the girl said.
The girl explained how a man stole her from her bed in Gainsville, Florida, through her window. He never told her his name. But he went out one day to get them food and forgot to come back. The man must have gotten lost. She had been waiting for someone to take her home to Florida.
“Will you take me home?” she asked.
Mary flipped on the lights to get a better look at the girl. She caught a better glimpse of the girl before she faded. The girl was small for four or five. Mary wanted to call the police. But how would she explain that a little girl vanished right in front of her?
Mary had an idea. She would look up the girl’s name. This could be some prank. But it did not feel like it. She opened her laptop. It was already on. Whoever broke in had used her laptop. The news story on the screen stunned her.
Lilith Barnes went missing on January 1, 1901, from Gainesville, Florida. She was believed to have been abducted and brought here to Boston, Massachusetts.
Mary shook as she looked in the corner of her screen that read January 1, 2024. “My gosh.” Her heart raced. Then she whispered, “Hi, Lilith. I’m so sorry for you. I hope you’re not still in here.”
I am working on a new book. The only book I have out now is Mattie. It’s a novella. I have many more stories to tell. I’ll stay in touch.
If you enjoyed the story, please send it to a friend and leave me your email. I’ll keep you posted on my new books and other short stories that are coming out. Click on Mattie and check out a few chapters on Amazon.
Joan’s Stories
Joan Harbor