Untitled ~First two pages~

[G O L ii A T H]

This is the first page of a novel I have just started. I haven't done too much revising, so there might be quite a bit of errors. I didn't spend much time on this so don't expect it to be epic in any way.

Pg. 1

I carefully placed the fishing rods on the left wall of the garage. The space smelled of old oils. That was the scent that had always lingered in there when I visited. Gramps constantly tried to restore his Ford Mustang II. It was like his hobby. But despite the dusty interior, worn paint, and the dents that he had not bumped up yet, I’d say he did a great job so far.

I finished in the garage and closed the steel door. It made a loud rasping noise. I turned to face the door that lead into the dining room. Along with the house, it too looked like an antique. I opened it and walked into the house. I jumped when the screen door slammed behind me, the springs grinding and shaking. I never got used to it, and thought I never would. I continued walking and met Gramps in the kitchen. He was scaling one of the many fish we’d caught. He already had one of the fish on a skillet. I got out of the kitchen because it was a tight space, and I know I would’ve gotten in Gramps’ way.

Not long after I left, Gramps joined me in the living room and said, “Timothy, can you cook the rest of the fish for me? I cleaned them all so you don’t have to.” And without waiting for my reply, he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I sat up and walked back into the small kitchen. Quickly, the aroma of fish and the spices that Gramps had used filled my nose. I jabbed at the fish with a fork to check if it was done. It easily flaked as I twisted the small piece of metal. My nose flared as I took deep whiff of the aroma of the fish. I smiled and thought it smelled done, too. Just in case it was, I turned the gas burner off and left the kitchen. I thought Gramps could finish off once he was done in the bathroom.

Before I sat down on the sofa again, I realized something. I had to go to the bathroom too. So I walked over to the bathroom that was located on the other side of the house. I pulled the lock over and used the toilet. When I finished, I saw a hatch door on the ceiling. It was the attic. Now I thought it was kind of weird for an attic to be located in a bathroom, but there was probably nowhere else to really put it. I shrugged it off and unlocked the door. I was ready to open it, but for some reason I stopped. Something was drawing me toward the attic. Something was telling me to go in there. Now it may sound crazy, but I did.

I opened the hatch and slowly pulled the ladder down. I climbed up, almost slipping on the dust that was coated on the steps. Once I reached the top, I stuck my head into the attic. It was about the size of a small dining room. And it was full of boxes and old, dusted stuff. I thought that was pretty typical for an attic.

I continued forward and climbed up into the space. As I walked around, examining everything, there was so much dust on the ground that my footprints were shown. I opened a couple of crinkled boxes just to find things like old baseball cards, comic books, knick knacks, and other stuff I found very uninteresting.  

[G O L ii A T H]

Pg. 2

But my attention was drawn to a box I hadn’t opened yet. It seemed isolated. As if it was moved away from the others. It too looked just as dusty as everything else. I kneeled in front of the box and began to open it. I peered inside just to find out the only thing it contained was a locket on a chain. At that moment, I thought I saw my reflection on the locket’s surface, but I realized it was of a man that seemed to be around the age of thirty. I blinked and it was gone, but as I said, I swear it was there. It was looking straight up at me, as if it was expecting something.

I then heard Gramps call for me, so in a hurry, I swiped the locket and slipped it into my pocket. I don’t know why I took it, but I wasn’t thinking at the moment. I climbed down the ladder and returned everything back to the way it was before I was in the bathroom. Well, everything except the locket of course.

Once I got to the kitchen, Gramps held out a plate that had two nicely cut fillets. “Here’s supper.” I gave thanks and sat down on the sofa. Shortly after, Gramps sat next to me and together we watched some hour-long premiere about wildlife on Animal Planet. Gramps had always held interest in wildlife. He liked to fish, hunt, and any other sport that had to do with it. That hobby was also passed down to my father. I may not know how far down the line it goes, but it stopped at me. I didn’t really enjoy any of that. I was more into world phenomenon. I looked at the world as a place where anything can happen. And I mean anything.

Once I finished eating the tremendous tasting trout and washing the plate, I set up in the guest room. I threw my pack into the corner of the room and pulled the mattress out of the closet. Everything in the room was just the same since I visited last summer. I raised my wrist and looked down at my watch. It read 21:42. I didn’t realize we ate dinner so late. I shrugged and grabbed my pack. I sat on the mattress, book in hand. I opened it and began to read. I stopped after the first paragraph and remembered I still had the locket. I pulled it out and scanned it. The oval frame was as long as my thumb. The chain seemed so long that if I put the locket around my neck, it would hang all the way down to my gut. It also looked expensive. The glistening silver was flawless.

All of this led to me trying to open it. My attempt was immediately put down. It wouldn’t budge. I decided to wedge my fingernail into the side and pry it open, but that didn’t work either. I finally came to a conclusion that it wasn’t going to open. So I gave up and stuck it back into my pocket.