Catherine stood at the doorway, her heart stopped. Laughter was coming from somewhere in the room, she couldn’t see where but it was a little girl’s laugh, high-pitched and full of life. Not spooky, but somehow that childish laughter made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She leaned on the chair for support; she was shrinking, like Alice in Wonderland, her conscious mind slipping away. When she opened her eyes the room felt alive! The roaring heat from the fire made her arms burn and cast hot orange shadows on the walls. The house hummed with the clatter of feet and plates. Someone was shouting instructions. “Is the dining room ready, Spencer?” “Yes my lady, we just need to light the candles on her birthday cake! “Catherine, darling!” it was a woman’s voice, my mother! “Come and let me brush your hair; it’s almost time for your party to begin!”
© Suzy Rigg
Conversation Between Friends 