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Secrets - Creaking Floorboards
They say that you and I never went to Vince Macarthur's house, only Gordon did. But I did go, and so did you. I remember the three of us going and I remember the house well. The faded curtains. The musty smells. The shabby carpets. The elusive dancing shadows behind the loose banisters on the staircase. The torn settee by a pile of dusty newspapers. The purple vase in the corner with a fine wiry pattern etched in the glasswork. The metal guard around the gas fire. Model aeroplanes in the sitting room. Spitfires. Lancaster Bombers.
The whole place had a dark and gloomy feel, as if the house concealed years of tragedy. The creaking floorboards used to conjure up images of ghosts watching us play, causing me to go cold with fright. Yet, the house never seemed to scare you or Gordon. You liked exploring, going into forbidden rooms. Once, I ran up and down those stairs, searching for you both. You were hiding from me, but the giggles gave you away. I was frightened of the ghosts, for I knew they were there, but I tried not to let you or Gordon see in case you thought I was a scaredy-cat.
You would get overexcited when you came with. You loved the model aeroplanes. You'd reach out and touch them, but Gordon would have to warn you off. For we all knew that Vince Macarthur was a kind man who wouldn't begrudge anyone a chocolate biscuit or a glass of squash. But he was a man with a temper, a man who'd give us what-for if we damaged his warplanes. Bulldog, people called him behind his back, because of his stocky build and the squashed shape of his nose.
The whole place had a dark and gloomy feel, as if the house concealed years of tragedy. The creaking floorboards used to conjure up images of ghosts watching us play, causing me to go cold with fright. Yet, the house never seemed to scare you or Gordon. You liked exploring, going into forbidden rooms. Once, I ran up and down those stairs, searching for you both. You were hiding from me, but the giggles gave you away. I was frightened of the ghosts, for I knew they were there, but I tried not to let you or Gordon see in case you thought I was a scaredy-cat.
You would get overexcited when you came with. You loved the model aeroplanes. You'd reach out and touch them, but Gordon would have to warn you off. For we all knew that Vince Macarthur was a kind man who wouldn't begrudge anyone a chocolate biscuit or a glass of squash. But he was a man with a temper, a man who'd give us what-for if we damaged his warplanes. Bulldog, people called him behind his back, because of his stocky build and the squashed shape of his nose.
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