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Elle - A Short Story
Elle Brown was a clever girl, who lived in America during 1987. She resided in a small town near Stowe, Vermont. Her long blonde curls draped around her shoulders elegantly, covering her dark brown eyes. Elle was a short, 9 year old, who usually wore a cardigan and worn jeans, her white sneakers close to shreds. One of her favourite things to do was to sit at the kitchen table across from her father. More than anything, she loved spending time with him. It didn’t matter what it was, whether it was watching him read his newspaper, sharing an juicy apple, or catching up over a warm cup of tea.
She woke up early one morning, ready to begin her day strong. After she had dressed and brushed her teeth, Elle walked down the stairs to greet her parents, as she did everyday. To her surprise, only her mother was there, looking distressed and anxious. Elle was confused. Where was her father?
“Where is dad, Mom? Where did he go?” Elle asked.
“I am so sorry,” her mom replied. “He is gone.”
“What do you mean? How can he be gone?” Elle urged.
“I am not completely sure however, he mysteriously disappeared this morning.” Elle’s Mom replied, in a dismissive tone.
“I cannot believe Dad is gone! We may never see him again,.” Elle sobbed, “We have to find him, he may be lost.”
Her mom warned her, “No, he is gone. I have no idea where he went.”
Elle was confused, “But he was here yesterday afternoon,.” sShe said, “I saw him! I promise. We were playing cards in the evening! I remember!”
“I don’t know what to say. After we all went to sleep, he must have left,.” Her mom replied. “I’ve contacted the police and they have reported him as a missing person. They are doing everything that they can,” her mother added.
“I will not give up, we… we have to find him and find out why he left,.” Elle screamed, refusing to give in. She pounded at the door, wishing it was all a dream. Her dad wouldn’t leave them, she knew that. For the rest of the day, Elle couldn’t focus, the only thoughts that crossed her mind were about her dad's disappearance.
That night, Elle couldn’t sleep. She laid down, very still in her bed, wide awake. Then she jolted upright. Elle had to make a choice. A choice for her father. She was going to find him, no matter what anybody said.
The following morning, Elle was confident that she would find her father and bring him home. First, she began checking the house’s interior, searching for possible clues as to where he could be. All of his clothes and shoes were still there, which was odd. He had not even taken his jacket or outdoor boots with him, and it was already quite chilly in Vermont. Elle went to her neighbour’s house, Mr. Sander, across the street. He was her father’s best friend, surely he would be helpful, she thought.
“Hello?” she asked “Is anyone home?”
“Oh, hello Elle. So good to see you,.” Mr. Sander replied, “What are you doing out so early in the morning.” He spoke with a raspy, shallow voice. Elle always had found him quite frightening.
“My dad left the house sometime last night and I don’t know where he is. My mom isn’t giving me any answers and I wanted to know if you had spoken to him in the last few days. I need to piece together some information to figure out where he is and why he left?” Elle blurted it all out and didn’t even realize that she was still in the doorway, shivering from the cold.
“I can’t believe this Elle. I can’t believe that your dad would just leave without any explanation. I spoke to him briefly last week about some current news but not much else. It was pretty light and he seemed like himself. I had to leave for work so we didn’t chat that much. I’m so sorry Elle. I really don’t have much to tell you,.” responded Mr. Sander.
“Well, thank you Mr. Sander. If you think of anything else or if he reaches out to you, please let me know. I just want him to be safe and come back home.” She left his porch, feeling hopeless and defeated, returning home.
As she was about to open her door, a sudden bitter gust of wind shoved her against the side of her house. Out of nowhere, a calamitous, vast snow storm began, making visibility futile. She felt shards of ice, pelt against her cheeks. Everything hurt, her face hurt, her body hurt, her head hurt. Just as she felt like she was about to fall to her knees, something lifted her up. It carried her higher and higher, until she was no longer standing at her front door. She tried opening her eyes to see. Elle noticed the storm clouds were starting to clear, the wind was beginning to calm, the ice no longer was hitting her face. As she was being raised higher, she saw a bright, scarlet sun shining its coruscating rays, providing her with warmth and for a brief moment, she also felt comfort. She gazed up at the sky, observing the colors dancing up there. Hues of crimsons and maroons enveloped the sky. It was so brilliant and beautiful, like nothing she had ever seen before. She no longer was being lifted and landed, almost like an elevator would stop on a floor and allow you to exit. Only this did not stop on a floor but in a magical forest. Mesmerized by this enchanting place and feeling, Elle continued to look around, trying to gain a better understanding of where she was. As she was pondering, she made a realization. Elle thought that perhaps the same thing that had happened to her, had also occurred to her father. Her father was here, she just knew it! She could feel him. Something about this strange and peculiar experience made perfect sense. Elle wanted to continue to explore but she had little energy and felt faint. She knew she needed to rest to think clearly and be alert. Elle decided to rest before venturing out to find her father. She found an area that seemed dry and safe, and fell asleep for what seemed like an eternity.
The next morning she awoke to the sound of tuneful birds chirping euphonious tunes. Elle felt incredible. She was full of energy and knew she would see her father soon. Unfortunately, it took hours until Elle noticed something peculiar in the ground. Upon the lush, bountiful forest, there lay a scorched tree branch. When she was a little further ahead, she noticed it was not only one tree branch, but hundreds of demolished branches resting on the ground, creating a trail.
“How fascinating,” Elle thought. She followed the path and let the trail of branches lead her. The rows of branches seemed endless, although Elle was persistent. After following the trail for quite some time something shocking occurred. It was a gruesome sight, a creature that frightened Elle to the extent that she fell over. It was the strangest creature she had ever seen, with dragon-like features. It had monstrous black eyes that looked as though they were coal. Its enormous wings towering over Elle. However, one thing stuck out to her, it had something in its mouth, another smaller creature that was attempting to escape its clutches. Elle watched in horror as the dragon almost devoured the creature. Until Elle realized something. The creature was a person. Though it was distorted Elle tried to make out the vague features of the person, noticing their short, black curls and brown eyes. She then realized that the person inside the creature was her father.
“No, this cannot be happening,” Elle thought to herself. She found a large branch and lunged forward attempting to knock the dragon over. It was far too powerful and didn’t flinch at her strike. She looked around to see what else she could use to distract or injure the dragon. Something caught her eye and she thought of something clever. Elle hid behind a tree and quietly grabbed one of the torn branches as a catapult, using it to launch herself into the air. The dragon became distracted and irritated by her. He began stomping around frantically, shaking his head trying to look for where she had gone. Elle took advantage of his confusion and jumped on top of his face, surprising him even more. This infuriated the dragon but Elle managed to blindfold him using her cardigan. Then she was able to pry open his mouth by tickling his tongue which freed her father from the dragon.
“You saved me!” Her father exclaimed. Joy rushed through her as she led her dad to safety, far away from the monster. “How did you find me?” Her father asked, curious.
“That’s not important. All that matters is that you’re here now.” At once, Elle and her father got whisked away back to their house.
Elle had so many questions for her dad, however, she could tell that he was exhausted. They would have to wait for another day, she thought. Elle was just glad that he was home with her.
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She woke up early one morning, ready to begin her day strong. After she had dressed and brushed her teeth, Elle walked down the stairs to greet her parents, as she did everyday. To her surprise, only her mother was there, looking distressed and anxious. Elle was confused. Where was her father?
“Where is dad, Mom? Where did he go?” Elle asked.
“I am so sorry,” her mom replied. “He is gone.”
“What do you mean? How can he be gone?” Elle urged.
“I am not completely sure however, he mysteriously disappeared this morning.” Elle’s Mom replied, in a dismissive tone.
“I cannot believe Dad is gone! We may never see him again,.” Elle sobbed, “We have to find him, he may be lost.”
Her mom warned her, “No, he is gone. I have no idea where he went.”
Elle was confused, “But he was here yesterday afternoon,.” sShe said, “I saw him! I promise. We were playing cards in the evening! I remember!”
“I don’t know what to say. After we all went to sleep, he must have left,.” Her mom replied. “I’ve contacted the police and they have reported him as a missing person. They are doing everything that they can,” her mother added.
“I will not give up, we… we have to find him and find out why he left,.” Elle screamed, refusing to give in. She pounded at the door, wishing it was all a dream. Her dad wouldn’t leave them, she knew that. For the rest of the day, Elle couldn’t focus, the only thoughts that crossed her mind were about her dad's disappearance.
That night, Elle couldn’t sleep. She laid down, very still in her bed, wide awake. Then she jolted upright. Elle had to make a choice. A choice for her father. She was going to find him, no matter what anybody said.
The following morning, Elle was confident that she would find her father and bring him home. First, she began checking the house’s interior, searching for possible clues as to where he could be. All of his clothes and shoes were still there, which was odd. He had not even taken his jacket or outdoor boots with him, and it was already quite chilly in Vermont. Elle went to her neighbour’s house, Mr. Sander, across the street. He was her father’s best friend, surely he would be helpful, she thought.
“Hello?” she asked “Is anyone home?”
“Oh, hello Elle. So good to see you,.” Mr. Sander replied, “What are you doing out so early in the morning.” He spoke with a raspy, shallow voice. Elle always had found him quite frightening.
“My dad left the house sometime last night and I don’t know where he is. My mom isn’t giving me any answers and I wanted to know if you had spoken to him in the last few days. I need to piece together some information to figure out where he is and why he left?” Elle blurted it all out and didn’t even realize that she was still in the doorway, shivering from the cold.
“I can’t believe this Elle. I can’t believe that your dad would just leave without any explanation. I spoke to him briefly last week about some current news but not much else. It was pretty light and he seemed like himself. I had to leave for work so we didn’t chat that much. I’m so sorry Elle. I really don’t have much to tell you,.” responded Mr. Sander.
“Well, thank you Mr. Sander. If you think of anything else or if he reaches out to you, please let me know. I just want him to be safe and come back home.” She left his porch, feeling hopeless and defeated, returning home.
As she was about to open her door, a sudden bitter gust of wind shoved her against the side of her house. Out of nowhere, a calamitous, vast snow storm began, making visibility futile. She felt shards of ice, pelt against her cheeks. Everything hurt, her face hurt, her body hurt, her head hurt. Just as she felt like she was about to fall to her knees, something lifted her up. It carried her higher and higher, until she was no longer standing at her front door. She tried opening her eyes to see. Elle noticed the storm clouds were starting to clear, the wind was beginning to calm, the ice no longer was hitting her face. As she was being raised higher, she saw a bright, scarlet sun shining its coruscating rays, providing her with warmth and for a brief moment, she also felt comfort. She gazed up at the sky, observing the colors dancing up there. Hues of crimsons and maroons enveloped the sky. It was so brilliant and beautiful, like nothing she had ever seen before. She no longer was being lifted and landed, almost like an elevator would stop on a floor and allow you to exit. Only this did not stop on a floor but in a magical forest. Mesmerized by this enchanting place and feeling, Elle continued to look around, trying to gain a better understanding of where she was. As she was pondering, she made a realization. Elle thought that perhaps the same thing that had happened to her, had also occurred to her father. Her father was here, she just knew it! She could feel him. Something about this strange and peculiar experience made perfect sense. Elle wanted to continue to explore but she had little energy and felt faint. She knew she needed to rest to think clearly and be alert. Elle decided to rest before venturing out to find her father. She found an area that seemed dry and safe, and fell asleep for what seemed like an eternity.
The next morning she awoke to the sound of tuneful birds chirping euphonious tunes. Elle felt incredible. She was full of energy and knew she would see her father soon. Unfortunately, it took hours until Elle noticed something peculiar in the ground. Upon the lush, bountiful forest, there lay a scorched tree branch. When she was a little further ahead, she noticed it was not only one tree branch, but hundreds of demolished branches resting on the ground, creating a trail.
“How fascinating,” Elle thought. She followed the path and let the trail of branches lead her. The rows of branches seemed endless, although Elle was persistent. After following the trail for quite some time something shocking occurred. It was a gruesome sight, a creature that frightened Elle to the extent that she fell over. It was the strangest creature she had ever seen, with dragon-like features. It had monstrous black eyes that looked as though they were coal. Its enormous wings towering over Elle. However, one thing stuck out to her, it had something in its mouth, another smaller creature that was attempting to escape its clutches. Elle watched in horror as the dragon almost devoured the creature. Until Elle realized something. The creature was a person. Though it was distorted Elle tried to make out the vague features of the person, noticing their short, black curls and brown eyes. She then realized that the person inside the creature was her father.
“No, this cannot be happening,” Elle thought to herself. She found a large branch and lunged forward attempting to knock the dragon over. It was far too powerful and didn’t flinch at her strike. She looked around to see what else she could use to distract or injure the dragon. Something caught her eye and she thought of something clever. Elle hid behind a tree and quietly grabbed one of the torn branches as a catapult, using it to launch herself into the air. The dragon became distracted and irritated by her. He began stomping around frantically, shaking his head trying to look for where she had gone. Elle took advantage of his confusion and jumped on top of his face, surprising him even more. This infuriated the dragon but Elle managed to blindfold him using her cardigan. Then she was able to pry open his mouth by tickling his tongue which freed her father from the dragon.
“You saved me!” Her father exclaimed. Joy rushed through her as she led her dad to safety, far away from the monster. “How did you find me?” Her father asked, curious.
“That’s not important. All that matters is that you’re here now.” At once, Elle and her father got whisked away back to their house.
Elle had so many questions for her dad, however, she could tell that he was exhausted. They would have to wait for another day, she thought. Elle was just glad that he was home with her.
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