The stairwell had long intrigued me. As a kid I used to marvel at the ornate metal work in the building my Aunty Eunice lived in.
It was one of those that went up a long way, reached a point below the roofline beside a door that led to Auntie’s attic. A room that held a treasure trove.
Aunty was a tad eccentric, she collected things. Red things.
She stored them in this little room at the top of the most impressive of stairwells.
I loved to wander in the attic, curious of the story behind each red item.
Written for: http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2014/03/19/21-march-2014/
Great story. I think as a child an aunty like this would have been amazing! Reading it made me remember how extraordinary the ordinary seemed to me although I have never completely lost my child like awe. 🙂
Thanks Sarah I hope you never do.
Now I’m trying to think of red things that she could collect!
Fire engines? Thank you so much for your comment.
Big attic then 😉
Just a suggestion, red gerberas?
Hmm that’s better
Red back spiders ?
Now I feel curious too…
Nice one!
Thank you for your comment. I had to rescue you from my spam folder.
Dear Michael,
Intriguing. Makes me wonder what kind of red things Auntie collected. Sounds like a fun place for exploration. Nice one.
shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you Rochelle, I think it would be too. There are lots of shades of red aren’t there.
Sounds like a very exciting place
Thank you siobhan, appreciate your comment.
An interesting and well-written story. I can imagine the fond memories about that place. It would be a wonderland for a child.
Thank you so much Patricia. A veritable wonderland indeed.
Aunty Eunice sounds like an interesting character. makes me want know what kind of things she collects and why red things… 🙂
Thanks KZ I guess she collected red stuff because she could like anyone else does.
Michael, this reminds me of my grandparents’ farm house and the area in the upstairs where they stored things. It was always fun to look through everything and your story brought that back.
janet
Thanks janet I think we all had grandparents with places they had things we loved to look at. Sadly I can see myself as heading that way, oh how the wheel changes.
Red things! Interesting. The colour somehow reminds me of blood, especially in the setting of this story, I don’t know why, maybe my brain is just twisted 😀
No, I thought the same thing. I think I’m an predisposed to read gory and ghastly things into all Friday Fictioneers stories. 🙂 Nice story though. I’m still voting she’s collecting hearts in jars up there.
Haha, hearts! Great idea 😀
I wasn’t going to limit it to hearts. All kinds of organs, though they do have the tendency to change colour.
Thanks David what a sense of the macabre you have have, my Aunty Eunice would roll over in her grave. Then again she wonder why you were looking in her window.
Dear Miss K like David your sense of wonder amazes me. I must go look more carefully, after all there was a lot of dust.
Thanks tinkerbelle, hmmm…..good response and I can see why you might think that. Thanks for reading.
Red things! There’s just the right amount of intrigue to make me want to keep reading
Thanks Linda for me to have intrigued you is a triumph on my part.
Very interesting!
Thank you Riya, happy you think so.
Red things. Well, that could be a number of things. Balls, dolls in red dresses, red birds, and on and on. I had an aunt that collected dolls, she had an amazing collection. It wasn’t one of those that you played with, these were collector expensive dolls. Great story Michael.
Thank you Jackie it seems the hint of red is bringing out the wild and wonderful imagination of my readers. Thanks again for your comment.
Nice story. Left me about my own eccentric auntie. Well done!
Thanks Judah I appreciate your comment happy you could connect.
And, of course, if I knew how to edit my comments they would make a lot more sense! lol I meant to say the story left me THINKING about my auntie. You probably got the gist.
I did all is good. Have a good day/evening.
Nice story. Stuff in attics, basements/cellars, storage areas… always entertain my attention.
Thanks RoSy, always happy to grab your attention. Thanks again for stopping in down under.
Intriguing.
Thanks Kim the comments suggest more intriguing than I imagined.
Red things? Rubies? Of perhaps blood?
Thanks Liz my eyes are being opened to the possibilities.
Definitely not ordinary red things. Sounds like the makings of a horror suspense story. McRory Stephen Kingish
Thank you Maryann I fear the red things are getting bigger than I imagined, if I am not careful they could be around my throat before I know it.
I guess we never know what will trigger responses. I was surprised by the response I received today on Friday Fictioneers.
It’s the fascinating side of writing Maryann we can’t predict how others will view our words. Always interesting I find. Have a good day/night.
Ah, the lovely Eccentric Aunties. Brought fond memories of 2of my own Maiden Aunts from long long ago. (Their collected treasure was a car- fully equipped ready for their escape one day’soon’. 🙂 ) Nicely done.
Thank you Shandra, its good to see you connect with my story with a fond memory of your own. And did they ever start the car and make their getaway? Please call again.
Sometimes it’s more about what the stairs lead to than the stairs themselves.
Cheers!
MG
Excellent comment I do love that very much. Thank you for your insight.
You’re most welcome. 🙂
Red things – intriguing. I shall keep my gorey side in check and concentrate on lingerie etc. 🙂
Good comment Sandra, sounds reasonable to me she was eccentric.
I love treasures and collections – I don’t care if they were mostly red, which could bring this to the brink of a horror story. Very well written and reminds me too of my Great Aunts attic in Farmington, Arkansas many, many years ago. My sister and I had a wonderful time exploring. Thanks, Nan
Thanks Nan, those old attic storage spaces held treasures we all loved to explore.
Hi Michael. I love a good attic story. Red is such a dangerous colour, and with.Aunt Eunice being eccentric her collection will definitely be worth exploring.
Without a doubt Karen, and thank you for reading and commenting. Always good to read your thoughts.
There’s something terribly chilling about this. On the one hand, it seems very benign, but there’s something about the “red things,” that gives me the willies. Must be good writing! 🙂
Thanks Dawn, what a good thing I have done written in such a way as to give you the willies. Have a good evening.
Indeed! You can spend your day might pleased with yourself, Michael. 😉
Oh Dawn I’m enjoying it already.
:-p
I love this – I would be equally intrigued by it! It’s amazing how your imagination wanders as a child, and as an adult you can fall back down the rabbit hold prompted by those memories..
Thanks Pooky, I like your comment. Nice one Doc.
that is NEVER going to grow old.
shame I can’t spell though. rabbit holE…
i figured it out even doc’s stuff up at times…lol
Red things.. that sounds a little bit menacing.. but maybe it’s just cups.
Ha good one Bjorn, maybe it is. It is interesting what the colour red conjures in people’s imaginations. Thanks for reading.
red is a delicious color and your story leaves the imagination full of wonder…i’m thinking like Sandra. oodles of red lingerie and perhaps a red wine collection for the eccentric aunt. 😛 love your story and cheers!
Thanks Sun red seems to bring people’s imagination alive doesn’t it. Your idea sounds very reasonable to me.
This could lead to an intriguing novel…. chapters full of red things!
What a great idea, you think I should consider it?
It could work. Then you could do a series…. blue things, green things…… go for it!
Oh my goodness it would be a saga.
Well that’s quite an undertaking! But yes, a saga….. dont do the color purple though…. its already been done… lol
Well yes then again Red has also, Hunt for Red October, maybe I could just take a whole new slant on colours.
Now there’s a back story right there. Loved it!
Every comment seems to suggest it don’t they? Thanks so much Freya.
Red things, huh? Now I’m wondering what these must be? This is very mysterious, Michael. Nice description of your staircase leading to the attic. I could really picture it.
Thank you Amy thankfully you were not tempted to add to the red mystery. Must admit it has raised some interesting possibilities.
I like to think they’re dolls, Michael. But you know, my mind goes to other more dark places…
Sounds reasonable to me Amy, though I think dark places are winning at present.
You know FF, we like the dark!
oh yes I do, such fun at times Amy.
Nice relective story…strainge stairwells, excentric aunty and red stuff in the attic…all the makings of a mystery or ghost story…cool!
Thank you Georgia, I appreciate you reading.
Great piece of whimsy. Red things. A discerning gran.
Thanks for reading and your comment Patrick.
Why red? Of course if they had been blue I would have asked “why blue?”
I think that is a very deep question Dawn and I am so glad you answered it. Thank you for that fun comment.
Lol…back atcha.
Lovely story and intriguing…now my imagination is running wild. Reminds me when I could spend hours in my grandmother’s basement…there was a cold cellar, my grandfather’s work area, furnace room and behind the furnace a tiny wee room their dog, Princess would have her pups.
Thanks Oliana I think we all had a grandmother who had a mysterious room.
Oh I do hope those red things were shiny and smooth and small-like maybe buttons or soft and fluttery like feathers maybe or shapely and beautiful like vases or lamps or dolls?Of course knowing me, Michel ,you know where my mind is wandering off,no? 😉
I think your suggestions for red things are very well chosen Atreyee. Thank you for entering the red thing debate.
Ha!ha!I could hardly resist no Michael? 😉