The Haunted Attic

Bang! Crash!

Every night as we sat to dinner, the same terrible sounds from above. Dad would leap up and run up the attic stairs and return shaking his head having found nothing.

Grandma would sit cutting up her vegies, never taking any notice of the kerfuffle around her. When we asked what the dickens was going on she’d shrug and say “Attic Fairies.”

We all thought Grandma was whacko anyway so we paid her little attention.

One night after a particularly loud disturbance overhead Grandma took my hand and led me to the attic stairs. It was time she was saying for me to understand what was happening in the attic.

We entered the darkness and brushing away the cobwebs around the old light switch and she flicked on the light illuminating the attic, our storage place full of stuff we no longer used.

She shut the door to the stairs and clapped her hands. There was a movement in the far corner and a figure emerged only to stumble and fall on its face. The small little man dragged himself up from the dust and stood before us, looked over his shoulder and indicated for another to emerge as well. A female form stepped forward and lifted a hand only to knock an old lamp off an older box.

They stood before Grandma, their faces with sharp features and they looked very respectfully at Grandma.

“Stumblefoot and Bumblehand,” announced Grandma waving a hand in the direction of the two dusty figures. “These are what the noise is all about. They are Attic Fairies and have lived her a long time. Only I know about them, and now you do too.”

I was speechless as she introduced the two dusty fairies to me declaring that I would now be their protector.

“What?” I asked.

“My days are numbered,” she said, looking down on the two fairies before her. “Despite their noisy ways they are harmless and they are worth having around. You ever think about coming up here and finding what you want? They have the ability to know where it is and lead you in that direction. Though you don’t know it at the time. Very useful an attic fairy, two is a luxury.

I stood there mute. Then Grandma announced she was pleased I had agreed and spoke to the two fairies in a tongue I’d never heard before. When she was finished they bowed before me and Stumblefoot stepped forward careful not to bump into anything and shook my hand. Bumblehand curtsied and smiled a dusty smile showing a mouth full of immaculately white teeth.

“Good,” said Grandma, “Come now Michael there are things you need to know. But first not a word. Ever.”

I nodded not sure I knew what I was agreeing to. The next few weeks were very interesting; I have to say.

Written for: https://tobreatheistowrite.com/2016/06/28/another-tuesday-another-challenge/