The Study

The door to the study had been locked for years, yet tonight it stood wide open. Casey stopped in the hallway and stared. The study had always been his wife’s space, and when she passed away the door had been locked and so it had stayed locked all these years. Casey never knew where the key was, and never looked for it. He hated going through his wife, Natalie’s, things because it hurt too badly. Now the locked door was open, and he didn’t know what to do.

He saw that there was a light on in the study. He walked slowly down the hall, afraid of what he might see when he got to the doorway. Would Natalie be in the room, or would Natalie’s ghost be there? Stop being silly, he told himself and walked into the study.

It was cold in the room. The light came from a desk lamp that shone down on a messy desk top, where were papers spread out and a journal sat in the center of the desk. There was no one there. He went over to the desk and looked at the papers. They were nothing important – letters from her employer, a couple of bills and an old card from her sister. His gaze fell on the journal. He had no idea that Natalie kept a journal. He fingered the cover of the diary, which was covered in flowers and had the word “My Thoughts” written across the front in a spidery font. He knew it was wrong, but he knew he was going to open it and probably read every word inside.

He opened the diary to a random page and began to read. Seeing her handwriting on the paper made him dizzy, and tears blurred his vision. He wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater and started reading, ‘I feel so lost today. Like I am a ghost walking in a dream through my life. And he makes it a nightmare. Sometimes I’m afraid of what he might do.’ Her words surprised and shocked him, then he felt a chill on his back, like he was standing in front of an air conditioner. His breath came out in a white cloud. There was no wind in the room, but the journal’s pages were suddenly being turned as if by an invisible hand. Then the flipping pages stopped, and Casey stood there, stunned. He noticed the room getting warmer. He looked down at the diary where the book now stood open.

It said,

This week’s Story Starter teaser is:

The door to the study had been locked for years, yet tonight it stood wide open.

Fandango’s Story Starter #215