What Pegman Saw : To rest among the gravestones

 

‘Can you do it?’ said Connor.

Sonny looked up from tying her laces, lights in her trainers winking in the sunset. ‘You know I can,’ she said.

Her hair was tied in a tangled pony tail, Hello Kitty tee shirt smudged with yesterday’s breakfast beans, eaten cold from the can.

Foot swinging, heel tapping on a slumped gravestone, his sister looked the eight-year-old she was. Not for long, he thought.

A blanket was already spread in the shadow of the archway. Sonny positioned herself on it and lay down, head pointing towards the tumbledown church, toes to the sweeping valley below. Her eyes closed, hands folding neatly on her chest.

He watched, though he hated to see the moment the little girl in her slipped away.

Silence.

Then her face convulsed, rearranged, settled into new folds.

‘Connor?’ said Sonny in a voice that wasn’t hers.

 

This piece of fantastical fiction was written for What Pegman Saw, the writing prompt that uses Google Street View as its starting point. See the pic and write a story, see here to do just that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

35 thoughts on “What Pegman Saw : To rest among the gravestones”

  2. Like Crispina… I’m, for once, left without words. That was … I don’t even want to think of what happened to her…

    By the way, ya might want to drop the apostrophe on hers… 😉

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  3. Little girls aren’t all sugar and spice and all things nice, it seems…

    Luckily I can’t see any of our two younger granddaughters doing anything like this. Or the older two, though it’s possible one may have once had a Hello Kitty t-shirt.

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    1. Oh, girls really aren’t 🙂 I remember being that age and can attest to the fact that any ladylike behaviour I’ve picked up since (scant though it is) has been taught and was not inbuilt. Thank you for reading Chris

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      1. Drew (2) and Evie (5) are delightful but both have a wicked sense of humour — you know, the arch look, the pushing of boundaries, the absolute certainty they can twist a grandfather round their little fingers as soon as look at him.

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  4. Ooh, interesting hint at what seems a much larger story! As always, I’m amazed at the wonderfully humanizing details you slip in — here, how she was dressed says so much about her. And that they ate cold beans from the can suggests that something is wrong here: that’s not a meal your parents cook for you. It’s clear that whatever she’s doing — channeling another spirit? — she’s done it before. Which makes me wonder why she’s doing it, and what exactly Connor is worried about. So much there!

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    1. Thanks so much Joy. I imagined them on the run for some reason, as you say, channelling a spirit to help them discover something they need to know. I think Connor is just unsettled by his little sister being possessed by a supernatural being. Glad you liked the detail. Thanks for reading

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  5. This was great! I loved the description of Sonny, there was a lot shown with just a few words. Creepy ending which raises a lot of questions, as well as the hairs on my arms! Brilliant use of the prompt.

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  7. O.K. this is creepy, in a very good way. Hello Kitty to “a voice that wasn’t hers.” And what is Connor up to? Good? Bad? He seems to know what is going on, kinda’ dreads it but allows “it” to happen. I want to know more. Please?

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    1. Thanks dear Lish! Yes, it’s a weird set up. I think she channels something and he’s helpless to stop it, just tries to be there to protect her when things go awry. And as for why they seem to be without parental help and guidance … Another story again. Thank you so much and I’m glad it intrigued you

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  9. Dear Lynn,

    Such attention to detail from the blinking shoes to the stains on her Hello Kitty t-shirt. Magnificent. And there’s so much more going on here. Wonderful writing.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

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    1. Thank you so much Rochelle. Yes, more going on and two young people on the run and in danger I think. Be an interesting world to slip inside. Thank you so much for reading

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  11. It sounded to me as though Connor knew what was going to happen and could have stopped it if he’d wanted to. I’m guessing he’s not quite old enough to have developed much of a sense of responsibility. Creepy skin-crawly ending.

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    1. I think he feels helpless, certainly. Maybe a little overwhelmed by a situation out of his knowledge and control. He’s letting his sister call the shots, which may or may not be wise. Thank you Jane

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      2. It’s an interesting premise though I haven’t thought the details through. I’ll dwell on that one. Thanks for the encouragement Jane

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  12. I love all the little details that show what a typical 8 year old girl Sonny is. And I love the artful and economical way you show us something is badly wrong by having her feeding herself cold baked beans from the can. This is a really creepy story!

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    1. Thank you Penny! Yes, the two are on the lam, no doubt running from Someone who wants to use Sonny’s skills for their own ends. I’m so glad you liked the details – always fun to dribble these hints in the text, isn’t it? Thank you so much for your kind words and for reading Penny

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  13. I love the ambiguity of your story line, so many explanations possible for what you describe. Does have a creepy element – a trusting child, turned into…someone who has seen too much horror ? Good story.

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