Sunday, April 19, 2009

Return To Sender: A Short Story by Luke Gagnon

Everyday throughout the week the mail would come at exactly 12:00pm. I would be minding my own business deep within my very own house when I would hear the engine sound of that older style car. Usually I would hear the sound and think nothing of it, but lately I had been recieving mail that was not mine to recieve. I thought I would catch the mailman in the act on this spring filled April the 26th, and ask the man why he keeps sending me this mail.

Alone in my house once again, I heard the sound of the older style car crashing down my very street. "This time, he isn't getting away", I thought. I made a dash for the mailbox as he pulled up to my house. His car coming straight for me I stick out my hand and yell "Wait!". The Mailman's car came to a screeching hault. "Excuse me sir", I said, "But why do you keep sending me mail for a Angela G Tyson?", "Just doing my job!", he responded, with a tired look on his face. "Now get out of my way so I can go home!" He demanded. I stepped back and let him pass. "I will get to the bottom of this!" I yelled. There I was, standing next to my mailbox awaiting the fate that only this mailbox could give me. I reach my arm inside to find what mystery I will encounter today. "A note..." I said in a faint voice. "For a Ms. Angela G Tyson", I added. "That's it!" I said, "No longer will this happen to me, I'm going to find out who this Angela G Tyson is and that is THAT!".

Quickly I ran to my house as if I had no time to spare. The first bedroom on the right was mine, and I intended to make it there. As I ran through my bedroom door, I stumbled over my television cable wire sending me soaring into my clothing dresser. Head first I encounter the dresser, and fall to the ground. One by one all of Angela G Tyson's mail fell faintly on my head. There must have been 20 or 30 of them. It was all the mail I had collected for her. I rubbed my head to ease the pain, but the pain was internal for me now, as if each one of these peices of mail were mocking me, TAUNTING ME! I knew then what I had to do. I got up off the ground and headed to my desktop computer. "The Mailman doesn't want to play ball, eh? Well I can find out who she is with or without him", I said with a devilish look on my face. Hours went by as I tried to research Angela, but it wasn't getting me anywhere. I found a site that may be able to solve all of my problems. All I would have to do is send the information I have gathered about Angela and they would send me a complete life history of this girl. I figured it was a start, and maybe my best shot at finding her. I thought to myself "I KNOW! I'll just grab all of her mail, make a run to the mailbox and use the Return to Sender feature by lifting up the red flag on the side". I did just that and noticed it was getting late. I decieded my fate was out of my hands now and in the hands of the mailman and his company. On that note, I retired to my bed.

On this night I had a dream that I would never forget. Throughout the night I would wake up randomly with sweat coming down my face for no reason at all. I remember it as clear as a crystal. In my dream I had woken up with my face pointed directly at the alarm clock. The numbers 4:26am registered in my head as I heard something at the door. I turned very slowly in the darkness of my room to investigate the noise. Lieing in bed I stared at the door. The door was open ever so slightly and I remember to this day what I saw. The silohette of a person with long hair staring me down. I could see the eye that was gazing upon me. That was all I could see. Although I couldn't see my skin I knew it was as pale as the white walls that surrounded my bedroom. Within an instant the shadowy figure was gone. I sprung from my bed frightened. As my fear rose my anger grew stronger. "If someone is in my house, he will not see the night sky in one peice!" I muttered. I opened my bedroom door and made way for the kitchen. The house was pitch black, and that only made my fear and anger grow even stronger. "IF YOU'RE IN MY HOUSE, BE WARNED....I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO RID YOU FROM IT" I yelled with an overwhelming anger raging throughout my body. Nothing.... No responce, no sound, nothing. Only the darkness that night has given me. I find the light switch and search my house for hours. Nothing! No sign of this myterious being. I figured my words scared him off, and I headed back to bed.

The warmth of the morning sun woke me from my slumber, and at that momment I remembered the night I had. I turn to my bedroom door and make way for the kitchen. My roommate was in the kitchen making his morning breakfast. "Morning, Daniel!" I said. "Good day sir, how are you doing today?" he responded. "Not good actually, I had this very odd dream. I dreamt someone had broken into our house and was staring at me through my door" I said. "Do you think it means something" he said. "What do you mean?" I responded. "Sometimes dreams are warnings, or messages that fate is trying to send you", he stated. "No I think I have just been overly stressed lately" I responded. As I responded to Daniel I looked over and the screen door of the kitchen, it had been unlocked. Just then I remembered Daniel has long red hair. Not thinking much of it I decided to head to work. All day at work that dream taunted me. It was all I could think of.

Weeks had gone by since that dream and the day I had sent back all of angela's mail to it's sender. I would get dreams that were simular to the first but not the exact same. One night I had dreamt someone was walking on my roof and I investigated the person but noone was there. Night after night these dreams would haunt me. I decided I would call in sick for the next day and sleep in. I had not been getting the sleep that I had needed and now I would. I woke up the next day not to the morning sun but to the sound of an older style car coming down my street. It was the Mailman! Finally my questions would be answered. Finally I would know the truth. I got dressed and ran to the mailbox where the mailman had just pulled his car away from. I tried to open the mailbox ever so slowly but the box was full of envolpes. Flowing out of the mailbox one by one the mail hit the ground. I tried to catch as many as I could before they hit the ground. Ravaging through the mail I noticed they were all for Angela G Tyson. "Why!? why do you leave this burden upon me, what have I done to deserve this!?" I yelled. As I finished the sentence, I notice one peice of mail wasn't for Angela but had been for me. It was the human history letter I was waiting for. I couldn't wait to get the burden off my back so I opend the mail right there in the street, and this is what it said: Dear Mr. Gagnon, we have recovered the history on a Angela G Tyson and to answer your question as to who she was...She lived in your house before you and the mail you are recieving is mail that was intended for her when she lived there. As to where she lives now, that's the thing..She doesn't. Angela was murdered in 1898 by her step father. He would kill the neighbors and store their bodies in the attic, but one day Angela caught him in the act and he murdered her so she woudn't tell. She never had the chance to change her living address and you have been receiving her mail.

I took a momment to reflect on this new information, and headed for the house. I headed for my bedroom so I could rest on my bed. I fell on my bed with my head facing the ceiling. I started to think. "What if those dreams weren't actually dreams at all, what if....." before I could finish the sentence I heard a noise at my door and I angled my head toward it. The door was open ever so slightly and there standing right before me with one eye staring me down, was...ANGELA G TYSON!

THE END.

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