10-Minute Writing Prompt: Light

Prompt: In ten minutes, write what you think is happening in this image.

My story:

She ran to him crying, saying that the lights were flickering again. As with many times before, Nat was convinced that the new house was haunted. Nothing Andy could say would ease her fears, so he resigned to following her up the stairs. Just as she had said, the light above the stairs flickered at uneven intervals.

Had Andy been a less skeptical man, he almost might have thought that it was some sort of code being sent to them, one blink at a time.

Taking Nat by the shoulders gently, Andy looked her in the eyes and reassured her, “It’s alright, babe. Just a loose bulb, that’s all. I’ll fix it right now. You’ll see.”

She shook her head and asked shakily, “How are you going to reach it? The ladder is on the truck with Dad. He won’t be here for at least three hours.”

“I’ll figure it out,” Andy stated with utmost confidence as he turned to study the area. With a grin, he stepped up onto the ledge that stuck out from the left wall, then put his other foot across to the ledge on the right.

As he prepared to shuffle his way along toward the light, Nat protested, “Andy, no! You’re going to hurt yourself! Just… let’s just go somewhere and wait for Dad. Let’s get lunch or something.”

“No,” he insisted as he broke away from her pleading hands. “I told you I was going to fix this, and that’s what I’m going to do.” As he reached the light fixture, he finished, “Then I’ll prove to you, once and for all, that there are no ghosts messing with anything!”

He had hardly gotten the light cover loosened and the words out before Nat screamed in horror. The sound sent a jolt of shock through Andy, and he jumped, losing his footing. In the split second that he fell, he was sure that this would be the end for him. The dark figure that met his gaze on the way down did nothing to quell that fear.

Andy opened his eyes to find that he was lying on the stairs, a little sore, but otherwise unharmed as Nat held his hand and sobbed apologetically.