Call from Grandma

Annie was the type of girl who loved scary things. She loved horror movies and haunted houses, but her sister, Diane, was quite the opposite. Diane hated everything Annie loved but they still got along somehow. They were complete opposites, Annie had short black hair, she wore baggy and dark clothes and climbed trees, Diane had long blonde hair, she dressed in light and feminine clothes. Annie got into fights, Diane was soft spoken, Annie liked to hike, Diane liked to read. The only thing they had in common was their age and last name, and the fact they loved each other.

On Saturday Annie got a call from her grandma. 

"Good morning, Annie!" Her grandma chirped cheerfully on the other end of the phone. 

Annie was tired and groggy, "Hey grandma, what's up?" 

"Well Annie," Her grandma started, "I have a friend that lives near you, we used to hang out all the time, but she broke her hip and stopped coming over to play bingo." 

"Mhm, Mrs. Harlo, I know." Annie said dryly, not knowing where her grandma was going with this. 

"Well, I haven't heard from her in a good long while, do you think you could go check on her?" 

Annie's eyes lit up, "Like go to her house, the house that she lives in?" Annie knew that house, everyone did, people said it was cursed, haunted, that Mrs. Harlo was crazy, that if you went in you wouldn't come out, and Annie loved the idea of that. 

"Yes dear," her grandma said, "could you do that for me?" 

"Yes!" 

Annie hung up the phone and ran into her sister's room, "Get up, we're going... on a walk!" 

Diane, who was half asleep, sat up startled and looked at Annie confused, "What?" 

“Just get up!”

              They left the house and started walking, Diane kept asking questions, but Annie just had a small grin on her face. She knew if Diane found out where they were going, she would freak.

              They eventually made it to the house, Diane tried to keep walking, but Annie stopped her.

Diane looked at the house then at Annie, “Why did you stop me…? This… this isn’t our stop… right?”

Annie grinned widely, “Yes it is.”

“Why are we here?!” Diane yelled, starting to panic.

Annie spoke with fake sweetness, “Our dear old grandma called and asked us to check on her darling friend.”

“I’m not going in.”

Annie rolled her eyes and grabbed Diane’s arm and started dragging her towards the large, grey, and worn-down house.

Annie knocked on the chipped door, it creaked open.

“Hello?” Annie called, “Mrs. Harlo?”

              “Come in!” Mrs. Harlo’s sweet, high pitched, nasally voice rang out.

              Annie smiled and walked inside, dragging Diane behind her who was trying to fight back but failing. They entered the dimly lit house; Annie closed the door behind them.

              “It’s Annie and Diane! You know our grandma! She sent us to check on you!” Annie yelled, navigating through the house, “Where are you?”

              “I’m just in the kitchen dear!”

              Annie and Diane made their way through the dark halls, the floorboards creaking beneath their feet. Diane spotted a bit of yellow and shaky light from the end of the hall.

              “Praise the lord.” Diane said, grabbing Annie’s hand and running towards the light.

              Annie smiled and started running with Diane. The light grew larger until they made it to the source of the light – the kitchen. They walked into the kitchen; it looked older than the little old women sitting at the table in it. Mrs. Harlo looked at exactly how the rumors described her; she had grey and messy hair – that would be down to her waist if it wasn’t so tangled. She had a long floral dress on; the dress was faded and grey but was formerly blue. She had a large, black and white, fluffy cat in her lap. Diane nearly fainted.

              Annie held Diane by the shoulders and looked at Mrs. Harlo, “Uh, hello Mrs. Harlo, our grandma sent us to check on you.”

              Mrs. Harlo smiled sweetly, “Oh your grandma is so sweet dear.”

              Annie and Diane stood in the kitchen silently, they weren’t sure what to do now, they checked on her, what were they supposed to say?

“Would you like some tea?” Mrs. Harlo asked.

              The girls nodded. Mrs. Harlo started to get up from the table and reached for her short wooden cane. The cat jumped from her lap.

              Diane quickly spoke, “Oh you don’t have to get up! I’m sure we can find the tea ourselves, or we survive without, it’s really okay!”

              Mrs. Harlo stood up fully, well not really, she was hunched over, her knees were bent, her standing was bout half as tall as Annie, “Oh nonsense dear.” Mrs. Harlo walked to the cabinets, “I can stand just fine. Sit sit! I’ll get the tea.”

              The girls hesitantly sat down as Mrs. Harlo made them tea; the room was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Mrs. Harlo sat at the table in a chair across from them with two cups of tea, she slid them across to the girls.

              “You’re not gonna have any?” Annie asked.

              “I’m okay dear, tea is too hot for me.”

              “Alright…”

              Annie and Diane took a sip from their cups as Mrs. Harlo chirped about how she missed playing bingo with their grandma. Annie started to feel woozy first, then Diane. Then their vision blurred.

              Mrs. Harlo stood up from the table, she spoke, reaching in her pocket and pulling out their grandma’s phone, “It’s a shame you don’t call your grandma enough to recognize what is or isn’t her voice. Truly.”