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Etched out ghost town

By Melissa Ingoldsby

By Melissa IngoldsbyPublished about a year ago Updated about a year ago 5 min read
Top Story - March 2023
38
The Masks, Twilight Zone

Red was always trying to figure out who she was. She always sought out male friends over female, even as she usually had many female friends. She felt comfortable kicking back and cursing and talking loudly about crass subjects she had absolutely no idea about, but felt happy to sink into with her male compatriots.

She and her momma never could settle down enough for Red to actually gain long lasting relationships or friends, and this casted a shadow of loneliness on her heart. She truly longed for a place to belong to. She knew that they were different. That she and her mother had to move often for a reason.

Still, it angered the young adolescent and the irrational feelings of hatred spouted out when they would rush out of the middle of the night and leave with their bare essentials.

“Why are we leaving at one in the morning?” Red asked sleepily with an air of frustration. Her mother recognized the frustration. It was the same ongoing frustration that was overlapping between each move.

“Someone at work saw me. We have to go,” her mother almost mumbled as they tumbled their bags of unfolded things in the backseat of the car.

There was no time for tears. No time for over-winded woe-as-me crying sessions and stopping to feel sorry for oneself.

This was about driving. Just driving.

Just the humming of the gravelly road and the pitch dark night and the engine rumbling softly and the air conditioning barely hissing at them. No talking. No worries. Just driving.

Just surviving.

After what seemed like an eternity on endless streams of highways and roads, both backend and country and city, they reached what Red’s mother deemed worthy enough to categorize as their new home.

Red took a look around and saw dirt roads, a small grocery store that looked like a traditional Mom & Pop store, a small gas pump station with one pump and a tiny water spicket, and one attendant in a shack of a building to pay for the gas.

There was a old school house that looked like it had been right out of the book she brought with her, “Holes,” and she lamented that this one was very much still standing and not burnt down, unlike the one in the novel. It looked so old she thought just throwing an old stone at a corner would knock it down.

“Just like The Waltons, eh, Chipper?” Her mother lamely tried to joke and Red put up a half hearted laugh to soften the mood.

“Don’t call me Chipper, mom.”

“But you’ve always been, my love,” she states, and sees there is an office building to discuss rentals and other such adult things Red had no interest in, and so she checked her zipper as her mom left the car.

Letting out a long sigh, she felt it was secure and hidden.

“What a ghost story this stupid place is! This place sucks!” She said to under her breath, playing with her soft fur near her tail.

Her mom came almost bouncing toward the car, almost snagging her fox ear in the door frame as she closed it.

“Oh, Red, we have a small room we can rent! It’s perfect and I can work at the local church and bar to make rent!” She squealed.

Red rolled her eyes. “Seems a contradiction to work at both a church and a bar.”

Her mother gave her an admonishing look. “Oh, child, don’t give me lip! You know this is how we need to do things. You can make some fox and wolf friends. I saw some that looked about your age.”

“How would you know if they were my age. We’re huma-”

A strong maternal palm sprang mushed against a daughter’s mouth, closing it tightly.

Her eyes bulged and she whispered dangerously to her daughter, “Don’t… say… that..”

“How did the last of us go, anyway mom?” Red asked, her eyes watering after much silence and her mother advanced to the other side of the car, faux-paws pressed against the window.

“When we decided to recreate us in them, Red. We decided to humanize them, to let them live as long as us. And then… like everything… they decided they were better than us to rule..” she whispered against the glass window.

“Is it …Because.. we loved them?” Red asked.

Too much,” Her mother choked out.

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

They turned and looked at each other.

“My mask isn’t even this…” Red looked knowingly at their perfectly fitting fox suits. “I feel different, I feel better fitting in a taller, larger, boxier shape… not so small and feminine…” she felt her body go hot and the explanation she tried to rush out was hard to even imagine much less say out loud.

Her mother nodded. “Oh, sweetie…I know, Red. You’ve always been, my love.” The words of before echoed to Red, and it made her feel loved.

Suddenly, a large wolf with a suit came out and tapped on the roof of their car, and waved to the both of them to come out.

“Welcome to our fair community!” He said, “I got the paperwork all ready.” He looked down at the daughter and foothill smiled. “And looks like we got ourselves a funny new duck staying with us too. What’s your name, foxy?”

Red grimaced. “I’m not a duck, eh, wolfy!”

The wolf threw back his head and laughed before her mother could parent her properly. “Ah, that’s a good one.” He looked at the mother. “Charlotte, your young one has a spark to her!”

Her mother sighed but laughed too. “She sure does..” she casted a sideways glance, giving her daughter a warning glance, making Red turn in her shoulders inwardly with hesitation.

“I’m Red,” The young fox stated.

“Well, nice to meet you.” The wolf grins as they shook paws. “We got ourselves a Red.”

They all settled and went to the office, and to Red’s intense surprise, or maybe a hallucination—she saw tucked away near his pant line—-what looked like an identical zipper to hers.

LoveMysteryFantasyfamilyFable
38

About the Creator

Melissa Ingoldsby

I am a published author on Patheos.

I am Bexley is published by Resurgence Novels here.

The Half Paper Moon is available on Golden Storyline Books for Kindle.

My novella Carnivorous is to be published by Eukalypto soon! Coming soon

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  1. Expert insights and opinions

    Arguments were carefully researched and presented

  2. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  3. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  4. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

  5. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

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Comments (25)

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  • Heather Hublerabout a year ago

    This was a really well constructed story with so much going for it...just enough information to string us along and begin to comprehend but not too much to give it all away. I loved the little twist at the very end. I would have happily kept reading. Awesome story!! Congratulations on Top Story!!

  • Tiffany Gordon about a year ago

    gurl you rocked this! it was brilliantly crafted & painted to perfection! I loved the dialogue, mood, setting, & characters especially Red. I would like to see more stories with Red! I love her spunk! Congrats on your well-deserved Top Story! Well done!!!!

  • Caroline Cravenabout a year ago

    Wow! This is awesome! Really well written.

  • Congratulations 🎉 ✨💜🍀Awesome Fun Writing 📝

  • Stephanie J. Bradberryabout a year ago

    Red took the words out of my mouth several times. Your cover image is a perfect fit (possibly a pun intended). I love this episode of the "Twilight Zone." The best part was after all their failed attempts to give her the "perfect" face she had to settle for the "imperfect" a beautiful, glowing Hollywood visage. Congratulations on your Top Story.

  • Lucas Raeabout a year ago

    Wow, good one.

  • Sonia Heidi Unruhabout a year ago

    Still scratching my head at this wonderful mind bender of a tail, er tale. Great choice to tell it from the perspective of a teen. "faux-paws" -- 🤣

  • J. S. Wadeabout a year ago

    Cute. Beautiful writing and sooo creative. Loved it. Congratulations on Top Story. 🥰

  • Cathy holmesabout a year ago

    Great story, Melissa. Love that ending. Congrats on the Top Story.

  • Kelli Sheckler-Amsdenabout a year ago

    Incredible talent. Congrats on the top story

  • Congratulations on your Top Story Sis ♥️

  • Loryne Andaweyabout a year ago

    Well that's a twist! Beautifully seeded intriguing too 😃

  • Rick Henry Christopher about a year ago

    Great job. Very well developed characters and well written.

  • C. Rommial Butlerabout a year ago

    Nice twist! Somewhere on the East Coast, Charleton Heston is screaming at a submerged Statue of Liberty. :)

  • Ooooooohhhh, totally brilliant sis, surely a shoe-in as a Top Story or Challenge winner

  • The Invisible Writerabout a year ago

    It tooke me awhile to figure this out but when I did I was like😱 Great job. And I loved the book Holes

  • Oh wow, this was so creative! Very dystopian. And loved the ending where the wolf too had a zipper like Red. Fantastic story!

  • Rachel M.Jabout a year ago

    So many layers! I loved this line "Seems a contradiction to work at both a church and a bar.”

  • Donna Reneeabout a year ago

    This was great!! I loved the layers within, this story is not just a surface level thing! I also liked your reveals of the characters 😊

  • Gerald Holmesabout a year ago

    This is so well done and feels like a much larger story. Loved it.

  • Vadim Kaganabout a year ago

    Great story!

  • Alex H Mittelman about a year ago

    Wow, this is a great story! I could see this as the first episode of a TV show or the beginning of a movie! Really great! I’d love to read a chapter 2 of this!

  • Moe Radosevichabout a year ago

    a lovely story with the perfect mix of brashness and elusiveness tres bon 😀

  • Melissa, your talent for storytelling is exceptional! Your writing style is captivating, and you have skillfully crafted characters that readers can easily connect with. Your ability to convey emotions and experiences in a genuine and relatable manner is impressive. The plot of your story is fascinating and kept me engrossed until the end. I eagerly anticipate reading more of your work in the days to come!

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