“Alone At Last”

A Short Story by Nancy

George White was living a secluded life in the United Kingdom of Great Britain. He was attending a police academy to become a police officer and besides that, not much would occupy his mind. That is until something inconceivable happened.

Although George lived a solitary life, he was not alone.

Someone, no, rather, something had known him from birth onward. And thus, seen George at his worst and at his best. But this “thing” had grown tired. Tired of following him around, unable to hold him and to hug him. Tired of seeing him cry and being unable to support him. Tired of seeing him smile and being unable to join him. It was a prisoner.

Not just any prisoner. This prisoner lived without being able to speak, to write, or to read minds. And it was unable to explain to George that it had fallen in love. All it could do was think and watch. It had so much time to think in fact, having existed as long as George, that it decided to give itself a name: Elizabeth.

But George was unaware of her. He was reaching a point where he couldn’t take the solitude any longer and decided to go on dates with women his family would set him up with.

One of them was Ashley Roberts, a kind woman from the same town as George. Ashley was kind, beautiful, and exciting, thought George. After a couple of dates, he asked Ashley if she would like to accompany him to his house. Ashley agreed and they decided to eat dinner there together that night.

“It’s getting rather late,” said Ashley.

“Why don’t you stay?” asked George.

So Ashley stayed.

The following day, after seeing what had happened and hearing them together, it was all too much for Elizabeth to take. After George had taken Ashley home, which was only a few blocks away, George came back home and fell asleep. Full of anger, rage, and sadness, Elizabeth decided to do something she had never done before.

“I don’t know if it’s possible but I have to try,” she thought.

She pulled herself away from George with all her might. Trying once, failing. Trying twice, failing again. Until at last, on her third try, she heard a SNAP and had successfully detached herself from George.

“I’m free!” she exclaimed.

No one could hear her but with this new freedom, she decided to roam around. It was nighttime, after all, the perfect time to sneak around for a shadow. Now having more freedom, Elizabeth decided to do the unthinkable. For she had been plotting revenge.

Elizabeth knew where Ashley lived now and went to find her at her home. Ashley was just about to leave and was on her way to her mother’s. It wasn’t too late but it was wintertime, so the sky was dark. Only a few cast iron lamp posts were lit between Ashley’s home and her mother’s but Ashley had walked this route many times before, so she felt confident.

But when Ashley was crossing a bridge, she felt a shiver and started to feel spooked. She started to feel like she was being watched, although nobody was around. Then, all of a sudden, she saw the shadow of a man with a knife on the bridge and without thinking, ran. She stumbled and fell off the bridge and Elizabeth was happy.

Elizabeth’s love had grown obsessive and possessive. There could be nothing or no one who could take away George from her. Especially not Ashley.

Because she had last been seen with George, police officers knocked on his door and interrogated him. When George heard the news, he didn’t know what to think.

“She was fine… she didn’t seem ill or sad,” George said when the police officers told him they were ruling her death as intentional. They left shortly after that but that night, George wept.

Elizabeth, once again, couldn’t support him or comfort him. Yet she was happy that he’d never see Ashley again.

Although losing Ashley hurt George, he decided to focus on his training and began working as a police officer. Because George was a handsome bloke, it wasn’t long before his friends at work found him another date. They had known about what had happened to Ashley but encouraged him to try dating once more. Her name was Laura Johnson and she was an author.

George decided to take things very slowly with Laura but this proved to be very difficult since they had so much in common. Laura was extroverted, silly, and genuine and Elizabeth was growing angrier and angrier as she would witness her George spend time with her.

“I’ve had enough!” Elizabeth thought and decided to bring this to an end as well.

Every night, after George had left Laura at her home, Elizabeth would sneak out and scare Laura. She formed herself into different, mysterious-looking shadows as she had with Ashley and kept doing so until the day Laura decided to write George a letter.

“Dear George,

It has been nice knowing you… but I’m afraid I must leave town. I believe my house may be haunted. I have been seeing strange things and have no explanation for them. I have told doctors about this, but no one seems to believe me and they think something is seriously wrong with me. I wish you only the best…

With care,

Laura Johnson”

At this point, George felt like it was useless trying to date anyone anymore. Either his dates had died or started losing their minds- making George feel like he was cursed.

George decided that he would remain alone. Which was exactly how Elizabeth wanted things.

At last, she could have him all to herself like before… that is until Jennifer came into the picture.

Although George had wanted to remain secluded for sanity’s sake- that’s not what his heart desired. When he met Jennifer while on a walk, he couldn’t help but notice her eyes and her smile. It was love at first glance and she felt it too.

He decided he’d give it another chance and took Jennifer on dates and to his house often.

Once more, Elizabeth had to get rid of her competition but this time, for good.

Elizabeth followed Jennifer home that night. But before she could plot anything, she noticed Jennifer was with someone else, another man. It turns out she had met someone else and fallen in love with him instead.

Shocked, Elizabeth decided to go home, surprisingly happy but also confused.

“I guess I didn’t need to get rid of her after all!” she thought.

Delighted, Elizabeth took the scenic route home but when she arrived, George had done the unimaginable.

Turns out he had seen Jennifer and her new lover together as he followed Jennifer to her home shortly after Elizabeth had. Too hurt and too shocked, George had decided to hang himself.

When Elizabeth arrived home, she decided she would never leave his side.

With his shadow on the wall, dangling- she cried and regretted her mistakes forever.