Part 2

The two girls began to carry old furniture downstairs and broke it apart, working slowly from the cold. They threw the kindling into the fireplace and lit it. The linens caught fire quickly and filled the room with warmth and light.

Finally, Sarah could see what the girl looked like. She appeared to be about 12 years old, a few years younger than Sarah when she died. Her long, brown hair hung around her shoulders, still very damp from the rain. She had big brown eyes hidden behind her glasses and braces on her teeth that reflected the light as she smiled.

The girl sat on the couch, huddled in a blanket for warmth. “Thank you,” she said simply. “I appreciate your help. I don’t mean to intrude on your home, but I have nowhere else to go and it is so cold outside.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sarah said. “You’re not intruding. It’s been so long since I’ve had any visitors! My name is Sarah: what’s yours?”

“My name is Isabelle; my friends call me Izzy,” Said Izzy. “At least the few friends I used to have.” The last sentence faded off until it was almost inaudible.

“Please to meet you Izzy. It has been so long since I’ve entertained; I’ve forgotten my manners. I’d offer you something to eat or drink but, obviously I don’t eat or drink anymore myself.” Sarah said shyly, calling attention to the obvious.

“Listen! Do you hear that? I think the storm has stopped.” Izzy walked over to the window, pushed aside the curtain, and peered into the darkness outside. “Its still raining a bit but I think the worst has passed. Do you have electricity here? I bet it is working again.”

“No,” said Sarah. “The electricity was shut off a long time ago. No one ever comes here and I don’t really require it. I do have some old candles though. Would you like one?”

“Yes, please.” Izzy looks around. “I really can’t go home tonight. Is there somewhere I can sleep?”

“Yes, there are several bedrooms here. They are very musty and dark, I’m afraid, but you can have any one you’d like. I usually stay in the attic.” Sarah threw some more wood on the fire. “Are you warm enough? We could save some of this wood to use in the fireplace of your bedroom. They are a bit cold.”

Izzy curled up on the couch. “Maybe I’ll just sleep here on the couch. Would you mind?” She yawned and rested her head on the arm rest. “It’s very warm and comfortable.”

Sarah put a candle on the end table near Izzy’s head and lit it with her own candle. “Yes, that is not a problem. There are extra blankets in the closet down the hall. Very little has been moved in the past few years.”

Sarah started to head upstairs. “Sarah?” Izzy said. “Would you stay down here with me? I don’t like to be alone in the dark.”

“Yes,” said Sarah. “I can stay down here.” She floated over to the foot of the couch. “There really isn’t any reason to be scared of the dark. I’m the only one here.”

Izzy tucked her feet under the blanket and lowered her head on to a pillow. She fell asleep instantly.

Sarah continued to float at the bottom of the couch, watching Izzy sleep. She wondered what had brought Izzy to the house that night. Whatever it was, it must have been horrible for her to venture out into the violent storm that roared through that night. She bent over, picked up the candle snuff, and placed it over the burning wick. The candle went out and the room went dark. She placed the snuffer back on the end table, floated over to the window, and pushed the curtains aside. She took a seat on the window sill and waited for the night to pass, same as she has for several years.

The sun began to rise above the horizon and pour in through the living room window. Izzy slowly opened her eyes, blinking from the bright light. Suddenly, she sat upright, eyes wide, forgetting where she was. She glanced frantically around the room, and, once oriented again, she settled back into the couch.

“Good morning,” said Sarah from her perch on the windowsill. She stood up slowly and floated over to Izzy. “You must have slept well. You snored all night!”

“Good morning to you too,” Izzy pushed her hair out of her face. “You didn’t sit there all night, did you?”

Rebecca lay silently flat on her back, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, unaware of anything. The respirator hummed noisily, carrying life sustaining oxygen to her lungs. Her body was crisscrossed with different tubes and wires, each tracking different vital signs. Her parents sat silently at her bedside. Her mother clutched a cup of forgotten coffee in one hand and a used tissue in the other. Her father didn’t hold anything; he sat silently with his hands in his lap, staring forward. Both were exhausted from long nights of waiting, waiting for the good news that Rebecca would wake up, waiting for Izzy to return home.

Izzy set her backpack on the kitchen table. She pulled out canned food and set them on the table. “Do you have a can opener?” she asked. “I’m starving!”

Sarah rummaged through some drawers until she found a can opener. “The electricity has been turned off, I’m afraid. There isn’t any way to heat the food.”

Izzy searched each of the kitchen cabinets looking for cookware. “I suppose I could heat it up over the fireplace. I was in a hurry to leave last night; I wasn’t thinking about food. I grabbed the first available that I found.”

And now, I'm stuck. I have an idea of where I want to take this story but I'm not sure how to get there. What should happen next?