I Grant You A Wish - Chapter 1

Meet Jess. She wants her family to be normal again and one day wakes up to find that a woman she dreamt about who could save her family is in fact living in London.

   It’s a cold January morning in the East End of London. Frost is tickling the pavement and water rushes down the edge of the kerb to the gutters. The sun is just starting to shine over the quiet street of Dryburgh Crescent where a small black tabby cat walks up the brick wall bordering the street, purring quietly as it wonders back home after a night of adventure. Not far away is a small, dark orange brick house facing identical buildings as if it is looking at a mirror. It has three windows on the front, two upstairs and one on the bottom and a green, wooden door with the number 16 centred in gold. There is ornament of a china dog on the right hand side of the step - an ear missing - in front of the door and a worn welcome mat followed by a crooked pavement covered in all sorts of loose weeds. The ‘’garden’’ on the right, a patch of jungle, looks like it has not been used in centuries - plastic bags tangled on the grass furthest away, near a green bush separating this garden from the neighbours. The next garden of course, is the complete opposite. Tidy rows of flowers around the edge of a very tidy lawn - bright green, in fact, which is unusual for this time of year. There is a small fountain in the centre with a fish spitting water from its mouth and small little fairy lights along the brick wall that separates the garden from the outside pavement. A picturesque view, obviously a very tidy family. 

   

   Back in the garden belonging to number 16, the black tabby cat wonders up the crooked path and stands at the door. It’s purrs get louder and louder until it turns around and begins to scratch on the door softly. You can see previous scratch marks in the same place where the cat has been before waiting, patiently, for someone to come fetch him. A few moments later the top left window shows signs of movement - a curtain moving gently, but knocking over an ornament on the windowsill. Next the footsteps of someone running down the stairs and then some fumbling at the lock on the front door. It doesn’t look like a house that somebody would be living in, yet a small girl peeks out and picks up the tabby cat. “Sammy! When will you stop going away for so long? Come here, baby.” the young girl cries to the little cat. The girl looks around fifteen and has a very petite frame matching her very small height. Her skin is pale but healthy and her head carries a thick lock of brown, tangled hair. She has bright green eyes that light up when she looks at Sammy the cat. It almost looks like her eyes change colour if you look at them a certain way as they have a slight blue tint, especially in the sunlight that starts to stream down on her doorstep. There are many freckles on her cheeks, which are well defined, but her soft, round nose is bare of any markings. Her lips are small and very pink, her bottom lip nearly as small as her top but decorated with a piercing right in the very centre of her lip. A tiny sliver stud that appears just under her lip and reappears again inside her mouth, slightly appearing when her mouth is open to talk to Sammy. The cat purrs louder and rubs its head on the girls chest as she holds him tight before going back inside the house. As she steps back, she looks down at Sammy and says ‘’It’s been so quiet around here, I don’t like when you’re gone.’’ And then the door to 16 Dryburgh Crescent closes tightly on the world.

   

   Inside, however, the girl wanders down the hallway of her home. There are boxes everywhere, all closed but clearly opened. The walls are covered in a floral wallpaper and the flooring is covered in an old wood which has been worn away through the years. There are empty picture frames on the walls and an empty coat hanger by the door. It looks like a family who has just freshly moved into a new home. However, the girl walks down the hall throwing down an old newspaper she also picked up when fetching Sammy. Old traditions of doing this every morning for a long time show that the girl has been here for much longer than a new family in a new house, especially for the fact there are many old newspapers lying in the same spot she dumped the latest. She skips back up the hallway and into another room " the living room, from what it seems. There is an old red sofa covered in blankets and a large tv in the corner of the room " a fancy one, too. The wallpaper is a black and white floral design and the flooring is of a dark oak. There are no empty picture frames to decorate the room here, in fact, there is nothing on the walls whatsoever except from the wall lamps. The square room is covered in books with three bookshelves bursting with all sorts " books, books and even more books. On the floor there are many stacks of books, which look like they are from the library. If you look closer you can see the sticker on the front; ‘’Property of London Central Library’’ " obviously the household are that of book fanatics. She sits down on an arm chair beside the door with Sammy and puts him on her lap, stroking his back as he purrs gently again. The girl is wearing grey tracksuit trousers with odd, stripy socks and an oversized Beatles t-shirt. She scratches her head and stares into space, tapping the arms of the chair with her fingers, Her nails are short and the purple nail polish is badly chapped. 4 rings compliment her long, slim fingers and many bracelets climb up her right arm. 

   

   The cat is still happily purring when she leans over and looks through a bag on the ground next to her. A sigh comes from her as she pulls out her phone looking at a notification she has received " a sigh of disappointment. She fiddles with the phone and then places it next to her ear, patiently she waits for the person on the other end to answer. ‘’Hi, it’s me, Jess- yeah, I know… I’m sorry, look-‘’ she rolls her eyes and looks down at the ground again, her face drops as she talks to her mother on the phone. ‘’When are you gonna be home? Yeah, I know I’ve not supposed to call you. Yes, I know. Mom, please, wait.’’ Her eyes start too look sad and a small tear starts to form, slowly falling down her cheek as she talks on the phone. ‘’You were hear last night? Why did you not wake me up! Mom, I haven’t seen you in weeks " I don’t care about dad, Mom, It’s not fair you have to do this " he’s dead, don’t you care about me " ‘’ on the other end of the phone, her mothers voice gets angry and Jess has to pull the phone away from her ear slightly to hear her mother properly. ‘’I just want you home.’’ Are her last words and she hangs up the phone and throws it away. She starts to break down in tears on the chair, holding Sammy even tighter than before. The cat looks up at her and starts crying itself, rubbing its nose on her cheek purring for her attention. ‘’It’s ok Sammy, I’m okay. We’re okay, I promise.’’ And she strokes his black fur softly, letting her tears fall on his fur. Her tears have already cleared because of the cat and a smile starts to reappear on her delicate mouth. ‘’Do you want to eat, Sammy? Let’s get you some food’’ and she gets up, still holding the cat, and wonders into the kitchen.

   

   Meet Jess, just an ordinary girl with a complicated life. And Sammy. The cat that likes adventures. This is their story.

Author's Note

ignore grammar problems, this is a first draft and I've never posted online before so i'm really nervous. If you could leave comments about the first chapter so far, that would be great! I'd love any criticism that could help me. Thanks!

Reviews

[Megan]

** the - doesn't seem to be working on my post and is being replaced with ", i'm awfully sorry for this. I don't know how to change it but will make sure it doesn't happen next time.