~Travis Stuart, Class of 2027

A Harris Burdick Short Story

“The fifth one ended up in France”

Seven years ago, a spiritual cult sent out seven chairs across the world. Six of them ended up in ornate churches amongst different European countries, for example the fifth one ended up in France, and one wound up in Jill’s home, just waiting for something or someone. “La di da di da,” Jill sang as she pranced into her home. She ran up the stairs feeling awesome as she got a promotion from work, not knowing what would be upcoming for her in the next couple of days. She sat down at her desk and tried to whirl around but to no avail, as she fell out. “Ow,” she squealed. She then realized this wasn’t her regular chair, this was something out of the ordinary.

My parents must have sent it and didn’t realize I had already bought myself a chair, Jill thought. She got back up and sat back down, working at her desk. Twenty minutes later the chair started wiggling. I didn’t do that, Jill thought. Then she realized her feet weren’t on the floor, they were floating and so was the chair. Maybe I’m going insane, Jill thought, I’m going to bed. So she did, questioning her sanity. She woke up the next morning as she always did everyday, but each night Jill would sleep she would hear creaking and a crashing noise, but every night it escalated. Jill started questioning if she was having a stroke, so she went to the doctor.

“Jill, you look fine and in perfect condition,” The neurologist informed her. But how could that be, she thought. Anyhow, she drove back home, when she arrived, Jill walked into her house, to an ominous mood inside as if something supernatural was about to happen. 

“What is that,” Jill screeched, “How and why is that chair just floating at the top of the stairwell,” She started sprinting to hide, the chair followed her swiftly. She grabbed the thing closest to her, a vase. Jill chucked it, the vase hit the chair’s leg. The chair became more aggravated, it tried to hit Jills back, but to no success. Jill barely grasped the door to the garage when the chair banged into her legs demobilizing her. Then she crawled through the door, and slammed it right into the chair’s face. Jill’s heart pulsating through her body as she crawled over and climbed into her car shakily. Jill drove to the nearest airport trying to catch her breath, “A one way ticket, please to anywhere in Europe,” Jill declared reluctantly but knew it was the right choice. Jill had called this place once her “home sweet home” but now she swore never to come back or get anywhere near. 

Jill waited, until finally the woman at the desk spoke, “Alright that’s one ticket, one way straight to Toulouse, France, is this alright Miss Jill?” 

Jill replied, “Yes that’s completely fine.” She plodded off grasping her ticket tightly in her hand, not believing what just happened. Jill left this place not wanting to, but knew it was the right choice. She still had questions, and worries that replayed in her head, Was this the right choice? What am I going to do now that I left everything behind? I didn’t even tell anyone I was leaving, omg! What if I can’t get a job, a house, MONEY!! Hoping it was the right choice to leave, she stared out her window still pondering about her decisions

Epilogue

Jill went on to get married to a great guy named John, and had children. Jill left behind the life she once had, but she always remembered that paranormal, petrifying day with the chair. “Goodbye John,” Jill exclaimed, as she stood over her dying husband and her children drenched in school work from college. She ended up all alone as she wished never could. Anticipating if that chair would come back. Then one fateful day when she was 86 and had basically lost her vision, she sat down on what she thought was her couch but then a hazy mist appeared. Jill vanished across the face of the earth as she was always apprehensive of. Accompanying Jill’s evanescence, the six other chairs vanished with the pastor of each church.