Minor Description

‘My Walks’ is a work of fiction presented in journal format.

The main character is bothered by their dad about their general health until they decide to go on walks every other day to appease him. As these walks go on, they start to feel as if something is wrong, and thing progessively get stranger.

Intro

During summer break, my dad started bothering me about going on walks. ‘They’re good for your health,’ he’d argue over and over and over again. At some point, he even started bargaining. ‘30 minutes, 15 minutes one way, 15 minutes back, and I’ll give you 10 dollars,’ he’d say. I didn’t need the money; I had my own job at a dinner, granted, he was the one who drove me to it. But I still had my own money; if anything, he was just giving it back because I gave him the same amount for gas.

I also had my reasons for not liking walks; mostly, they were just boring. One side of the road could either be a cattle field or a crop field, while the other was neighbors I never bothered to talk to, and their dogs that made me anxious when they barked, as well as the fact that there’s nothing to walk to, no stores, no library, no park, just other people and cows.

My dad suggested I try to make the walks interesting things like taking notes, watching things, talking to people, and just trying to be involved with something other than my room.

About a month into the break, I realized that he wasn’t going to leave me alone about the stupid walks until I went back to school, so I decided to take his deal and suggestions.

‘Hah notes,’ I chuckled to myself, while grabbing a mostly empty journal, ‘like attempting to pay attention in a boring class.’

Now there are three ways I could walk from my house, two are at a corner past a house with a lot of dogs that splits to either more houses or more fields, the other is heavily forested in front of most of the houses, hiding me from people as I pass by, while the other side is just a cattle field. I chose the third route. Despite my dislike for them, it’s always been my favorite path to go on for walks.

Day 1, Walk 1

It’s a Sunday, and I decided today I’d go on my walk; my dad is outside working, so it’ll at least show him I did. I figured I’d just write things down that I’d already noticed on previous walks, you know, the ones before I started to refuse them.

Certain trees, hidden cars in the overgrown grass of someone’s yard.

The old plastic kitchen playset that definitely wasn’t creepy.

Cows in someone’s yard.

Horses.

5:05

Five minutes until I can turn back, what else? The mailboxes? The one coming up is black with chalk swirls drawn on it. When I got to it, I checked the time.

5:10, 15 minutes are up, I can head home.

As I took a few steps, I noticed this creeping feeling, that feeling that something was watching me. I turn back to check something, what, I’m not sure, maybe hoping to see someone, a neighbor, a person I’ve never met, but then realized I’m home.

Huh?

I’m in front of my driveway, watching my dad walk around as he talks on the phone.

It was a little darker, too.

5:25.

Okay then. I shrugged it off; I probably zoned out.