L o o k i n k 5 4

2/11/25 - House

AUTHOR'S NOTE: our "final" for english class in 11th grade was to write 3 polished stories and give them covers. we were allowed to reuse stories we had already made for other activities like the 20-minute quick-writes we did every so often, so that's what i did for this one. i didn't actually have to write all three stories though because my other story, that other place, was so long that my teacher would've been fine if that was the only thing i turned in, though i still did this anyway because i liked the original version enough to polish it up a bit and let it really shine.

also, if you're wondering why the date is in february when i said it was my final, its because the teacher gave us a LOT of notice for the assignment and i finished this pretty early.

House

        I am a house. Small, quaint, collected, and cozy. My job is to be a safe place for anyone who needs it, which, as it turns out, is most people. I’m not too picky with who uses me for what. After all, how could I? It’s not my place to judge. I’ve seen a lot of things and heard a lot of stories from my neighbors, and the overwhelming conclusion that I get from all of it is that, at the end of the day, everybody needs a safe space to live.

It didn’t take long for a family of three to move into me after I was built in 1969. Sometimes they had people visit, sometimes they had an animal or two, and once they let a friend live there for a few weeks. That was an unusual experience, but I didn’t mind, because I am a house. Small, quaint, collected, and cozy. If I’m remembering right, the kid moved out in ‘87. It was a little bittersweet to watch him go, but overall, I was happy for him. After all, my job is to be a safe place for anyone who needs it, which, as it turns out, isn’t everybody. For a while it was just those parents and I, and I provided for them. It wasn’t until 2019 that they too moved out to a retirement home, and for about a month, I was alone. It felt strange, not having anybody to provide for, but it didn’t last for long, because then a man in his early twenties moved in to me. He made me a bit less quaint and collected, always eating hot pockets and drinking beer and never cleaning me or going outside. Still though, I’m always there for him, because I am a house. Trying my best to help where I can.