by Daria Lesmerises
A few years ago, when I was 9, my family moved into this big old house. It looked really outdated, and it had some weird statue-type things in the yard. It was exactly what you would picture if someone told you about a haunted mansion. Besides the awkward exterior, the house actually looked kind of cool; the dark shades of purple and gray made it look almost royal.
While my parents unloaded the car, I was far too intrigued by the house to help. Instead, I ran up the front stairs and into the house to explore. I ran to my new room to have a look at my new hideout until college. I ran to the window and tried to wave at my parents to see if they would possibly look up from their grueling task of moving heavy boxes in the freezing cold of winter and wave back. When they didn’t, I pressed my face up against the cool glass and my eyes searched the rest of the yard. That’s when I noticed it.
Among the other weird statues, there was a beautiful deer statue. I shouldn't have been so entranced by a deer statue, but I was. I don’t know how long I had been staring at it, but after what must have only been five minutes, my parents knocked on my door to tell me they needed to go out for groceries. I was a responsible kid so my parents trusted me to be alone, but they were still wary of me exploring on my own, especially in an unusual place, so they ordered me to stay in the house. They went through the standard safety briefing they always give, hugged me, and left.
My parents had been gone for 10 minutes when I looked out the window again. The deer statue was gone. I skimmed the yard with my eyes, but this was to no avail. I sighed and made the executive decision to go outside. I wasn’t thinking about my parents’ rules as I bundled up in my polka-dot coat and hat.
When I stepped out onto the crunchy snow I immediately noticed the heavy prints in the snow. The prints were deep and an unusual shape. I followed them, slowly sinking into the snow with each step. I was focusing on my steps and looking at the ground as I approached a large object. I looked up and saw the deer statue, my eyes widening at the majestic sight. As I stared at the deer in confusion, wondering how it got here, it blinked. It was sudden – the only things that moved were the eyes. I rubbed my eyes. There was a beat of silence and nothingness, and then it blinked again. I closed my eyes for awhile. When I opened them, the deer statue was so close to my face our noses almost touched. This time I was sure the deer had moved because it definitely wasn’t that close before. Instead of being freaked out and running away like a normal kid, I actually moved closer.
I looked the statue straight in the eyes and stared. I couldn’t keep my gaze off the deer, and I knew I couldn’t run. I was too entranced by the majestic beast standing before me. Then I felt a cloud of air on my face. The cloud had come from the statue’s mouth. It was breathing! At this point, I actually did get scared. I tried to back up, but I tripped in the snow and fell backwards. I was too cold and too scared to move, so I just held still. As I sat in the snow, I started to see changes in the deer. Its originally smooth, bronze coat had become furry and brown. Its normally bronze tongue turned pink. The deer was coming alive.
I sat in the snow for 15 minutes at most. By then the deer was completely alive. This wasn’t just my mind playing tricks. I knew this was real. The deer backed up and pranced away. The sound of its hooves crunching in the snow slowly faded away as it ran to the woods. After a couple of seconds, the only sound left was my heavy breathing and my heart pounding.
I sat in the snow until my parents pulled into the driveway. They immediately spotted my small figure in the snow and ran to me. They pulled me out of the snow and rushed me inside. They reprimanded me for going outside, but I didn’t have the energy to start arguing back or to tell the story. Instead I just asked, “Did you guys see that deer statue?” My parents looked quizzically at me before asking, “What deer statue?”
This writing is part of a collection featured in the 2020 Celebrate the Arts Writing Contest, an annual contest hosted by The Arts Council of Westerville, Westerville Public Library and the ThisWeek Westerville News & Public Opinion as one of many events organized by the Arts Council to mark April as “Celebrate the Arts” month in Westerville.
