Samuel 1

Eric Samuel

Ms. Mann

English II

4 October 2017

No Nails

The rotten smell had been lingering in the air for hours. The milk I accepted must've

already been spoiled I thought to myself. Falling to my knees to scrub what I had spilled on the

floor, I began to panic knowing my best friend would be over by tomorrow morning. After

tidying up the house I felt accomplished by the fruits of my labor. I collapsed into the sofa

admiring the atmosphere of the Airbnb I had rented out for the weekend. Scanning the room, I

noticed a handful of pictures on the wall of many different people. This guy sure has a huge

extended family I thought to myself. This explained the extreme kindheartedness he showed

throughout the whole process of renting the house. Not many people look genuine when they

smile but he sure does. However, I knew this would change after the sequence of parties we

would be throwing over the weekend.

“Mr. Bruton, my close friend Zack will be over tomorrow morning to help me prepare.

Just to keep you updated,” I said addressing the owner,

“Thanks for the details Tim, have a great time,” he replied.

Burton had planned on going out for the weekend and entrusted me with the house. To

me this seemed like an outrageous idea but, I wasn’t complaining. I quickly went to relieve

myself and when I returned to the living room Mr. Bruton had apparently already been on his

way.
 Samuel 2

I let out a sigh of relief feeling enlightened by the isolation. Flipping on the TV, I ran

through the evening hours in front of the screen getting ready for sleep so I would be prepared

for the weekend ahead. Showering and brushing my teeth, I hopped into bed. Hours passed and

sleep eluding me clearly fueled by the excitement of a fun-filled weekend. Still being unable to

sleep I shuffled out of bed, making my way to the kitchen to grab a cold glass of water. The late

night was always ominous to me and being in a foreign house didn’t help. I strolled through the

living room glass in hand, admiring the elegant display of the house. Again I noticed I couldn’t

pass a wall without being greeted with twelve eyes enclosed by a glass plate and metal frame.

Walking down the hallway interested by every corner of the house the rotten smell from

earlier intensified. I suddenly stopped petrified by fear. My senses enhanced ten fold listening for

another creak in the floor from the upcoming room that I had just heard. A moment later the

same sounds echoed from the room ahead almost as if one plank of wood was rocking back and

forth in place. Someone was here. Not trying to risk my life, I tipped toed backwards carefully.

Each step was like minesweeper trying not to set off an explosive creak. I abruptly stopped after

I heard the being in the room move closer to the door. Anxiety and adrenaline kicked in full

force not knowing what to expect next. I quickly glanced to my right to see a picture of a young

girl with her mother. Looking to my left was a middle ages man with a polished look. The

illusion of their eyes following me left me feeling exposed in a terrible situation. A stupid

thought crossed my mind that the people in the picture shared my fear.

“Hey Tim is that you?” the man in the room asked. Relief immediately kicked in as I

realized it was Mr. Bruton. I chuckled almost confused by the odd situation.

“Mr. Bruton you’ve been gone for hours what are you doing here at such a time,” I asked

growing more curious by the minute.

 Samuel 3

“Oh no Tim I changed my mind on the trip, I’ve been home all day,” he replied. My

expression changed immediately not fully processing what he had said.

“That’s impossible,” I said walking into the room he was in, “I’ve been here all day.

What could you have been doing all this time?”

“Tim I don’t know where you’ve been but I’ve been hanging around all day. Now while

you're over there could you pass me those nails?” Still confused, I didn’t want to come off as

hostile with any more questions. I looked around and noticed that I was in what seemed to be his

office. The density of pictures in this room was far greater than the rest.“I was just about to hang

up this new picture” he said, interrupting my mental tour of his room.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about all the pictures in your house. It’s quite unusual to

see this many” I said. He picked up a nearby hammer and replied,

“Yeah I get that a lot. I’ll be sure to explain after I hang up this new one. Now could you

grab me those nails behind you?” He asked again in a hurry. I promptly turned my back toward

him and was met with a small desk. Strangely enough, there were no nails in sight, only an

empty picture frame standing up. The clean and polished glass plate reflection left me staring

face to face with myself but only for a moment.

“Yo Tim! Open up!” Zack exclaimed pounding on the door. Zack looked at his watch

impatiently when the door shot open. “Oh I’m so sorry sir I must have the wrong address,” Zack

remarked clearly embarrassed.

“Oh no! You’re Tim’s friend correct?” the man said.

“Yeah that’s right,” said Zack.

 Samuel 4

“Pleased to meet you, my name is Mr. Bruton, do come in,” he said offering a handshake.

“So where is Tim,” Zack asked curiously, “I was supposed to meet him here. Are you

sure this is the right house?”

“Oh don’t worry son you're in the right house. Let me get you some cold milk and I’ll

explain more.” Mr. Bruton replied.

Zack kindly accepted and started walking around approving of Tim's house choice. He

made his way to a room at the end of a hallway which seemed to be an office. He continued his

stroll, admiring all the photos when he stopped at a picture standing up on a small desk.

Zack focused more on the man in the picture and said, “Would you get a load of this.

This person looks exactly like my friend Tim.”Mr. Bruton promptly walked in handing Zack

what smelt like rotten milk. Mr. Bruton let out a small grin followed by a quick chuckle and

said,

“A lot of people tend to say that about my pictures.”