Ambivalent | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Ambivalent | Previous Challenge Entry
By Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom
12/15/22
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Wrigley felt excited and anxious at the same time. Hmm, there’s a vocabulary word for this…ambivalent. That’s it. Two conflicting emotions at the same time. Ambivalent. Wrigley rolled her eyes, chuckled, and took a deep breath. She’d been waiting for this day forever. It meant her parents finally trusted her to stay home alone after dark. But she worried her brother might be right. He kept calling her a scaredy-cat.

On cue, Camden popped in and whispered, “Did ya hear about the escaped kidnappers?”

Snorting, she picked up a shoe and chucked it at him. He ducked and it banged onto the floor. Just then, Dad walked by, shaking his head. “Wrigley Grace!”

Feeling her cheeks grow hot, Wrigley dipped her head. “I’m sorry. The shoe slipped.” She sensed Dad didn’t believe her, but he smiled and patted her shoulder. “C’mon, Mom’s going to have more instructions for you. Besides, Camden’s messing with you. There are no escaped kidnappers.”

Wrigley’s eyes widen as a smile flitted across her face. Hmm, Dad does hear everything. They walked into the kitchen where Mom was putting the list of emergency phone numbers under the fridge magnet. “Shay’s mom’ll drop you off after practice. Dinner’s in fridge. Eat, do your homework, chores, and then you can watch TV. We’ll be home right after Camden’s game.”

Wrigley felt her stomach bubble. She’d been begging to stay home alone in the evenings. It shouldn’t be any harder than staying home alone after school. Except it’d be dark. But if she could do this, soon she’d be able to take the babysitting course. She was excited. And scared. Ambivalent.

That evening she opened the door as shivers crept up her back. The dog barked and jumped all over her. “Hey, Phin, stop barking. You’re freaking me out.” Her throat felt dry. She flipped on every light in the kitchen and dining room, and looked down the hall to her bedroom. It seemed so dark. Biting her lip, she tossed her bag on the table. “Guess we’ll stay here, Phin.” He wagged his tail.

She started pulling her stuff out of her backpack when suddenly, she heard a whisper. Holding her breath, she turned her head and licked her lips. “Hear that Phin?” Get a grip. The dog can't answer. And no one’s here. Still, she decided to hold onto her phone. She heard the scratchy noise again. This time she was sure someone whispered, “Gonna get you.”

Her heart thudded so hard she thought it would bust out of her chest. She wiped away a few tears, glanced at the knife drawer, but opened the closet and grabbed the broom to use as a weapon, just in case. Looking around, she didn’t see anything out of place. Phin seemed calm. It’s just your imagination.

Swallowing hard, she clutched her phone and looked at the list on the fridge. She took several deep breaths and unclenched her fist when suddenly she heard a crash. Phin started barking at the basement door. Slowly, she crept closer. “Hush, Phin,” she whispered.

Her hand trembled as she reached out and turned the doorknob. It barely opened a crack when something ran past her. She screamed, dropped her phone, and tripped over her legs. Tears streamed down her face as Phin barked like a maniac. Then Boo, Camden’s cat, jumped on her chest. Relief washed over her. “You silly cat! You scared me to death. What’cha doing down there?”

Just then she heard the whisper again, “Gonna get you.” She looked for her phone, but it must’ve skidded under the fridge when she fell. She closed her eyes and quietly prayed, “Dear God, please don’t let it be kidnappers.” When she heard the scratchy voice again, she opened her eyes and saw a green flashing light. She reached over and picked up Camden’s spy digital recorder from the shelf. Boo meowed, and then suddenly, everything made sense. “So that’s how you got in the basement.” She scratched Boo’s chin. “Oohh that Camden!”

Looking at the recorder, she muttered, “Hmm, I thought Mom confiscated this.”

Tapping her finger on her chin, she thought about how scared she’d been. If I can do this, babysitting will be a breeze! She used the broom to pull her phone out from under the fridge, took a deep breath, walked down the hall, and turned on every light. Grinning, she went into her parents’ bedroom and slipped the recorder under Mom’s pillow. “Two can play that game!”

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