Let Me In — a short story for English reading and speaking

Cherise stirred in her sleep.

Two nights ago, a branch had tapped on her window. It had freaked her out at the time.

But then she saw it was just a tree.

She mentioned it to her father the next morning and, without looking up at her; he told her he would take care of it.

He didn’t.

Cherise never mentioned it again. There was no point.

Breakfast was a time for staring into space and waiting for the day ahead. No one spoke to each other.

And on the rare occasions when Cherise, her mother and father ate dinner together at the same time, it was done in a sullen, agreed silence.

Everyone too exhausted to talk. No one looked at each other.

Then, after dinner, they all went to their separate rooms to stare at their phones.

The tapping on the window continued.

Finally, knowing that unless she tried to do something about it she would not get any sleep, Cherise pulled the covers away and went to the window.

She yanked at the blind and staggered back in disbelief.

Outside the window, a figure floated in the air. A woman. Outstandingly beautiful with pale, almost translucent, skin. And long flowing black hair that floated around the woman’s shoulders as if she were underwater.

The woman smiled at her.

She had a beautiful smile.

“Cherise. I want to talk to you.”

Cherise stared at the woman through the glass in the window, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

A woman floating in thin air outside her window? How was this possible?

She was unable to respond. Could not move.

“I know this must look very strange to you,” said the woman. “But I must talk with you.”

Cherise stepped back.

Everything about this looked wrong to her. But she couldn’t stop herself from staring at the woman.

The woman came closer to the window and leaned against the glass. Her pale blue eyes shone with a kind of soft sadness.

“I know,” she whispered, nodding her head and giving Cherise a sympathetic smile. “I know what it’s like.”

Cherise finally found her voice.

“You know what what is like?”

“With your parents,” said the woman.

A small rush of anxiety surged into Cherise’s veins.

The lack of communication, followed by intense arguments, then the icy atmosphere in the house as all three of them tried to avoid each other.

No family trips anywhere. No lunch or dinner outside.

Barely any gifts exchanged.

The worst part was open day at school. They were all obliged to put on a fake smile and pretend they were all one big, happy family.

Smiling at the teachers and nodding their heads in agreement with other parents.

Then, at the end, they would get in the car and drive home in silence.

Get home and go to their own rooms. The house in silence.

The woman pressed her pale fingers against the glass.

“I know what it’s like, Cherise. I know.”

Cherise choked back a sob that rose up from her throat. Suppressed the urge to allow it to come out of her mouth, in case a flood of tears should follow.

She was so tired of crying.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with them,” she said. “I talk to my friends and their families seem… They seem normal. But mine…”

Her voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

“I know exactly how you feel,” said the woman. “Let me in. We can talk about it.”

And at that point, Cherise realised that was exactly what she needed to do.

She wanted to talk to someone. To let all the pent-up feelings flood out. To just tell someone who actually cares.

She reached out to the latch on the window.

But something stopped her. This woman just floating around outside. It was totally unnatural.

Where had she come from? Who was she?

She pulled her hand down in a rapid motion.

“I think it’s better if we just talk like this,” she said.

The woman gave Cherise a tense smile.

“We can,” she said. “But wouldn’t you like to just talk with someone that understands? To talk with someone that has gone through the same thing?”

Cherise stared through the misty glass at her.

“Has this happened to you? With your parents?”

The woman held her icy-white fingertips to the glass. She nodded.

“I went through this for years,” she said. “When I finally realised what was happening, I had to leave them.”

“You left your family?” asked Cherise.

“Yes.” The woman stared at Cherise. “For many years now. But I am not alone. I have a new family.”

She came closer to the glass. An expression of longing on her face.

“Let me in, Cherise. Let me in. We can talk.”

But still, Cherise had that nagging doubt.

“I think maybe I need to find my mother…”

“No!”

The woman’s face was practically touching the glass.

“You need to talk with me. You can trust me. Just let me in.”

Just then, the door opened to Cherise’s room. Her mother standing by the doorway.

“Cherise, who are you talking to?”

Her mother, all sleepy-eyed, squinting at her daughter in the dimly lit room.

Then her eyes focused on the pale, ghost-like figure floating outside the window.

“Cherise, get away from the window!” she called out.

“I need to talk to someone,” said Cherise. “Someone who understands me.”

Let me in……

Cherise’s hand on the latch of the window. Her fingers prising open the lever.

Let me in Cherise…

Her mother rushed towards her in a panic.

“No, Cherise! Don’t open the window! Get away from there!”

Cherise now in a daze as she pulled the lever open.

“You never talk to me. You or Dad. All we do is shout at each other.”

The pale woman outside, her arms open wide, two small fangs appearing at the sides of her mouth.

Then Cherise slid the window open.

“Come in,” she said.