Excerpt from The Eyes by Josie Gordon ‘20

Excerpt from The Eyes in the Wall of the Basement

The basement had eyes. The basement had eyes and in the dark Aline swore she could see them staring back at her. She carefully reached her hand out and pet the wall, knowing that, once again, she would feel nothing. Her hands traced over where The Eyes should be, imaging lashes and brows. The Eyes were brown, at least that’s how Aline liked to imagine them. They would sparkle in the sun; they would glow in the moonlight. They were Aline’s only friends. After months in the darkness, Aline woke up to discover that The Eyes had a mouth. It was a nice mouth. It wasn’t pink, or red, or mouth colored. Rather, it was the shadow of lips dipping under The Eyes. Aline sometimes pretended they were red, though. Not natural red, but cherry colored lipstick red. Maybe The Eyes were going out to a party. Eventually, Aline and The Eyes starting talking. Well technically, Aline and the mouth started talking, but Aline had been alone with The Eyes for so long that she thought of the mouth as just a subset of The Eyes, not their own thing. The Eyes had a deep husky voice, as if getting over a cold. Aline, on multiple occasions, had offered The Eyes a cough drop, before realizing that she lacked all basic essentials, and most definitely did not have a cough drop. “It’s coming soon,” The Eyes whispered to her one morning (at least Aline assumed it was morning. It was hard to tell when everything was always so dark). Aline scowled at The Eyes, questioning them in her head. The great thing about talking with The Eyes was that they didn’t require Aline to speak out loud. Just thinking was enough for her to get a response, which was very helpful considering how rough her voice was. “I can hear them,” The Eyes clarified. Aline tilted her head, trying to hear what The Eyes claimed they were hearing. She found herself crawling towards the basement door to hear better. The Eyes were right. Aline heard the light sounds of footsteps drawing

near. Usually, that sound alerted her to food. Once a morning and once a night (well, Aline guessed the food meant morning and night, but she couldn’t see the sun and so she was never fully sure), food would be placed by the door of the basement. The food was always slid in through some type of contraption. Somehow, the door never opened and no light ever came in. On multiple occasions Aline had waited by the door, trying to figure out how the food entered, but never once had she succeeded. “This isn’t food,” The Eyes told her. “There are too many voices.” Aline nodded in agreement; there were too many voices. During food time there were never any voices, just footsteps, but right now Aline could clearly hear someone screaming for help. The door creaked and Aline backed away from the door. The door creaked again, and then the room was bathed in light. Aline found herself wanting to look around, but the light stung and, against her want to see, she found herself groaning and curling up to block her eyes from the light. “Let me go!” a voice screamed. Not The Eyes, though. This voice was clear, not husky. It didn’t sound sick. The voice screamed again, and then there was a thud and the voice went quiet. Aline heard the door start to creak close and suddenly bolted upright, uncovering her eyes and trying to squint through the blinding brightness. Like a feral animal, Aline scrambled for the door, attempting to jam her hands in between before it shut. Just a second too late, Aline’s hands brushed against the closed door. Aline let out a wordless scream and felt tears building in the backs of her eyes. She didn’t care if they fell or not. She doubted The Eyes could see much better than her. “Hello?” the not-eyes said. Aline turned her head curiously, and her feet started walking in the direction of the voice. “I know someone else is down here. I saw you when I first came in.” The voice quivered. Aline wondered if it was scared. She was scared too, at first. Sometimes she wonders if she’s still scared. The Eyes tell her she’s not, and she believes them. It’s easier not to be scared, Aline’s decided. Aline walked

closer and closer to the struggled to get a thought to The Eyes. In the corner of the voice. It had stopped sound out and her Had she been in a room she heard Mila talking, but she could voice was more of a normal conversation, rustle. hear long and heavy growl than a coherent she guesses she would “Are you breaths coming from word. She cleared her have glared. Seeing as okay?” Mila asked. the corner of the throat and tried again, the room is so dark, Aline didn’t respond. room. Aline held her but she hadn’t used her expressions are kind of This didn’t concern hands out when she voice in a while and meaningless. The Eyes her. Aline turned her neared the voice. She it didn’t sound much can hear her thoughts, attention back to The could navigate pretty better. though, so they knew Eyes. They looked well in the dark room, “Lee?” Aline she was glaring and, almost red now, the but now there was a made a sound of really, that’s what mat- iris glowing with an new and unpredictable consent; it was close ters. almost ethereal light. thing in there with enough. “You’ve been Aline had never been her; Aline wanted to “How long alone for so long. A afraid of The Eyes be sure she wouldn’t have you been here? visitor only means bad before. step on it. Why is it so dark in news.” The Eyes had a “You’re going Aline’s hand here? Has it always point, Aline guessed. to have to make a brushed against been this dark? How But, god, she was choice,” The Eyes something warm, and do we get out?” Mila’s lonely. whispered. They that something yelped. voice raised in pitch “I want a seemed bigger than She assumed it was the and Aline felt the urge friend,” Aline thought. they had just seconds voice. It was shaking. to cover her ears. It She swore she could ago. Aline slowly Aline reached out and was too much at once. see The Eyes squinting raised her arm up, tapped what felt like “Hey, are you in annoyance. feeling the cold wall the shoulder of the okay?” Aline didn’t “She isn’t a where The Eyes should voice three times in a respond, instead de- friend, Aline. She’ll be. The pupil was way she hoped would ciding to stalk back to hurt you. I’m your bigger than her hand be comforting. her corner. There, The only friend. You can’t now, it seemed. “Me. “I’m Mila. Eyes awaited her. They trust her–” Or her.” What’s your name?” blinked. Aline blinked “You don’t The voice–no, Mila– with them. know that!” The stuttered. Even with “You can’t trust sound echoed through Josie Gordon ‘20 the stutters it sounded her,” The Eyes warned. the room and Aline beautiful. “You don’t flinched. She didn’t “Aline.” Aline know that,” Aline plan to speak out loud.