Iris a university student has a new neighbour that has moved next door last night. She didn’t know what to think of him yet as he looked 19 but 40 at the same time. Iris decided to be a good neibour and bake some cookies she mixed in a generous amount of chocolate chips and waiting against the oven that was as hot as the sun. “Bing” they were cooked. Excited she walked towards the door with a hop in her step full of curiosity wanting to meet him. Iris hesitated for a moment they she knocked on the door in three powerful knocks. He opened the door. His eye twitched but Iris didn’t think anything of it, he greeted himself as Thomas Hatt. He invited Iris in with a big smile that she couldn’t tell was scary or genuine. They sat down at the dining table with one cactus in between them. They got talking and Iris said “there’s a fly near your eye” but he didn’t react until he processed what she said. Thomas blinked twice that was hard and on purpose. Iris thought “are you for real?”. Iris was anxious and quickly found an excuse to get out. She didn’t look back. She trembled back to her dorm and locked the door behind her scared and worried not knowing what would happen next. She rushed back to her room wanting to escape from Thomas. Iris pushed and shoved her wardrobe against the wooden scratched door that wasn’t scratched last night. However, Iris is panicking to much to realise. The next morning at 3:00 am she woke up to Thomas saying phases over and ove again like it was being rehearsed. Iris thought “are you for real”.
‘Are you for real?’ by Grace, Year 10, Penwortham Girls’ High School
