Short story #2: Between the Lines

© annie spratt

She first noticed them in building reflections: people who weren't there. Then, words whispered by the wind that no one else heard. On the third morning, she found a tiny key on the sidewalk. The keyhole was in the trunk of an ancient tree.

"At last," said the tree when she turned the key. "So long waiting for someone who could still see." The world opened like a book. She stepped inside. The door closed.

No one noticed her disappearance, except for a black cat that smiled.