THE GIRL IN THE LITTLE BLUE HOUSE
Written by Abigail Mangum
There was nothing Anna wanted more than to be understood. Her whole life she had been underestimated, judged before anyone even bothered to get to know her. She couldn’t even go to her parents for anything, because she knew she would only be criticized even more. She felt trapped, alone in her own little prison cell. Would there ever be anyone who could hold her close, listening to everything she had to say about what she was going through? Anna tried to stay positive, but as she neared high school, she began giving up hope.
It all starts in a little blue house on the corner of Glendale and Cole. A newborn baby is brought home on January 19th, 1992, and her name is Anna Lynn Kramer. She grows up in that little blue house, raised with good standards and a life to fulfill. But as the little girl Anna enters elementary school, everything changes. The once confident little toddler suddenly turns into a shy, timid girl. All the kids at school make fun of her, making her self-esteem take a sudden plunge into nothingness. Every day she lies to her parents saying she has tons of friends when really she kicks a pebble around the play area, taking in the teasing and pointing from the other boys and girls.
In third grade Anna made one friend, and his name was Michael. He was a boy from Africa who spoke barely any English, but he seemed to understand everything Anna said. He noticed how lonely she was, so he built up the courage to befriend her and stand up for her whenever she was teased by the others, which was quite often. He held her hand when she was depressed, played tetherball with her when she needed another player for the game. At their age no one knew what love was. To them, it was cooties and the most disgusting thing they’d ever heard. It wasn’t until Michael and Anna walked through the doors of Springfield Middle School that they realized they were deeply in love, even from the time they’d first met.
Michael’s English was much more fluent by 6th grade, so he was able to make new friends and new acquaintances. He still stood by Anna’s side, but he was meeting new people and couldn’t be with her all the time like he was in elementary school. So, he left and joined a different crowd of kids, leaving Anna in the dust. Confused and even lonelier, Anna found herself sitting with no one nearby at the lunch table or walking around yearning for a friend at break time. She was not the type who cried; in fact, she didn’t shed her first tear until 8th grade, the year Michael died.
Sure, he may have left her for a different group of kids, but Anna still cared for him more than anything else. When she found out he had been hit by a car on one of the busiest intersections in town, she went home and sobbed for hours. Her only friend, killed. She couldn’t picture it. This couldn’t be real. But then it hit her. This is the real world, she thought, and I have been faced with one of the hardest trials of my life.
Anna couldn’t sleep after Michael’s death. She spent her sleepless nights mourning for something miraculous to happen to her, something that would take her conflicted life upwards to a “happily ever after” ending. No matter how positive she tried to stay, she realized she was officially alone. She was invisible. When she walked down the halls at school no one would turn to look at her. Anna almost liked it this way. She didn’t want anyone seeing her shame or her sorrow. But as everyone was preparing with excitement for high school, Anna was frightened of what was to come. High school would be just as challenging as middle school, and if that weren’t enough, she would be kicked out of her childhood in four years and be faced with reality. And this time, she would be on her own without any guidance. No parents, no teachers, no anyone. This scared Anna even more.
The story skips ahead to August 31st, 2006, the day Anna saunters through the doors of Springfield High. She avoids sight of anyone who makes eye contact with her. She can’t bear to be noticed by anyone. But she is. She accidentally runs into a tall, handsome boy who Anna has never met before. She drops her books, and they scatter all over the floor. The boy has a perfect smile with snow white teeth and pretty blue eyes. She stares dumbly at his face. He speaks.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized, offering to pick up her books for her. “Didn’t see you there.” Again, I go unnoticed, Anna thought. Once he had picked up all her books and given them back to her, he asked, “What’s your name?”
Anna trembled with anxiety, causing her to drop her books again. The boy laughed and gathered them up once again. “Eager beaver, are you not?” She smiled weakly, embarrassed by the impression she has made on this boy.
“Anna,” she managed to croak, holding her hand out for him to shake. “That’s my name.” The boy gratefully took it.
“I’m Kellen.”
“Nice to meet you…Kellen.” Just saying the name gave Anna the chills.
“You look lost. Can I help you to your first class?”
Even though she had a map around the school, Anna accepted his offer. He took her hand and together they went up several flights of stairs. Many people stared as they walked past fellow students. A few of them whistled and cheered, which surprised Anna.
“Kellen, what are you doing with a 9th grader?” one student asked.
“Helping her to her class,” he confidently replied. He squeezed Anna’s hand harder and led her to Room 204, ignoring the students’ remarks.
“Well, here you are,” he said when they reached their destination. He opened the door for her and helped her into her desk.
“What grade are you in?” Anna asked. She immediately felt stupid after asking such a question.
“I’m a senior.”
Anna stared blankly.
“Is there something wrong?”
“No, not at all. I just…thought you were younger than that.”
Kellen laughed. “That’s okay. I’ll see you soon?”
“Yeah.”
He took her hand and kissed it softly. Then he walked out of the room, leaving Anna dumbfounded. She could feel herself blushing. She was experiencing a familiar feeling she’d shared with Michael.
Michael, Anna thought. Oh, Michael. I need you right here. Her dreamy thoughts suddenly turned into misery. She desperately missed her friend, her first love. How could she forget about him and turn to Kellen? She wouldn’t let herself betray the memories she and Michael had had. Without those memories she was nothing.
For the rest of the day Anna secluded herself from everyone else. She avoided Kellen as best she could, although he was constantly searching for her between classes and at breaks. Finally he caught sight of her at lunch and rushed to stop her.
“Anna!” he called, stopping the girl of his dreams in her tracks. She turned to see his flawless face staring right back at her. His aqua blue eyes were filled with worry. He had been anxious to see her all morning.
“What?” Anna snapped, backing away from Kellen.
“Why have you been avoiding me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” As she said this she stared straight into his eyes, which now were full of confusion.
“Do you have a problem with me? Because I would be more than happy to leave you alone.”
Anna instantly snapped back to reality. “No, stay here. I’m okay. I-I’m just having a rough day.” And that she was.
“Here, come with me.” He took her hand and led her to his brand new car, a Jeep Cherokee. He opened the passenger door for her and settled her in. Once he had revved up the engine they drove off to the nearest Subway. They both ordered 6-inch sandwiches and sat down at the table right next to the window.
“Tell me more about you,” Kellen said, taking a huge bite of out his pastrami sandwich. “And then I’ll tell you my story.”
Anna had so many things she wanted to tell him, but she didn’t completely trust him. Then she asked herself, Why not? He looks like the type of guy you can go to for anything. Finally she decided she would only tell half of her story.
“Well, I was born and raised here in Springfield. I’m pretty much your everyday girl. Average parents, average life-“ She stopped herself at that moment. She did not have an average life at all. She had the worst life anyone could imagine. She felt like spilling everything out, but she managed to hold it in. She continued. “There’s nothing that interesting about me, really.”
“I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but you look like you’ve had a fascinating past,” said Kellen. “That’s why I even bothered to ask your name this morning. I’m intrigued by you.”
Immediately after Kellen said those words, an African-American boy around Anna’s age and his friends turned the corner walking together and laughing. As she looked closer, she realized that this was no ordinary boy. It was Michael.
*
Again, Anna couldn’t sleep that night. She tossed and turned, got tangled in her sheets, and ended up lying on the floor next to her little terrier Sniffles. She couldn’t take her mind off of Michael. She had truly seen him. He was in true person form, with eyes as real as any human being’s. There was no mistake that it was him. She would have jumped right up and run after him that day at Subway, but she felt glued to her seat, like there was someone holding her down.
Finally, at 3 AM, Anna dozed off into a disturbed sleep.
For the next three days she couldn’t focus in class. While everyone else took notes for their lesson she would fiddle around with her pencil. She would roll it back and forth, back and forth. She would chew on it occasionally, just to see what it tasted like. She became much more aware of any sound made. If a sudden beep was heard, Anna’s instincts would instantly jerk on and would turn to see the cause of the noise. This went on for days until finally a teacher reported home to her parents that she was becoming a distraction to her class. This didn’t stop Anna.
Kellen still searched for her whenever he could. Usually he didn’t find her because she was so small, so petite for a girl her age. Whenever he asked someone where she was, no one knew because they had no idea that she was even a student at the school. It was as if she was invisible and only he could feel her presence.
One bright September day he found her sitting on the memorial bench just outside of school grounds. It was a special bench commemorating Springfield’s first mayor. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she was still near. He sat next to her. Neither one of them spoke.
After a few moments, Anna said, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Kellen was puzzled.
“I’ve been avoiding you.”
“But why?”
“I wish I could tell you.”
“You can trust me. I’m always here for you.”
“It’s complicated.”
“I’m sure I can understand.”
No response.
“Tell me.”
Finally, Anna commenced her long story.
“I’ve been treated like a broken toy my whole life. I’m worthless, nothing of any good to this world. I live a private life, doing my own things when I want to. I’ve only had one friend, and his name was Michael. He and I fell in love in middle school, but in 8th grade he died of a car crash and now I feel like I’m in my own little cramped box. But I thought I saw Michael on the day we went to Subway. Remember that? Anyway, I think I was just hallucinating, but he seemed so real. Now I think I’m paranoid and bipolar. And I’m just so sorry I didn’t tell you.”
There were a few moments of silence.
The next moment Kellen was holding Anna close, rocking her back and forth. He kissed her forehead and promised her that she would be okay, that he would always be there to listen to her thoughts about life and her complaints and anything she had to say.
And that was all Anna needed.
She closed her eyes, taking in the warmth of Kellen. She felt like no one could get in her way, like Kellen was her human shield. Then she opened her eyes, and there, standing in the middle of the field, was Michael. He was staring right at her with intense brown eyes. Anna started to panic.
“Kellen,” she whispered. “There he is.”
He looked up to see a tall, slender African-American boy with a purple shirt, jeans, and fancy Nikes observing the two of them. This was when he got defensive.
“I’ll get him.” Kellen stood up and started walking towards him.
“No!” Anna called after him. She stood up and started following him. “He won’t do you any harm!”
Kellen approached the boy with nostrils flared, teeth clenched. He almost felt like punching this nonchalant kid but kept his cool. After all, Anna knew him, and he didn’t want to disappoint her.
“Are you Michael?” Kellen asked.
“I believe so,” the boy replied. “And you are?”
“Kellen.”
Anna stood close behind him. She was almost scared of this boy.
“Who’s the girl?” Michael demanded. “She looks familiar.”
She stepped out from behind Kellen. She gasped. It was Michael.
The boy looked surprised, too. “Anna?”
“Michael?” She felt the urge to go in for a hug but stayed back.
He chuckled and said, “Well, look what you’ve done with your life. You went from the shyest girl I knew to getting him.” He motioned towards Kellen. “I’m impressed.”
Anna ignored him. “I thought you were dead.”
“Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Just keep thinking of me and I'll always be here."
She shook her head. "You can't be dead. You're too real." All of a sudden Anna found herself saying, “I missed you.”
“Same to you, but I think it’s best we go our own ways.”
“Are you saying you’re going to leave again?”
“I’ll always be with you. You just won’t be able to see me.”
Anna almost lunged after him, but she couldn't be too sure if he was real or not. After all, she had found a good life for herself, and Michael was just a stepping stone. She couldn’t help but grin.
Michael laughed, smiled broadly, and walked off, never to be seen again.
EPILOGUE
To this day Anna still wonders about Michael, but she doesn’t let it take over her happiness. Because of him she was able to discover her true purpose in life, and to her, it was a great one. She was given the chance to meet the boy of her dreams, to accomplish the many goals she had set as a young girl. And now she is living happily in her own little blue house with her own family.
Where will life take her next? No one knows.
