Silver Swan Apartments: Episode 1, Part 1
The apartment was small and dusty, the paint crumbling slowly off the walls. Brown water damage dripped down from the ceiling and the carpeting had unusual stains. The kitchen was a sun-worn 1950’s yellow with fake marble countertops and grease-stained, contact-papered cabinet doors. The bedroom wasn’t much better with a dirty screen falling out of the frame and a latch that was broken. The closet door didn’t open or close all the way and a black mold was creeping in the upper corners.
Clara sighed and stepped into her old apartment. Boxes were piled up in the hallway and in her bedroom and office almost up to her chin, but she hadn’t found a good apartment to move into. Her landlord was getting nervous and twitchy about putting an ad up for a new tenant, but she couldn’t seem to find a place any better than the one she’d leave.
She looked at her tired face in the bathroom mirror. Although she was young, the dark circles under her eyes made her look at least half a decade older. Her copper hair was flat as a pancake and drenched from the humidity, but her green eyes still sparkled in the light. She splashed some cold water on her lightly freckled face and cracked open a window in her office. She opened up the newspaper she had thrown on her desk that morning and flipped straight to the Classified Section.
She scanned the various ads, circling the ones in her area with a vibrant red pen. As she went down the list, a particular one caught her eye. She reread it.
Summerset—2BR, 1 BATH, view of lake, furnished. Air, prkg, balcony, garden. $500. Silver Swan Aptmts. 333-467-8009.
Summerset was a small drive away, but pretty much in the country. Very few cars, and it seemed like a pretty good deal to her. The rent was a little high, but she could afford it. She grabbed her purse and keys and set off down the stairs to where her car was parked on the street.
