The Quiet House
Twelve years old and away from home for the first time, the narrator spends a night at the Bell house, where the kitchen clock stopped at 2:17.
House
The first strange thing I noticed at the Bell house was the kitchen clock.
It hung above the stove, round and yellowed, with painted apples around its face. Its hands had stopped at 2:17, but every few minutes it made a soft clicking sound, as if something inside it was still trying to move.
“Daddy says it hasn’t worked since before I was born,” my best friend Mara told me.
“Then why don’t you throw it away?”
She looked at me as if I had suggested throwing away the stove.
“Because it belongs here.”
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Quick answers about The Quiet House
What is The Quiet House about?
Twelve years old and away from home for the first time, the narrator spends a night at the Bell house, where the kitchen clock stopped at 2:17.
Is The Quiet House free to read?
Yes. Every story on RapidTale is free to read in the browser, with no sign-up and nothing to install.
How long does it take to read?
This story runs 1 chapter — most readers finish in one sitting, and you can stop and return to any chapter using the contents list.
Who wrote it?
Nimra Khan — original fiction published on RapidTale.