- Life of MAE : volume one -

Mae Borowski ran down the stairs of her home, filled with excitement and curiosity. She lived in the attic of her home, and to her it was her world, her own place, and the best and biggest space in the whole building. It was hers, and it only became hers because of her Grandfather encouraging her parents to give her her own space, she was only 6 1/2, but as her Grandfather would say, "the future is purchased by the present" and Mae, well, Mae was special in her own way. As she reached the first floor of her home, consisting of her parents and her grandfathers rooms, a bird squeaked at her, cawing, trying to mute her happiness. Mae glared at her parents bird, and then continued. On the ground floor she was met with cheers from her mother, Candy Borowski, and her father, Stan Borowski with his sister-in law, Molly, a policewoman. Candy snapped a Polaroid of Mae as she turned to face them in her newly bought clothes, Mae posed and laughed she then ran to her father and hugged him. It was her first day of Elementary School, to Mae, it was the next step in her life to having more authority, to her parents, it was their baby girl growing up. Stan picked up Mae and kissed her, "My little girl!" he exclaimed, he kissed her forehead and Mae squirmed in his arms, causing him to put her down. "Daaad, stop" Mae said laughing, wiping her forehead with her sleeve. "Hey, Mae stop that, those clothes are brand new you don't want them being dirty on the first day do we?" Candy asked, Mae laughed and shook her head. Candy turned to place the photograph on the fridge with a magnet, as they all looked on at it slowly coming into light, Mae heard a noise from behind her, a cough. Mae turned, and saw her grandfather standing in the doorway to the living room, he held a walking stick in his hand and had an arched back, he smiled at her, and turned to enter the room, Mae could tell he was asking her to join him. Mae left the group and went to go and sit with her grandfather, she loved him, and looked up to him. Granddad sat on the couch and watched as Mae joined him, he took her hand, and looked into her eye. "I wanted to give you something," he exclaimed, Mae looked on with curiosity as he pulled an item from inside his coat pocket. A book. A small torn apart book that looks like it hasn't aged very well. He placed it in her hands and smiled. "This," he said, "Is what got me started, my father owned this story and when I was your age I took it from his library because he always warned me never to go near it, it just made me more curious as to what was inside," he opened it, and showed Mae the first page, signed with her great grandfathers name. Mae turned back to the cover and read aloud the title: "Stories from the Crypt, a collection of thriller filled tales," she smiled, and looked at him. "You mustn't let your parents know you have this," he said, "God knows what they may do to me, but I know you like my stories, and, like me, you've had a fascination with this type of stuff. The stories I tell you, they've originated from inside here. This book, is a part of me" "Are you sure you want me to have it?" Mae asked, she placed it back in his hands. "Yes, because now I think is the time you are old enough to know, as I say Mae, the future is purchased by the present." "But what do you mean?" Mae asked, "To know what?" "Margaret it's time to go!" Aunt Molly entered the room and looked at her niece, Granddad quickly slipped the book into her schoolbag, Mae turned to look at him and he patted the side of his nose and chuckled. "What have you been telling her?" Molly asked. Granddad laughed.