Remember when you were young and you would come home a little later than you were supposed to and you'd forget about the stupid floorboard creak in the living room and it would totally bust you? Maybe that does describe you and maybe it doesn't, but I bet you can remember at least one creak from the house you grew up in. We're older now, and don't have to worry about getting busted by accidentally stepping on a nark, but you probably still know exactly where each floorboard creak is in your home. I do too.
I live in an old house--one that is full of floorboard creaks. Each creak has its own character and seems to say something different. The creak that is a step or two into the living room from the kitchen says, "Ouuuuch." At least, that's what it sounds like. And the one by my recliner says, "Welcome home." I'm not kidding. Well, it probably could be any three syllable phrase, but after all these years, I'm pretty sure I can understand its voice.
Each creak has a unique voice, and each one invokes a different emotion in me when I'm actually paying attention. The creak by my front door seems to be a cheery sendoff. When I come home, that same creak brings a sense of comfort, almost as if the house has been waiting for me. There's a creak by my bedroom door that I'm not all that fond of. I've never really liked going to bed at night, so it sort of mocks me when I finally decide to do so, and I'm not really a morning person, so it continues to mock me as I leave my bedroom to start the day.
Whenever I go into somebody's house or apartment, I often wonder what their floorboard creaks are going to say. It takes a while to know their voice and to understand their personality. And sometimes they are a little shy. They seem to prefer their residents over strangers and I understand that, but it's still fun to try to figure them out.
