My Happy Home
You see a house haunted by the dead. A decaying derelict that should be brought down.
Where ghosts, ghoulies, and the boogeyman celebrate the evil that resides in the gloom.
I know what you see, but you’re wrong.
This is my home. A mansion filled with the laughter of children, and the truth that was my life.
Yes, I’m dead. But this place isn’t. It stands as a testament to survival and to my refusal to give up and hold tight that which was mine. For he belonged to me.
This home holds my memories of happiness, love, growth, and at times despair - but always love.
You can’t see the full picture, but I do.
I still see the forget-me-nots in bloom on the lattice of the back porch. I smile at the flutter of hummingbird wings as they search out the last drop of nectar from the flowers in an overflowing garden.
I remember my husband’s smile, and the joy we both felt when he carried me over the threshold of our first home together.
I recall the nights we made love as the moonlight streamed in the large bedroom windows, and the mornings we ate breakfast in bed unwilling to leave the other.
I’ll never forget my husband’s pride when our children were born and his shock when he found them dead in their beds.
His cheating heart needed punishing.
His plan to leave us thwarted, he returned to my arms.
Our last meal together, delicious but deadly.
Now we all reside here together forever.
My home built with love.
My family created in love.
Held dear and protected by me.
To you, it’s decaying and haunted, but in my eyes, it’s wholly happy and the most beautiful place on Earth.
Beware, for your intent to trespass is known, watched, and prepared for...
Turn around lest you end up part of the scenery.
319 words
Yolanda
Renée © 2020
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This went in a direction I didn't expect. Knowing the author I should have expected the unexpected. And I grieve for the truth hidden in the decaying walls and the masterly words.
ReplyDeleteBy now I should know how your mind works, Renee, but this is deep and dark and it fooled me. It needs another reading. I'll be back.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeletethe sadness of betrayal and what it can force a person to do when they are on the receiving end. You have beautifully portrayed the soul of a woman who would not accept her husband's desertion.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G
Yikes!!! That twist hit hard!! So well done :)
ReplyDeleteA wicked soul and one to be feared. Well written!
ReplyDeleteDang, Renee. You are a master of darkness! It's sad that she killed her whole family but also sad that she felt that was the only way to keep her family together. Why are people so horrible to one another? Great story.
ReplyDeleteOOOOOOOOOO... Horrific.... shivery .....
ReplyDeleteMore than dark and scary, this was sad. I liked how you Incorporated those images and the twist. Quite enjoyed this.
ReplyDeleteSonia from https://soniadogra.com
I always hated the myth of Medea, her children's murderess. Any sympathy I felt for the heroine of this story disappeared when I learned she killed her children because of her husband's infidelity. No infidelity could excuse murder. And her own kids - it makes me furious with her. Her husband was right to try to leave her. He should've done it sooner and taken his kids away from this homicidal bitch.
ReplyDeleteNot all is as dark as we see or imagine. Or maybe in this case it is. Beautifully written and at first a nice reminder we have to look beyond the nightmare, but then you added a dark twist in the tail. The flip side but homicide is never justified in such a situation - I agree with Olga, and never liked Medea. The Greeks had some thought-provoking plays on such themes.
ReplyDeleteDark, beautiful, poetic, deceptive. Loved this so much! Love can lead to drastic consequences.
ReplyDeleteLove can be a force for good but it can be used to unleash huge evil too. Loved the twist in the ending. Dark and shocking. Agree with Olga and Roland - Medea was never my cuddly favourite character! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't expect that... masterfully told!
ReplyDeleteCarole Stolz
Yikes, that was scary! Very dark and gripping. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhen it looked like a pure lament for a love known and lost I was ready to bawl. When you turned it, I breathed a sigh of relief! There are worse fates than loss.
ReplyDeleteThis was quite the ride! I enjoyed the way it went from the appearance of a beautiful story of love to something much darker and sinister. You are a master at these kinds of tales!
ReplyDelete*long, low whistle*
ReplyDeleteI love how it's all happy la la la, ...and then I killed everyone... 🤯
Great punch!
What a story. I thought you were going in the direction of the positive with the forget-me-nots and the moonlit nights of lovemaking. The thrill of fear crept down my spine at the dead children. Beautifully written, as Roland says.
ReplyDeleteYou have such a way with words, drawing the reader in and then you hit us with the twist. Great writing.
ReplyDeleteA truly dark tale, that is as captivating as it it dark. Well down
ReplyDeleteDark, yet awesome! Love it.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteShe's still watching... Abandon hope all ye who enter here...! Dark and evocative with so many emotions--love, betrayal, revenge. Murder is never the right answer, but as this shows, sometimes hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
ReplyDeleteThank you, everyone! This was such an interesting prompt, and I managed again to write two posts. I'm glad my muse was inspired. Now onto the next challenge. Hmmm shadows, that's got me thinking...
ReplyDelete