*This is entry #3 of a self imposed challenge to post something everyday for 30 days straight. It's a short story written by Hussain Al-Khalil. Leave some feedback and come back daily to see what he posts for his month long challenge*
"Around the swing we go no fear,
In our family the love shall stay,
to keep the witch from here,
locked in the forest near,
We gather 'round and pray,
Keep us all safe this day"
A group of young girls play in the backyard. A Jenkins family reunion is taking place over the weekend. All of the grown siblings and their mother with there own kids.
The grown ups sit in the house together drinking. They each go upstairs into their widowed mothers room. She sits in her wheel chair on the balcony exit of her room. She sit there, still.
All of them daughters. They lay the blanket over her.
Sharon, the older.
Brianna, the middle child.
Tracy, the youngest.
They sit with their mother, who is suffering in her elder years.
This is the evening of her and her late husbands reunion. No men in this immediate family, the burden of life shouldered by the women.
The mother begins to cry as Tracy and Sharon console her.
"I'll prepare dinner", Brianna says.
Brianna calls for the little girls to come inside and than goes inside toward the kitchen.
Their mother sobs.
"I'm sorry", the Mother says.
"It's ok", Sharon says.
"No, not it's not. He's back. I've seen him. Julius."
Sharon's eyes widen.
She turns on the faucet at the sink.
Blood pours out instead. Brianna steps away in a rush.
The kids walk in, seeing the blood pouring. They scream
Tracy runs down the stairs.
"That happened a long time ago mom, you shouldn't beat yourself up for that", Sharon says.
"And I saw him again. He told me he wanted us together. To meet with him and your father. He's the one who took him", The mother says.
"What are you saying?!"
"Your brother, he's been with me. And now he is with us. Together."
The lights go off throughout the house. Downstairs Tracy and Brianna hold the kids in their arms. The water stops flowing. The lights switch on and off.
A boy appears in the hallway and steps forward toward them. As he steps forward he jumps from youth to a grown man, crippled arms and monstrous face.
Their mothers chair rushes down the stairs, their mother still in it. Sharon runs after her. The figure stops
"All together again", says Julius as he turns toward his mother, smiling.
"You all have grown so nicely. My beautiful sisters. Are these my nieces how they've grown. They're older than I even was!"
The house trembles under their feet.
"You haven't told them what you did to me did you? What you all did. What all my older sisters did to me!"
Tracy cries.
"Shut up!"
In fact let me show you how it felt being tormented as you grew into such lovely women.
The basement door flies open. Tracy and Brianna are dragged on the ground into the basement. Julius grabs Sharon, launching her into the basement staircase. The door slams shut, door knob locked. They bang on the door. It doesn't budge. Julius stands in front of their children, his nieces. A monstrous smile over his face as his mother watches on.
To be continued.....