Marsbert
04-27-04, 12:40PM
My short story for my Creative Writing Class:
(Yes I got the idea from one of Diva's headlines)
Safe With You
“I wonder what it could be?” Martha asked as she and Carol leaned on the wooden fence between their back yards. Beyond Carol, Martha could see her kids splashing and laughing in their large in-ground pool. Martha’s own children were non-existent, having had too many failed pregnancies than she cared to think about. She could feel the tiny pinch of jealousy in the back of her chest whenever she thought about how happy Carol was with Jim and their beautiful family, but whenever she did get that pinch, she distracted herself with her gardening. At least her own garden was twice the size of Carol’s.
Carol was intent on changing the subject, “how are your lilies doing?” She asked, “Are you going to enter them in the fair like always?”
“Maybe.” Martha replied indignantly. She didn’t like the tone Carol was using.
Carol must have sensed Martha’s growing annoyance with her, because she said something about making more lemonade and then pushed herself away from the fence. Martha watched lazily as she shuffled her kids from the pool and into the house. After a moment of staring blankly after them, Martha did the same.
Her husband Rob came home at the usual time, and they performed their nightly routine perfectly. Rob made sure to stay out of the kitchen when Martha was busy, and she steered clear of the TV once he had claimed the couch. After dinner, she went outside with her small glass of wine and sat on the front porch swing. As she rocked back and forth, the creaking of the chains and old wood coincided nicely with the beat of the noise that haunted their street. Creak, thump. Creak, thump. It was like a beat to a song only she could hear. Suddenly, Carol and Angie were at her steps. Martha smiled, “What can I do for you girls?”
Angie twitched, “Can I borrow your shovel?”
“Don’t you have one?” Martha asked.
She shook her head, “It broke last winter remember?”
“Oh, ok, I’ll be right back.” She made her way through the house and into the garage. She grabbed the shovel, came back to the front porch, and handed it to Angie.
“Thank you.” Angie said, and she turned around and left. Martha sat back on the swing and looked at Carol.
“Is she alright?” She asked.
Carol nodded as she leaned against the fence of the porch, “You know Angie, jittery as a bird.” Martha nodded. She finished her wine and Carol sat down next to her. “Are you alright? You seemed a bit down earlier.” She asked.
“Oh, I’m fine.”
Carol nodded and got up to leave, “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Martha went back inside and went up to bed since there was nothing else to do. Rob joined her a while later, but she was too fast asleep to notice. They awoke at three to a loud knocking from downstairs.
“Aren’t you gonna get it?” she asked sleepily.
He didn’t move, “Can you?”
“What if it’s a burglar or a crazy person?”
“I don’t think burglars or crazy people knock, hun.”
She threw the covers back angrily and grabbed her slippers. “If it’s for you I’m sending them up here to wake you up!” she called back as she headed down stairs.
She got to the door and could see it was Carol through the window. When she opened it she noticed that Carol was covered in dirt and mud.
“What happened to you?” she asked.
Carol was out of breath, “We found it! Get Rob, everyone’s out here already!”
Carol ran away, so Martha screamed up the stairs for Rob and ran outside. He caught up with her, and they joined the large crowd down the street. When they got to the crowd, a path was made and Martha and Rob were allowed to step to the front, where Carol and Angie were on their hands and knees in front of a huge hole in the ground.
“My shovel!” Martha yelled. Angie ignored her.
“It’s down here!” Carol shouted in a panic. She dangled her legs into the hole and then jumped down, disappearing.”
“What’s down there?” Someone shouted from the back of the crowd.
“Can you smell that?” Someone else asked.
Carol didn’t say anything right away. The only thing visible from the street was the top of her blonde head and a little light from her flashlight. When she finally got out and stand in front of them, she looked horrified.
“Carol?” Angie called. Carol looked at her slowly, her eyes wide and empty. Without saying anything, she slowly lifted up a rag soaked in blood. She took a step towards Martha and Martha fell backwards to get away from it.
“What is it?” Angie asked from behind Carol. Carol turned, still holding the bleeding rag. Carol came towards her, and Angie was suddenly on the ground, crying..
“What is it!?” someone shouted from the back of the group.
Carol’s cheeks were streaked with tears and she pointed at Martha accusingly. “It’s hers!!” she shouted. Martha felt her heart skip a beat and her lungs clenched up. She saw out of the corner of her eye Rob lowering himself into the hole.
“Rob!” Martha called. She ran to the edge of the hole, but he was too far in. After a moment he climbed out.
“What is it?” she asked.
He straightened his back and glared at her, “I don’t believe you” he said.
“What?”
“You did this! It’s you!” He yelled. She felt her body shake uncontrollably. Rob turned to the rest of their neighbors. “It’s a tunnel.” He said. There was a silent, stinging tingle in the back of her chest and Martha began to fall back from the crowd. “It’s a tunnel from our basement. They used to use it in the underground railroad. There’s an old safe down there and the door is open. That was what the noise was, the door banging.”
“What was in it!?” someone asked.
Rob glared at Martha as she looked frantically from face to face.
“Our babies.” He said..
She shook her head. “No.”
He continued, “We got pregnant three years ago with our first baby. Martha had a miscarriage at five months. I wasn’t there, I was away on a business trip. We got pregnant again and again, and I always wondered why I was never there when it happened. You were getting rid of them? Putting them down there? What is the matter with you!?”
She clutched at her heart and thought she might faint at any moment. Her chest rose and fell as quickly as the watch on her wrist ticked, and her legs and feet felt numb underneath her. “No!” she cried. Her neighbors seemed to be all around her, blocking her way out, keeping the air from getting in. Then, it all seemed to stop. She felt herself moving, breathing, shouting, but it seemed to be going in slow motion. The people around her, people she knew and had been friendly with for years, were saying things to her that she couldn’t understand. “It’s not my fault” she began to say softly, then louder, and louder, until she screamed it over everything. The silence was deafening, pounding in her ears. She sighed, “It wasn’t my fault. I loved them so much, but they didn’t love me. I couldn’t just…..throw them away.” She sobbed.
“You’re disgusting.” Rob shouted, slapping her across the face. She looked, but she couldn’t see him through the tears in her eyes. She couldn’t form words, it felt like her brain had stopped. He raised a hand to her again and she cringed. After a moment, she peeked through her fingers and gawked as her neighbors were lifting Rob up above them.
Suddenly Carol was at her side. “I’m so sorry Martha.” She said, taking her hand. Angie took her other hand. “Let’s get you inside.” she said sweetly.
They led her back towards her home, and she wondered what was happening to Rob, but she didn’t dare look back.
If she had looked back, she would have seen the mob swallow the kicking and screaming Rob beneath them until there was nothing there. She would have seen them throw him in the hole and throw the dirt in on him. But she didn’t see, she didn’t see any of it. And she went back to her house, and went back to bed.
(Yes I got the idea from one of Diva's headlines)
Safe With You
“I wonder what it could be?” Martha asked as she and Carol leaned on the wooden fence between their back yards. Beyond Carol, Martha could see her kids splashing and laughing in their large in-ground pool. Martha’s own children were non-existent, having had too many failed pregnancies than she cared to think about. She could feel the tiny pinch of jealousy in the back of her chest whenever she thought about how happy Carol was with Jim and their beautiful family, but whenever she did get that pinch, she distracted herself with her gardening. At least her own garden was twice the size of Carol’s.
Carol was intent on changing the subject, “how are your lilies doing?” She asked, “Are you going to enter them in the fair like always?”
“Maybe.” Martha replied indignantly. She didn’t like the tone Carol was using.
Carol must have sensed Martha’s growing annoyance with her, because she said something about making more lemonade and then pushed herself away from the fence. Martha watched lazily as she shuffled her kids from the pool and into the house. After a moment of staring blankly after them, Martha did the same.
Her husband Rob came home at the usual time, and they performed their nightly routine perfectly. Rob made sure to stay out of the kitchen when Martha was busy, and she steered clear of the TV once he had claimed the couch. After dinner, she went outside with her small glass of wine and sat on the front porch swing. As she rocked back and forth, the creaking of the chains and old wood coincided nicely with the beat of the noise that haunted their street. Creak, thump. Creak, thump. It was like a beat to a song only she could hear. Suddenly, Carol and Angie were at her steps. Martha smiled, “What can I do for you girls?”
Angie twitched, “Can I borrow your shovel?”
“Don’t you have one?” Martha asked.
She shook her head, “It broke last winter remember?”
“Oh, ok, I’ll be right back.” She made her way through the house and into the garage. She grabbed the shovel, came back to the front porch, and handed it to Angie.
“Thank you.” Angie said, and she turned around and left. Martha sat back on the swing and looked at Carol.
“Is she alright?” She asked.
Carol nodded as she leaned against the fence of the porch, “You know Angie, jittery as a bird.” Martha nodded. She finished her wine and Carol sat down next to her. “Are you alright? You seemed a bit down earlier.” She asked.
“Oh, I’m fine.”
Carol nodded and got up to leave, “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Martha went back inside and went up to bed since there was nothing else to do. Rob joined her a while later, but she was too fast asleep to notice. They awoke at three to a loud knocking from downstairs.
“Aren’t you gonna get it?” she asked sleepily.
He didn’t move, “Can you?”
“What if it’s a burglar or a crazy person?”
“I don’t think burglars or crazy people knock, hun.”
She threw the covers back angrily and grabbed her slippers. “If it’s for you I’m sending them up here to wake you up!” she called back as she headed down stairs.
She got to the door and could see it was Carol through the window. When she opened it she noticed that Carol was covered in dirt and mud.
“What happened to you?” she asked.
Carol was out of breath, “We found it! Get Rob, everyone’s out here already!”
Carol ran away, so Martha screamed up the stairs for Rob and ran outside. He caught up with her, and they joined the large crowd down the street. When they got to the crowd, a path was made and Martha and Rob were allowed to step to the front, where Carol and Angie were on their hands and knees in front of a huge hole in the ground.
“My shovel!” Martha yelled. Angie ignored her.
“It’s down here!” Carol shouted in a panic. She dangled her legs into the hole and then jumped down, disappearing.”
“What’s down there?” Someone shouted from the back of the crowd.
“Can you smell that?” Someone else asked.
Carol didn’t say anything right away. The only thing visible from the street was the top of her blonde head and a little light from her flashlight. When she finally got out and stand in front of them, she looked horrified.
“Carol?” Angie called. Carol looked at her slowly, her eyes wide and empty. Without saying anything, she slowly lifted up a rag soaked in blood. She took a step towards Martha and Martha fell backwards to get away from it.
“What is it?” Angie asked from behind Carol. Carol turned, still holding the bleeding rag. Carol came towards her, and Angie was suddenly on the ground, crying..
“What is it!?” someone shouted from the back of the group.
Carol’s cheeks were streaked with tears and she pointed at Martha accusingly. “It’s hers!!” she shouted. Martha felt her heart skip a beat and her lungs clenched up. She saw out of the corner of her eye Rob lowering himself into the hole.
“Rob!” Martha called. She ran to the edge of the hole, but he was too far in. After a moment he climbed out.
“What is it?” she asked.
He straightened his back and glared at her, “I don’t believe you” he said.
“What?”
“You did this! It’s you!” He yelled. She felt her body shake uncontrollably. Rob turned to the rest of their neighbors. “It’s a tunnel.” He said. There was a silent, stinging tingle in the back of her chest and Martha began to fall back from the crowd. “It’s a tunnel from our basement. They used to use it in the underground railroad. There’s an old safe down there and the door is open. That was what the noise was, the door banging.”
“What was in it!?” someone asked.
Rob glared at Martha as she looked frantically from face to face.
“Our babies.” He said..
She shook her head. “No.”
He continued, “We got pregnant three years ago with our first baby. Martha had a miscarriage at five months. I wasn’t there, I was away on a business trip. We got pregnant again and again, and I always wondered why I was never there when it happened. You were getting rid of them? Putting them down there? What is the matter with you!?”
She clutched at her heart and thought she might faint at any moment. Her chest rose and fell as quickly as the watch on her wrist ticked, and her legs and feet felt numb underneath her. “No!” she cried. Her neighbors seemed to be all around her, blocking her way out, keeping the air from getting in. Then, it all seemed to stop. She felt herself moving, breathing, shouting, but it seemed to be going in slow motion. The people around her, people she knew and had been friendly with for years, were saying things to her that she couldn’t understand. “It’s not my fault” she began to say softly, then louder, and louder, until she screamed it over everything. The silence was deafening, pounding in her ears. She sighed, “It wasn’t my fault. I loved them so much, but they didn’t love me. I couldn’t just…..throw them away.” She sobbed.
“You’re disgusting.” Rob shouted, slapping her across the face. She looked, but she couldn’t see him through the tears in her eyes. She couldn’t form words, it felt like her brain had stopped. He raised a hand to her again and she cringed. After a moment, she peeked through her fingers and gawked as her neighbors were lifting Rob up above them.
Suddenly Carol was at her side. “I’m so sorry Martha.” She said, taking her hand. Angie took her other hand. “Let’s get you inside.” she said sweetly.
They led her back towards her home, and she wondered what was happening to Rob, but she didn’t dare look back.
If she had looked back, she would have seen the mob swallow the kicking and screaming Rob beneath them until there was nothing there. She would have seen them throw him in the hole and throw the dirt in on him. But she didn’t see, she didn’t see any of it. And she went back to her house, and went back to bed.