Prompt: "What happened?", asked my mother.
“What happened?” asked my mother.
I had hurled the door open and dashed inside, breathless and disheveled. The rain outside was an endless torrent since late evening. Blurring the neighborhood and the garden. We could see nothing clearly beyond the porch.
My jacket was drenched and more droplets of water trickled on the carpet as I swept the hoodie over my head with shaky hands. She tried to hold my gaze but my eyes darted about in panic. The force of what had just occurred was yet to fully register.
As I shrugged off the jacket it slid to the floor in a heap. In a daze, I walked over to the doorway leading to my room and froze. The walls started to close in. My vision swam.The sound of the rain and thunder seemed to amplify while the soft glow from the chandelier dimmed further. The buzz in my ears was unbearable. Weakly, as I covered them with my palms, a wave of nausea overpowered me and I slumped onto the floor. The world turned black as I heard my mother call out to me frantically.
When I regained consciousness,found myself on my bed, a tucked away under the warm quilts. I tried to sit up even as a pounding headache was coming on. My mother's concerned face stared at me. I knew I had to keep my secret hidden. But the guilt and anxiety were eating away at me. I wondered if she could see through it all.
Her voice brought me back to reality. "What's going on, sweetie? You can tell me anything."
I forced a smile, trying to reassure her that everything was fine. But deep down, I knew I was living a lie, and today’s incident would haunt me forever.
*****
Mrs. Hortense Wormwood would lounge on her porch, her eyes scanning the street with an air of perpetual curiosity. Her silver hair was styled in a tight perm, and her floral print dress was cinched at the waist with a wide leather belt. She clutched a cup of coffee in one hand and a wagging tongue in the other.
Taking slow sips, she had all the time as she watched the world go by.She'd often remark to anyone within earshot, "I saw the Jones's kid getting into a car with a suspicious person last night," or "I heard the Wilsons are having financial troubles." Her words were laced with a sugary sweetness, but her eyes gleamed with a knowing glint and a spiteful satisfaction deep down.
She'd often "accidentally" water her plants while keeping an eye on the next door neighbors, or "just happen" to be walking her fluffy Pomeranian, Fifi, at the same time to bump into two friendly neighbours chatting across the fence. Her antennae were always up, tuning in to the latest gossip and rumors.
Mrs. Hortense Wormwood, as detestable as her last name was the neighborhood's resident information hub, doling out tidbits and half-truths with a smile. But beneath her unassuming demeanor lay a sharp, sneaky mind, always analyzing, ready to pounce on the latest scoop.
Her eyes would light up at the sight of a commotion, and she'd hasten to join the gathering crowd, asking pointed questions and offering unsolicited opinions. When the dust settled, she'd be the one spreading the news, her version of events often becoming the accepted truth.
****
With a calculating gaze, she'd watch me too taking note of every detail, every move. And when she'd gathered enough ammo, she'd strike, her words dripping with malice, her intentions sinister.
Hortense Wormwood's relentless badgering had worn me down extensively, her constant poking and prodding–piercing my defenses. My patience had frayed like a threadbare rope, each snapping strand leaving me more vulnerable to the deluge of emotions swirling within.
"I've noticed you've been getting a lot of visitors lately. Who's the lucky man in your life, hmm?" The smirk was unmistakable.
"Just friends, Mrs. Wormwood. Nothing to get excited about." I tried to be as uninteresting as possible but she was like a leech.
"Oh, don't be coy, dear. I have eyes and ears. I know all about the late-night trysts. You'd better be careful, or you'll ruin your reputation. I know all about poor Lois…and you know what I mean…” her grin twisted her face further.
"There's nothing to tell, Mrs. Wormwood. Please just leave me alone."
"I'm just looking out for you, dear. But if you're not going to confide in me, maybe I'll just have to spread the word around…Lois’s parents need to know unless you…let's talk about money shall we, to bury your secret forever?”
"Stop it, Mrs. Wormwood. You're being ridiculous."
"Ridiculous? Ha! I'm just getting started. You'd better watch your step, or I'll make sure everyone in this neighborhood gets to the bottom of that business."
Hortense's grip on my wrist was a vice as I tried to move away and it only tightened– trapping me. Suffocated by her incessant demands and sly insinuations the air was thick with tension, heavy with the weight of unspoken threats and veiled warnings. My world had shrunk immensely.
Her words hung in the air, and Hortense's smile twitched for a moment before she walked away.
In a moment of desperation, I whispered a silent plea, my heart heavy with a toxic mix of anger and despair. My frustration and desperation only took deep root as Hortense's badgering continued over the weeks and then eating away into the months.
*****
Today, Hortense Wormwood had stepped off the curb, her eyes fixed on Lois’s house with an unnerving intensity.It looked like she would make good her threat and reveal all to the Robinsons.. I had been driving home when I saw her. I knew I had to act fast. When she stepped into the street, I floored it. She didn't notice a car approaching, its headlights illuminating the darkening street.
Time seemed to slow as Hortense's gaze met mine, a fleeting glance that held a mix of fear and freeze. Then, in a split second, everything changed. The car's fender connected with Hortense's frail frame. It clipped her with a sickening thud, sending her crashing to the ground.
The sound of screeching tires and shattering bone as I ran over her was drowned under the thunderclaps and cascading rain. The residents on the lane had wisely remained indoors-- all except Hortense who had made it her mission to crucify me on this very day.
Blinded by her spite,it was a big mistake but she wouldn't live to regret it.
As Hortense's body crumpled, her limbs twisted at unnatural angles. For a moment, there was silence, punctuated only by the ticking engine and Hortense's labored breathing.
My gaze was fixed on her battered form, a sense of dark relief creeping into my chest. The impact was jarring.The heavy rain and lack of witnesses would make it look like a random accident, but I knew the truth.
The rain-soaked lane was deserted, the only sound from the volatile skies and howling wind.
Then, with a jolt, I put the car in gear and sped away, leaving her broken body behind. The rain had erased all evidence of the hit, and my secret was safe.
In a flash of dark irony, I had silenced Hortense Wormwood forever.
****
I'm now safe inside the warmth of my own home but my mind reels with the implications of what had happened. The sound of my own ragged breathing is oppressive.
As I sit up in my bed, trying to gather my thoughts, my mother's words echo in my mind: "What happened?" I knew I had to come clean, but the weight of my secret felt crushing. The storm outside had passed its peak, but the turmoil within me raged on.
If I had done it once, I could easily do it all over again.
Who knew that better than poor Lois who had once trespassed in a similar fashion.
PIC COURTESY: PINTEREST
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