“Papa can we go see the red river?”
The red river was a river behind the gates of our village. Everyday it flowed beneath the gate and nourished our crops, quenched our thirst and served as a bathing source.
Papa stiffened.
“I've told you many times that we don't fly over the gate to see the river chip”
“But why? We're birds and we don't even fly!”
I just couldn't understand. Everyday it was the same old boring routine. Sleep, wake up, eat, sleep again, wake up, sleep. Nothing fun or exciting to do.
Papa sighed.
“It's dangerous chip. You'll understand someday”
“No I wont! Everyday brave birds fly over the gate and produce the red river. Why can't I be like them papa?”
I stormed off angrily. I wish I could meet the Birds that went over the gates. But they were taken to a special camp to recover. Apparently after flying for so long, their bodies become extremely weak. That's what Papa says.
I needed to see the river.
I tried flying but I fell. I tried again but failed. I kept trying until I finally got off the ground.
“Haa! I'm flying! I'm flying!!”
I was so excited. I decided to go higher. I flapped and flapped until I was over the gate.
My initial smile was replaced with a confused and scared expression. Nails. I saw a thousand nails hurdled together just behind the gate. And the Brave birds….well, they were here…not moving, and…. on the nails. Panic set in and I turned to go back home but I lost my balance and fell.
“please has any of you seen my son?! I can't find chip”
The chief head stepped closer to the worried father. His expression was that of pity.
“Did you see chip Chief?”
“I'm sorry. But your son has joined in the production of the red river”
The Distraught father fainted.
Another child?”
“Yes, darling. Mary just called. Brian went out to buy some milk and didn’t return. Oh, those poor children.”
As I overheard the conversation my parents were having in the kitchen, my stomach churned. This was the third child to go missing in our town this week.
I felt bad for the families. But I think Mom felt it more. She loved children more than anything. She was a teacher at the small primary school just across the street. The kids adored her. Some even came home with her when their parents hadn’t arrived to pick them up. They felt that comfortable.
It was as if she had a voice that could make you follow her anywhere.
At school, everyone was talking about the disappearance.
“What if teenagers are next? I don’t want to go missing,” Lily cried as we sat in the cafeteria.
“We just have to be careful,” Edward said. “I heard the night before the children disappeared, they told their parents they heard crunching sounds. Not soft. Hard. Like bones.”
I froze.
I had heard that sound before. I was sure it wasn’t a dream. I told my parents, but they said it was just a nightmare.
I ran out of school.
Ran home.
Ran to the basement—where I had first heard it.
The crunching came again.
Slow. Deliberate.
As I walked down I saw school books and bags on the floor soaked in red. And bones. Broken bones. I felt sick.
I almost passed out when I saw who was making the sound.
It was Mom.
“Do you love me?” John asked Rita. It was their convocation ceremony.
“Yes I do love you John”.
“Then…then will you marry me? And promise to stay with me forever?”
“Oh yes! Yes”.
A few months later, Rita and John were married after their graduation. John adored his lifelong crush now turned wife. They did everything together, were always together. John never let her leave his sight.
Untill one morning, John got up from bed and didn't see Rita. He became scared.
“Rita? Rita???”
She wasn't in the house.
He put his hands through his hair and sat on the floor.
“She'd promise to stay with me forever. She'd promise to stay with me forever. She'd promise to stay with me forever”.
Like a mantra, he kept repeating these words.
By 6:30, Rita entered the house.
“I'm back!!!. John have you had you–”
“You promised that you'd stay with me forever. You promised!!” He screamed.
“John, of course I'll stay with you forever. I just went to work. I told you I got a job” Rita walked closer to John caressing his cheek.
“I..I didn't consent to that”
“John I have to work. We have to work. That's why we went to college, to study and get a job” She sighed, then continued.
“look, i know you're scared of people leaving you because you were abandoned by your mom, but, I'm only away for a short time. I will come back. You don't have to be afraid okay?” She pressed her forehead against his, then leaned him and kissed him briefly.
“That's what you all say. You all end up leaving me in the end. Father, mother, uncle Peter, all the same”
“I won't leave you John”.
“Yeah, you won't. I'll make sure of it”.
He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the kitchen. Her screams pierced through the walls and echoed throughout the house. But no one could here. They lived alone. Far away from the city and people. It was John's idea. After loosing Peter, his uncle and guardian who took care of him when his parents died and sent him to school to a sickness, he became very attached to his girlfriend Rita. Who had been his childhood friend.
John lay down with a satisfied smile as he cuddled Rita's bleeding head.
“Now..you'll truly be with me forever”
THE END.
YOO!
AUTHOR HERE!!
THANKS A LOT GUYS FOR READING THIS SMALL PIECE OF HORROR FICTION. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT AS MUCH AS I DID.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE TALES, PROBABLY HORROR OR NOT BUT STAY TUNED HAHAHA. GOTTA GO!
BYEEE! LOVE YA.
AUTHOR
TERESA EARLAND.
