Six Little Lies

Sweet Revenge. “Ms. Annie, I've been meaning to tell you how sorry I was to hear about your daughter's death. It must be simply horrid to lose an only child. She was just about my age too. So shocking! Did you hear Anthony Tyler's law firm is suing the factory that dumped all that nasty arsenic into the lake?” Sylvia suddenly stopped, taking a deep breath, “Yes, well, I didn’t lose Eleanor. I know exactly where she is, and so do you. She’s dead in her grave. And yes, Anthony’s team came here last week and asked a lot of questions. I only hope my answers helped. You know, Sylvia, it was Eleanor who found out what they had done. If she hadn't become so sick, no one would have known about the danger lurking in that murky cesspool.” Annie said, tears welling up in her throat. “Thank you for your kind words my dear. They surely do help this grieving old woman.” “That's quite alright Ms. Annie. The whole town is all up in arms about this mess. I heard they were scheduling a town meeting to see what can be done about it.” “Well, I'll tell you what can be done. Blow that lake to smithereens and fill the hole with concrete. Lady Of Shadows. “I'm sorry Veronica, excuse me please. My stomach is all tied up in knots. I really can't eat, so I'm going back to my room to wait and see if the fog lifts. Will you let me know if you hear anything? I'm in room 13. “No problem. Catch you later, waving her fork in the air.” Room thirteen you say. Huh, that’s a laugh,” “Don’t say it,” I said. I stood up and headed back to the elevator. Back in my room, I peered out the window and was confronted with a wall of fog. The type that normal eyesight couldn't penetrate. I was shocked! I stared so hard my eyeballs hurt. I'm doomed! I can't tour New England in this mess. To my surprise, a movement in the dense mist captured my attention. It was just a Blob at first sight. Shapeless, then suddenly, it began to change as I watched, it began swaying gently, the illusion took on form. I thought I was hallucinating, but a closer inspection, revealed the shape of a woman. Ghostly thing, floating outside my window. “That's impossible,” I whispered. I shivered as a ghastly arm appeared from nowhere and waved. She beckoned and grinned in an unnatural manner. What kind of apparition is this? My mind bellowed! Her black garment twisted around her ankles as she approached my window. The desolate sound of the foghorn bellowed in the distance. I shivered several times. My breath came in gasps. I watched the haunted manifestation, as it floated closer and closer toward my window. “It's going to come in,’ I whispered. I quickly turned away from the window and slammed myself flat against the wall, as if that action would save me from this horrible thing, hoping it didn't see me. Who is this lady of shadows? I wondered. Ageless Love. “Charles, for the last time, please take your hand out from under my dress. If I must tell you again, I'll box your ears! Charles chuckled and Irene giggled at the same time. “Ah, come on Irene, let's have a little fun. What's it going to hurt, at our age? Charles nuzzled Irene’s ear and took a little nibble, as they snuggled on a bench, behind a large Sequoia cactus. The garden of the Rose Manner Nursing Home was truly a beautiful place this time of year. But mostly a favorite spot for the residents to gather and socialize.” Neither of us are spring chickens anymore.” He continued. “Yes, I know Charles, but we aren't young lovers either. Why, we’d be the laughingstock of Rose Manner if our affair was discovered. “Oh my, no one can find out about this!” Shaking her finger in his face, Irene continued, “You hear me, Charles? Not one peep! I'm already so ashamed, because when I was a young girl, my mother was very staunch. She’d say, never let a brew get frisky unless he is your intended. Those were her exact words. You understand me, don't you? Mystery House. As children, we all remember that one house in the neighborhood that we were warned about. The house that no one wanted to go near. You know, the one you told spooky tales about late at night. The one that haunted us in our dreams. The one that forced us to cross over to the other side of the street to avoid being drawn into its clutches. Yes, I knew it! You remember! Well, my mystery house was just across the street and down Howard Drive, just about a block from our house. It was a bad neighborhood, and we all knew it because our parents were constantly telling us it was. Despite their warnings, we ran all over the area without a care in the world. I had five siblings ranging from the age of 9 (being myself, the youngest and up to age 15). That would have been my oldest brother, Othel. All the others fell somewhere in between. Although our parents were fearful about our situation, they let us play outside to all hours of the night, during the summer. Mainly because our mother worked 18 hours a day to support us, and our dad... Well, let's just say he enjoyed the nightlife a little too much to worry about the location of his six children. We really didn't mind too much. We were able to be free. Truly free! No worries. And of course, there were always the older kids that watched over the younger ones in our neighborhood. We were no different than the other kids in the neighborhood. We were all poor as church mice and didn’t know what having fancy toys to play with meant.