I rest against the headboard of this lumpy bed, I can't believe how I ended up here, alone in a dark, dingy motel room. I'm supposed to be home, secure with the man who promised to love me for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. It's clear to me he took the death part earnestly. I've been on the run from him for months. He wants to kill me, make me pay for divorcing him. No one defies Jett, not even the underlings that work for him. It'll only be a matter of time before he tracks me down, but before he does, I hope to have put a permanent barrier between us. What I'm most afraid of is that he'll discover that I'm pregnant. I rest against the headboard of this lumpy bed, I can't believe how I ended up here, alone in a dark, dingy motel room. I'm supposed to be home, secure with the man who promised to love me for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. It's clear to me he took the death part earnestly. I've been on the run from him for months. He wants to kill me, make me pay for divorcing him. No one defies Jett, not even the underlings that work for him. It'll only be a matter of time before he tracks me down, but before he does, I hope to have put a permanent barrier between us. What I'm most afraid of is that he'll discover that I'm pregnant.

As I rest against the headboard of this lumpy bed, I can't believe how I ended up here, alone in a dark, dingy motel room. I'm supposed to be home, secure with the man who promised to love me for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. It's clear to me he took the death part earnestly. I've been on the run from him for months. He wants to kill me, make me pay for divorcing him. No one defies Jett, not even the underlings that work for him. It'll only be a matter of time before he tracks me down, but before he does, I hope to have put a permanent barrier between us. What I'm most afraid of is that he'll discover that I'm pregnant. s I rest against the headboard of this lumpy bed, I can't believe how I ended up here, alone in a dark, dingy motel room. I'm supposed to be home, secure with the man who promised to love me for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. It's clear to me he took the death part earnestly. I've been on the run from him for months. He wants to kill me, make me pay for divorcing him. No one defies Jett, not even the underlings that work for him. It'll only be a matter of time before he tracks me down, but before he does, I hope to have put a permanent barrier between us. What I'm most afraid of is that he'll discover that I'm pregnant.

Rubbing my belly, I feel the baby kick and it brings a smile to my lips. A twinge of regret is buried in the recesses of my mind of how this unborn life came to be. Just like I did every night, I checked to make sure all doors and windows were locked before crawling into bed. I remember sleeping with my back facing away from the bedroom door before being attacked. I fought as much as I could, screamed as loud as my lungs could strain before a large leather clad hand clamped over my mouth, silencing me.

"Shut up." My body stiffened at the sound of his voice. "Did you really think we were over? I told you, if you ever tried to leave me, I'd kill you." By this time he'd removed his gloved hand over my mouth.

"Let me go Jett."

"Let you go? Naw. I'm going to make you suffer. You divorce me and didn't think there'd be consequences? I'll make a believer out of you yet."

As he began positioning himself over me, I kneed him in the gut, kicking him off the bed onto the floor. Seizing my chance, I scrambled from the bed, out into the pitch-black hallway toward the front door. I was a mere step from freedom before a sneakered foot tripped me. I landed hard, knocking the air from my lungs. Trying to right myself, Jett's heavy foot pressed against my back, pinning me to the pine floor. "Mika dear, you're going to pay and pay dearly. What I can promise you is that what I'm going to do to you is going to hurt. And I always keep my promises."

I never imagined my life turning out like this, on the run and nowhere safe to run too. I don't have a family. I'm alone in this world. I have to find a way to protect my baby. The only reason Jett hasn't found me is because I emptied my checking and savings account, shredded my credit card, ditched my cell phone and sold my car. In his line of work as a Private Investigator, I'd be a fool to leave loose ends for him to catch me. One thing I learned early on was to keep finances and love separate. One can never be too sure about their spouse's intentions.

It's ten at night and time to move again. Moonlight pooled in onto the brown carpet as I push myself up on my feet. Kneeling, I reach for my duffle bag checking to make sure all contents are stored safely. I pull out a dark gray sweater and matching pant with Puma socks. I dress and slip into my weathered white steel-toed boots. Snapping up my coat, knitted hat, gloves and scarf, I head for the door, the bag strapped cross bodied, I'm greeted by the biting wind. I'd rather have the wind lash my face than Jett's knife.

Soon there will be a taxi to carry me off to my next destination.

Sold

On the side of a back road

is where I lost my soul

to have and to hold

until chained to the days of old.

They dug into the treasury and bid me away

like a child bride with nothing to say

a mismatched perversion

a filthy conversion

all for the currency

to have a healthy piece of me.

Who would have ever thought I was born to her

like Jesus to Mary, frankincense and myrrh

I have no mother!

and it hurt like no other

I the offended should be paid restitution

over this shoddy resolution.

There had to be a way

to make it another day

he watches me day and night

there’s no more wrong and there’s no more right.

He rips me apart with no truer words

no one would want me, I’m trapped like a caged bird

this was the lot I was handed

and I grudgingly did as he commanded.

Sex ain’t no fun. All he wants is to have his way with me. His gruntin’ gobbler butterball shaped body is basting in his own sweat like a Thanksgiving turkey. He thinks he’s really some something, releasing his ancient seed into me.

That stupid smirk, and all for five minutes! Felt like an eternity to me. But mark my words, I’m gonna kill him, just you wait and see. And I’m gon’ make it look like an accident.

You see, this is all mommas fault; she sold me to the highest bidder without my consent. Lebon is a well off man, but I ain’t seen a dime of it. I suppose I’m luckier than other brides, captives as I like to call it because I was sold off at the ripe old age of seventeen. This is usually a death sentence for a girl, but my ole’ mom found a way all right.

For three years I’ve been shackled to this old goat. I’m more of a housekeeper and secretary than a wife. But I’ll let you in on a little secret, while I was doing my daily cleaning, I come across something I knew would help exact my revenge on the old coot. Can you believe the butterball has heart palpitations? He’s taking some kind of medicine that I can’t pronounce that keeps his heart steady. No wonder he can’t last no more than five minutes.

I’m gonna get what I’ve suffered for. I ain’t even lived yet. I’m here all day, by myself like a slave cookin’ and cleanin’, washing and ironing his clothes. And he sits around like a king on this throne lookin’ down on me for any misstep I make. He never misses a chance to remind me that no one wants me, not even my mother. But I got a surprise for him tonight. I’m still gon’ play the good housewife and give him what he wants, more than what he’s looking for.

You may be wonderin’ how I’m gon’ get all his money after I kill him. You know the old saying, never let your right hand know what your left hand is doing? Well, I never let momma know I can forge. I practiced everyday throughout my teens and when I was sold to butterball, I quickly learned his signature. He and no one else would be the wiser.

On another one of my cleaning sprees, I come across an accordion folder shoved in the back of a drawer. I rifled through it and there his will was, in his signature! How could I have gotten any luckier? And who kept a will in their home these days? Nonetheless, I found it and copied it perfectly on the hundredth try. I have it in safe keeping until the right time, and tonight is perfect.

I hear keys jingling at the lock as I’m in the kitchen plating up his dinner, and the sound is music to my ears. The door creaks open and in he waddles, straight to the dinner table and plops himself in his favorite worn out chair. The wood is buckling and splintering, only bamboo shoots could hold up his massive amount of weight.

I steal glances watching him shove food down his gullet, disgusting. How is sit possible to sweat while eating? But there he is happy as a kid with a pixie stick heading into a food coma. His eyes are beginning to roll into the back of his skull and his breath begins to labor. Won’t be long now before everything is mine.

He shakes himself awake, eyes glazed running over my body. Anytime he looks at me I have to force vomit to stay in my gut. I know what he wants and it makes my skin crawl. But I can endue it this final time. Pushing himself up, he rubs his meaty hands together and I silently pray to Jesus, Shiva and Zeus for this to be over quickly. I plaster a smile over my face like the doting wife I pretend to be as he pulls me to the rear of the house.

Our bed has a permanent dent in the middle, and I roll right in the center of it involuntarily. Watching him undress makes me want to gouge out my eyes. But I coach myself, it will all be over soon, it will all have been worth it. Just when I thought it impossible, the bed sinks another inch closer to the floor as he slides his weight on top of me. How unfair I thought, even the railings are suffering, struggling under his mass. This has to stop.

I manage to roll him off me onto his furry back and he’s in shock. Imagine what I’ve been forced to endure, I thought. I assure him he’s going to get what’s coming to him and there he goes just a squealing like the hog he is. I suggest we turn things up a notch by tying is arms to the spaces between the headboard. Of course he happily goes for it and I enjoy binding him up. Now for the moment of truth.

Straddling him is like climbing a mountain, I never know when I’ll fall off to my death. But I got my hips in perfect position and this is the end for him. No more than five minutes later, he’s huffin’ and puffin’ pleading with me to slow down, but naw, I speed up. His heart is racing a mile a minute. He can barely catching his breath. He’s thrashing around, eyes protruding from his sockets and I’m having the time of my life. I go and go until I climax. If I’d had known it’d felt this good, I would have killed him a long time ago.

Bless his heart, there he is laying in that dent in the bed lifeless. His heart probably exploded into a million pieces by the time I got off. I climb off him and shower leisurely with hot water, no soap. He isn’t going anywhere, I giggled to myself. By the time I call the cops, old butterball starts to turn purple. I at least have the decency to cover up his naked flesh and remove the satin scarf that binds him. I’d watched even television to know how to turn on and off the water works. So here I go running to the door to let the cops in. They ask what the problem is, I inform them that I think my husband had a heart attack.

They rush back and try to resuscitate him and soon paramedics flood the house. By now I’ve slid down the wall, a classic move of a grieving wife. A detective moves in to comfort me and assures me that everything will be alright. He asks if I believe it, and I nods yes. He then asks me how my husband came to be in that state, I tell him we were in the throes of making love when he suddenly stopped breathing. Making love, get a load of that! He clamped a hand over my shoulder as my now dead husband is being wheeled out on a stretcher.

I couldn’t have been more elated on the inside, but on the surface I cried and wailed buckets of tears as the whole police department swarmed through the house. The detective asks me if I’m well enough to accompany him to the station for an official statement, I nod and he gathered me up into his arms and carried me to his truck and placed me inside.

There’s no need to confess anything further, just know I got everything I suffered for and then some. After “stumbling” across my dead husbands will, all his money and properties are in my possession. I’m set for life and with the man of my choosing. After all the comfort and security that detective showered me with, his concern turned to affection. And here we are wrapped up in his sheets.

I still have to pretend to grieve the loss of my dead husband but at least I have someone who really cares for me and makes me scream high atop the Appalachian mountains. I can’t ask for anymore than that because that’s all that I ever wanted-someone who loves me and values my choices.

This was a city by the sea, now it’s all rubble. No one remembers who lived here or how it fell, but I’m sure war was the cause. What else could displace people so quickly? The landscape looks peaceful, but there’s an ominous presence lingering when I visit, alone.

I haven’t been back since I saw a woman jump to her death. When I went to search for her body, there wasn’t one to be found. I mean, look at how shallow the water is, and no body?! I’m convinced I saw something other-worldly. Perhaps it was her spirit wanting me to know how she died. Whatever it was, I’ll not soon it not forget.

Ava was a burst of citrus in the morning-effervescent. She enjoyed singing the melody her mom cooed to her as a child…esh la crea pinn sa libvish no na. She sang this in times of stress to soothe her soul. Her dream was to make it big as a model. Her luminescent smile enticed everyone who’s anyone in her direction, so it wasn’t a surprise that she was discovered walking down the street lugging groceries home.

A well dressed agent stuffed his card into her jacket pocket and urged her to give him a call is she was truly serious about modeling. It wasn’t long when she began attending open calls. Never before had Ava taken issue with her body until those raptors began picking her apart little by little. They told her she was beautiful but she needed to color and cut her drab hair, she was beautiful but she should invest in straightening her crooked front teeth because after all, models needed that perfect smile. Ava was beautiful but she needed to lose weight here and there, her thighs were too big as was her nose.

Taking her budding career seriously, she worked out seven days a week for three hours a day, she restricted her calories to a measly five hundred and flooded her body with bottled water. She returned to those same raptors and received high praise. They booked her for various photo shoots and finally after three years of sacrifice, she’d gotten to where she dreamed she’d be, on the runway in Paris.

Before she was set to walk, she began singing that familiar melody her mother sang to her..esh la crea pinn sa libvish no na. She chanted this repeatedly to soothe her taut nerves. It was time, bright light blasted her body, washing her white. How elated she was, swinging her pelvis from left to right, stomping with pride as her bones rattled. Posing and smiling…then the show was over. Did anyone hear her song as life happened before her very eyes?

Riding back to her elegant hotel, she replayed the events of that night and smiled until she passed a full length mirror adjacent from her king sized bed. Moving closer to the mirror, she touched her face and felt the weight of her sweat pants sit on her hips. Undressing, what reflected back at her made her eyes widened in horror. She hadn’t recognized her body as her own. When had this happened, she mumbled to herself. Her eyes rolled around in their deep sockets, her once voluptuous breasts, hips and thighs were non-existent, her ribs were showing and her pelvis was jutting out like craggy rocks that’d been eroded by continuous violent rainstorms.

Ava had gotten the opportunity to realize her dream. It’s what she wanted right? The sacrifice was worth it right? Losing herself to the mantra of the industry had been worth it right?

Right?

I awoke dazed and confused on moss and twig covered ground. Trees pierce foggy skies offering me a lit path to find my way. Fine warm soil crawls up between my toes and I look around wondering if I’m still dreaming. Is this all a bad dream? Will I be cut down unsuspected? I’ve seen the T-1000 materialize from nowhere only for victims to fall prey to a poly alloy metal shiv running them through, sometimes through the face. What kind of creature is hunting me? Does it blend with the trees or is it under my feet like a shag carpet waiting to roll me up and drag me into the deep? Eyes alert, I accidentally step on a branch, snapping it in two. Crows caw and a growl emanated through the forest, it’s close, too close, I run aimlessly colliding into a tree, blacking out. The last thing I feel is razor-sharp claws, dragging my listless body over the scruffy forest floor. Play dead, just play dead, I tell myself.

#Challenge of the Month XIV:May #Ghosts #Bump in the Night