" Herbert!" screamed Mrs. White, " Herbert! Where are you?" She looked out into the quiet, serene street from the door of the villa.
" He's not there! He's not alive!" exclaimed Mr. White.
" What did you do?" she accused. " Where's the paw? Did you use the third wish?"
" I won't lie to you. I did." he admitted. Mrs. White walked up to her husband. Slap. She had slapped him across his face. He grabbed his left cheek, it was red and stinging.
" You wished for our son to be dead! You murdered him!" she demanded.
" He was dead. He has been dead for a while now. Why can't you see that? He's gone, forever. There's nothing we do." Mr. White said. Slap. Once again, she had slapped him. This time on his right cheek.
" You insensitive, cold-hearted, obtuse imbecile! He's dead. That's all you can say. Our little boy is dead. We found a way to bring him back alive and you ruin it. He's dead. My son is dead." she kept repeating the line, " He's dead," as she sank to the floor. She was weeping.
Mr. White tried to comfort her, but she pushed him away. He watched her for a while. There was nothing he could do. " I'm going back to bed." he said bluntly. He turned away and walked to their bedroom and climbed into bed.
Mr. White fell asleep right away. He slept all through the night. It had been a long time since that happened. Ever since Herbert died, he had been having terrible dreams. Mr. White thought it was his fault for all of this. He would wake up crying sometimes. He imagined how his wife felt. When Herbert died, she changed. It was as if a piece of her died with him. When he awoke, it was as if he had been sleeping for a year. He felt something in his heart. As if he felt whole again. He knew it must have been closure. The monkey's paw was used up. His son in a better place. It was if everything was okay. But, it wasn't.
He smelt smoke in the air. The fireplace was lit and something was burning. He ran down the stair. He looked at where the fireplace was. He saw Mrs. White, and she had all of Herbert's personal items. She was throwing all of it in the fire. He ran to her and tried to stop her. " What are you doing? Have you gone mad?" he yelled.
She turned to him and stated, " Herbert doesn't want this stuff anymore."
" What are you talking about?" asked Mr. White.
" Herbert is talking to me. You can't hear him, but I can. He told me he wants me to burn all of his things." smiled Mrs. White.
" Herbert is dead." said Mr. White.
" That's what I thought, but then he starting talking to me last night. He told me he wants us all to be a family together again!" she exclaimed. Then, she threw the last of Herbert's things in the fire.
Mr. White just stood there. It was cold. He felt as if his heart had shattered. Mrs. White left the room. He was alone. Mr. White sat down just staring at the fire. He didn't know how long he sat there.
It must have been hours, because after a while Mrs. White came back into the room. She said with a smile, " Dinner is ready!" Mr. White stood up and followed her to the kitchen without saying a word. He sat down at the dinner table, awaiting his meal. " So, I ran to the market and got a very special dinner. Herbert picked it out." stated Mrs. White.
" Okay, what is it?" asked Mr. White.
She set a plate down. Mr. White looked at it and his face went white. " It's a heart." she answered.
" But, why?" he questioned. He picked up his fork and jabbed at the heart that was laying on his plat in absolute shock.
" Well, because Hebert wanted it. Also, he said it tastes better raw." answered Mrs. White. " Aren't you going to eat it?"
" Yes," sighed Mr. White. He decided he did not want to disappoint her because she was obviously psychotic. Also, he didn't know what she would do if he didn't eat it.
He grabbed is knife and began to cut the heart. He took a chunk of the thick muscle on his fork. He slowly put the piece of meat in his mouth. He chewed with a disgusted look on his face. He then swallowed it. The taste sent a chill up his spine.
" Is it good?" asked Mrs. White.
" Yes, but too good. It is so rich that I can't eat anymore. You can have the rest." he said.
" Okay. Also, Sergeant-Major Morris is coming over tomorrow night for supper. I think Herbert and I will plan a fantastic dinner for him!" exclaimed Mrs. White. She picked up the plate and sat down across the table from Mr. White. She swiftly cut through the heart and ate a piece of it. A drop of blood ran from her mouth. She gave Mr. White a big smile. Her teeth were stained red with blood. " I have to admit, Herbert has great taste." She kept devouring the heart untill it was all gone.
" I'm going to bed. Good night." said Mr. White. He started walking away. He was feeling sick to his stomach.
" I love you. Herbert says he loves you, too. Also, he said we should join him tomorrow and become a family, again." stated Mrs. White.
She got no reply. Mr. White went to the guest room and decided to stay the night there. He locked the door behind him. All he had to do was survive untill tomorrow night. When Sergeant-Major Morris visits, he'll explain that there must be something wrong with his wife. She had gone completely insane. He laid in the bed thinking about what was wrong with his wife. He shut eyes for a while and eventually fell asleep.
Mrs. Herbert sat at the dinner table. She was talking to Herbert. " You want us to be a family soon? Okay. What will I need to do? Yes, son" She walked to the front door and slipped on her shoes. She walked outside and to shed where her family kept all their tools. She grabbed the shovel from the shed and began her long journey down the long and winding road. When she reached her destination, she had a big smile on her face. It had started raining and she was soaked to the bone. But, that didn't matter now. She whispered, " I'm coming, Herbert."
She was at the graveyard in which Herbert was buried. She walked to his grave plot and stood there a while. Then, she started digging. The rain made it easier to dig. She kept digging untill she reached the coffin that her son's body lay in. She opened it and hugged the rotting, mangled corpse. The smell was horrid, but that didn't stop her. She picked up the body and climbed out of the hole she had dug. She held Herbert's lifeless body close to her's. " Soon, you will be home." she whispered.
Mr. White awoke to the sound of the front door slamming shut. He heard a dragging noise and a loud thump. Someone knocked on the bedroom door. He didn't make any noise. The door slowly creaked open. Mr. White saw his wife standing beside him. She whispered," Don't worry. We are going to be with our son soon." Then, everything went black.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Sergeant-Major Morris was standing on the porch of the villa. He could tell something was wrong. He grabbed the door knob and turned in slowly. It was unlocked. He stepped inside the house. The first thing that hit him was a distinct smell. The smell of death was in the air. " Mr. White? Mrs. White?" he yelled. Silence. He went looking through the rooms. Finally, when he reached the guest bedroom, he found what he was looking for. He saw Mr. White, Mrs. White, and Herbert's lifeless bodies laying next to one another's on the bed. " I warned them. Well, there's nothing I can do now. What a wicked turn of events." He walked around the bed and looked at Mrs. White's face. She had a big smile on her pale face. He whispered, " Once something is truly lost, it will never return."