Chapter 14: Not Quite Here

There are moments in our life when we do not want to be ourselves. Whether it is in a test at school, or at a distant cousin's wedding, we all wish for to be somewhere else. When death greets us, we want life. But as life takes its toll on us, we long for death. We are always wondering how it would be like to be in other people's shoes. We are not quite here in this world. But when we die, we see more clearly. And that is when we know the truth. Restless in life… peaceful in death.

Ben Jones sat in his living room, looking at a family photo. His pride never left him, even as he dreamt. He'd thought his family was the perfect neighbors. They were polite, and bore gifts. However, newfound revelations made him question his judgment.

Charlie was not his son, and the woman who had 'died' several years ago was alive. He remembered that fateful night…

The doorbell rang.

The night was gloomy, rain lashing against the window panes. Ben and Ellie were young; both caught up in the romance. Ellie clutched her newborn child, having returned from the hospital only three days ago.

Ben and his wife exchanged a glance, then looked at the small, golden clock sat on the mantelpiece. It was ten o' clock at night, far too late for visitors.

Ben stood with a weary sigh, as Ellie shushed her sleeping babe. Ben walked down the long corridor. The hallway was dark, and eerie shadows cast themselves against the beige walls.

Ben undid the latch and opened the door.

In a rain-soaked coat, Aunt Maria stood there. Her eyes cold and her face pale, she looked like Death itself.


"Let me in, Ben." She said softly, almost threatening. Ben stepped to the side and she entered. She removed her coat and discarding her yellow umbrella. She stormed down the corridor to the Sitting room at the end.

Ben followed her, and walked into the Living Room, closing the door behind him.

"Give him to me." Maria said gently to her niece.

Ellie looked up at her aunt. "What are you on about?"

"Give me Tania's son." She commanded. Suddenly, there was a cry from Charlie, who'd woken.

"Leave him alone!" screamed Ellie, and she threw herself at Maria. The pair struggled, Ellie forcing Maria backwards. With a sudden grunt, Maria launched Ellie off herself.

Ben watched his wife drop, arms flailing as she fell backwards over the sofa.


"Ellie!" Ben cried, and turned to see Maria leaned over the crib. Throwing himself at her, Maria was knocked off her feet, and the air in her lungs was instantly exhaled.

"Leave me alone, boy!" screamed Maria, her eyes bulging. The older woman grabbed an ornamental knife from the mantelpiece, and threw Ben against the window.

The window panes shivered, as delicate rain drops hit them.

"You should not have taken that baby." She said; ready to pierce his beating heart.

There was a scream, and a dull gold object hit Maria on the head. Ben saw his wife, Ellie, with a nasty wound on her head, clutching a candlestick.

Maria lay dead. Or so Ben thought.

"What did I do?" Ellie asked.

The doorbell rang. Ben looked up. It was ten o' clock.

He went to the door.

"Hello again, Ben." Maria said. "I need to talk."

Without a moment's hesitation, Ben let the woman, who tried to ruin his life, into his house.

---

Nadine and Tom stood behind the wooden shed in the corner of their school playground. The sound of laughter and screaming dominated most of the playground as break time allowed them to escape from their lessons for fifteen minutes.

But the pair had reasons for hiding from their friends. Wrapped in an embrace, Ellie's daughter tilted her head upwards, while Amy's son tilted his downwards. Their lips met and they kissed.

There was a loud scream, and they separated.

"I don't think we can keep this secret anymore." Nadine said.

Tom nodded. "And screw our parents. We know what we want."

The bell rang, and the pair reluctantly broke their embrace and headed for class.

---

Florence lay in her martial bed, longing for her husband. Since his death, she'd been lonely. She thought she could be content. But in this darkened room, she'd never been more alone.

Her son brought her food. She hadn't seen daylight for several days now, and the claustrophobia was settling in.

The door creaked. She pulled the blanket up to her nose, peering into the gloom.

"It's dinner, Mum." Said her teenage son. Bobby looked at his mother. Her hair was mousy brown and there was a terrified look in her eyes.

He put down the meal of cold chicken and peas. Florence shifted forward and picked up the piece of chicken, looking cautiously at it.

"It's not poisoned." Bobby said, but at the mention of the word 'poison', Florence's eyes grew and she whimpered.

"No one will know your dirty little secret." Bobby said, and he left the room, slamming the door.

---

Amy sat in her nightgown as the letterbox went. The clang of metal awoke her from her daze. Getting to her feet, she walked to the front door and picked up the letter.

She opened the letter hastily, dropping the envelope to the floor. She read it and re-read it. She was due at a hearing to decide custody over her house, her children and her life.

She patted her stomach gently, thinking of Andrew's child. Suddenly, there was a knock.

Opening the door, Amy saw Andrew stood before her. He leaned forward and kissed her.

"No need to knock at your own door." Amy said.

"Ah, but I bring groceries." Andrew said, kissing her on the nose, then returning to retrieve them from his car.

Amy sighed. She'd never appreciated his gentle welsh tone until now. He was so perfect. Matt was in debt, and into drugs, and she had suffered because of him.

Now she had a chance of happiness.

And Matt wasn't going to ruin it.

---

The alleyway was dark and suspicious. Litter covered the floor and bird droppings covered the walls. Graffiti was everywhere, and there was an overpowering stench of urine.

Matt wondered why he was here, in the middle of Addams Close. Then he saw her.

Her hair was dirty blonde, and her eyes were a misty green. Her outfit was a plain white t-shirt and a short violet skirt. Her shoes were black and made of leather, reaching her knees. Her face was plastered with make-up.

"Hello love," she said, every word sounding as if it were from a drunkard.

"Susan…" Matt rushed forward.

"Hold up. Where's my money?" she asked.

Matt's hands shook as he opened his wallet and retrieved the stolen money from his ex-wife.

"Good, good. But this isn't enough." Susan said, counting it carefully. "You know my brother will kill you if you don't repay it in a week. You're already a month overdue. "

Matt opened his mouth but Susan shook her head. "You can't sleep with me again. That'll only make him mad."

Matt remembered back to the night he'd done that. And he'd woke with a bottle of wine in one hand and stunk of cigarettes. He'd struggled to pay his debts and had slept with Susan to try and even it out. But it hadn't worked and now he was even more in debt.

"Here's your stash. But don't let my brother know. I had to steal it from him."

Matt took the small bag, eyes hungry for its calming addiction. He pocketed it, and turned around.

"One more thing, Matt." Susan said. Matt turned around. "Sorry about your wife." She called, and vanished back into the darkness of the alleyway.

---

The Johnson's sat at the oak table which had been handcrafted over twelve years ago for Mrs. Melissa Johnson's sister.

They ate their meal of lamb and vegetables, neither speaking about their hectic day in the store.

"It was busy today, wasn't it Melissa?" asked Sean, as he put down his cutlery.

"Not much busier than most days" Melissa admitted, also finishing her meal.

"Our neighbors are very strange indeed." Her husband told her, while he collected the dishes.

"We must be much more of a mystery to them." Melissa told him, as she got out her chair and headed to the candle which lit the room.

"We own the corner shop, what's mysterious about that?" asked Sean from the kitchen.

"You know what I mean, Sean." Melissa said, and with that, she extinguished the candle.

---

Charlene put a hand on her stomach.

"Are you alright?" her daughter asked, looking up from her homework.

"I'm fine." Charlene said, resting a hand upon her aching temple. "Just a migraine."

Then, Charlene felt the world spinning. "Got to…phone…Matt" she said, leaving her daughters room and heading towards the stairs.

Her legs felt like lead, and her head felt like stone. She stumbled forward, towards the stairs.

"Matt…" she cried, before slipping, and she fell down the stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom.

Erin ran out her room. "Mum!" she cried.

---

Katy McHale sat at her desk, tapping keys on her keyboard. Her alert sea-green eyes followed every movement, while her fingers tapped.

Katy was thirty seven, single and had no children. Her hair was a gentle golden-brown and she'd been working at the police station for fifteen years. She was a well-respected member of the force.

But this case she was faced with baffled her unlike any murder she'd seen. Terri Wilkinson had been shot on her doorstep in broad daylight, and no one had seen anything.

With a click of her mouse, Katy found out something that would shake up her boring search.

The DNA samples were back.

"Sir, I think you'd better see this." She said, and her boss walked over, a burly man with wide shoulders and little hair.

"I've worked out the killer's gender, by a test done on the doorstep containing a hair fragment." She said. "But there must be something wrong with the system."

"What is it, McHale?" asked her boss.

"The hair fragment says female. But the shoes she was wearing…belonged to a man."

Her boss looked confused. "There must be some error. The shoes were size seven, belonged to a man named Mr. Harrison. A newspaper reporter. Who was found dead last week."

Her boss sighed deeply. "I'll let you get back to it McHale. Maybe you'll crack it."

Katy nodded, and pressed a button. Another photo appeared. Andrew Dale.

---

Ben nodded. "I understand."

Maria smiled. Ben recognized that smile. Ellie smiled exactly the same. "I hope you know what Ellie did."

The aunt never heard the door open, or saw Ellie stood behind her.

"Let me show you to the door." Ben said, and Maria turned, to find herself face-to-face with her niece.

"Ellie!" she gasped.

There was a slicing of metal.

Maria crumpled. Ben held the small knife in his hand, blood dripping from it. "Never hold a knife to my neck, or threaten my family ever again." He warned.

Ellie smiled, as Maria drifted into unconsciousness. "Call an ambulance. I'll take her outside and say I saw someone stab her." Ben said.

His wife obliged, and he heaved Maria over his shoulder and dragged her towards their front door, leaving blood stains on the carpet. Ellie sighed. More cleaning to do.

There will be a time when we want security against the unknown, and look from help from friends or family. But in death we see clearly. Our judgment was poor and our lives were full of regret. But if you disregard humanity, then you can survive in the place we call home. Until we are greeted by death, whenever it comes, we will be ready.