A Very Short Story
Mrs Bevan next door puts out the recycling. Joanna sees her. Mrs Bevan waves and says hello dear like always but Joanna, 4, notices she looks different. She tries to tell her mother but can’t explain. All she knows is that it’s bad. Mrs Bevan’s face looked bad.
“No dear, Mrs Bevan’s not bad. She’s a nice lady. Now go and play with Ninni and Rabbit.”
Joanna fetches the dolls and puts them on the windowsill, so she can talk to them and watch Mrs Bevan’s house as well.
Time passes. She brings her dolls a blanket in case they get cold. Nothing happens at Mrs Bevan’s. The light in the snug doesn’t go out and the kitchen light doesn’t come on.
Danny, her father, comes home. After the usual ‘how’s my girl’ she tells him Mrs Bevan looked bad. Again, she can’t explain why she looked bad. Danny persists.
Did she look sad?
A … a bit.
Was she sick, do you think?
Maybe… I don’t know.
Danny looks out the window.
Well that was probably it. She might be a bit under the weather. Don’t worry about it. What’s Mummy made for dinner?
Later Kirstin comes to tuck Joanna in to bed. Joanna repeats her worry. Kristin reassures her again and turns out the light.
As Kirstin is going down the stairs she glances next door. She notices that the lights are still on at the back. But Mrs Bevan goes to bed before Joanna, every night.
She mentions it to Danny. Perhaps we should check?
No. From what Jojo says, she’s a bit sick. Probably couldn’t be bothered.
Let’s go to bed and watch telly.
OK.
Danny stands up and turns to receive the full brunt of the clearly insane Mrs Bevan wielding a bloodied axe.
If this made you laugh, read https://playwithstrangers.com/?s=Simon%27s+skill
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