It was a nice, breezy evening. The home of Smith Lee was quiet, accompanied by the crashing waves of the ocean beside him. He lived alone. Not as alone as he would have liked, of course, but alone enough.

He would have to get rid of his daughter to achieve that goal.

He had forgotten her name; not as though it mattered anyway. She always sat in that swing outside, staring still at the blue, foamy waves. It annoyed Smith to the point where he would drag her into the house and lock her in the room.

Why did she have to be so eerie? Why couldn’t she just act normal?

Sometimes, when Smith called on her she wouldn’t answer, she would not even look back. And the damned girl couldn’t talk either. Smith should have let the girl die a long time ago.

He…had tried…actually, several times.

But each time the girl came back as though nothing had happened. Each time she would return to her swing. Each time she would stare—silent, unblinking—at Smith, as though she knew. She knew!

Smith had stopped trying, but something was off.

Today, Smith went out to feed the thing because he thought she was on her swing. But when he came there, he saw nothing except the empty swing creaking and twisting as though wrestling in the salty wind.

No…. Smith dropped the plate, practically tossed it to the ground, and ran into the kitchen. There she was, with what he had expected in her small, innocent looking hands.

A knife.

She was cutting herself an apple. No doubt thinking about doing the same to Smith. Smith chuckled silently. He’d just have to kill her again and again and again until she disappeared forever. He wasn’t going to die.

Smith went up to the girl, who looked up at him with a curious glance, knife stilling. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The girl’s eyebrows creased, and she frowned. She placed the knife down and gathered her apple slices on a paper towel. Smith grabbed the knife with a tight grip. The man grabbed the girl, causing her to stumble, to drop her snack, and dragged her flailing body to the edge of the seaside land. Where the ground met the unruly waves.

He’d never tried this before. Usually Smith would just stab and bury here, or burn her in the oven. This would do the trick. This would keep her away from him forever—Smith would finally live the peaceful life he’d always dreamed about when he was young.

The girl was still thrashing, so Smith pinned her down to the rocky ground with a knee and raised the knife high.

He STABBED

And the noise it made was sickening—fantastic—this never happened before either, usually it was a hollow sound. An echoing sound.

The girl’s eyes rolled back.

Her body went limp.

Smith left the knife in, there was no use to get it out, it would be disgusting as her blood would probably stain the knife for eons.

So, Smith just tossed her body into the hungry ocean below him, relief clear on his face.

Finally…finally.

But then he heard a scratching noise, the noise of falling rocks and rubble. Smith shook, he didn’t want to look back…. It couldn’t be possible.

—

——

———

Something’s wrong with Smith

He’s so loud, so hurtful

I don’t think he knows

Or even understands

What’s wrong with us both

He doesn’t know

I’m his wife, his lovely

Loving wife

I don’t understand why he looks

At me in such a way

As though I’m a stupid child

Just because I like to swing

Just because I like the quiet

Just because I like sweets

I love him

I really do

But I think he needs to go

Go to a mental hospital

For his own health

And my safety

He’s tried killing me several times

But each time I’m revived by some strange force

This is why I’m not discouraged

I will get him the help he needs

But first, I’m a little hungry

I’ll cut myself some apple slices

Before Smith notices and takes the knife away

Oh, he’s back

And he looks…

Frightened?

Oh, I suppose that would be the correct reaction.

Seeing the woman you killed over and over again cutting apples with such intensity.

He asks me what I’m doing. I don’t respond—I can’t.

He seems to have forgotten that.

Smith takes the knife away from me

He grabs my wrist rather hard

Ah

It’s happening again

I play into the role

Knowing I’ll just be revived again

I thrash

I claw

Up until the point where he pins me down and stabs me in my head

….

That…that doesn’t feel right…

…………

———

——

—

Smith watched in horror as pale, dusty hands grabbed onto the crumbling cliff side. The hands pulled some of the grass up as they climbed, closer and closer to the top.

Smith was frozen as the hands revealed a head, then a torso, and so on as it made it fully. The creature stood up, tears in its eyes. A knife deep into its fractured, bloody head.

It was a woman—

No, it was a girl—

A woman….?

A GIRL!

Smith stepped back as the thing approached him with wobbly steps.

It didn’t speak, no, but its eyes were pleading.

Smith didnt want anything to do with that thing, so he pushed it away.

It stumbled with its footing for a moment, then, with wide eyes, it started to fall back.

Down and down and down.

Back into the ocean.

Back where it belonged.

—

——

———

I see now

I see that that…

That was my last chance

Time seems to slow

As I fall down into the water

The knife is like an itch inside me

But I have no more strength to relieve me of it

My poor Smith

My sweetheart

Why did he have to read that book

Or was it that conference that changed him?

Why did he have to think of me that way?

Just because I liked the simple things

Just because I wanted nothing more

Nothing more than his devotion and love

It’s funny how things and feelings can just change like that

Forever because of one thing we hear

Or recommended

Life or Death

It’s based off those very things

Smith had plenty of time

Plenty of time to realize his mistake

But he never corrected it

He…he didn’t care about me anymore

All he saw was a child

And a stupid thing to feed

The water is cold

It seems I’m fading now

Finally

Finally….

—

——

———

Finally…FINALLY!

I’m free.

***

(Really, what we believe and the choices we make create pathways to what will happen next.

Alice Cullen has no hold on me.

Thank you for reading and have a good day!)