O is for Once More – #AtoZ2018

I trudge along the muddy path carrying my beloved’s corpse. The inky starless sky reflects my mind perfectly. There’s a storm blowing inside me. I stumble on the uneven ground and almost drop her, but I land hard on my right knee instead to prevent that from happening. I let out a howl of pain and rage into the silent night. Somewhere a wolf or a fox or something entirely else picks up my howl and joins in turning the sound into something evil. My blood freezes at that soul-churning sound. I nearly lose my nerve and run away from this horrible place, but I take one look at her and move ahead with a grunt.

I look at her – drenched in blood, a single bullet hole on her forehead. I break down in anguish. Why did she have to die? The moon peeps from behind the clouds and bathes her face with an ethereal glow. She looks so beautiful and so very dead.

Not for long! Not if I can do something about it!

I climb up the broken stone steps and reach the abandoned cemetery. I learned about this place from the old crone who lives in the house next to ours. She did warn me that I will get back all of my sweetheart and yet nothing of her. Well I’m prepared to take my chances. I’ve seen the best of her, and I’ve seen the worst of her. Nothing can faze me anymore.

I dig a shallow grave under the sixth palm tree from the last tombstone on the west. I lay her into the muddy confines of the grave and shovel dirt in, muttering the words belonging to a strange, harsh tongue the crone had taught me. I sit down near her temporary resting place and begin my wait.

I think back to the first day I saw her, four years ago. She was wearing a white skirt and a simple blue blouse. I was smitten. I pursued her relentlessly for months, proving her at last that I was worth wasting her time on. Memories come cascading – our first date, our first kiss, the first time we made love, the second time we made love, the third time…. Ok I think you get it.

What went wrong? We were so desperately in love with each other.

The clock strikes midnight. The grave starts to rumble. I smile in anticipation.

A slender hand appears through the earth.

Other memories come rushing in too – our first nasty fight, the first time I woke up and saw the bed empty next to me, the image of her in bed with him!

Both hands are out now. They grip the mud for purchase as they try to propel her svelte body outside.

I slip my carving knife out. I’m gonna take my  sweet time this time.

Killing her once wasn’t enough.