Empty Eyes / Dan

Maybe you have read similar stories before. I know I have. But I wanted to try and write one just to test my skill.

Segment 3 : Dan

He was a lovely boy before.

Before his father and big sister died.

He was a happy, energetic boy.

He loved his father very much and his older sister even more.

It did not matter that they did not have the same mother. She was the dearest person to him. She was pretty and sweet and protective.

He was so sad for a long time after their untimely deaths. But the sadness turned to surprise when only a year later his mother remarried. The new dad was good. He made him miss his real dad a little less. He was kind though a bit distant. Eventually he began to hope and occasionally ask for another sibling but his mother was absolutely negative to the prospect of having another child.

He thought it strange since his mother was still very young and loved children so much.

And then two years later the most bizarre thing happened. The new dad died unexpectedly.

To his astonishment a third dad followed and died as well.

By the time he reached 15 he had a father, a sister, and two stepfathers deceased, all ahead of their time.

His mother seemed less and less sad with each death and the periods she remained unmarried had shortened suspiciously.

After the death of the last dad, he began to watch his mother closely. It was only then that he noticed some details in her behavior that always existed but he was too young to interpret them correctly.

The most unpleasant realization was that she did not love children. She only loved him. She was kind to him, indulgent even. To every other children she was indifferent and occasionally hostile. With her subtle way she prevented him from hanging around with kids his age, so he had no friends.

Would she have done this if she knew that he would be forced to turn his full attention to her? No, he didn’t think so.

When he found the poison she had used to get rid of all the people he had come to love there was no room for shock. He had suspected long ago. And now she was about to be married again. This one was richest than the others. Older than the others. Childless like the others.

He felt no guilt for dripping these poisonous drops in her tea every morning for these 4 months. He did not regret seeing her face growing paler and paler.

And he did not care stopping the wedding. He let her play the happy bride one last time. He even reduced the dose so she could feel better.

He found it most convenient that his mother had chosen to sleep in separated bedrooms with all of her husbands. As the poison worked its magic she became more dependent of him. Her strength was failing her and he ended up putting her to her bed every night as she used to do when he was little.

The final night he set the scene. The hot cup of tea with the bottle containing the poison was waiting for her on her nightstand, framed by the photos of all the people she had taken away from him.

He helped to her bed as usually. She saw the poison and the photos and all remaining color was drained from her cheeks. She lied down staring at him lovingly.

“It was all done for you, Dan. I wanted you to have everything” she said her voice barely audible.

He emptied the bottle in her cup. She reached for it and he helped her drink it all.

She closed her eyes and said with a little bitter laugh:

“I never cared for them, you know”

He leaned over her ear:

“But I did”. © Constance M.