Before the Story



Dad walks from the stairs to the three people tied to chairs. Dad had gone crazy the moment he stepped into this old wooden house. He always said the walls were talking to him. He figured they held the spirits of all the people who died in this house. He now figured that if you can live in this house you can die in it as well. So he’s going to speed up the process.
I watch as he passes back and forth in front of them. My family with their mouths gagged and their hands tied together. My mom was crying for release earlier but dad grew tired of her pleases for her family so he ended it. They now sit with nothing to say to stop him. He only takes out the gag to get his answer. The answer never comes though.


"Where is she!? I know she’s around here somewhere and I know you all know where she is; so tell me where my daughter is!" boomed dad. He hasn’t found me yet so they are all trying to protect me. I knew what dad was going to do before he even did it. He pulled out the knife he had put on the table not far away and held it to my big brothers throat. "I'll ask again. And I will ask very slowly. If you want our son to live you will answer. Where…….is……..Jeanette? “Dad yelled at mom. She just sat there and cried. She cried for the family and the life that soon would be lost. Dad knew this too and moved the knife along Jacobs’s throat nice and slow. Blood spilled from his throat and landed on the floor. I couldn’t help but look into his eyes as Jacob stared at me. Then his eyes went lifeless as his soul was finally released from this horrendous event. "You know I want the entire family home for Christmas Eve don’t you," Dad asked. He moved along the line to my baby sister Lela. "So I will ask again. And please answer me this time Teyla. Where is my daughter, Jeanette?" Dad asked slowly.

"I don’t know where she is!" mom hollered. Dad looked really disappointed at that but he didn’t stop his hand from moving the knife on Lela’s throat. Mom began to sob again as the blood from her 3rd child spilled onto the floor. I was the 2nd child but at least I wasn’t the second to die. Dad moved closer to mom and leaned down. He pulled a lock of her hair out of her bun and sniffed it. I wanted to throw up when I looked at him touching her. I just couldn’t watch when the knife came up to mom’s throat. I turned my head away and watched her shadow. Tears began to stream down my face. When I could no longer hear mom gasp for breath I looked. Dad was staring down at her body like she was a piece of trash. I couldn’t hold back the little cry that was bubbling in my throat. Dads head came spinning around to find me behind the old furnace. I jumped to my feet and ran to the stairs. I could hear dad’s feet banging on the steps behind me. I picked up speed and ran to the door. It was unlocked and easy to push open. Once I jammed the door closed behind me I ran to my room and locked the door. I ran to the closet and hoped he wouldn’t find me. I could hear footsteps coming up the stairs and then a door opened. “Jeanette sweetie, where are you?” called dad from Jacob’s room. He was searching the whole house for me. “Come on out honey, its Christmas tomorrow and I want to celebrate it as a family for once. Wouldn’t that be nice? To have the family together and happy for once? Come on Jeanette, they’re all waiting for us.” Dad had then moved down to Lela’s room and had finished scoping out his room. “So you’re in your room? Come on Jeanette. Is it so bad to have the family together?” He was outside my bedroom door. I felt tears run down my cheeks freely and I could only hold my breathe as he kicked down my door. “Come here sweetie and I can make all your dreams come true. I promise my sweet little dove.” Dad was moving through my room. Looking under the bed and under the mountain of blankets. While dads back was turned I rushed out of the closet and ran for the door. An arm stopped me just short of it. I screamed and screamed; making the crows outside my window fly away. Then it was done. He slit my throat and let me fall to the floor. “All I wanted was a peaceful Christmas Eve.” Then nothing came but the echo of my screams and the crows.