Pretty Little Dead Girls by Mercedes M. Yardley

Author:Mercedes M. Yardley [Yardley, Mercedes M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Short Stories, epub, ebook, QuarkXPress
ISBN: 9781944785888
Amazon: B01C7UC27O
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Published: 2016-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

If You Had Never Met Me

The phone was ringing back at Stop’s home. It rang for several minutes, silenced itself long enough to take a breath, and then rang again. Stop hobbled into the house, cheeks still glowing from the wedding. Bryony and Eddie were close behind.

“Hello?” Stop said into the phone. His voice was merry and young, and it reminded Bryony of when she was a child. Stop used to rollerskate with her. He taught her how to climb trees. “Yes, he’s right here. Hold on a second.”

He handed the phone to Eddie. Eddie grinned at him.

“Yeah?” he said.

He didn’t speak for a long time after that, just listened. His face went paler and paler until he rivaled Bryony herself. She pulled a chair over to him and he sat down.

That’s when she knew.

Stop must have realized it, too, because he put his arms around his daughter, smoothing her hair. “It’s not your fault, sweetheart. It’s not your fault.” His newfound youthfulness was a lie, a dreadful deceit, for he was an old man, and old men cannot always hold back their tears. They ran down his face, and Bryony hugged him with all her strength before she went to stand behind her new husband of less than fifteen minutes.

“Thank you,” he said faintly into the phone, and Bryony took it from him and hung it up gently. She knelt in front of him and put her hand on his cheeks.

“Eddie,” she said softly. “Tell me.”

The words were almost more than he could say, but Eddie is a strong man. A brave man and he wanted to do what was right, even if it was difficult. He swallowed and tried to give voice to his mother’s spirit.

“My mother. Back home. The neighbor . . . found her.” Bryony gasped, but Eddie continued speaking. “There was a robbery, and she must have walked in on him. He has already confessed, this kid. He’s just a kid, looking for money. My mother . . . ” Tears ran down his face, then, and Bryony climbed into his lap and her starry bracelet shimmered as she threw her arms around him. “She’s dead, Bryony. She’s dead. We were getting married, and she . . . ”

“Oh, Eddie. I’m so sorry. If only you hadn’t met me, Eddie. It’s a horrible thing to say, but it’s true, and we both know it. If only I had gone somewhere else, picked a different market to wander through that day. If only I hadn’t chased you down with those yellow jonquils and demanded to know why you didn’t like me! Oh, Eddie, you didn’t like me at all, and that was a hurtful thing to me, but it was safe for you. Perhaps I should have let it be, because then your mother—”

He tried to say consoling things but was too distraught, and she tried to say equally consoling things, but was even more distraught. Stop quietly stepped out of the door and stood on the back porch, giving them time to grieve.

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