Forever Changed

chapter 3



It was storming, when I went outside to grab the shovel from the storage shed. The lightning was striking low to the ground and the thunder rumbled loudly. The rain poured and for a moment I stood there soaking it all in. I was hoping that the lightning would kill me where I stood.

I imagined it striking me, making my skin turn black and causing it to smell like burning flesh. I chuckled a little when I imagined my dark hair sticking up everywhere, like in the old movies. I couldn’t help myself and started laughing hysterically at the thought. The hysterics slowly faded and turned to tears.

I picked up the shovel crying as I started lifting shovel after shovel full of mud out of my father’s grave. I continued for over an hour the mud made it extremely hard to get as deep as I should have. Of all nights to kill my father, she would pick the one where it was storming.

I was soaked to the bone and had bloody dime sized blisters on my hands, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was my father. I had cried so much that I was shuddering and shaking. All I could do was think about him.

“Elizabeth, you have been out there digging for over an hour, are you not done yet? Get moving, before his body starts smelling up the house,” my mother screamed, over each clap of thunder. I rolled my eyes, thinking how I would love to take her head off and dig her hole.

I walked out of the garden. On a pretty day it’s magnificent, with flowers, vines, and trees blooming everywhere. I love this place. My father and I would work all day out in this garden, planting new flowers. I decided that this was our special place that is why he needed to be buried here.

I headed back to the house and walked through the back door. My mother watched me and tried to hand me a glass of water. I just stood looking at her.

“Don’t you think I just had enough water?” I asked icily.

“I just thought you could use a drink, you still have a lot of work to do,” she said, while dumping out the water in the sink. “Anyway, go finish burying your father. When you’re done with that nasty work, get the mess cleaned up before the maid comes. I am going to go soak in the tub, it has been a long day. Goodnight Elizabeth, I love you,” she said sweetly.

I just looked at her with no emotion on my face or in my eyes, except for one. Anger!