The Prosecution Rests – 21st May 2014 (21:45)

Omar Hussain adjusted his burgundy tie in the mirror. His face still dripped from the cold water he had splashed to cool himself down. It hung in his beard before splashing into the sink.

He exhaled softly, his hands still clenching the edge of the basin to steady himself. He met the stare of his reflection and knew that it had finally happened; he was done.

Omar dabbed his face with the sleeve of his shirt before turning his back to his shaken reflected face. He fiddled with his wedding ring as he took deep breaths, consoling himself.

Another man walked I to the bathroom, his blazer slung over his left him and a handkerchief dabbing his sweating brow. Omar knew the look of the man, he was going to be sick, most likely from a decision that had been past in the court room. Right or wrong it always left some poor relative driven to sickness.

Omar could hardly look him in the eye as he passed him to the cubicles at the far end of the bathroom, too much shame. Whether he had been failing to defend the mans murdering son or defending the man who murdered his son, Omar would forever be the hated man. And he’d had enough.

Take the woman he had on trial right now. She’d driven him to this bathroom during the short recess from court over lunch. She’d also killed her husband, his lover and his kids and Omar had to argue that she did it out of a moment if madness. And the worst part, it was working. Omar knew, has he had known countless of times before. This murderer would probably get away with a mental health disorder. She’d be out in less than ten years.

It made Omar sick and he’d had enough.

The Horoscopes – Craig – 20th May 2014 (10:00)

Life is a disorganised child, creating mess and havoc all around you. The parental Virgo is the centre of the storm, a calm serenity ready to offer a warm hug and solace from the outside world. Being a slob is not your cup of tea and that’s why people love you. You’re exactly what is needed in this world, make people aware of how much you do for them and then relax, you’ve earned it.

“Looky here Marg, they’re saying I deserve a rest!”

“Course you do Sir,” said his servant from the dusty floor. “They’ve been working you to the bone all these years, it’s high time you deserve a rest.” As she spoke she could feel her knees grinding together under the weight of her bulging stomach and bountiful breasts. She ground as she rose to her feet, only to crouch down again to sweep up the crumbs that her master had just flicked from his wiry beard.

The Story Of the One Day Traveller – 17th May 2014 (18:15)

11:59:59. P.M. The second hand ticks and a new day begins.
A life with the ability to fill each day with everything.
pack it full of friendships and relationships,
books and films and learning.
social days and proactive days.
busy days, and lazy days.

11:59:59. PM. And I got back to the start.
Midnight. The darkest hour.
But I am standing at the start of a new day, with all the possibilities to do what I want.
I live and love and learn.
I let the clock tick over, lose days that I know I will never see again.
Relive the ones that mean the most.

23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds that I can redo.
I make a mistake with her, I can fix it.
I miss out on the opportunity to make her smile, I can retry it.
I slip and fall, I can catch myself.
Close my eyes and I’m back to the start.
Never a day wasted.

August the 2nd 11:59:59. PM.
The knife sinks deep.
A blackness washes over me
And I fall.
Beneath the murky yellow light I bleed.
I fade.

August 2nd 00:00:00. AM.
I breathe again.
Life back in my veins and knowledge in my head.
I live the day again.
Better than before, it shall not be my last.
Learn from my mistakes.

August 2nd 11:59:59. PM.
A car.
Her back.
A crash.
Her death.

August 3rd 00:01:01. AM.
I get the call.
Her friend, crying, wailing down the phone.
I hear the news, and try and slip back.
But I am stuck.
August 3rd 00:00:00. AM. I start again and know that she is gone.

August 13th 15:03:03. PM.
She has been buried again.
I have seen her coffin lowered more times than I have ever done anything else.
I cannot leave.
Without her,
I do not want to live another day.

Delbert Part 3 (Finale) – 16th May 2014 (22:30)

Delbert’s right leg was broken. It jutted out just under the knee at a violent outward angle. He drugged the broken limb behind him with an impressive speed for a man on one good leg. The pain had been at lot better than what he had thought a break would be but it hurt like a bitch nonetheless. There was little blood which he was grateful of as the sight of his own claret liquid would have knocked him out again.

He pulled his body across the reception area, each step causing more pain for his leg, his breath becoming weak and raspy.

He held the hatchet with a terrifying strength.

Delbert made his way into the kitchen, pushing the big swinging double doors wide so as to avoid them clamping shut on his leg as he dragged it in behind him. He turned left when through the double doors and rummaged through the closest cupboards, searching through empty whiskey bottles in search of some sweet liquor. When he couldn’t find any he became agitated, throwing empty bottles to the floor in frustration. The glass shattering on the floor spraying shards across the kitchen.

Finally he found a half full bottle and yanked it out of the cupboard, more empty bottles flying for freedom as he did so. Delbert twisted the bottle top off and drank the strong brown liquid quickly and loudly. He barely breathed as the whiskey burnt his throat. It slapped over the sides of his lips and spilt onto his shirt. When he couldn’t bare the burning sensation in his throat he slumped forward and breathed deeply. His head was already beginning to swim and the pain in his leg died down almost to nothing.
Delbert breathed steadily, calm washing over him. He stood on one leg, body slumped over the counter with his head lain down on the cool surface. His breath fogged up the shiny worktop as he breathed.

Grady stared at the walls. From here he could see the white washed far wall, the only empty one in the entire kitchen. He could see the door he had entered from with the porthole style window, through which he could see the roof of the reception area.

He twisted his head round to face the opposite side and saw much of the same, a white wash wall, cookers, pots, knives, dish washers. Nothing of interest. He then twisted his entire body around to lean against his back and his eyes scanned the rest of the kitchen, more cookers, more knives, more pots, on this side there was another two doors, one to the restaurant and one to Ullman’s office. The second door was just swinging closed.

Grady was up in a shot, barely recognising the pain in his leg. He stormed towards the door, hatchet in hand. He swung his arms out as he stalked his prey, the hatchet catching the pots on the hooks and sending them flying across the room, clattering on the various metal appliances. The sound echoed through the kitchen.

Within ten seconds Grady had made it across the kitchen and burst through the swinging door, his family were at the radio, desperately trying to contact anyone. His girls were crying in fear and they were all shaking.

“Hello Julie dear, trying to contact your boyfriend are we?” Grady loved the power he had over them.

“Delbert…” Julie cried. “Delbert please, let me explain, it isn’t how you think… Please Delbert, baby, this isn’t you.” The tears streamed down her face, she was frozen in fear and had stopped trying to work the radio.

Delbert swung the hatchet down onto the radio, it flashed and crackled in a horrible electric storm within the room and then died. “Tell me out it is then dear. Tell me all about it!” Grady swung the hatchet across the desk, sending the lamp and books that were upon it to the floor. The girls screamed and Julie blubbered more and more. “Because what I think it is… is that you’re a cheating bitch!” Delbert stalked the around the desk as he talked. “These brats aren’t even mine! Are they!” Delbert roared the words at her like a proud lion. They were in front of the desk and he was behind I now. Despite the break in his leg Delbert moved with grace and capability.

Delbert place his index finger on the blade and ran it along the length of it, slowly as to not cut himself. “Julie, Julie… Julie.” He smiled at them, almost the family man he had been again. “Run.”

He barely gave them time to process the words before he leaped across the desk at them, his broken leg sticking out to the side made him look like a hurdle jumper. The three Grady girls turned and ran out of the reception area, however the two girls separated from their mother as Grady went to chase after her. Julie ran off up the grand stairs whilst the girls headed in the opposite direction.

Delbert had all intent on following his wife, she was the one that had to go after all but a sound of pain from the girls made him change his mind.
Mary and Claire had fallen to the floor, a floor board had been poking up and one of them just hit it at the wrong angle at too fast a speed which had sent them flying to the floor in a bundle.

“GIRLS!” Grady said with a smile that suggested a loving father. “Come here.” He held his arms wide with the hatchet faced in a deadly position, ready to strike when it got into range. Delbert ran towards them, the adrenaline taking over from the pain of his leg.

Mary and Claire struggled to get to their feet but the managed to just as Delbert approached. They ran screaming together, the hatchet burying itself into the space they had occupied two seconds before hand.

Anger filled Delbert, he wanted this to be over. He saw red and suddenly his body was stronger than it had ever been. Grady roared at the girls who had ran off into one of the various bars of the Overlook. He stalked after them, like a predator hunting its prey.

***

Julie collapsed in a flood of tears on the first floor fire escape stairs. She was out of breath and ashamed that she had let the girls get away from her. She had no idea where they were but could only assume the worst. How could this happen to her. Why would Delbert do this. The drink had always been cruel to him but it never this bad, a few beatings but nothing she couldn’t deal with. And what had he said? Her boyfriend? She could only presume he had gone off in a jealous rage, fuelled by alcohol. And now this…

She heard a scream bellow out. It echoed up throw the cold stairwell and pierced her ears with a terrifying sinking blow. Julie leaped down the stairs, running to find the source of the scream. All was silent besides the slap of her bare feet on the cold, hard concrete. The tears that lay on Julie’s cheeks quickly dried from the heat of skin as she ran towards the nearest bar; the source of the scream. She dreaded what she would find there, she couldn’t bare to think that it was her fault. The scream was because she had let the girls out of her grasp, she knew it. There was something heartfelt and saddening in the scream, she feared the worst.

As Julie entered the bar, she slowed, fearful for herself as well as her children despite her mothering instincts to protect her children. Her fears were quickly confirmed.

***

Delbert had cut into their soft young flesh like warm butter. He had broken the bones like twigs, the power that he had channelled through his arms into the small hatchet blade had been almost super-human. Some deeply suppressed cave man like mad man replacing his usual physical self giving him the power to destroy his little girls bodies. Mary had been first, her head split open and blood oozed out of it, staining the rug beneath it. Claire was next, after cowering in the corner and begging her father to let her go Delbert had slit her neck open.

“Daddy, daddy no, please!” she had cried. Then she screamed as she died.
Delbert hadn’t even paused before he killed them. The plan was coming together and soon he would be alone with the red head girl. Murder was easy. He had read books when he was at school which said that criminals had deep set guilt after they committed murder. But Grady felt no guilt, nor remorse, only pleasure and excitement. Finally he would have revenge on his wife for he cheating ways. Cheating bitch!

Delbert paused and looked around. He could hear her running to him now, he could hear her coming after him, coming to save her bastard children. Delbert glanced down at the hatchet. It was stained red and as he ran his finger along the blade found it to be blunt. The bones of the girls must have dulled it. He would need something else for Julie, something a little more…special. The footsteps were getting closer and faster but Delbert had already found his weapon. He slumped over to the bar and toppled clumsily over, the pain in his leg returning. The bar was empty, apart from a shotgun hung decoratively over the bar. When he had seen this on his first look round the hotel he had presumed it to be deactivated and it was only two days ago that he had found otherwise. Whilst on the prowl for some whiskey he had stumbled behind the bar and found shotgun shells on the shelf underneath one of the beer taps. They must have been left there by some hapless guest who had been hunting in the surrounding mountains. Some how the gun had been mistaken as an ornament and hung up.

Delbert yanked it off the hooks and leant against the bar as he loaded the shells into the gun. It was a double barrel shotgun so Delbert loaded in two shells and cocked it. He ducked down just as Julie was entering the room, she hadn’t seen his hiding place.

Delbert poked his head over the bar. Julie had collapsed at her dead girls bodies and was crying into their bodies. Her shoulders moving dramatically up and down, her sobs filling the otherwise silent room. Her hands covered her face and Delbert saw this as his moment to strike.

He moved around the side of the bar and crouched under the portion of the bar the allowed staff members in and out. He crept as close to his wife as he dared and lined up to take the shot. He felt as though he was hunting duck, having his wife in the guns sites seemed natural, as if it was something every man would do. Fancy going on a wife hunt this weekend? Delbert chuckled in his head at the thought of a sport replacing the popularity of fishing.
“Julie,” he whispered to himself. She didn’t stir from her sobbing ball that she had formed. “I loved you and you betrayed me.” His finger felt for the trigger, ready to squeeze. “Good-bye.” Julie turned to face him as he pulled the trigger. Her head toppled backwards under the force of the shot, blood filling the space of air where her face had been. Julie crumpled on top of her little girls, her blood mixing with theirs to form a thick almost black pool the trickled through the cracks and splits of the wooden floor.

Grady was sent flying backwards due to the force of the gun. He thought he felt his right shoulder dislocate as the gun ricocheted into it. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

THE NEXT MORNING.

Delbert Grady rolled over onto his knees and tried to stand. His head was killing him and the pain of the night before hit him like a brick. He quickly found it impossible to stand and instead crawled over the bar and used that as a leaning post to help him to his feet.

He had done it. He had killed his family, his cheating wife cheating bitch was dead and his brats were gone. The hotel, indeed the world was silent. The sun was on the rise and cast orange light into the bar. The crumpled bodies of his deceased family lay neatly in the corner, a happy coincidence that they died somewhere out of the way.

“Hello?” Delbert called out into the silence. Nothing responded other than his own muffled echo. Where was the red head, he asked himself. Grady stood shakily to his feet and shuffled out of the bar, the smell was already becoming too much and the heating had gone out in the bar and he could already feel the cold creeping in.

Progress was slow but eventually after much clambering and shuffling, pain and shrieks, Delbert made it back into the room he had originally met the red haired woman in. The smell in there was worse than of the recently dead bodies. The smell of sick hung poignant in the air. The taste of the rancid vomit as he breathed in was worse than the smell. Despite it, Grady sat down at the base of the bed and waited. Surely she must turn up eventually, he reasoned, she had found him here before, she’d come back here again.

Delbert waited. He was unaware of true time, a mix of pain of his leg and the smell of vomit caused him to clack out several times. When he came to he was unsure whether he had passed out at all. Delbert waited. He grew hungry but reasoned that he would wait until she came before he went to eat. Delbert waited. The day grew to a close and he was left to sit in the dark. Delbert still waited. Alone, cold and in the dark waiting for the woman with red hair to come and make what he had done to his family right.

THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

She still hadn’t come. Delbert had woken up for the fifth or sixth time that night and each time he had grown more worried for the girl with red hair. She should have found him by now. What if something had happened to her, what if she had left him here, alone thinking that he had gone without her. The wind sliced through the silence and sent a chill of fear down Delbert’s neck.

He could wait no longer, he would go looking for her.

***

Delbert sat next to the pile of slowly rotting bodies that were once his family. He was crying. He cried for what he had done to them, he cried for the death of his girls and he cried for the disgusting state he had left them in. He cried for Julie, he had loved her so. The gun lay next to him, stained with the blood that it was placed upon. Delbert cried.

“Hello Delbert.” A voice from the dark corner of the bar room. The voice of the red haired girl. “She wasn’t cheating on you, you know.”

“I know!” Delbert bellowed, more towards his wifes’ body than to the girl. “I know.” Almost a whisper.

“And you killed her Delbert. For me.” Delbert could hear the satisfaction on her voice, it buried deep inside him with a sickening pain. The pleasure she got from torturing him was the same he took from killing his family. He could sense it. “Silly boy Delbert. You’re all the same you men. Easy to…” She paused for a very long time. “Manipulate.” She said. The final word seemed to come from inside Delbert’s own head.

Delbert carried on crying, he didn’t care for the woman, he wanted his wife. But she was gone. Gone because of what he did. And his baby girls! He remembered holding them in his arms when they were born. So small and delicate. Chopped to bits. They were gone now, all gone.

With shaky hands and a heavy heart Delbert Grady picked up the gun which had killed his wife and angled the but of it towards his head. He rested his chin on the cold metal casing of the barrel and closed his eyes. He felt guilt and remorse. He felt ashamed.
“Good-bye Delbert Grady.”

Delbert Part 2 – 15th May 2014 (23:00)

EARLY THE NEXT DAY.

Delbert Grady’s head felt like it was about to split open spilling a thick, goey, alcohol ridden mess onto the floor. His brain felt twice as big as the skull that contained it. He grunted as he rolled off of the soft four poster bed and landed heavily on his hands and knees. He knelt coughing raspily for a moment before struggling under the weight of his body to stand.
When he had risen the room swam violently in front of him, making his movements unsteady and unsure. A warm and lumpy liquid made its way up Delbert’s throat and he was violently sick across the collection of chairs that littered the expensive looking rug of the suite he had woken up in.

More vomit, warm and runny.
Delbert wandered precariously into the bathroom and set about cleaning him self up. He ran the cold tap on the sink and splashed the cool crisp water over his stubbly face. He closed his eyes. Bitch.

Grady had heard his wife on the phone the night before. He was wandering past the office and heard her. She was talking to the National guard. Cheating bitch. She was talking about how worrying it was that they were cut off, and asking him to come up and take her away. Cheating bitch!
Grady sat on the toilet seat. Water dripping steadily from his chin landing in a pool on his shirt. Tears quickly joined the tap water on his cheeks and soon he was blubbering like a baby in the bathroom, alone.

How could this have happened to him. How could his wife be wanting to leave him. Soon he would be alone, no wife, no friends, no family. He stood shakily and glared at his reflection.

Delbert Grady screamed at himself. All the pain and anger and torment of the past few days exploded out of him, spittle flying from his lips, landing in little droplets on the mirror, blurring his reflection. The walls seemed to close around him, trapping him. The scream was still flying out of his coarse throat and finally, after what seemed like hours rather than seconds the scream stopped and, exhausted Grady collapsed on the carpeted floor and leant against the back of the bathroom door.

The thick brown carpet crept up between his fingers like rising towers of a cathedral. Delbert liked the soft touch that the carpet had between his fingers, the way a child liked the touch of a blanket. If only his own mother had been as comforting as the carpet, how different things might have been.
He could almost hear his mothers voice drift softly to him from some far away paradise. Her voice cushioned by softly heavenly tones.

Delbert stood shakily to his feet, his knees unsure on the weight. He could hear his mothers voice, calling to him, louder and louder. He was sure of it. With every gentle tone that kissed Delbert’s ears he was more sure of it. He stumbled out of the bathroom in search of his mothers voice calling to him. Shakily he approached the double doors of the suite. Grady was certain that the source of the voice was from behind the thick wooden doors. A trembling hand twisted the door handle and Grady pulled the door open.

But his mother wasn’t there. Somewhere in the back of his mind Delbert knew that she couldn’t be, he’d buried her six years ago and hadn’t shed a tear on the matter.

Standing in the corridor was a beautiful, slim, young red haired girl. She was wearing a maids outfit with the Overlook’s emblem of the breast pocket. Although Grady couldn’t imagine Ullman approving her attire. She wore simple black shoes, filled with white frilly stockings that Delbert could follow all the way up he perfectly toned legs. The stockings cut off mid-thigh in little white bows. Above this was a skimpy white silk skirt, which was so high up the leg that Delbert could see most of her frilly panties, also white. Her torso was covered by a black shirt, cut off just below the shoulder. It was unbuttoned to her stomach and her large breasts spilled out, screaming at Grady to look at them. Her face had little make-up plastered onto it, but she wore red lipstick, darker than her hair, which itself spilled over her shoulders in red curls.

“Hello Mr. Grady,” her voice was more gentle and pleasant than his mothers although the tone was similar. “I’ve been sent here to see if there’s… anything you need.” The extra emphasis on ‘anything’ sent Delbert’s knees trembling.

“I-“ Delbert was lost for words. A mix of the screaming and crying and adrenaline had destroyed his throat leaving his whole mouth dry. His knees were shaking uncontrollably as the adrenaline was pumped around his blood.

The girl stepped forwards into the room and pushed her right index finger onto his lips. Next she took his right hand in hers and placed it firmly on her breasts. The scene reminded Delbert of an erotic film in which the experienced harlot guides the unsure virgin through his first sexual experience. All thoughts of his mother retreated from Delbert’s mind. Then he kissed her. A passionate kiss, more than he had ever shown his wife or any other woman.

Some primal part of his mind was taking over. Delbert stopped thinking rationally and all thoughts were gone. Only instinct remained the nature to mate and to breed exploding out of him. All because of this woman. He wanted her with every fibre of his body and struggled to contain his excitement. He was fully consumed by the kiss, willing it to turn into something more. All he wanted was to mate, to breed and to be with this woman. No love, no emotion, no loyalty. Just sex.

And as quickly as she had initiated the kiss it had finished. She pulled away and stepped out of his reach.

“But first you have to do something for me.” Grady’s heart was in his mouth.

“Anything…” He said without really thinking about it.

“Well, Delbert, you wouldn’t want people to call me a whore would you? You wouldn’t want me to be like your wife would you?” Delbert shook his head. “Well then Delbert, your wife has to go. Then we can be…” She stepped towards him and fiddled with the buttons on his shirt. She pulled his head towards her lips and with a warm, lustful breath whispered; “…together.” The word seemed to explode off of her lips. “You can’t get a divorce yet though. She’ll take everything you have, she’ll take your house, your money and replace you with Dirty Dan the gardening man. You’ll have to get rid of her another way Delbert.” She stepped away from him again, toying with him. “Get her out Delbert and whilst you’re at it get those brats out too… they’d only interrupt us.”

She seemed suddenly so cruel but Delbert knew that it made sense to him. His wife was cheating on him with that park ranger, and god knows how many others. She didn’t deserve to be around him any longer. And nor did the kids, they could go with her, they would interrupt him and the girl.

“But… How? She won’t leave. She wouldn’t go outside.”

The girl took another delicate step back to Delbert, sexually reignited again. Another whisper; “Kill them Delbert. It’s the only way to stop the bitch taking your life away from you. Kill them all and you can have me. Anything you want from me… anything.”

And with that command she turned and left Grady stunned in the suite, alone. The click of the door was the only sound that filled the hotel room.

Without realising it Delbert was walking to the door after her, he had questions to asks, all of which were flooding back into his mind along with his conscious rational thought.

He opened the door not ten seconds after her but could not see her along the straight corridor. She must have slipped back into one of the rooms she was hiding in he presumed. After all how else had she managed to stay in the hotel for so long.

Grady closed the large wooden door and slide down the back of it, coming to a rest once more on the thick brown carpeted floor. Still soft and comforting to his touch. He thought about what the girl had said to him. Could he really do it? In all honesty he had contemplated doing it last night, but the drink had gotten the better of him and before he knew it he was to drunk to walk let alone murder. But now, now that he had a real reason, a purpose to doing the unspeakable act. He could have the girl of his dreams with three easy, necessary killings.
Delbert knew what he must do and with the adrenaline returning to his blood he stood steadily to his feet. He reopened the door and began to stalk the halls. He would need a weapon, something practical.

As Delbert Grady stumbled along the corridors of the Overlook hotel in search of a weapon to commit murder with, he was excited prospect of killing his wife and children.

A FEW MINUTES EARLIER

Claire wandered dreamily across the room she shared with her sister, to the bathroom. She sat down and did a wee whilst trying to wake up, knowing that there was a reason for her early rise other than her desperation to use the toilet. The eldest Grady daughter washed her hands and splashed some cold water over her face, something her dad always did and something she presumed would help her concentrate. Claire patted her face with a thick warm towel that they had bought from home and she gave it a sniff, the last remnants of her home life still trapped within the odour of the soft material.

She shuffled back into the bedroom and clambered back into her single bed, trying to be as quiet as possible as to not wake her sleeping sister. She lay down in bed and stared at the green luminous glow that the digital clock gave out. 6:30 a.m. the clock read.

Claire shivered under the duvet, the cold having been let in when she went to the bathroom.

There was a muffled voice from upstairs and Claire twisted round to face the ceiling, straining her ears to listen. Had she imagined it? She lay listening for a very long time before she heard it again.

She was sure she had heard it, she leant forward and leaned over the edge of the bed, looking into her parents bedroom.

Her mother lay there, on her back, arm dangling over the edge of the bed, head turned away from the side lamp which was giving out a soft glow. The covers pulled over her. Although young, Claire could see her mother was troubled, even whilst asleep. The creases of her face deep and permanent. Her father’s side of the bed was empty and from what Claire could see he had not slept there all night, again.

Claire got out of bed again and tip-toed over to the door, pulling her dressing gown from the hook at the back as she went. Her father had stopped talking in the room above but she still wanted him with everyone else. Claire was worried about him, she was much like her mother in more than a few ways.

She swung the dressing gown around her body and tied the belt tightly. She slipped on a pair of shoes and quickly checked that her sister was still asleep, no need getting her worried as well. When Claire saw the Mary was fast asleep, breathing deeply under her covers she left the room and crept out of the family suite.

***

Delbert span the wooden handle around and around in his hands as he walked through the main reception area.

After wandering the halls for almost half-an-hour he had found the hatchet down in the basement under piles of old newspapers and knew that this was his weapon of choice.

His initial thought had been to get a knife from the kitchen, nice and simple, but something had stopped him. Somewhere deep inside him, in some twisted black ball the lay in the pit of his stomach there had been a voice that told him they wouldn’t splatter with a knife. That it would be too quick and easy with a knife. So he had gone looking for something which would please the voice, something more murdersome.

Delbert reached the foot of the grand staircase. He followed the banister up to the top with his eyes, taking in every detail of the beautifully crafted wood, every twist and turn of the wood was perfectly shaped. Grady place his left hand on the wood letting the hatchet swing beside him in his right hand. He stroked the wood softly, similarly to the soft brown carpet from the bathroom floor. The wood was cold under his hand.

Delbert seemed to freeze in place, as if suddenly realising where he was and not being sure whether he should make a move or not. Suddenly in a fluid and meditated fashion his lifted the hatchet high over his head and swung it down violently onto the wood. Upon impact it splintered, sending shards of wood flying in all directions. The deep brown of the banister had been split and replaced with a chipped light cream colour. The sound of the hatchet swinging down had been quickly replaced by the almighty crack that was given off by the wood.

Grady was laughing. He hadn’t been so happy about anything for as long as he could remember. He was happy and excited, the site of the splintered wood had his heart racing at the very thought of what he was going to do. If the blade of the hatchet could do that much damaged to wood he loved the thought of the damage it could induce to his children. He was almost giddy with joy at the thought of the blade breaking the flesh and bone of his daughters.

“Daddy?”

Grady’s laughter cut out with a yelp. He span round to face the top of the stairs to find Claire standing in her dressing gown, gawping at him. Delbert’s eyes tightened the way a predator does when it sees its prey. Claire must have sensed that her role had now become prey because she suddenly turned and ran faster than she ever had done.

The adrenaline raced into Delbert’s blood, the thrill of the chase fully upon him. He ran up the stairs two at a time, bounding after his daughter with the excitement of a Labrador puppy. The hachet blade glinting in the light as he ran.

“Claire! Claaaaaaire! Come here, I wana show you sumin’!” The excitement had taken over. Grady was barely touching each step. Barely aware of anything other than the blade of the hatchet, his own heartbeat and him catching up to Claire. He was almost up the stairs and she had only just gotten around the corner.

Then his right foot hit the top step only to slide of the edge again. Then his knee and shin hit the steps with a crack of shocking similarity to the wood. Delbert was sent tumbling backwards down the stairs, hitting a different part of his body with agonising pain as he went. He landed, slumped on the floor with the hatchet just to the side of him, some how not having pierced Delbert’s skin.
Delbert lay still of the wooden floor.

***

Mary woke from her dream with tightly squinted eyes. She was unaware of the real world apart from hands on her shoulders shaking her.

“Wh…-?”Mary’s throat was dry and stiff.

“Mary, we have to go, right now.” It was her mother’s voice. “Come on Mary, we have to hide.”

Mary slowly came round and took in her surroundings. Her sister was crying, tears streaming down her eyes. Her mother was the same, but much more controlled about it, she had to be. Without really knowing what was happening she sleepily agreed and swung her legs out of bed and into her fluffy cream slippers. Julie put Mary’s coat on her and then hurried the girls out of the room.

Julie had been woken by Claire storming into the bedroom, she quickly explained what had happened and Julie had cried from the moment she had heard her husband had a hatchet. She knew that they were in trouble, the drink had gotten to him and they would have to hide until it was over. If it was ever going to be over.

The three Grady girls quickly left the family suite and hurried in the opposite direction of the main stairs and headed to the fire exit at the end of the hall which led down towards the kitchen. Julie reckoned they were best to hide in there as there were the most exits to which they could escape or he could come in.

The three of them crept into the kitchen and huddled together in the far corner where they could watch all of the doors. They sat, listened, hope and waited. They all cried silently.

Delbert Part 1 – 14th May 2014 (23:22)

Mrs. Grady stared up in wonder at the Overlook Hotel. She was stunned at how such a magnificent place could be nestled up here, so alone in the world, but some how more powerful and foreboding because of it. The grandness of the place made her feel small and insignificant almost as if it had the ability to crush her.

Her husband, Delbert, slammed the driver’s side door and snapped her back into the real world. She smiled at him pretending she pleased to have the opportunity to spend time as a family. Deep down though she was worried. The journey up the mountain had set fear into her heart, they were truly dead to the world this far away and the roads were already beginning to become icy, she dreaded to think what winter could get like up here.
A scream caused her to spin around and face the lawn. All was fine, it was a playful scream from her youngest, Mary. Her sister was chasing her around the lawn.

“Go away Claire!” Mary called back, making no real attempt to put a stop to the game.

Delbert Grady had made his way around the car and put a hand around his wife’s waist and squeezed her close to him, kissing her head in the process.
“Well Julie, baby, what d’ya think of the house, it’s a bit big I know but I’m sure we can cope?” He chuckled softly at his own terrible joke and Julie did her best to laugh along with him.

Truth be told she had hated the idea of it all from the moment she heard about the job offer. “Just a bit of maintenance work and keeping the weather at bay” Delbert had said, “Nothing we can’t handle. Besides It’ll be good to get away from everything.”

She thought it was far too large a place for the four of them to manage, that the girls would get bored quickly up here and she was worried that Delbert wouldn’t be able to keep his temper under-control when he was around the girls all day. All of which were a likely course in the isolationism they were set to face.

Despite her thoughts Julie knew better than to share them with her husband, it would only worry him. “I love it darling,” she replied with a gentle, lingering kiss which Julie knew would distract Delbert from the unconvincing answer she had given.

“Good,” Delbert said with a smile. “Why don’t you keep an eye on the girls whilst I go sort out the paper-work with the manager, then we’ll take a look around the place, get acquainted with it all.”

She smiled back to him. “Sounds good to me,” and with a smile more fake than a cheap Rolex, she turned her back on him and wandered lazily over to her children, basking in the cool mountain sunlight.

A few seconds later she turned round to see her husband walking through the big wooden doors of the hotel. He seemed to be care free and happy, strolling along with his hands in his pockets and lips pursed in a whistle. But something still nagged at her about the Overlook, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on but knew was there nonetheless.

Sadly though, whether she liked it or not, they had made the Overlook their home and so it would be until April when the rich guests would swarm back to enjoy the summer in the mountains.

5 DAYS LATER

Marry kept as quiet as she could. The youngest Grady girl was curled up in a small ball hidden away in one of the hundred or so kitchen cupboards. She could hear her fathers bare feet slap the cold tiled floor of the kitchen as a stalked around the kitchen trying to find her. She heard him approach her hiding space and held her breath in a foolish attempt not to be caught. The slap of Delbert Grady’s feet stopped right outside Mary’s hiding space. She could feel her heart beat in her throat.

Delbert slide the cupboard door back quickly and revealed his daughter hiding there. Mary let out a screaming giggle as Delbert exclaimed; “I found you!” He reached forward and pulled her out of the cupboard in his strong hands and started to tickle her, to which she responded with more laughter and muffled attempts to plead him to stop.

Mary loved her daddy when he was like this. She had not known him to be that way for a long time but up here he seemed to be happy and didn’t need to be out so late every night. Marry and her sister Claire had been playing hide and seek since breakfast time with their father, it was now approaching dinner and they still wanted to play.

Although the Overlook Hotel was an extremely grand complex there were only so many places in which they could hide. The snow had settled two days before hand so outside was a quickly becoming a treacherous place to hide, most of the rooms were locked and the more public areas of the hotel were largely open planned. But none the less once Delbert had let Mary go she begged him to play another game.

“We can’t start another one yet Mary! What about your sister, we have to find her first.”

“She’s over there,”

Marry pointed to a cupboard across the room, the door to which slide open, accompanied by a shouting Claire. “Just because you lost again, doesn’t mean you have to ruin it for me! Daddy would never have found me in there!”

“He would so! It was an easy place!”

Delbert interjected. “Girls its ok, how about one more game then we’ll go get your mother to make us some supper?”

Mary quickly ran off with her sister to find another place to hide leaving her father alone to count, again.

***

That night Delbert sat on the floor in front of the fire with Julie. He had his favourite drink, Jack Daniels and coke in his right hand and held Julie’s hand with his left. He took a sip of the drink and kissed his wife on the cheek. He smiled.

1 MONTH LATER.

Delbert first realised how frustrating his family were three days after the snow became so unbearable that it was impossible for them to go outside.
He felt like days were becoming shorter, the hotel seemed smaller. And with the snow came boredom. And his family were always there. He went to read a book, the girls wanted him to play with them. He went to play darts, his wife wanted to talk to him. There was no escape and Delbert began to feel trapped with his over-loving family.

The Jack Daniels and coke that Delbert loved so dearly started having less and less coke and more and more J.D.. And before he knew it Grady was no longer a family man but a town drunk. He struggled to walk most of the time and when he could walk it wasn’t very far. So instead he spent most of his time wondering around the hotel, he had found the keys and had let himself into a few of the rooms to sleep, to stay away from his family. He was happy this way and he had stayed that way for the majority of two weeks, he had scarcely seen his family but Delbert didn’t care though, they were leaving him in peace and that’s just what he wanted.

1 WEEK LATER.

Ullman’s head office was smaller than Julie expected. The entire office was contained in the most unexpected room hidden away behind the reception desk, with an adjoining room to the kitchen on the right hand wall. The room itself contained little more than a small bookshelf, filled mostly with cooking books and managerial expertise guides, two filling cabinets and his large oak desk. Behind and slightly to the left of the desk there was a small shelf with a two-way radio perched on it. Julie sat on Ullman’s desk with her legs dangling over the edge holding the microphone for the radio in her hands as if it were a warm cup of tea.

“Overlook to Outstation 1, over.” She said into the microphone.

The wind rattled violently against the single pained window. A thin sheet of ice had started to form around the edges of the glass giving them a frosted texture that reminded Julie of Christmas’ when she was a child. She always woke up early on Christmas morning, long before the sun rose and melted away the frost from the night before and seeing it now it reminded her that Christmas was not long off.

She sighed. Delbert had not handled the recent entrapment inside the hotel well. The dramatic change in weather had taken them all by surprise but Delbert had taken it the worst. He struggled to keep the girls occupied, as she knew he would and had turned to the drink to solve his problems as he always did.

“Outstation 1 to Overlook, hearing you load and clear.” The radio was quiet and crackled but the sound of another human’s voice comforted Julie, at least the Grady’s weren’t alone in the world.

“Hello Outstation, I was just wondering what the situation is with the power, we’ve been having power cuts all day and the generators aren’t meant to last forever.” The lights flickered at that moment as if on cue. “Truth be told it’s scaring me a little.”

There was a long pause and Julie worried that they were truly cut off from the world. Silence grew in the little office, not even the wind dared to whistle against the glass.

“Not to worry Overlook, the power is up and down this time of year, but we’ve never had a major problem with it y-…” The line crackled and went dead for a minute. “Oh, spoke to soon there I think,” crackled laughter tumbled from the radio. “Not to worry though everything is a O.K., it’s probably just the wind that’s giving you some trouble. Leave it ‘til the morning and if it’s still giving you jip we’ll do the best we can to get it sorted. Over”

There was a shuffling noise from outside the door as someone slumped past the door, their shadow cast under the gap between the door and the floor by the lights in the reception area. Julie pulled the microphone away from her mouth and called out to the shadow;

“Girls, if that’s you go to bed, I’ll be up to check on you in five minutes and if you’re not in bed then there’s going to big trouble. Delbert hunny if it’s you baby come in here and kiss your wife, I haven’t seen you all day!” She waited, she had hoped it to be Delbert, she was so worried about him. Julie had hoped that he had put his drunken days behind him. She decided she’d go and talk to him after she had finished with the man at the Outlook tower.

“O.K., thank you very much Outlook 1, maybe you could come get us all and we could leave this dastardly place. Over.”
“Doesn’t sound like you’re enjoying it much up there. Over.”

Julie paused and looked to the door. The shadow had gone and she felt her heart sink as she thought of Delbert roaming th halls, drunk and alone.
“I can’t say I am much, it’s a bit lonely up here.” She smiled to herself to true and make light of the situation. “Never mind, not much I can do now. Over”
“That’s it, you hang in there and be sure to contact us if there is anything at all that you need. Over.”

“O.K. thank you very much Outlook 1. Over and Out.” The radio went silent and Julie sat there on the desk for a moment, her legs swinging steadily. She stared at the floor, following the pattern on the carpet with her eyes, swirling the large intertwining lines with her absent eyes.

The lights flickered off again and seemed to stay off for an age, Julie became aware of her own heart pounding in her chest. Finally they flashed into life and Julie blinked in the sudden change of light. She slid of Ullman’s desk and place the microphone on top of the radio again.

Julie looked round the small office one more time, unwilling to leave. She felt comfortable in here, Delbert wasn’t the only one who wanted time to himself. She daintily stepped round the desk to the bookcase and browsed the unvaried selection, her finger skimming over the spines, none of which had a crease mark. Just for show, she thought, reflecting on her years spent putting on a happy face whilst Delbert struggled to break free from the bonds that he had cast with his heavy drinking. Julie walked to the door and with her hand on the handle and the other on the light switch and with another deeper and more heartfelt sigh, she flickered the switch and left Ullman’s office in darkness.

The Unhappy Life of Robert Simms Part 10 (Finale) – 13th May 2014 (22:15)

It was obviously suicide. But then why did they have to keep Robert locked up like this?

The ambulance had arrived within 10 minutes but Erin had been pronounced dead at the scene and from early forensic reports she had died some time late night two days ago. She got the flowers then killed herself. Robert kept thinking of that over and over again, mixed into a continuous loop of why am I here? Why did she do it? And what did I do?
The police had arrived and Robert was told he would be needed to answer some questions and had been placed in a cell to keep him on his own, and Robert had suspected to prevent him from running away.

He was sat on the edge of his bed which was a lightly padded mattress, the type you might find on a sun lounger. The room was painted white, including the floors, and was no bigger than two of the cubicles at work. There was a light hanging from the ceiling with a metal cage around it which, Robert presumed was to keep people from getting at the glass. Above his bed there a small window which was barred. The door to his cell stood tall and firm in front of him, a thick slab of metal with a small window at head height for the guards to look in and a small horizontal one below that which was for food to be placed. Thinking about it, Robert now noticed that in his cell he couldn’t hear any of the general office type sounds that he had heard when he arrived and presumed that it was sound proofed.

Just then the viewing hatch slide open and a head peered in. Two narrow slits for eyes stared at Robert, the owner peering in making sure he wouldn’t be able to attack them when they entered the room. The hatch slide back closed and there was the sound of a big heavy lock being unlocked and the door was drawn open.

Stood in the door was Iablo. He was in the same clothes as the last time Robert had seen him and he bore the same stretched smile that sent a shiver down Robert’s spine. There was no sound other than Roberts shallow breath. He couldn’t make head or tale of the situation with Erin and now Iablo’s appearance perplexed him even further.

“Hello Robert. You know it took me three cells to find you, you’re rather more difficult to find now that you don’t reek of desperation.” Iablo walked into the cell and leant against the wall to the left of Robert as if he had not said anything remotely strange at all.

“Iablo!” Robert couldn’t believe his luck and burst out with the first question that came to mind, “Can you bring her back? Like you did with me?” Robert bit his lip to hold back the tears, he couldn’t believe his luck that he might get Erin back.

“Ah Robert, no I’m afraid I can’t.” Iablo had taken off his coat and flung it on the bed beside Robert. He paced the room as he spoke, once again giving the air that he owned the place. “She is beyond helping.”

Robert couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. “Please, you’ve got to! You did it with me, its worked, I’m happy! Why can’t you help her?” The tears rolled down his cheeks and crept into his mouth. Robert could taste the salt.

“Well Robert that’s just the thing.” Robert went to interrupt him with a puzzled ‘what’ but Iablo cut him off before he could muster anything more than a tearful squeek. It seemed to Robert that with Iablo’s return he felt the same as he had before he met him. “Robert, let me show you something.” He held out his hand and reluctantly Robert took it. The cell instantly dissolved into nothingness and Robert now knew for certain that Iablo was not of this world. A sea of blurred colours rushed past the pair and for a second Robert felt Iablo’s hand burn red hot then the colours solidified and Robert found himself back in Erin’s house. The warm homely air hugged at Roberts body which had grown cold in the cell. He was standing on the bottom step, directly under where her body should have been. A glint of hope gripped his heart. Maybe Iablo had managed to do it after all.
Then he saw her walking towards the door and he couldn’t contain the overwhelming excitement he felt. She looked troubled and was deep in thought. Robert tried called out to her as she hadn’t seemed to notice him there but no sound came. Iablo’s voice called to him from far away in his mind.

“I’m afraid there’s a bit of Dicken’s going on here Robert. They’re only shadows of the past and all that.”
Robert watched as Erin opened the door and to his surprise saw the flowers he had odered for her being passed into her arms. She thanked the driver and closed the door. A smile had grown on her face. She read the card which Robert knew to say; “I can’t wait to see you again Erin. Give me a call. Robert xxx”. Her smile faded and she walked angrily to the kitchen. Disheartened Robert rushed after her and entered the kitchen just in time to see her stuffing the flowers into the bin, petals falling off and floating to the floor.

Erin then collapsed, on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Her body shaking on the floor.

Iablo’s voice came to Robert again. “This is your fault Robert.” The kitchen and Erin crying on the floor dissolved and in their place the spectacular array of colours that Robert had seen just after he left the cell appeared. Iablo appeared standing in front of him smiling his unnatural smile. They seemed to float through the colours their legs hanging weightlessly beneath them. Despite himself Robert noticed that Iablo seemed at ease here as he had done in the cell and at Roberts flat.

“Robert, Robert, Robert. What am I going to do with you eh? You ask me to make you happy and I do. Then you cry about losing your little girlfriend and ask more of me. You can’t have it both ways my boy.”

Roberts whole body shook with fear. Tears welled up in his eyes again. “I want her, she’s the one that makes me happy.” He almost screamed the words at Iablo.

“Of course she does,” the smile stretched even further over Iablo’s face. “Robert, I think I over-estimated you, I was expecting you to figure this out a long time ago. Don’t you remember what I said to you, how I said I could make you happy?”
Robert thought back, it all seemed so long ago now, to Robert it felt like a lifetime had passed in less then three weeks. “I- I can’t remember.”

Iablo let out a shrill ‘ha-ha’. “Robert! I said I could give you the spark! That glint in your eye that you value so much! That’s what happiness is. Robert, how do you presume I was going to give you that happiness? Just pluck it out of thin air?!” Iablo seemed to be calm but Robert felt the anger in his voice.

“No.” He barely uttered the word, it drifting out between his lips on nothing more than a soft breath of air. He lost all feeling in his body and almost felt like he had left it.

“Finally he gets it!” Iablo drew a deep breath, preparing himself for the great revelation he was about to release, clearly revelling in the moment.

“Robert, ever since my visit you’ve been taking other peoples happiness! Everyone you’ve come in contact with has made you happier and them so much sadder. Erin was just an unfortunate character. If you hadn’t made her fall in love with you so quickly she would probably be alive right now. You sapped the very last bit of happiness she held out of her just by making her fall for you. Bastard.”

Iablo let out a long, cruel laugh at the satisfaction he got from revealing his master work to Robert.

Robert couldn’t bring himself to say or do anything. He was aware of the tears on his face, the salty water trickling into his gaped mouth. He was aware that he was responsible for Erin’s death although he couldn’t quite believe it. Somewhere deep down he hoped it wasn’t real but knew even deeper down that it was. “How?” Was all that Robert could manage to utter back. His entire body distraught with the emotional pain he was now racked with.

“My goodness boy! You really are rather thick. I must admit I am rather out of touch with the character judging, aren’t I? Lets look at it this way.” Iablo raised his right hand and some of the colours turned black and turned themselves into the Alphabet, capital and lower case letters similar to the sheets used to teach children the Alphabet. “I am Mr. Derrick Iablo, am I not?” Robert failed to respond so Iablo continued. “So let’s keep those letters up there.” The alphabet shortened and was left with only the letters that made up Iablo’s name.

They stood, big, bold and black against the colourful background. “Right, to be honest the ‘Mr.’ is more of formality.” The letter letters rearranged themselves to spell out Derrick Iablo.

“You still not getting this Bobby?” Iablo smiled at Robert, clearly enjoying his moment in the spot light. “No? Okay. Let’s change the I from Iablo to a lower case…” The letters changed. Still Robert was clueless. “And lets get rid of the errick bit…”

Suddenly Robert saw it and, in a different situation would have laughed at his own stupidity for not seeing it sooner. The remaining words bunched together under Iablo’s will and Robert saw ‘Diablo’ written in big bold letters.

He turned to face Iablo has best as he could under the weightless conditions Robert found himself in. Iablo gave him a wink, the same wink Erin had flashed him.

“Bingo Bobby boy. I am the notorious man himself. I normally use the Spanish name for me, it seems a lot more…” he paused, “Exotic. You’ve been a big help to me. You’ve fed me a lot of misery. And poor old Erin, she was so depressed when she died. But don’t worry she’s been fitting right in down under with me.”

Somehow deep down, Robert summoned the strength to fling his body at Iablo but before he could even move nearer to him the colours stopped and Roberts kitchen appeared around them. Iablo landed softly and causally leant on the worktop. Robert however crashed heavily on the floor, dazing Robert for a moment.

The sound of the kettle clicking brought Robert back to his senses.

“And here we are again.”

Robert seemed like a cowering child. The sound of the kettle, his flat it was just as it had been when he had met Ibalo for the first time. He hugged the cupboard under the sink, trying to keep away from Ibalo.

“You’re right to fear me Robert.” Ibalo seemed serious for the first time. “You know the secret, so the only help you can be is to die. The misery you will draw from your parents will be lovely after you’re gone and then I can use you forever down below.” He smirked and pointed a bony finger at Robert.
Robert felt cold and dead inside. All the fear he had ever known seemed to be pulled into the sea of emotions.

Roberts insides screamed but he grew weaker and weaker. His vision began to swim, black clouds entering his peripherals, his main focus on Iablo who grew more fierce by the second.
Robert felt the heat rising from Iablo and smelt burning hair as Iablo caught alight. A small flicker of flame at first but it quickly erupted and took hold of Iablo. All the time he was smirking his stretched smile at Robert.

Suddenly Robert was trapped in a burning inferno which took hold of his kitchen and himself as the flames leaped from Iablo. Fire crackled all around and Robert saw as his kitchen was turned to ash. He knew his own body was burning and blistering but was not aware of the pain. His eyes were fixed on Iablo who was now a ball of fire and Iablo’s smile which was now far more natural than the stretched one he possessed before.

Robert was aware of the distant sirens blearing, coming closer and closer. Robert was aware of the crackle the blaze had and Robert was aware that his body and his flat were closer to ash than they were to actual objects. Robert knew that he was dead to the world but would be in far more pain when he was dead. Robert knew that he had signed his soul away to the devil when he had asked him for help and he knew that Iablo was ready to collect the debt.

The fire died and Robert was left lying on ashes with Iablo, in his human form once again standing over him, placing a long bony hand on his shoulder.
“Come along Robert. Its best time we leave, you don’t belong here any more. You belong with me.”

And with that Robert left the world behind. The world in which he had felt so much sadness, the world in which he had been given so much joy at the expense of the one he loved. Robert left behind his parents and his burnt out flat and the memory of Erin and he followed Iablo into an eternity of torment.

The Unhappy Life of Robert Simms Part 9 – 12th May 2014 (23:00)

It had been three days since Robert had ordered the flowers and he was on his way round to Erins’ house now. He was not happy with her or the florists, with which one he was not sure as yet. Either the florists had been lying and they hadn’t actually delivered the flowers to her or Erin had decided enough was enough with Robert and was giving him the cold shoulder. Either way Robert wanted answers and if it turned out to be an embarrassing time between him and Erin, then so be it. Robert didn’t feel like he should be treated that way and neither would he be. He pulled up to the curb outside Erin’s house and got out of the car, taking in a deep breath of the cool air.

He zipped up his hoodie as he approached her door and knocked three times when he reached it. No answer. H e knocked again, harder this time. Still no answer. Robert peered through the frosted glass on Erin’s front door and could see a faint light coming from what , must have been her kitchen. He tried the bell a couple of times, looking for the movement of a shadow in the kitchen that may give away her presence, but nothing moved. He waited.

There was a click of a door opening and emerged a rather startled looking old lady from next door, who was taking her rubbish out for it to be ready for early morning pick-up. She saw Robert standing on Erin’s top step and almost jumped out of her skin at the sight of him.

“I’m sorry, do you know if Erin Whitley is in? Its just I’ve been trying to talk to her for a few days but she hasn’t been answering my calls. I’m Robert by the way, her boyfriend.” He hoped Erin wouldn’t mind introducing himself that way, anything else would make Robert seem creepy and, to him, it just seemed the right move.

“Oh, hello. Erm, I haven’t actually seen her since, oh when was it, Tuesday? No no, it was Monday because it was a double bill of corrie. Sorry about that. You could always try round the back, she may have fallen asleep in her back room again, she won’t mind if you poke your head in, I’m sure she’ll love to see you Richard.” She waved a hand as if to beckon Robert to follow her and he did so, picking his way through the old ladies house which was full of ornaments and nick-nacks precariously perched on various awkwardly placed tables and shelves.

As the stepped out into the garden the old lady told Robert he could jump the fence where it got lower down to waist height.

“You look like a strapping young man, capable of that.” She had said to him.

“Why thank you Mrs….” Robert elongated the ‘s’ to show he wanted an answer.

“Storrington, would you say hi to her if you see her, thank you.” And with that Mrs. Storrington wandered back into her house, careless as to what Robert did next.

Robert easily vaulted the fence and made his way to Erin’s back door. Robert found it to be unlocked as he pulled down on the handle and the door gently opened inwards to the small but tidy kitchen. Smell hit him like a bus. Robert gagged at the smell and was even sick onto the back paving slabs.

The smell was one of rot. It smelt as though a butchers had been left unattended for over a month. It hung thick in the air like heat on a breezeless day. It sent a shiver down Roberts spine and he could restrain the constant gagging that had erupted due to the smell. He pulled the collar of his t-shirt up over his mouth and nose which bore the runt of the stench. Robert called out for Erin in fear. He knew the smell, he’d heard descriptions of this sort of thing before on the T.V. but Robert didn’t want to believe it. He walked through the kitchen and towards the front of the house where the stairs were located. He turned round the corner of the wall which enclosed the stairs at speed and brushed his head against something hard and cold. He recoiled and looked up in horror. He had just head-butted the feet of a dead body, sending it into a spin. However as the rope around the bodies neck twisted back round forcing the face to be directed at Robert he cried out on horror, pain and misery all in one.
Erin hung there by a rope attached to the top of the banisters, neck lolling around loosely, her chin touching her chest. Her eyes were wide and puffy and starred at Robert with such hostility that he was forced to turn away and run in fear.

He burst back out into Erin’s garden and was violently sick for five minutes on the moist grass. Tears streaming down his cheeks, the imagine burnt in his brain. Her eyes had seemed to be screaming at him, as if it was all his fault.

Finally, exhausted from dry-heaving Robert collapsed into his own sick and with deep panting breaths called 999.

The Unhappy Life of Robert Simms Part 8 – 11th May 2014 (16:00)

Robert woke to his phone vibrating harshly against the cheap wooden bedside table. He picked it up and switched off the alarm before sitting up in bed and letting his eyes unclench from the cocoon of sleep they had enwrapped themselves. He called out to Erin presuming she was in the bathroom. No answer. He gazed around the room, but saw no trace that she had been there last night. Even her knickers had been taken down from the curtain rail. He stared across his bed to his T.V. then scrambled towards it and picked up a note written in tiny hand writing on a dirty yellow post-it-note.

Robert,
Thank you so much for last night, you were amazing, believe me. Anyway darling I’m sorry I had to run off so early but I have an appointment at the dentist this morning so had to dash. Give me a call some time. Love from Erin. Xx
He smiled and kissed the note being careful not to crumple it any more. What a night it had been. Then, rather chuffed with Erin’s compliment over his sex skills he sauntered into the bathroom and began getting ready for the day.

***

Robert was sitting at his desk in late afternoon later that day, blankly starring at the computer screen which gave out a faint glow. His mind was a million miles away, in a wonderful place he had imagined up in the last hour and a half called Happiness Valley. It was a beautiful landscape with rolling countryside, surrounded by thick forests and on the far side of the field stood a small ancient cottage which Robert imagined himself to live in. He was walking hand in hand with Erin towards the cottage, the sun shinning down on the pair bathing them in warm light. There was a light breeze in the air which whipped the grass about their ankles as they made their way to the cottage. All was right in Happiness Valley and Robert could stay here with Erin if it wasn’t for that annoying grunting noise. The noise Robert couldn’t quite recognise but some how knew.

He was quickly snapped out of Happiness Valley by his phone falling into his lap. The grunting had been the vibrations from his phone against the desk. He fumbled for the phone and picked it up to see a message from Erin.

Hey J sorry I haven’t called you today, dentist took 4ever and now im feelin a bit stuffy L i’ll give you a call when im feeling better, hope you’re ok? Xx

Robert smiled and quickly replied with a simple ‘ok’, ‘I’m fine thanks’ and a ‘hope you get well soon’ finished by six or so kisses. Robert smiled again as he re-read the text. He had been a bit worried as to why she hadn’t called him and even worried that she didn’t want to see him again but the text from her put him back into high spirits. But poor Erin to be so ill. Then Robert had a thought on how to get firmly into Erin’s good books. He searched up a local florists online and ordered a bouquet of Lilies and Roses to be sent to her house the next day as he had missed the same day delivery slot. He grinned as he clicked the confirm order button and in high hopes he resumed with his work.

The Unhappy Life of Robert Simms Part 7 – 10th May 2014 (18:00)

Robert crashed down onto his bed, on his back, alone. His head was swimming with a blur of laughter, connection, stories, revelations, flirtation and happiness cascading around in his mind.

It was just after 1 A.M. and Robert had just got back to his tiny flat after dropping Erin home. The night couldn’t have gone better for Robert.

They talked for hours about everything; family, growing up, friends, work, TV shows, films. And for the first time in his life Robert had spoken to another person about the depression he had felt for most of his life, although he missed out the most recent addition to that story of the sudden appearance of Iablo after Robert tried to kill himself. But he felt that may be a bit too much on a first date.

They had barely stopped to eat, and in the end the conversation was so engaging Robert let his steak and chips go cold. And what did he care! He was making a beautiful girl laugh, she was touching his hand and they were connecting on a level that Robert had never felt before. He was happy.

***

Four dates later and Robert and Erin lay naked on their backs breathing heavily. Robert could barely contain his glee. It was the best he had ever had and he felt that it truly meant something, that it was truly special to them both. As he lay panting he could feel Erin cuddle into his chest and lay her left hand on his right peck whilst she rested her check on the left one.
“I can feel your heart beating” Erin whispered to him.

“Same,” then realising he was whispering along with her, he laughed and added; “Why are we whispering?”

“Because if we talk normally again this moment will be over and you’ll want to leave.” She started tracing a swirl on his chest parting the hair with her index finger as she went.

“Erin, look at me.” She twisted her head round and placed her hands under her chin so she could rest comfortably. “You have made me the happiest that I have ever been in my life, I’m not quite sure how but you have taken all the depression away from me and I feel great because of it. I never want to leave this spot or be away from you again.” He gave her a gentle smile and she returned it but could not meet his eyes as she did.
“You’re very sweet Robert,” she leant up and kissed his lips once, then his chin and finally his chest before nestling down and falling asleep with his arm around her.

Robert lay smiling with the beautiful girl sleeping on his chest. He stared up at the ceiling trying to make shapes and pictures out of the artex. How his life had changed so dramatically for the better in just a month. He was happy, something he didn’t think to be possible and more than that he was in love. He knew it was far too soon to say anything but he knew in his heart that it was love. It had been something Robert felt the instant they had touched hands on their first date, a burning desire to be with Erin for the rest of his life, something deep down inside him told him that it had to be, that something bigger than both of them had drawn them together. Robert knew that it was meant to be perfect.

And deeper down than that still Robert knew that Iablo had been more than just a man, he was the reason for Robert being like this, he was the one who made him happy and then gave him Erin. In his heart of hearts Robert knew that he owed his life to Iablo and would never repay the debt he owed to him.

***

Erin wasn’t asleep. She held tears back behind tightly clenched eyelids although she wasn’t exactly sure as to why they were there. Erin tried her best to make her breath seem as sleep like as possible, a trick she hadn’t used for nearly 14 years when she used to pretend to be a sleep when her parents came up to check she wasn’t watching T.V. late at night although she always was. She really liked Robert, she had wanted to do this, and the sex had been amazing to say the least. But something wasn’t right. Erin felt… sad. She knew that everything in her life should be fine, great job, new boyfriend, no real money issues but there was something and it was growing.

She hated to admit it but Erin realised it was only when she was with Robert that she felt like this. And now, as she lay on his chest, holding back the tears the sadness was growing. Maybe they weren’t so perfect if this was happening to her. And why had it only started since she had been going out with Robert? Maybe she was just imagining it, that she was just having a bit of a hard time recently and just happened to coincide with her dating Robert? Hmmmm.

When she was sure that Robert was asleep she got dressed silently, kissed his forehead gently and wrote out a short note feeding him some rubbish that she had to go to the dentist early in the morning but thanked him for a lovely time. She signed the note with ‘love from’ and two kisses. Erin then left his tiny flat, closing the door softly behind her. She needed some air. She needed some time to think.