by Willow Rose
“It’s Per’s home too,” she said. “He’s having a friend over just like you, and they’re entitled to be here just as much as you.”
Ulrik growled and straightened his water-combed hair for the hundredth time, to make sure it stayed in place. He loved his mother, but she spoiled that kid way too much. Per could get away with anything, while Ulrik and Peter always had to earn their parent’s praise by hard work. Ulrik envied both of his younger brothers so badly it hurt…to think they could both live the life they wanted. Ulrik would give anything to just be able to take off and go live in the city with Jonna and discuss books every day.
His mother held his head between her hands. She looked him in the eyes like she used to when he was younger.
“It’ll be fine, Ulrik. Just wait and see. She’ll love it here. If she loves you, she will. That’s how I felt with your father.”
Ulrik smiled wearily. He wasn’t so sure she was right, but she still had a way of comforting him like no one else. Per and his friend Erling were screaming with joy outside the main house when Ulrik spotted Jonna on her bike riding across the gravel. Ulrik’s heart stopped. Jonna’s blond hair was lifted by the wind, her skirt fluttering beneath her. Ulrik smiled and watched her till she drove into the courtyard. Then he rushed out. He stood at the top of the stairs and waved as she parked her bike. Per and Erling whined with joy as one of the dogs joined their party in the mud pile. The sky was blue with a few clouds above them. It had been raining all morning, but finally seemed to be clearing up. It was perfect for the tour. The farm always looked best in sunshine.
“Hi, Ulrik,” she yelled and waved back.
Her smile made his heart drop. Everything about her was just so…so perfect.
“Hi, Jonna,” he said shyly, while Per and Erling made mocking sounds from their mud pile. Ulrik decided to ignore them. Jonna looked at him as he approached her, his head slightly bowed, his hand constantly making sure his hair stayed in place.
“So, this is where you live,” she said with an enchanted light laughter. “It’s beautiful, Ulrik. I love it. Look at those boys. Look at all the fun they have. And you have animals too?”
Ulrik dared to stand taller. He nodded. “Yes. Dogs, cats, and horses.” He deliberately left out the pigs, since he thought they would be of no interest to a beautiful young girl like her. But he had misjudged her.
“Do you have any pigs?” she asked. “I simply adore pigs.”
Ulrik smiled with a shy nod, and when Jonna grabbed his hand, he knew this was the best day of his life.
40
November 2014
IT WAS HARD FOR me to sleep that night. A thousand thoughts flickered through my mind. Mostly about this Facebook page. I couldn’t stop wondering who would want to hurt me and Morten so badly. Who would go to this kind of extreme to hurt us?
I couldn’t think of anyone. I tried to let it go and think about something else. Instead, I wondered about the killing of Ulrik Larsen and the mayor. I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling they had to be connected somehow and the faceless man, Slender Man, was the key. I had nothing to base my assumptions on, nothing but a gut feeling.
I grabbed my phone and looked at the clock. It was three o’clock. I had to get some sleep. I put my arm around a pillow and imagined it was Morten. I missed him like crazy and felt angry that we’d fought earlier. It was stupid. He was right to be frustrated, but to blame it all on me? That was taking it a little too far, I believed. On the other hand, maybe I should just let it go. He was desperate and needed someone to blame, and until we figured out who was behind this, I guess I was the best choice. Maybe I should just cut him some slack.
I closed my eyes and pictured Morten and me lying on a beach somewhere in Italy, holding hands. No kids, no dogs, just the two of us enjoying some time to ourselves. I liked the idea, and just before I finally dozed off, I decided to arrange a trip for the two of us. Maybe it should be Spain this time? Yes, I had a friend who lived in Malaga. We could go there and visit her. She had tried to get me to visit for ages. That was a wonderful idea. Maybe we could go just before Christmas? My parents could take care of Victor and Maya while we were away. We both needed some time off. I was going to talk to Morten about it in the morning. As long as I had no computer, I couldn’t order the tickets myself anyway.
Boy, life was hard without the Internet. I didn’t understand how people used to get by before we had it.
I fell asleep dreaming about sunshine and drinks in the sand, but woke up with a start. There was someone in my room. I gasped and turned my head. I stared into the face of Brutus. Then I screamed.
“Viiiictooor!!!”
Victor came in, looking at me indifferently. “What?” he asked.
“Your dog is staring at me in my sleep again. It freaks me out! Get him out of here!”
Victor shrugged, then grabbed Brutus’ collar, but the dog didn’t move. He kept staring at me with those white shining eyes that reflected the moonlight outside my window.
“Get him out of here, Victor. I can’t sleep with him staring at me like that. It’s creepy.”
Victor pulled the collar again, but the dog still wouldn’t move. It surprised me, since he usually obeyed Victor so well. But something was different. It was in his eyes. It was like he wanted to tell me something.
“Just get him out, Victor,” I said again.
“He doesn’t want to come,” Victor said. “I guess he wants to sleep in here with you.” Victor was about to leave, when I called him back.
“Don’t leave that dog in here with me. You get him out of here, now, Victor. I’m not going to say it again. He drives me crazy with that staring.”
Victor pulled the collar again. This time Brutus did react. He growled. He turned his head and growled at Victor. Victor pulled away, startled.
“That’s it!” I said. “He’s going back tomorrow! I’ve had it with that dog. I’m taking him back to the shelter tomorrow. Do you hear me, Brutus?”
He didn’t look like he did. Instead, he opened his mouth and let out a loud and very deep bark. I gasped. The sound was very intimidating. Victor looked at me.
“I think he’s trying to tell us something. We’d better listen.”
41
November 2014
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN we better listen?” I asked. I looked at the clock on my phone again. It was getting really late. Actually, it was early in the morning now. I just really wanted to get some sleep.
The dog barked loudly again. There was something very profound about his bark. It sounded urgent, like he was insisting. It was strange, but I got the feeling that Victor was right. Brutus had something he wanted to tell us.
I looked at my son. “Then, you talk to him. Ask him what he wants.”
Victor kneeled in front of Brutus. He bent his head and leaned in towards the dog till his forehead touched its snout. They sat like that for a little while before Victor finally rose to his feet. The dog then turned and walked out of the room.
“How did you do that?” I asked.
“He wants us to follow him.”
“Do I have to?” I asked. The floor was so cold, and I really wanted to stay under the covers and catch up on my sleep before I had to get up.
“Come,” Victor said.
I growled, found my slippers and a bathrobe, and followed Victor out of my room. As soon as I was in the hallway, the dog walked to the top of the stairs where it stopped.
“What is it? Is there someone down there?” I asked. The dog looked insistently at me.
My heart was suddenly pounding in my chest. What had the dog sensed? Had someone broken into our home? “Is there someone down there?” I asked again, like I was waiting for the dog to reply.
Carefully, I walked down the stairs, my heart racing in my chest. All day long, I had felt like I was being watched. Especially on my evening walk with the dogs, I had sensed there had been someone there with me in the darkness. Had this person followed me home? Had this per
son intruded into my house?
The dog and Victor stayed a few steps behind me. Brutus looked at the kitchen door in front of us.
“Is it in there? You want me to look in the kitchen?”
The dog kept staring. I grabbed the broom that stood next to the door to be able to defend myself if necessary, and then swung the door open. On the other side, I was met by a sight so horrifying I immediately threw up on the floor. I couldn’t believe it. It was like a scene from some horror movie.
Oh, my God. Oh, dear God, no! Don’t let this be true!
On the stove, in one of my grandmother’s old pots, was Kenneth. The stove was on, and the water was boiling with poor Kenneth sitting lifelessly in it, his throat slit. My stomach turned again, as I tried to grasp the reality of the situation. I swayed briefly before I managed to pull myself together.
Who the hell could do such a cruel thing?
Thinking of my children, I wiped my mouth and shut the door, so Victor wouldn’t see anything.
“Go upstairs and bring me my phone, will you?” I said, my voice shivering in desperation.
Luckily, Victor didn’t notice anything. He simply shrugged with an “Okay” and stormed up the stairs.
I looked at Brutus.
“Thanks for the warning.”
I walked back into the kitchen and turned off the stove. Holding back the urgent desire to throw up again, I took the pot to the sink and poured the contents out. I cried as I watched poor Kenneth fall into the sink with a thud. Sobbing, I picked up his lifeless body and put him in a small plastic bag. I found an empty shoebox in the closet and put Kenneth’s tiny body inside of it and closed the lid. Seconds later, Maya came into the kitchen. She almost stepped in my vomit on the floor.
“What’s going on here?”
Victor showed up behind her with my phone.
I looked at them both. I grabbed the phone while Maya waited for an answer.
“Sweetie,” I said. “Sit down.”
“What’s going on?” Maya asked, with a slightly harsher voice. “You’re scaring me, Mom.”
“Sweetie. There has been…an accident. Kenneth…well, Kenneth is no longer with us.”
“What do you mean he’s no longer with us?” Maya looked startled.
I felt like crying myself, but held it back for Maya’s sake. I put my hand on top of hers. “He’s dead, sweetie. I just found him…he…he died.”
Maya stared at me like she thought I was lying. I wasn’t. Just withholding parts of the truth.
“We’ll get you another dog, Maya, I promi…” But Maya didn’t want to listen to me anymore. She rose to her feet with a moan. I could tell she was about to crack. I knew that face. So proud. Too proud to cry in front of her mother.
“Maya. Please…” I said. “We’ll go to the shelter tomorrow. We’ll find one that is just as cute.”
Tears were welling up in her eyes. She tried to speak, but couldn’t. She shook her head and bit her lip. “I loved that dog, Mom.”
“I know you did. But these things happen. Dogs die. When you get a dog, you also get the sorrow that can come with it…”
Maya lifted her hands to signal she didn’t want to hear anymore. “Why my dog? Why couldn’t it have been Victor’s ugly dog over there? Why mine?”
I had no answer. I had no words of comfort. I was still in shock myself.
42
November 2014
WE STAYED UP ALL night eating my box of assorted chocolates that I had saved for a special occasion, and talking about Kenneth. When the sun came up, we walked into the yard and I dug a hole beneath one of the big pine trees. Maya put the shoebox in the hole and said a few nice words before we covered it all up.
I told her she could stay home from school if she wanted to, but she didn’t. “I’ll just miss him too much. The house is all empty without him, Mom.”
I hadn’t realized how much she had come to love him in just the short time we had the dog.
“Kenneth was special, Mom,” she explained. “He was the only one around who didn’t know me before I lost my memory. He understood me, Mom. We had something. He never demanded anything from me. He never looked at me angrily just because there was something I didn’t remember. With him, I could be myself.”
“Wow. I had no idea,” I said, and grabbed her hand in mine. “Go get ready for school. I promise I’ll take you to the shelter this afternoon.”
Maya sobbed, then did as I told her.
“You mean to tell me someone went all Fatal Attraction on you and boiled your dog?” Sophia asked with wide eyes when she came over for coffee later. I had finally allowed myself to cry, since the kids had both left for school.
“Why Kenneth?” I asked sobbing. “Yes, he was annoying. Yes, he barked and ate my furniture, not to mention all of my shoes. Yes, I had sometimes thought about killing him myself, but come on? He was just a small dog. He never harmed anyone.”
Sophia chuckled, but stopped herself. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s horrible. It really is, but…I’ll shut up now.”
I found a Kleenex and wiped my eyes. “I can’t believe anyone would do such a horrible thing,” I said. “Who on earth could hate me this much?”
“You think it’s the same person as the one who made the Facebook page?” Sophia asked.
“I’m positive. This person is out to ruin my life. First, the Facebook page, which now has almost two thousand followers, by the way; I checked this morning on my iPad. Then, Morten’s suspension…and, finally, this? Someone is out to really hurt my family. Who’s next? Victor?”
Sophia looked at Brutus, who had somehow come into the kitchen without my knowledge, and apparently without opening any doors, as usual, since the door was still closed. How he did it remained a mystery to me. But everything about him was a mystery.
“You think anyone would want to hurt him?” Sophia asked, and nodded towards Brutus.
I shrugged. “He’s not that easy to get close to, so I guess not.” I exhaled heavily. “I’m just so freaking tired of sitting here waiting for the next disaster to hit.”
“Then, don’t,” Sophia said and finished her coffee.
“What do you mean?”
“Look at you. You’re a mess. It’s so unlike you to just sit here and do nothing. Do something. Figure out who’s behind this. There has to be some way.”
“You’re right. I have to find this person and make him pay. I’m so angry right now. I really want him to pay.”
Sophia put her cup in the sink and grabbed her jacket from behind the chair. “Well, there you go. There isn’t much else you can do now anyway, since you can’t work on your book. Get busy getting back at this bastard.” She looked at her watch. “I gotta go. I have a class in forty-five minutes.”
“See you later. Do you and the kids want to come over for dinner tonight? My parents are coming too. Bring Jack as well. I really need to be surrounded by the people I love right now.”
Sophia smiled. “Sure. That would be great.”
She walked past Brutus, who stared at her with his white eyes as she passed him. Sophia shook her head. “Now, why didn’t you bark when your little friend was cooked, huh?”
I looked up. “Oh, my gosh. You’re right.”
“Right about what?”
“Why didn’t the damn dog bark when someone invaded our house and killed Kenneth? Why didn’t it protect the house? I’ll tell you why. Because it’s someone we know. The dogs both knew this person.”
43
November 2014
THE REVELATION WAS BOTH terrifying and intriguing. It was quite shocking because I had let this person inside of my home somehow. It was horrifying because I had let this person get close to my family and me, but at least I was now getting somewhere. At least it gave me something to work with. Now I knew that, not only was this person located here on the island, he also frequently visited my house, especially in the last week since we’d gotten the dogs. There weren’t that many people wh
o came into this house on a regular basis.
I started making a list.
I didn’t get many names down before my phone rang. It was Morten. We hadn’t spoken since our fight yesterday, and I was still a little angry with him.
“Hey. It’s me,” he said. “Listen, I’m sorry about yesterday. I was way off. Can you forgive me?”
I sniffled for my answer. I felt tears well up in my eyes. I tried to speak, but my voice cracked.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Are you crying? It wasn’t that bad of a fight, was it? Emma?”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s just…there’s a lot going on right now.” I debated within myself whether I should tell him or not.
“What happened, Emma? I can tell something is wrong. Did something happen to one of the children?”
“No, no. They’re both fine. But something did happen. Something awful.”
“What, Emma? You’re killing me here. Are you all alright?”
I decided to tell him. Even though I knew talking about it would only make me cry harder.
“It’s Kenneth. He’s dead.” I cried as I spoke. “Someone broke into our house and killed him. They…they put him in a pot and…”
“Emma, this is serious,” Morten said. “This is harassment. Breaking and entering. You need to talk to the police.”
“I really don’t want to,” I said. “I’m not exactly popular with the police right now. I talked to my lawyer earlier this morning, and they’re pressing charges against me for hacking. It could be serious, she says.”
“I understand,” Morten said. “But this can’t go on. Someone is seriously harassing you, and it needs to stop.”
I sniffled and picked up a Kleenex from the table. I wiped my tears away. “I’m just being silly,” I said. “I mean, I wasn’t even that fond of the dog. But Maya was, and I feel so bad for her.”
