Carter's Beloved

Skeletons in the garden

Carter’s P.O.V

~Flashback~

The night was purple with no clouds in the sky. The moon was not visible, so it was en empty night. We lived near Glover’s Farm, so the air always smelled like fertilizer and soil. I was wakened with sweat dripping down my forehead and lay in my head for minutes trying to go to sleep.

A slight banging noise followed every other second, I kept my blanket over my head not wanting to come across any ghost. Geez, I’m 15 and still afraid of the dark? No wonder Madison calls me a wimp.

I push my blanket from my body and sit up. The slight banging continues, and the air seems chillier. Is any door open?

I climb from my half bed and walk across my small bedroom with books strewn on my desk and some on the floor. I push my hair from my face and open the door. The noise seems louder and seems to come from my parents’ room.

I walk towards the room and notice the front door is open. I look through the slight gap of the ajar door and see the empty room. Where are they? I hurry towards the front door, but something stops me. Is it instinct or fear?

I hesitantly start walking towards the kitchen window, which faces our porch and the street outside. My eyes take a few moments to get used to the darkness, and then I see him. Standing out in the cold, wearing dark blue jeans and a wool sweater digging up the ground.

Next to him lays a sack, which is long and narrow. He continues to dig, looking back again and again, and soon he’s done. I squint my eyes, trying to figure out who the man is, but I can’t. The man pushes the object into the hole and soon he’s done.

Fear rises in my body and I grip the windowsill in fear, hoping he doesn’t see me. The practical side of me is telling me to walk away, but I can’t. Suddenly, the man lifts his head, really slowly, and looks at the house.

His eyes scan the windows until he looks directly at me. I freeze and feel my breath stuck in my throat. His face is clear now that he is looking at me and I recognize him. Dad. My vision turns blurry as I fall towards the floor. What can I say, curiosity killed the cat?

The next day I got the news that my mother died by heart attack in the middle of the night. Never saw her body.

~Flashback ends~

I wake up slowly, rubbing my eyes. This is not the first time I have had this dream. I keep telling myself that it’s not true, but I doubt that. Dad never showed me her body. He was in grief, too.

I shake my head and head towards the bathroom to shower. I’m meeting Emily today, I never knew she was in town until I saw her yesterday at the festival. I reach the cafe soon and sit down on an empty table. Emily has been my friend since college, but we broke off after graduating.

She had feelings for me, but I told her we were just friends. After seeing her, I think it’s time to be dating again. I can’t stay single forever, and I’m getting stable. I spot her walking across the street and wave at her. She notices me and smiles.

Soon, we are sitting on the table with warm cups of coffees in our hands.

“So, I heard you got a job.” She teases and I laugh.

“Why does everyone ask me that? Is it so unbelievable that I have a job?!”

“No, I just thought you would never get out of the slump you were in. Which girl dumped you so hard that you rejected me?”

“I wasn’t dumped. And she left town without telling me I was really hurt.” Still am. Whoever said time is medicine should get punched. All this time I have been waiting for Madison to come back and talk to her. It soon became clear to me it was impossible. Still, one can hope.

“Whatever. I’m still here for you, even with all the time and distance I haven’t gotten over you.” She whispers and places her hand on mine. I nod awkwardly and drink my coffee. This will be an interminable day.

We spend the next hour catching up on lost time, and soon I’m informed that she is shifting to the city. Emily and I went to the same university but majored in different subjects. She’s a doctor now in the local clinic. I congratulate her.

After our coffee ends, I excuse myself for needing to go to an important business. A few months ago, after I found out I would be Daniel’s replacement, I called the owner of the house we lived in the city. We lived in the city before I left for college and dad for the countryside selling the house.

It took me ages to get his number, but soon enough, I had arranged a date to go visit my childhood house. It was today. After all this time, I will finally uncover the mystery of what Dad had buried.

I had asked them the day of mother’s funeral, but he told me he was digging up a hole for our food waste. I was naïve and believed him overlooking the highly suspicious statement. I had always kept thinking about it and once had the horrific idea that it was a body.

My father’s not a criminal, I assured myself, but recently his mental health has deteriorated and he speaks about killing his competitor who made us bankrupt. It’s afternoon when I reach the house.

It’s empty, the owner being overseas. I look around the house, inspecting if anything has changed. The walls and the floor are exactly the same, only the furniture is missing.

I grab a shovel and start digging. The spot where Father stood is imprinted in my mind, I put all my strength to dig the ground up.

I’m crazy, I tell myself repeatedly. I dig for half an hour, but I can’t find anything. Then, when I’m about to give up hope, the shovel hits something hard. I dig wildly with my hands until all the mud on top of the item is cleared.