The Hole

The Hole

Ray yelled at the kids next door to pipe down. They looked up frowning, hoping their mother didn’t hear. Ray slammed the window shut, he had bigger problems. He looked over at Sally, blood clotting on her head. It was her fault, why couldn’t she ever just shut up.

She’d been bugging him to fill in the hole out back, afraid the kids next door might fall in it and get hurt. They shouldn’t be in their backyard anyway! But she kept pushing it. She made him sick with her harping. He’d just wanted to shut her up, he didn’t mean to hit her so hard. She’d flown back hitting the desk.

He went to call the police, but then caught sight of the bright red hand mark on her face... they’d know immediately. Frantically, he came up with an idea, her, visiting friends, then deciding to leave him. It wouldn’t be a hard sell, everyone knew she was flighty. But the body...

He looked at her, crumpled there. Then he thought of that hole. He would fix it! A surprise for his lovely wife! Everyone knew it was an issue between them. Poor Ray, they’d say, she left him, and he was so good to her! That night he dragged her out on their shower curtain, he hated that curtain, blue jungle flowers, she picked it out, of course. Then he buried her, with the shower curtain on top to keep the smell down, filling in the hole. The hole wasn’t actually that deep, but it would do.

The next day when he got home from work, he glanced out the window at the brats next door. They’d built a fort, covered with a blue, jungle flower printed plastic sheet.

Damn kids, and damn Sally making him sick again.