Short Stories

Laughter

I went about my day like any other day. Went to work and as usual made a little detour to grab coffee and a nice egg and sausage biscuit from Wake On Up coffee shop. 

After completing my usual eight hour shift i made my way home only to arrive to a quite and messy home. After working long hours was this my next task. Picking up the toys and started next to the kitchen. I finished up the dishes, swept and mopped the floors, i made my way out and headed to the laundry room to do a few loads of clothes. While the load was going i went up stairs to clean up the master room and straighten up my kids room for when ever they return to me, as minutes went by i started to think more and more of my family. I was really starting to miss them. 

The kind laughter and stories through out the day of how their day was, the delicious smell of food cooking throughout the house.  Hearing the words honey and daddy echoing through the halls for me, the lonely and quietness was starting to get to my head .

BEEP BEEP. The sound of the laundry machine alerting me that the load was finished snapped me outta my thought. I placed the little pile i toys left in my sons room on the end of his bed and proceeded down the stairs before the sound of laughter stopped me in my stack. 

"Honey, kids"  I called out to them but no response. I continued down the stairs and peaked around the corner to the kitchen and as usual empty, i looked down the hall where the living room sat and still emptiness. Was i just hearing things because i was thinking so hard about them?

I took a deep breath and headed back towards the laundry room. Once i entered into the room i could hear it again the sound of laughter followed with the sound of water splashing. Were they outside in the backyard? No that couldn't be. The back sliding door would be open or at least unlocked but when i looked into the living room the doors was still closed and the lock still looked attached. 

I took another deep breath and ignored it once again. I opened to washer and gathered the wet clothes and placed them into the dryer along with dyer lint that smelt like vanilla  flowers, the same my wife always used.

"Hee-hee, stop it" yelled my wife's voice. At the moment it was loud and clear and coming from the backyard. SPLASH!

I could hear the pools water splashing around, I ran to the living room and swung open the sliding door. Nothing, no one was there. The water to the pool wasn't even disturbed. What was happening to me. Why was this happening to me. 

This had to be guilt, this had to be me feeling the shame of what ive done. I'm left alone because of my selfishness. I drove them away because of my anger, because i always put work before them. I just couldn't help it. I had to work to make sure food was on the table and bills was paid.  I always got angry coming home to a messy house and nothing getting hardly done. I should of been more thoughtful she took care of our three kids and tried her best around the house and yet my anger never let me stop to think that way. 

The sound of their laughter and voices haunted the halls of my home for hours for days. I hardly got any sleep, it was driving me crazy. I called my wife's phone multiple times a day like a damn stalker and no answer. I was really going crazy, how could my wife pick up her phone? How and why am i hearing their laughter. After finally gathering my scenes i knew it was impossible there was no evidence of them being here in the last few months.

I buried them six feet under and built a pool on top them after all.