Let me know if you can read this chapter. There seems to be a problem with Wattpad and people can't see the chapters after Chapter 10.
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On a Monday night, while we were doing our homework at the kitchen table and Jeremy was watching a show on Bigfoot trucks on TV, Mother went to take a bath.
Clouds of steam grew thick behind the closed bathroom door. Mother loved really hot baths. She rarely took showers. She liked to sit down and relax in the perfumed water and soak her long legs.
Beside the bathtub was a bouquet of eucalyptus branches. Their scent helped create a relaxing ambiance. Eucalyptus has such a calming and relaxing smell.
The water flickered when she moved to reach for the soap bar and green washcloth. The rule "cleanliness is close to Godliness" also applied to body hygiene, so she put extra effort into rubbing her skin vigorously.
Once satisfied, her skin red from both the heat and cleansing, she let her body become submerged in the water. Only her hair floated wildly around her head like seaweed.
As the water entered her ears, she could hear a rumbling noise. She imagined it was the old plumbing of the house, maybe the hot water pipes. But then she also heard murmurs, giggles.
She sat up. She thought it was Audrey and I who had sneaked into her private area to spy on her while she was in the bath. Little devils, she thought.
We were not there. She listened carefully and heard nothing—just the voice of the commentator from the television downstairs.
She brushed it off. It was probably just the pipes. She would have her husband look into it later.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. It is simple. Just relax. She let herself soak in the warm water again.
This time, she distinctly heard a voice.
"Be careful, Angie. Evil is near."
My mother immediately stood up, splashing water everywhere around the bathtub. She extended her arm to reach for the towel. Her arm! She stared at it, horrified. The texture of her skin had changed. It was now scale-like, flaky.
She stepped out of the tub, placing her feet carefully on the rug. She was trembling, in shock. What was happening to her? She rushed to the mirror and wiped off the steam with a towel.
What a grotesque view it was! Her hair seemed blonder than ever, as if it had been bleached. She quickly passed her hand through it and a lock fell out. She gasped. She was bald on the left side of her skull.
She opened her mouth in horror. As she stared at herself, a forked tongue came out of her mouth. It was the tongue of a snake. She had no control over it.
She screamed and tried to run out of the bathroom, but fell down on the slippery tiles. My father ran in. He still had his work clothes on.
"What is it?" he asked, helping her to get up on her feet.
She looked at herself in the mirror again. She touched her wet hair that had returned to her darker brown color. She was back to normal.
"I heard a voice and my reflection in the mirror...it was..."
My dad looked at her. He did not understand her. He gave her the towel so she could cover herself. Nudity was a sin. She was his wife, but he was uncomfortable.
"Marie!" she screamed.
I ran upstairs, knowing I had to hurry before she became impatient.
"Yes, Mother?"
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The Fallen Queen (Winner of the Write Way Award 2013) #Wattys2015 #MyWattysChoice #Featured
HorrorMarie wanted to be as good as her mother wanted. Since her older brother was diagnosed with autism, she is considered the family's "normal" child. She thus feels she must be perfect in every way, which soon turns out to be a haunting task. Desperate...
