Broken Marilyns

SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER

SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER

"I'm standing outside of Mr. Henley's shed. It's so hot outside. It smells like metal and...rotting. I'm pulling up the latch."

"That's good, Jenna. How do you feel?"

"Scared...sick."

"Okay, I want you to open the door now."

"I don't want to."

"Why?"

"I know what's inside."

"And what's inside?"

"Pieces of Charlie."

Dr. Bridges counts backwards from five and I cling desperately to each number as they pull me out of my horrific memory. "He gets murdered every week in my dreams. It's never going to stop." My therapist jots down a few notes, her expression unreadable.

Today I awoke to the 17-year mark of my own personal hell - the anniversary of Charlie's death. The sun was just beginning to penetrate the royal blue of morning and the heavy emotions of my dream clung to my bones. Looking over at my bedside table, my eyes wandered each feature of Charlie's face. Bright eyes, mischievous smile, and unruly hair - he would never age. Charlie would be trapped as a seven-year-old boy inside time and that tiny golden picture frame forever. Maybe it was better this way.

Reaching for my phone, I scrolled through my missed calls; I'd ignored several from my mother beginning at seven p.m. the night before. She called every year at the same time, and was always a drunken mumbling mess, so I stopped answering. There was also a missed call from an unknown number and a new voicemail from about three this morning.

Setting my phone on speaker, I let the message play, its sound amplified by the quiet of dusk: "Hi, I'm trying to reach Jenna Pierce. This is Officer Hayes from the Aldbrook Police Department. I know it's very early but I need to speak with you - it's urgent." Aldbrook, my home town. My mother.

Springing out of bed, I quickly began to dial the number the Officer left, but my efforts were interrupted by an incoming call. "Hello?"

"Miss Pierce?" the same voice from the message asked.

"Y-egh - yes, this is she," I cleared the sleep from my voice.

"My name is Officer Hayes. Miss Pierce, I regret to inform you that your mother passed away this morning. I'm very sorry."

I was flung from one nightmare into another. I clutched my phone long after the woman hung up and stared into nothingness. I was all by myself now. Suddenly my lungs felt like someone was squeezing them - I couldn't breathe. Rushing over to my window, I opened it up and stuck my head out, sucking in the damp city air.

I looked out into the street and beneath an overcast sky, two crows kissed on a wet sidewalk. Emptiness and anxiety twisted upwards inside my chest. Even scavengers had someone to love.

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I have more coming within a couple of days :) hope you're enjoying this so far!