Crooked Man

S E V E N T Y T W O

How did she survive? The book said everyone was dead. Everyone was mad. If that's true, Gloria is lying. But she's my only hope. Only hope to find my dad and only hope to live.

"What's the next step?" I impatiently ask. I've had enough and I'm fed up! "What do we do now?"

"We must let your father know you're here, honey." She says, calmly.

"Wait! He's here?"

"Yeah...we...brought him in." She smiles. "Come on." She tilts her head to tell me I'm supposed to follow her.

I do. I follow her. Her voice so sweet.
So persuasive.

We go down a dark hall behind the old dusty book shelves. I sneeze.

"Here." She says after we enter a room with no lighting except the newly rising moonlight.

There's a coffin in the room.
"What is this?" I ask, looking at her. "Are you kidding?!?!! I came all the way here for a dead father?!"

"Calm down, Monica. You're going to be fine." She smiles a broken smile. "Go and talk."

I walk up to the coffin and put my hand on it. What am I supposed to say? The coffin is just so cold. And dusty too. It's like no ones touched it in a while. I take a look around the room. It's falling apart. Something's off.
"H-hey dad." I say, trying to hold back my tears. Don't get me wrong I didn't know him that well. I'm not crying that I'm sad. I'm just so disappointed. I thought I was gonna have a better life. I thought it was all gonna be worth it at the end but I obviously was wrong.

I want to see him one last time. I check behind me. Gloria isn't there. I slowly and carefully open the wooden coffin.

There isn't a body in it. There are few sacks of rotten potatoes to make it heavy and then there's a note.

You've found me. You're obviously a bit late. Watch out for Gloria!