True Little Horrors

Short Horror Collection 1

Story 1) The Adopted Child

This is a story about my dear friends Carole and Jenson. The pair of childhood sweethearts had decided back in 2008 that they wanted to have a baby. Unfortunately, things were not going to be that easy for the two. They had difficulties conceiving. They had tried IVF, and had many painful years of disappointment. The pair began to loose hope. After 10 years of heartbreak, the couple decided to stop trying, and to end the struggle they had been putting themselves through for 10 long years. I felt really bad for them and it broke my heart to see them utterly defeated by their misfortune.

Carole and Jenson came to my apartment for dinner one Friday evening, planning to tell me some wonderful news. They arrived promptly, with beaming smiles on their faces. I knew it could only mean one thing. "Would you two just tell me what we are celebrating!" I said, impatiently. The couple went on to reveal that they had made the decision to adopt a child. I was surprised, but absolutely thrilled for them.

It was a very long process, but the couple passed through all the inspections and papers that they needed to. They finally got to visit the children's home, and mingle with the orphaned children. They told me how emotional the experience had been. They told me after just one single visit at the orphanage, they knew which child they were destined to look after.

Initially, I was surprised that they had managed to make a decision so quickly, but as usual, I was happy for them, and wished them all the luck in the world. Her name was Tabitha . She was just 1 year old, and Carole and Jenson had immediately connected with her. Her chubby cheeks and little brown curls were enough to make anybody instantly stop and admire the beautiful little bundle of joy.

I wondered for a while, if it was OK to ask what had happened to her. Was I allowed to ask why she had wound up in an orphanage? I did not want to be intrusive. However, Jenson had told me one evening over a glass of wine, a couple weeks prior to the adoption

He told me the tragic story of a single mother that had tried hard for 4 months to raise this tiny baby girl. With no experience, no sign of the child's father in the picture, and financial difficulties, the poor woman was at her wits'end. She had absolutely no help from her strict, religious family, as she had the baby out of wedlock. She had not even been in a relationship with anybody, and some people had even rumored that she had actually been raped. The poor woman had enough, and left her baby on her doorstep. She went back inside her apartment, and came back out in a body bag. She ended her own life. The house was inspected and the detectives on scene had said they'd never seen such a filthy, messy apartment with so many items hoarded. The woman had clearly struggled with mental health issues, and had no support system. The child was placed into foster care at 4 months old, and was placed up for adoption just weeks after.

Carole and Jenson said they had felt an instant connection with Tabitha, now known as Tabs. She had smiled at them with a big goofy toothless smile and Jenson had cradled her when she began to cry. The nun at the orphanage had said that Jenson had natural fatherly instincts, and had been very encouraging of the decision to adopt Tabs. They knew instantly, that she was the one.

Carole and Jenson changed when they started parenting Tabs. I knew that was going to happen. No more spontaneous drunken nights in together, no more random road trips to the beach, or weekend visits to nightlife hot spots. They grew up, in the blink of an eye. It was all worth it though, for this little girl. It felt as though Carole, especially, gradually became really withdrawn.

I decided to treat the new mother to a much needed break. I made a call to Jenson, telling him I had booked a special night out for Carole and I, including a champagne dinner and an overnight stay in a spa hotel, and asked if it would be ok for him to look after Tabs for the evening. I promised to have her back early the next morning. He reluctantly agreed, he really did not seem keen about the idea, almost like he needed more convincing, which was very unusual for Jenson. I assumed this was just because the thought of Tabs for a whole night alone was pretty overwhelming for him.