Retelling of The Tell-Tale Heart

Part One: Life, Love, and Murder

Life is like a journey. A journey full of love, a journey full of disappointment, a journey full of heartbreak, and a journey full of change. My life has been full of happiness, heavy heart, and hurt. Let us begin in my life a happier time. This time would be when I met my wife Audra Nicholson, the most beautiful woman that ever was. Audra brightened every room she stepped foot in, her beauty matched that even of the goddess Venus.

 I first met Miss Audra at a ball my parents held in our manor. When she first entered the ballroom, her beauty captivated me. We danced together throughout the night. After that day she and I began courting. It was truly a match made in heaven. Five years later we were joined in holy matrimony. In the years following we had nine beautiful children; Amalia Edythe, Simon Wallis, Clare Rose, Josephus Alexander, Edgar Allan, Henry Meriwether, Charity Ruth, and Bartholomew David.

 The birth of our children seemed to be the only happy times in our lives. A year after Audra and I were married, she became pregnant but tragically miscarried. Over the course of the next two years Audra slowly fell into a depression. It was not until the birth of Amalia Edyth did the joy in her life return. Gradually Audra came out of her depression, like a bud of a flower blooming in spring. She once again became the happy, beautiful woman that I married. In the year following, my wife gave birth to a baby boy, whom we named Simon Wallis.

 When Amalia was only a year of age and Simon was of only 8 months, they both contracted scarlet fever. The fever tragically took the life of Simon and left Amalia without her sight. Audra and my’s lives were once again filled with sadness. We were saddened at the loss of our beloved son and mourned our daughter’s lost sight. Despite what had happened, my dear Audra did not allow herself to once again become the victim to the demons of depression.

 We welcomed our second daughter, Clare Rose, to the world in the following winter. After her birth, Audra and I had 6 more children. We were never more jubilant, for it seemed that our bad luck had ended. But in the winter my dear wife and children all became victim to a terrible illness, for days I was at their bedsides trying to nurse them back to health. The Grimm Reaper was fast approaching, since the deathwatchers were tapping out the beat of death. I watched my family die one after another, the doctors did not know what illness they had fallen victim to, but they knew that there was nothing that could be done. Sadly none of my children were able to live past the age of twelve. My good luck had ended, for the Lord watched and waited until I was happy again to unleash his wrath upon me.

 Following the death of my family, I no longer had a need for the vast amount of help I had at my manor. I had numerous maids, butlers, and culinarians. But I could not get rid of Edward Carlson, for he was like a nephew to me. Edward was not the only butler in the manor, but he was better than the best butlers in Britain. Edward’s family has served my family many generations, going all the way back to the 1600s.

 Edward had only one child named Charles. Charles was often times a playmate to my own children. After the death of my children, Charles began to distance himself from the rest of the world. He appeared to be the one most affected by their sudden passing. For they were his best friends, they were almost like his brothers and sisters. As time progressed Charles became a shy, timid, hard working, reliable, and loyal young man. When Charles’s father grew too old to fulfill his duties as a butler, his son soon took his place. Now in the present time Charles is the best butler that I have ever had, one could say he is the best butler in all of Britain.

 As time progressed my vision slowly began to worsen, especially in my right eye. After having Charles as my butler for six years, the vision in my right eye was greatly worsening, I was eventually left blinded. Lately I have noticed that Charles has become more energetic, as if he became a different person. I have not seen him act this way since he was a child. When he came into my chamber to wake me this morning he asked me if I had slept well in a chipper tone. He told me that he had the kitchen staff prepare me extra food. I have also noticed that in these last few days, besides the sudden change in behavior, Charles now looks me right in the blinded eye, something he has never done before. It sends chills down my spine the way he looks me, with a look of pity, pain, and power. I do not recall Charles ever acting this way before, it must be my imagination, or possibly old age to blame as to why I believe he is acting this way.