Viscera and Other Tales

Grandma Speaks The Dead Language

Grandma, as always, sat facing the wall.

5 years ago my grandfather passed away and from that day, when she got home from the funeral, she took a chair, turned it towards the wall of our living room and sat down.

She refused to speak or eat or even get up to use the restroom. At first she had a few accidents before they stopped. My mom assumed she began to go at night while we all slept but we were never really sure.

Food disappeared, the shower was wet in the morning, and we all adjusted to our new life with a partially catatonic grandma.

For 2 years things kept on keeping on with no strange incidents or upsets. Just a hollow shell of a women who refused to look at anyone.

2 years of normalcy. Then, a night of terror.

I was 13 and my mom was going to be gone all night due to an unexpected night shift. It was me, my 8 year old brother Vernon (or Nonny as my mom called him) and Grandma. Things started out fine enough, me and Nonny played some Mortal Kombat, watched some Tv, and ended the night with a basement showing of The Blair Witch Project courtesy of Sci-Fi.

Spooky stuff, but of course, tough guy Nonny acted like it didn't phase him.

"Not scary." He proclaimed once the movie was over.

"Oh yeah? You know it's real right?" I fibbed.

I saw a flick of terror cross his eyes before he buried it. "Nuh uh."

"Yuh huh. It all really happened."

"Shut up. You're such a liar."

"Whatever you say, Nonny." I said with a snicker.

"Stop calling me that!"

He jumped up and tackled me to the ground, his skinny body unable to do much as I shoved him off of me.

"Chill, dummy! You're gonna break something like last time!"

"That was you!"

"It wouldn't have been me if some little dumbass hadn't pushed me over. That broken mirror is your fault."

"You're not supposed to cuss!" He said, pointing at me. "I'm gonna tell mom."

"Mom ain't even here. In fact why don't you go fu-"

There was a loud bang upstairs, severing the word about to escape my lips.

"-ck..." I said quietly, stopping mid sentence.

"What was that?" Nonny asked, worried.

"Shhh!" I hushed, lifting my head upstairs towards the living room.

I slowly approached the stairs, my stomach in knots at the idea of ascending them.

"Fed, I don't think we should-"

"Shhh! I'm trying to listen."

I tried to pick up any sound I could but all I heard was silence.

"We have to check on Grandma." I finally said.

Nonny's eyes grew wide. "No! I don't wanna go up there, that sound was creepy enough and then with Grandma just up there, no way!"

"Then you can stay down here by yourself then." I said, beginning to walk up the stairs.

"Fed, no! Wait!"

I heard him follow me as I opened the door at the top of the stairs. It was pitch black in the living room, I reached for the light switch and flicked it on.