Horror

Sweetie

"So this is the house you inherited, sweetheart?" said the man, leaping from his seat.

"Yeah, this house has been inhabited by our family for several generations, though Aunt Susan avoided social gatherings as much as possible," said the woman, closing the car door.

She was tired after arguing with her husband all the trip towards the mountain, wasting time looking for this address that no one on the road could get right. Finally, after calling her mom, she was able to get the right turn and come across a house that looked like a painting coming to life: the front garden full of flowers of multiple colors,  the brown brick house with substantial wooden windows and a small white bench in the porch.

At that moment, Marcie remembered she was ten the last time she had been there. Her aunt Susan was so old that even then, she looked wrinkled, full of white hair, and plump. But Susan was kind and sweet. She gave her pastries and afterward.

"And this old hag decided to leave her state to you?" her husband sneered. "Wow, she must have been one of those eccentric rich ladies with no children."

Marcie rolled her eyes. "I am not sure about her children. By the time I met her, she was all alone. As for her fortune, I know she helped women of the town with their pregnancies and advised them when they had problems." She opened the door and turned on the lights.

The man carried the luggage inside and assessed the house: grasscloth wallpaper decorated the living room with plywood chairs, a square-shaped couch, and an old TV. He said, "Look at these decorations. This house is so out of fashion. My friend Betty can renovate this house in no time."

"No, Bolivar, it is part of the conditions. The house must remain the same no matter what," said Marcie angrily. She sat on the couch, hugging herself. "I wish that you would be sweet just once."

"I can be sweet. I came back because I love you and want to make our marriage work," said the smiling man sitting next to her. She looked at him while reminiscing about the delicious makeup night. Then, finally, she smiled, too, nodding. "Let's make dinner."

Marcie left the house the following day to buy groceries, kissing her husband goodbye while he sat on the couch and turned on the TV. Unfortunately, the weather was so bad that she accidentally crashed into a tree. She tried unsuccessfully reaching her husband, so she returned home, arriving at dusk.

She opened the door and found two adult-sized gingerbread figures in the living room: a man and a woman. She sighed. "I told you, the house must remain the same." She approached the man's figure, took a piece of his arm, and ate it. She beamed. "Mm, you truly are sweet."