Underwater

I'd never seen the surface look so calm, its millpond appearance was almost deceptive in the early morning light. The sun was yet to pierce the remnants of night. the further shores of the lake were a silhouette, still hidden in deep dark shadow. The early morning temperature had asked the still waters to give of its eerie vapour. The white clouds drifted lazily above the still waters.

The short wooden jetty on which I stood had seen better days, and probably not in my lifetime, it groaned quietly under my weight. It had held me up on my last visit here, no reason why it shouldn't now. I'd been seeking such a place for a while now and had stumbled across the narrow access road purely by accident.

It was perfect, probably unseen by human eyes for decades. The road, such as it was, was overgrown and almost invisible from the main highway that it branched from. There was the remains of an old boathouse next to the short pier, the wooden construction was in total disrepair, the roof had all but fallen in and the walls full of holes had succumb to the years of weather. Ivy and creepers were its primary support nowadays.

The calmness of the glassiness was beginning to irritate me, I had to break the peace and silence, prepare myself for the task ahead. I picked a small pebble from the floor of the pier and tossed it into the water. The ripples formed there rings and spread outwards across the surface, breaking up the smooth complexion of the waters surface. I smiled at the irony, this wasn’t the first time I’d broken a smooth complexion.

“This should be the easy part.” I told myself. After the things I had done, the crimes I’d committed, disposing of the last of the evidence should come easy. It should be an end to the last few months of trauma. For both of us.

She was laid out in the trunk of the car, wrapped in black polythene. A lifeless form, hidden from the human eye. For she was no longer the thing of beauty that people had gazed at in awe. No longer would she turn men’s heads whilst walking the local shopping mall. No longer would she be the object of desire. For I had saved her from her life of misery. Me! I had the power to stamp out the crude thoughts that had run through other men’s minds when they had seen this creature of beauty. I had stopped their lewd comments, and those of envy from other women too.

I had taken her and made her mine for a short time. I took the trappings of her success, her wealth and enviable looks and beauty, I took them away from her. Even if I had decided to let her live she’d never again be the attraction she once was, I’d seen to that. I had told her what others thought of her, I had shown her what others wanted to do to her, and ultimately, I had killed her. Just like those women’s voices had said they’d like to do when they laid eyes upon her. Their jealousness and envy had killed her. I was just the labourer of their will. Unknowingly and collectively they had hired me to carry out their wishes and I had obliged.

I lifted her at one from the trunk. I now know what is meant by a ‘dead weight.’ I swung the legs end clear of the trunk lip and lowered them towards the ground. Maybe it was the polythene, maybe it wasn’t, but she felt very stiff. Hoisting the head end upright and pulling it towards me I had her almost upright. I leaned into her and let the weight land on my left shoulder to support the bulky package. It was a slight struggle but in the end she was over my shoulder, the full weight was just about manageable, and I set of, back towards the pier and the final resting place for this once exotic treasure.

Just think, in years to come when she is discovered and her tomb exposed they look upon her in the same awe and amazement as those intrepid explorers did upon discovering the tombs of ancient Egyptians.

I struggled on towards the lake and its waters, where they ready to accept this offering, were they prepared to keep this new possession hidden in the depths for all eternity? I wondered at the thought, even if they didn’t keep her when they did let her go would anyone even know, this was such a secluded place.

Brushing past some severe overgrown thickets I placed my first foothold onto the pier. “I hope this holds our combined weight” I thought. Tentatively placing my other foot onto the wooden slats and again hearing the almost silent creak and groan of the rotting timbers, I began to inch my way the fifteen paces towards the end. I kept to the edges where I thought the timbers would be best supported and within a few minutes I reached the end.

The morning light was beginning to brighten and the silhouettes of the trees around the lake were starting to take real form. It would be sometime before the area I was stood would be bathed in any sunlight such was the position of the sun and trees. In fact it was my guess that some areas around this lake would never see daylight again.

I lowered the heavy burden and laid it upon the pier. Catching my breath and wiping my brow. I hadn’t realised how heavy she would be, despite her petite frame. I looked down at the lifeless form and to my horror, her face was exposed, a cheek, a closed eye. I shivered. The brambles I’d brushed passed had torn the polythene covering her face. Her pale skin shone toward me like a beacon of light. I blinked, turning away unable to look. I know it was my creation but nonetheless, I didn’t want to view it again. I turned back and knelt beside her, pushing the flap of torn material back over the features of what was once a beautiful face.

It was time.

I wanted to slide the corpse slowly into the depths. I didn’t want to just roll her in with a splash, I feel as if I owe her some dignity as I place her into her watery grave. I had after all taken her and made her mine, she was still my possession. Isn’t possession still classed as nine tenth’s of the law?

I swung her legs over the side of the pier and let them slip gently into the dark waters, the surface tension broke as the first few inches became submerged. I took her by the shoulders and lifted, raising her to about forty-five degrees and slowly began to slide her towards the water. The ripples, as with the pebble, began there own journey, however they would remain on the surface.

Half of the covered body was beneath the surface now, the black polythene barely visible in the deep dark water. I was almost in a crouch position now, letting the package slip slowly beneath the surface, as the waters took her so it took the weight, and with one hand supporting my weight the other held the package by the head and I let it go. The dawn chorus of the resident birds chanted a final prayer.

As the water slid up and around the facial area of the package so it folded the torn area away from the face. The pale cheek shone even brighter when touched by the murky waters, and as those waters reached the eye they in turn lifted the eyelid. The glassy blueness of the one eye stared knowingly, straight at me. For what felt like a lifetime I watched in horror as the that shining blue eye looked directly at me until it faded beneath the murky dark waters.

Several bubbles reached the surface, marking the position of the liquid tomb, but these faded much as the eye had done. I was overcome not with grief but of a feeling of horror. Not for what I had done but from the sight of seeing that eye and watching the lifeless limp body sinking in the lake. I vowed I would not use this method again. I was really spooked and I swear that those images will be with me a lifetime, more so than the ones from the hideaway where most of the damage was done.

Pulling myself upright and trying my best to look composed I headed back toward the safety of the car. Climbing in I turned the engine on to get the heater going desperate to rid myself of the chill that had consumed my entire soul. I lit a cigarette trying to keep my hand still long enough to put the flame of the lighter towards its tip.

Putting the car into drive, I hit the gas and with a spin of the front wheels I left the scene behind, not daring to glance in the rear-view mirror, I didn’t want to see this place again, ever.

If I had of look back I would of seen him. He appeared from the ramshackle boat-house and stood only feet behind my car staring at the back of my head. He watched me light the cigarette, watched as I drove from the area like a mad-man. Who he is and what he was doing there I don’t know but I guess I’ll find out now.

I’m sitting in a hard backed wooden chair now, my wrists are strapped tightly to the arms, my ankles the same to the legs. A metal collar holds my neck tight to the back of the chair and a hood is placed over my head. There are rows of chairs filled with people, there all here to pass judgement on me, but what do they know? The room is silent save for the ticking of a clock.I did them all a service by ridding the world of something they were envious of, by destroying a thing of natural beauty so they could feel better about themselves. So who are they to judge me? I carry out a public service and rid the world of those who, in the eyes of us all, don’t deserve to share it with us.

Tick Tick Tick

Haven’t you ever wished someone dead? Haven’t you ever had lewd thoughts about someone regarded better than you? Haven’t you ever wished ill of someone you envied because of the way they look or what they own?

Tick Tick Tick

Don’t you dare say No!

Tick Tick Tick

Because we are all guilty, only I had the guts, and the inclination to do something about it. To make the world a better place for us all.

At precisely midnight on March 9th 2004 I was executed. Put to death by those who wished the chair contained someone they envy, someone they despise because of who they are or what they own.