Scary Urban Legends

A Good Housewife

They say home is where your heart is. In my experience, it's true. I couldn't imagine existing outside of our humble three-story home in suburbia. My husband, my fourteen-year-old son and I.

Two weeks ago Charles wanted to take Caleb out to Switzerland, Geneva I believe, to take him skiing. Caleb had always loved the snow. Winter was his best season.

I couldn't go. I simply can not deal with the cold. Charles argued with me, saying that all I ever did was stay at home and clean. A week in Switzerland would do me good. Charlie loved me dearly. He wanted the best for me, and this trip to Switzerland was in his best intentions.

But I wouldn't go. I couldn't.

So, here I was at home, cleaning up the house, making sure everything was spick and span for when the both of them were ready to come back to me. Looking back on it, I wish I had agreed to go. Life's so short and all... But I'd miss this house. Sometimes I feel that this house is the only thing that keeps this family together. Charles has gotten fed up with me. For not leaving the house to go, well, anywhere, ever since we got married and moved I fifteen years ago. I can't stand to be away for more than a day. I was afraid that if Charles and my son went away on this trip, they'd run away for ever and leave me behind.

About five days ago I woke up to a giant, reddish-brown stain slowly suffusing across my bedroom ceiling. It had spattered its fluid all over the bed sheets.

It was coming from the attic, running through the thin floorboards and causing the ceiling plaster to sag. The only place in the house I despised from the bottom of my guts. I looked up at the pool of liquid, which was gradually growing larger and still dripping on my mattress. I sighed. Charles would have to deal with it, when he was ready to come back.

Next was the smell. Over the course of two days a stench that stank of Sulphur had penetrated through the attic and spread itself like a blanket. God, it was awful. It felt like I couldn't breath at all. Each breath was drawn in reluctantly and then immediately wheezed out.

I was ashamed. Charles and Caleb would be ready to come back soon, and they couldn't see the house like this. Not knowing what to do, I flung open any and every window I could find and used up all of the air freshener I had in the house. I must have spent hours spraying away. It was like trying to strangle a person with a single thread.

There was a knock on the door. I opened it to find my neighbor, standing outside in the heat.

"Oh, hello, Ben. Would you like to come inside?" I asked.

"No ma'am," He replied. "I was just coming over here to talk about that stench- Jesus Christ!"

He stumbled backwards as the tsunami wave of stench hit him. He looked at me, frightened out of his mind, tears in his eyes from the smell. He ran across the street, keeping his wide eyes on me. I closed the door as he reached the opposite side-walk. Strange. Ben was always well-mannered.

A few hours later there was another knock. Two police officers stood on the porch.

"Hello, ma'am. My name's Officer Nichols," said one of the officers. "This is Mark. We've come to investigate some complaints about... the smell."

Both of the officers held handkerchiefs to their noses. "Did Mr Ben Harrison call you? This is just the help I need. I wasn't quite sure who to call," I said letting them in.

"It seems to be coming from the attic," I informed them, and we made our way up the staircase.

"We'll just look in here ma'am," Said Nichols, and lowered the hatch up to the attic.

The smell was definitely coming from the attic. The stench was tenfold up there. Five minutes passed. Another five. Then a sudden thud, a pile of boxes falling. Then the cursing and screaming.

I was taken away in the police cruiser. They handcuffed me, taking no chances.

Caleb and Charles were both found. Strangled to death, they told  me. They asked me why I did it.

"It was the only way to make sure they didn't leave."