The Housewife

Alone in the house, I looked out the window. Houses lined the pristine sidewalk, each with one window lit on the right side. Perfect, like it always was. My husband, George, was out with our two kids, Louise and Alex, to pick up something to eat. I was content, almost too content. I shook the dangerous thought from my head and picked up my book that had been neatly resting on lap and began to read. Alice in Wonderland, my favorite book as a child. My eyes scanned the pages until my eyelids felt droopy and eventually fell limp, sending me spiraling into sleep. "Hello," a voice whispered, familiar yet unlike any I'd heard before. I tried to reply but nothing came of my mouth, it was as though someone hit the mute button. The odd voice continued. "It's going to hurt them." The tone of the voice shook me to the core; I started to shake. I could feel that my body was still on Earth but my mind was long gone, somewhere... terrifying. I reached to grasp my sanity and attempted to pull myself from this mind prison. I woke up, still shaking, the voice ringing in my ears. I stood up frantically, looking desperately around the house for something to keep my mind off those awful thoughts. "They're back," I thought to myself. "No, no. It's fine. I'll just distract myself." An hour passed and soon my kitchen, living room and dining were all sparkling clean. George and the kids arrived later and we ate a peaceful, perfect meal, filled with average conversation about school and politics. "Off to bed," I called to the kids who were sitting in our family room watching the television. They started to moan but I cut them off and told them to be good and go to bed. They eventually obliged and left me and my husband alone. It wasn't long before we fell tired and put ourselves in bed as well. "Goodnight, my love," George kissed my forehead and fell asleep quickly. But I couldn't even bring myself to shut my eyes. The voice, I knew it would come back. Part of me dreaded hearing it again but another part of me, tucked away deep in my mind, yearned to hear it. So I let it win. I dozed off and just as I thought, the voice called out to me. "It's going to hurt them, it's coming to hurt them. It's going to hurt them!" I woke up and looked down at my hands, which were covered in a thick, red substance. I shrieked for laying at my feet were my children and husband, a bloody kitchen knife lay next to them. "You hurt them," the voice called out again, in the tone of a happy child. "You hurt them." I realized too late, that that voice... was my own.

​Bela