So Scary 8- Behind the Curtains
"HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas, everyone and a Happy New Year!" A man who was disguised as Santa, blared out from the television screen.
"Oh brother..." Mary Stonewall said. "Why do I even bother?"
"What's the matter, honey?" Her husband called out in the kitchen. "Don't like Christmas?"
Mary was having a hard time, wrapping up the gifts for her niece, who planned to come here for the Christmas holidays. And that even included her sister.
Her husband, Kevin Stonewall approached her and saw that she was still struggling... "Need help with that?"
"I'm fine. You go and cook that chicken of yours."
"Hmm... I'm beginning to feel that you've lost your Christmas spirit. I wonder why."
"You know why."
Kevin knew the reason alright. His wife had a previous argument, regarding the fact that her sister, just left her husband for another man, and that would affect her daughter. Mary couldn't fathom the idea of why she had done it.
Kevin sighed. "Look honey... Maybe she had her own reasons."
"That's what all women say, I bet."
"Well, not everyone clicks together. If you know what I mean..." Mary looked at him and then laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing."
"Okay... Anyways, I'll see how the chicken is doing."
"Don't overdo it. You know Sharon doesn't like that."
"Yeah... I know."
---------------------------------------------------------------
Carol and her mother, Sharon had arrived at Mary's house. Not to mention the guy, who just dropped them off. Sharon said, "Are you sure that you don't wanna come?"
"I'm sure," Sharon's boyfriend said. Carol didn't want to look at him. Ever since he came to her life, she didn't like him one bit.
"Okay." Sharon wanted him to come and meet the Stonewall family. Unfortunately, her last argument with her older sister had proven otherwise.
Carol and Sharon both walked out of the car, and the guy said, "Call me when you're done." He left them as he drove alone into the night. Sharon sighed and took her daughter back towards the house.
Sharon ranged the doorbell. She could hear her sister's footsteps, walking past the living room and then Mary opened the door.
"Mary," Sharon said. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry... Christmas. And you, Carol." But the girl didn't say anything.
"Um... Carol?" Sharon said to her only daughter.
Carol looked at her, and then back at her aunt. "Merry Christmas, auntie."
"Thank you, dear," Mary smiled. "Come in. It must be very cold outside."
"You bet," Sharon said. They walked inside the house, and could smell the chicken. "My... Someone's busy in the kitchen."
"That's my husband."
"Ah yes. I can't wait for his... chicken." Sharon removed her scarf and the jacket. Then she put them on the hangar. Carol did the same, and Mary helped her.
"So..." Mary said. "Where's your... boyfriend?"
"Hm?" Sharon came back to her senses as she thought of wishing her new boyfriend, spending time with the Stonewalls. "Oh, he had some business to do."
"What kind of business?"
"Oh... you know the usual." Mary began to doubt that.
"Well, hello there," Kevin said as he came out of the kitchen. "Merry Christmas, Sharon and Carol."
Sharon said, "Hi, Kevin. You too."
"Merry Christmas, uncle," Carol said. Kevin looked at her. "My... How well you've grown."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Sharon said, rolling her eyes. "She always checks her height. I always told her, she didn't need to do that."
"Oh, that's okay," Kevin said. "I used to do it back then. I always thought that I was getting shorter by the minute. And now, look at me."
"Um... Kevin?"
Kevin looked at his wife. "Yes?"
"The chicken..."
"Ah yes, the chicken." Kevin almost forgotten about it. He looked at Sharon and Carol. "I'll be right back."
"While he's gone, let have some chat," Mary said. She looked at Carol and smiled. "You can play with your auntie's toys."
"Oh, she doesn't need to do that," Sharon said. "She's getting too old for it."
"Yeah... I figured. But we need to talk."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
While Carol was playing with her auntie's toys, both sisters sat on the couch, staring at each other for a while, and drinking black coffee.
"So... where are you staying?" Mary decided to break the silence.
"A couple of hours away from here", Sharon replied. "But we're planning to move out."
"Where?"
"Kansas."
"Why?"
"Why all these questions?"
"Because I wanted to know. After all, you know how Carol feels about all this."
"I know that. But come on, Mary. This is Christmas. Aren't we supposed to have a good time together?"
"I know, but..." She paused and thought of Sharon, still leaving her husband.
"Look... Stan and I have tried to work things out. But his job..."
"His job? What about it?"
"I found out what he was doing."
"Like what?"
Sharon sighed. "He was making porn movies."
Mary stopped sipping her coffee and then said, "Oh... Is that so?"
"Yes. I found out from one of my co-workers. At first, I thought it was a joke. But it was the truth. Some guy had mentioned my husband's name in the office. And I just couldn't believe it."
"That's why you left him?"
"Yeah. Wouldn't you do the same? I mean, if Kevin did the same thing, how would you feel?"
Mary thought her younger sister had a good point. But then again, husbands do tend to work hard enough by doing something... indecent. Some women out there, wouldn't mind about it, as long as their husbands were making money.
"Listen, Sharon. Don't you think that you're being a little too harsh on Stan? I mean, you said he was a film maker. Not an actor, right?"
"Yeah. So?"
"So, he's not acting in those films. It shouldn't be a problem."
"But it doesn't matter. The thought of him making those kind of films, it just... I couldn't stop thinking about it."
"Hmm..."
"Look, Mary. I had to do it. I had no other choice. I've already told him, he can look for another profession. Something decent for a change, but he wouldn't listen to me."
Mary continued sipping her coffee, and looked at the curtains. She could see some Christmas lights from the other houses. And then, she thought she saw something.
"Um... Mary?"
"Yes?"
"Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong."
"Are you sure? You seemed not to be here."
"No, I was just wondering..."
"Wondering about what?"
"Remember what grandma used to tell us stories about the curtains? About some boogeyman waiting to get us, while we were not looking?"
"Oh, that. My god, Mary. You still believe that $h!t?"
Mary looked at her, and then Sharon realized of what she just said. "Oh sorry..."
"Anyways..." Mary continued. "Grandma told us that the boogeyman always comes at night. Whether we are sleeping, or doing something else. That is if we're not looking."
"Yeah, I know what she said. Boy, that story used to scare me all the time."
"Yeah..." Mary thought of how she used to imagine a dark figure, coming out of the curtains. And it didn't matter where.
Kevin called out, "Dinner's ready!"
"Carol!" Sharon called out to her. "Dinner's ready!" But there was no answer.
"Carol?" Sharon went to the playroom, and found out that she wasn't there.
"Where's Carol?" Sharon started to look worried. Both Kevin and Mary glanced at each other.
"I'm sure she's around here somewhere," Kevin said. "She could be hiding. Carol!" Even Mary called out her name. They searched throughout the house, but still couldn't find her.
"The doors and windows are locked, right?" Sharon looked at her sister. "She couldn't go out."
"No, I don't think she would do that." Then Mary thought of the dining room that they forgot to look. "Wait..."
"What?" Sharon looked at her. "What is it?"
Mary went towards the dining room, and noticed the blood that got smeared on the curtains. Both Kevin and Sharon followed her.
"Oh, no," Mary said. Even Kevin and Sharon looked at the bloody mess. But Sharon wanted to know. She opened the curtains slowly and screamed...
Next story- Satan Claus.
Log in to comment