MicroHorror

Jenny stood by the window, focusing on the storm, reveling in the electric thrill of the lightning and the cascading rumbles of thunder. She smiled as the flickering candlelight picked up the dark shadow of her mother-in-law. The woman cringed each time the thunder roared and lightning cracked open the sky. Only Jenny’s rigid back reflected the twinge of anger she felt toward her husband for bringing her here, to his mother’s house, then dashing off into the storm-laden night on the pretext of meeting with some old friends.

“Cat got your tongue, girl?”

Jenny turned her face away from the storm to look at her mother-in-law. “Oh, sorry. The storm’s casting a lot of energy; it’s very refreshing,” she said. “When do you think Jeremy will be back, Mother Ivers?”

“If he hasn’t changed, and it doesn’t appear that he has, you won’t be seeing him much before dawn,” hissed Mother. “You ain’t much of a wife if you can’t keep your husband by your side.”

“I don’t keep Jeremy on a leash. He’s free to come and go as he pleases.”

“And what do you do while he’s coming and going?”

“I please myself.”

“A husband should be interested in his wife’s pleasures.”

“What makes you think he’s not?”

“He’s not here, is he?”

“Being trapped in this dreary house with you is not a pleasure. I believe Jeremy might have an ulterior motive for bringing the two of us together.”

“Well, he hasn’t gotten any smarter over the years if he thought that I’d want to be left alone with the likes of you.”

“I think the more relevant question is why does he want me here with you?”

“That’s what I just said, you ignorant bitch.”

Jenny’s lips twitched. “I think I’m beginning to understand Jeremy’s reason for bringing us together tonight.”

“Well, it’s more than I can understand. That boy was nothing but an ache from the day he was born. If I’d known his father was going to die before Jeremy was born I never would have bothered having him. Children are a pestilence foisted on women in the name of family.”

Jenny turned her face back to the storm, touching her hand to the window as though beckoning to the shimmering lights that split the sky. “Yes,” she said. “I understand now. For you, my darling husband.”

Jenny pointed her finger towards Jeremy’s mother and chanted, “Shafts of Light, Power of Zeus, cast the darkness from this room.”

Stella Hardy clutched the engraved invitation to her chest. Her body trembled with anticipation as she stared up at the glittering facade of the Hedonist Spa and Beauty Retreat. The invitation was a gift from her boss, a treasured passport into a golden world for one exotic weekend.

“Okay, girl, get a grip,” she muttered to herself. “It’s just a fancy hotel for the rich and unbearably beautiful.”

Stella climbed the marble stairs to the entrance, pushing through the ornately carved door into the lobby of the most elegant hotel she’d ever seen. Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead, casting an amber glow over the room. Women dressed in red silk evening gowns and men in black tuxedos wandered about the lobby, greeting friends and exchanging pleasantries.

“Welcome to the Hedonist. How may I help you?” asked the receptionist.

Stella slid her invitation across the desk.

“Ah, you’re Ms. Sinclair’s virgin guest.”

Stella blushed. “Yes, it’s my first visit. Ms. Sinclair was kind enough to invite me for the weekend.”

“Most kind, indeed. Ms. Sinclair is our High Priestess, and as such, she’ll be presiding over the evening ritual. On behalf of our members, we bid you welcome. If there’s anything you need, feel free to ask. We’ll do our utmost to provide whatever your heart desires while you’re with us.”

“Oh, my,” said Stella. “I feel like Cinderella at the ball.”

“A most suitable feeling,” said the receptionist. “Edgar will escort you to your room. You’ll find an evening gown has been laid out, and a maid waiting to help you dress. The evening’s ritual will begin promptly at seven, with dinner to follow.”

Stella’s room was filled with the bridal scent of orange blossoms and roses. Arrangements of white lilies mingled with blood red roses to decorate ebony table tops. A diamond and pearl encrusted white lace evening gown was draped across the bed, waiting to transport her to the glittering world of her dreams.

“Holy fairy dust,” she whispered.

Edgar was outside the door, waiting to escort her downstairs for the festivities.

“Everyone’s so young and beautiful,” said Stella as they entered the dining room. “Do you know their secret, Edgar?”

“Our members… make sacrifices.”

“I guess giving up a few decadent desserts isn’t much of a sacrifice when you look that exquisite,” said Stella, nodding toward her boss. Ms. Sinclair was draped in black and silver robes, her ivory body glowing under the sheer fabric. As she raised her hand in welcome, Stella saw a jewel encrusted dagger.

Edgar led Stella forward, placing her on the altar of Hedone.

“Not that kind of sacrifice, ma’am.”

Ruby stared at the jigsaw reflection in the cracked mirror. The scraggly salt and pepper hair hanging in greasy strands, framing a face full of mocking hatred. Her own dead eyes, looking back, mimicking her mother’s soul.

The reflection of her mother’s crooked, fat-lipped mouth rocking with raucous laughter forces her gaze away from the mirror, leaves her free to wander through the house where she grew up, catching glimpses of ghosts in the corners. Her father brandishing his belt. Mother standing behind him, giggling while the belt scarred Ruby’s backside with welts.

Blood seeped from her slashed wrists, each drop echoing Mother’s voice, “Deeper, you stupid cunt. You have to slice deeper into the vein if you really want to die. Can’t you do anything right?”

Ruby pulled her sweater closer, trying to wrap her shivering body into a tight cocoon of warmth. Only warmth never existed in this house. Cruelty and hate were incarcerated here, suckling on her desire to live, urging her demise.

She drifted through the house, pacing off the memories that taunted her sanity, turning back to face the mirror where her mother’s face still lingers. Observing the familiar satisfied smirk, Ruby wondered, when did I disappear? Futile thoughts, she mused, as Mother’s face faded into oblivion, leaving Ruby to her newly found peace.

The paramedics were kneeling beside Ruby’s body, slamming her chest full of electricity, trying to bring her back. Shock after shock pounded her frail body until air ripped through her lungs, bringing her back. Screaming.