Black Summer

“Thus, the summer ends here” 

Beverly woke up by the sun gleaming through the windows of her own bedroom. She groaned slightly and stood up from her bed until she remembered something. She dreamed of that bitter summer event again. She shook her head, trying to forget that summer that happened many seasons ago. 

She went downstairs to see her mother who prepared a delightful breakfast for her daughters. She saw all of her three sisters were sitting on the dining chairs already, their heads immediately turned into Beverly who just barely woke up from her slumber. 

“Bev, do you know what time is it already?” Her first sister asked, her name is Lily, and she was born with a perfect face, all of her classmates always got inspired by her style since she’s one of the most popular young ladies in their school. Beverly only spared her smile that showed her dimples, “I know, but it’s only 9” Beverly stated.

“9 means noon for us, and don’t forget we need to go somewhere today,” Their mother, Lovely, reminded them. She had always been the disciplined mom as she put all of her breakfast plates to the large dining table. You can say that they’re fairly wealthy since they lived in a big mansion that they used to call it as ‘The Fantasy House’. The elegant mansion previously belonged to their father’s property but horribly, he passed away a long time ago.

“Yes, especially the weather is surprisingly amazing today” Kimberly, the second sister said. Kimberly has always been the clever one in their family, she had her own icon at school as the bookworm girl that would basically stick her eyes into some books in the library. Beverly sat in between her sisters, waiting for her mother to complete the whole breakfast. She turned to her side and saw her little sister, Holly, who’s only 10 year olds drawing silently in her own world. Holly is a quiet kid, she barely talked to people and always spend her time alone in her own room. 

“Alright, breakfast is ready,” Their mother said, sat in between her daughters. They began to eat their own breakfast while the conversations were casual, but Beverly couldn’t stop thinking about her dream last night, the dream that always haunt her ever since the event existed.

“I dreamed about something again,” Beverly suddenly broke the whole pleasant conversation.

All of the blue eyes directly shot at her as the room became silence, the only sound that was audible was only the classical music of the room that they listened to every morning. “What dream?” Her mother asked, in the most clueless way even though she already knew what kind of dream her daughter dreamed again.

“Don’t pretend as if you don’t know this mom,” Beverly rasped, her ocean eyes drew some sort of concern into her mother. Her mother was bewildered at her sudden attitude but before she could say anything, her daughter snapped at her first. “When will you confess everything mom? We can’t hide forever!” Beverly snapped at her own mother, the sisters were shooting Beverly their keen eyes except for Holly, who was just casually eat her breakfast with much silence.

“Beverly, I told you not to discuss this anymore” Lovely strictly reminded her third daughter.

Lovely then tried her best to spare a pleased smile at her daughters, “Now let’s finish our breakfast and begin our summer road trip,” She said, continuing to eat her breakfast while Beverly gazed at her in quaint. 

Beverly packed all of her main belongings to her backpack and took a few deep breaths in front of a mirror as she saw the picture of her dad wrapping his arms around her. She swallowed all of her muffled cries by herself before she laid on her comfortable king-sized bed one last time. She closed her eyes, tried to distract herself from all of her gloomy thoughts, but she couldn’t help but to recall that summer event again. 

Beverly walked to the tent along with Holly who’s thrilled with these whole camping holidays that they usually did every summer. “I’m going to dad. You stay right here alright?” Beverly pleaded to the youngest member of the family before she came out from the tent and saw her older sisters who enjoyed their times on fishing near the lake. She then gazed at her parents who are currently chattering about something serious. Beverly scowled at both of them and tried to hear their secretive conversations behind the big trees, but Billy, her father, noticed his daughter presence and quickly beamed at her.

“Beverly,” Her father greeted however her mother didn’t gaze at her at all, she looked down at the ground as if she was thinking about something tricky. “The tent is ready,” Beverly said to both of her parents. “Right, shall we serve mac and cheese for tonight?” Billy asked his daughter and walked to the camping sites, her mother still stood in between the trees while gazing at her husband in cynicism.

The dinner was delightful, the forest was filled with laughter and contentedness. The sounds of insects, amorous foxes, and screeching owls were audible at the dark forest as the harmonious family cleaned up the whole dinner stuffs and prepared themselves for bed. The glamping tents for tonight were divided into two since the glamping tents were absolutely big, the first tent belonged to the parents while the second tent belonged to the daughters. 

Lovely checked on her sleeping daughters for one last time before arranging her robe and went to her own luxury glamping tent. She pressed her lips with her aching heart as she saw her husband dozed off from the Jacuzzi at the back of the glamping tent with his phone on his ear, she immediately knew who the phone call was from. Her husband turned the phone call off and noticed his wife who was standing, gazing at him with an expression full of abhorring.

“We need to talk about it,” Lovely said, sternly. Billy sighed whilst crossing his arms, “What exactly do I need to tell you again, Love?” He asked, still used his dearest nickname for her.

“Is it true that you’ve been unfaithful towards your own wife?” Lovely asked her dearest husband. 

Billy put his phone on the nightstand before gazing at his wife, “Why would you think about that?”

“I saw your steamy messages along with Beverly’s close friend,” She said, Billy’s eyes then turned darker than before. He had never notice that his wife would recognize about his disloyalty. Lovely slowly watched her husband’s reaction however he only let out a dark chuckle.

Lovely frowned at him, tears were already flowing from her ocean eyes.  

“She’s barely 13 years old, you psycho!” Lovely snarled at him, Billy on the other hand, felt as if someone was whispering something wicked to him and immediately wrap his hand around his wife’s neck tightly. Lovely’s eyes widened from the sudden threat and tried her best to push her husband away several times until she heard a loud shotgun coming to her husband’s head.

Billy’s body instantly dropped into the wood floor whilst blood was running from his head, Lovely’s ears were still ringing from the gunshot noises as she saw Holly, her youngest daughter dropped the gun and shed some tears. 

Lovely briskly went into her youngest daughter and took the gun from her before the other three daughters came into the room with their surprised gasps and screams. They saw their mother murdering her own husband with a gun in her hand.

“Mom! What did you do to dad?!” Lily snapped at her mother. Her mother only hid the gun inside her pocket pants and tried to move her husband’s body.

“Be quiet! We need to cover this whole treacherous event quickly,” Lovely told her daughters who were still startled at this whole murder case. Beverly put her palm on her mouth, tears were coming from her eyes, she stood there frozen while Lily and Kimberly quickly walked into her mother who was struggling holding her husband’s weight. Beverly stared at Holly who was still on the ground, crying shamelessly before she walked into her father’s dead body.

All of them went out to the dark forest with muffled cries, holding Billy’s dead body with trembling hands before Lovely decided to put her husband’s body into an empty boat. Lovely washed the gun that was full of her and Holly’s fingerprints before she placed the gun with her gloves in one of his hand so people will believe he was committed suicide in the boat alone. 

Lily and Kimberly wrap into each other’s arms with much fear surrounded in both of their minds while Beverly only stared at her mother who was pushing the boat into the lakeside with trembling body. The three daughters couldn’t stop their cries—not when their lovely father died by their own mother in a tragic way. Holly was only watching her mother, there are no cries left again from her eyes, ever since the incident, she became a silence kid. 

All of them watched the boat swim away into the middle of the lake before Lovely turned around to meet all of her daughter’s ocean eyes. “Let’s keep this event hidden, alright?” 

The daughters only nodded shakily except for Beverly who frowned at her mother in leery. Therefore, all of them just watched the boat swimming away in the farthest way possible. 

“Thus, the summer ends here” Lovely muttered.

After several days, the police found Billy’s dead body. The whole town was terrified and startled by the news. However the case was immediately closed by the victim who committed suicide. But that didn’t mean they all could sleep in peace, Beverly believed that someday the police will find out about her mother’s murder case.

“Beverly let’s go!” Kimberly knocked on her room, distracted all of her minds before she stood up from her bed. “Yeah, coming!” Beverly yelped, picking all of her bags and went downstairs to see her mother smiling at her gracefully with her other three daughters who were waiting for her to come down. 

Beverly spared a smile for them, wished she could forget all of the dreadful event and continue her life without being in terror. 

“C’mon we’re going to be late for the whole activities!” Lily exclaimed and went to the van before the two other sisters joined her as Lovely came up to her third daughter who looked like she had some troubles on her mind.

“You okay, sweetie?” Lovely asked her, wrapped her one arm on her daughter’s shoulder.

Beverly shared her pursed smile, “Yeah,”  

All she knew was that her mother was a treacherous murderer.