Pandora's Box

Just as the mysterious shadowy depths of the ocean are infinitely unpredictable so are the hearts of men. What you see is not always what you get. Max stretched out his arms in an effort to allow the dying rays of sunlight to kiss him all over his body. While the gentle breeze gently caressed his body. The intricate pattern woven together by interlocking branches on the horizon made room for golden beams of sunlight to penetrate through the spaces in between. As if they were guiding beacons for fallen heroes to ascend into heaven. It was daylight’s last stand against the oncoming onslaught of darkness and it was nothing short of phenomenal. He found the blend of vermilion and pink around the sun as it sank into its resting place most resplendent and also inexplicable. 

His marvelling at the sunset was interrupted by the moist sensation of her tongue running down his ear lobe. Most indescribable pleasure mashed up with an eerie chilly sensation running down the spine. Betty knew how to get his attention. She was his wife to be after all, how could she not know? “You’re only allowed to stare at me like that, “she whispered in his ear as she cupped his chest in her palms. “I'll gouge your eyes out and chain you to my bedside.” 

“Such a beautiful threat.” Max retorted with a mischievous smile. “I would happily be your slave. You can chain me to your bedside for eternity.” He turned around to face Betty who had snuck up behind her and planted a kiss on her lips as he held her in a firm embrace. When she pulled away she jokingly wagged her finger in his face as she spoke, “I will abuse you but you will love every second of it.” In response he held her hand and kissed it softly. They stood there for a moment transfixed in a parallel universe where only they existed as a single entity. He felt her draw closer making sure there was no space between them at all. It was an air tight embrace that felt like it lasted a century, there was no need for words, their bodies spoke loud enough to each other. The message was clear and it was mutual. 

He snapped back into reality when she pointed out a refuse bag he had tucked away in the corner. He was lucky no foul scent came from it. To the untrained eye it would be out of sight but not to his girlfriend. If anyone could accomplish the task of counting sand grains in the desert it would be her. “Baby,” she said with a heart melting smile. “Why are you so lazy? Was it so hard to finish cleaning up properly? I knew you would do something wrong,” she mused. She started towards the refuse bag. She was instantly restrained with a suspiciously high amount of force, but before she could react to his actions Max released her but placed himself between her and the bag. “I’m sorry my love. I can’t let you touch anything dirty. I have a promise to keep,” he said while massaging her shoulders. His grip was still somewhat firm but reassuring at least, Betty succumbed and soon he was shooing her away while kissing her neck and playfully pretending to have apprehended her. 

Little did she know what had transpired that day and what Max was hiding in that bag. Now that he was reminded of it he realized he had a little trip to make into the woods that night. He had spent the whole day cleaning the apartment by himself. Naturally he would never do such a thing, much to his girlfriend's surprise. A fight had ensued over why he didn’t allow her to come over and help him clean up. “You’ve probably invited one of your old sluts, haven’t you Max?” Betty hissed. After much pleading and sugar coating he had managed to calm her down.

It still baffled him how his day had turned out to be more eventful than usual. It all started with a friend request on Facebook from his childhood crush, Peggy, which soon escalated into a seemingly innocent but enthralling conversation under the guise of catching up. Max was head over heels in love with Peggy. He often sacrificed his lunch time meals in primary school for her. He was only a boy who was more than happy to walk away with a wave of her hand in his direction. They were soon reminiscing about the good old days, laughing heartily while they are at it. It was concluded with an agreement to meet at Max's home. Peggy was conveniently working in Max's neighbourhood. He couldn’t believe his luck. The rendezvous was set for 6PM. To his disappointment her phone was off when he tried calling her two hours later to confirm if she was still going to come and see him. He felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him after his third attempt. At that point he resolved to forget about it and carry on, he had a pair of trousers to sew.

Frustrated by the size of the hole in his favourite pair of trousers, Max wiped off a trickle of sweat threatening to take a leap off his eyebrow and plunge into his eye. He thought to himself how he wouldn’t be having such a stressful time just sewing a finger length stretch of cloth if he hadn’t walked through that swamp. So much for curiosity he fumed. He was interrupted by a sharp knock on the window right behind him. He whirled around anxious to see the cause of the intrusion into the maze of sulky thoughts he was engulfed in. His heart skipped a beat as he stared through the little opening left by the folded curtains. He recognised that beaming smile instantly, but, how? Could it really be her? 

“Well don’t just stand there. It’s cold out here. Should I go back?” her voice cut through him like a hot knife through butter. What was she doing here close to midnight? He steeled himself and took a deep breath before he swiftly dashed to open the door and let her in. With no feigned emotion his heart skipped several beats when he laid eyes on her. For someone claiming to be feeling cold she had done very little to protect herself from the cold. Sporting a short black dress covered by a loosely buttoned beige Saint Laurent Chesterfield midi coat that exposed her cleavage and black Casadei over the knee stiletto boots. She looked stunning. 

All thoughts of resentment faded instantly as Max welcomed her with a warm embrace that lasted a little longer than necessary. Her scent consumed him to the core of his soul, if he wasn’t mistaken it was probably Chance eau vive by Chanel. Peggy was a classy woman with good taste. He felt his heart leap out of his chest as her lips gently brushed against his as she pulled out of their embrace. Max was discombobulated and by the time he took in the sight of her beauty he was consumed by his desire to taste. 

Driven mad by lust he pulled her towards him eager to taste her scarlet lips and feel the warmth of her body against his. To his dismay she pulled away with a look of what seemed like disgust. “You’re such a pig Max,” she yelled as she slapped him across the his face. He stared at her incredulously. “You can’t show up this late dressed like a snack and not expect me to try anything,” he retorted angrily while holding his cheek. “Obviously I was interested but you can’t just recklessly come on to me like that, do I look like a hooker to you?” she asked accusingly. He mustered all the strength within himself to avoid nodding his head. “Well -” he started with a huge grin on his face.. 

“You’re disgusting!” she exclaimed. In an attempt to shove him she tried to lunge forward but lost her balance and tipped over backwards. She landed with a loud crashing sound on the floor and lay there motionless with her hair all over. It had happened so fast right before his eyes much to his amusement. At least the gods pulled one back for him. 

“Here,” Max motioned with an outstretched hand. There was no response. He waited for a few more minutes. Still no response. He opted to just pick her up instead. Her body just lay limp in his arms and had already lost some of its heat. Max was adept at first aid, he tried all manoeuvres he knew in an attempt to revive her. She was dead.

Time was of the essence, he needed to act fast. At least this victim died on their own. He felt a small sense of pity for her. In reality Max was a human organ trafficker. That was how he could pay for a two storey house, fully furnish it and maintain two brand new vehicles. 

He made quick work of cutting here open in his work station, bids were already being made. Max wasn’t too sure what exactly had caused her sudden demise. Nonetheless, business was business nothing personal he shrugged. Within twenty minutes her clothes had been neatly folded in a refuse bag which he placed in the boot of his Mercedes Benz. The vital organs namely her liver, kidneys and heart were placed in a special cool box. Ready for delivery. His business partner would swoop in any second. He neatly cut up the rest of her body into pieces and placed them in refuse bag for disposal. All he had to do was dispose of the refuse bags. Max was exhausted for some reason, he trudged up the stairs with the refuse bag in hand lost in thought. He stashed it on his balcony and promptly fell asleep.