Death By The River

DEATH BY THE RIVER

“Lives are like rivers: Eventually they go where they must. Not where we want them to.”

The cool afternoon breeze embraced her, rust green colored leaves furling in the dry barren land, the dead silence filled the thick air as she prowled with her head kept down. Everyone melancholy ambling behind her as though they were alien to Earth. Uncle Larry addressed the gathering with a rather poignant speech that left everyone grieving except one. Lena slowly walked towards the coffin remembering those wistful days…until all the colors of dawn faded, and dusk unfolded. Lena waited in the dark for her presence, but she decided to flee forever and ever, distant from her. She left with an undaunting smirk.

The next day started fresh and poised as the glowing beam of sunshine and the cool breeze withered through the window, the dreadful day had finally ended. Lena was preparing herself ready to make her way to work. She quickly grabbed her ticket from the station counter and departed towards the headquarters. She was working as a high-profile executive in a top multinational company, but many people detested her and did not commend or agree with her ideas. Getting back home in the sunny weather, restlessness had taken over her body as she drove on the beautiful golden gate bridge above the deep, reticent and never-ending sparkling river.

Few days earlier ……. the road on the bridge was occupied by loud distorted and clamoring voices of policemen. The road was obstructed by large yellow tapes and the cars were hindered back. The enclosed space was occupied by black cop cars and loud sirens. ‘The band of policemen found a deceased body of a 35-year-old woman who possibly committed suicide or was heaved down the cliff’. As the magazine read….’ the CCTV detected a businessman in his yacht in the far off distance who lived five blocks away from the dead woman’s house and was seen rushing away .The lady had spent a night in Hotel Richmond, Room 5, which was previously occupied by the businessman. He was a occasional visitor to the vast river and she was a recipient of his company’s various offers and rewards, the interrogation concluded. Please notify the city police head for any evidence found regarding this obscure incident.

Several months later…The policemen were still in the process of finding evidence and the cause of the lady’s agonizing demise. They had gained information that the lady had a husband who was quite a wealthy man and had a mansion in Beverley hills. She also had a daughter who has been unidentified for months. The police suspected two men.

19th May 1998

Julia and Lena owned a small house in the heart of the city. Julia is a local policewoman  and a mother of 21-year-old girl. Julia had recently divorced and was very satisfied with her decision. She divorced a wealthy banker who had gained tremendous amount of fame among elite of the country. He now lived high above the hills in a large mansion. Lena was adversely affected by her broken family background due to which she developed a harmful mental illness and dual personality that led to dreadful and toxic consequences. Julia however was immensely committed to her job and was a straight forward lady with a firm hand over her routine. In the recent weeks she noticed something peculiar, unprecedented, something she could not comprehend, something she never expected.

Julia was startled to hear that five people were killed every week. The most appalling fact was that people died at 6 AM early in the morning and most of them were working for the same organization. Julia kept pondering about the situation…just then Lena entered. She stood right in front of Julia’s eyes, happy as never before, her T-shirt all covered with ketchup. She told her that she had enrolled for painting classes with the best artist in town, starting the next day at 5 AM. Something did not feel right to Julia, something crawling beneath her eyes, terrified.

Lena left for class early, well before dawn and returned much later than dusk. On the other hand, Julia was contemplating on reasons for the disappearance of the civilians. One fine day Julia entered Lena’s room to wish her goodnight when she was astonished with something she had never expected. Lena had a large window in her room facing the woods. She climbed out of the window seal and ran towards darkness into the woods, as far as Julia’s eyes could go. She soon disappeared in the trance of darkness. Julia was waiting for Lena to return home but got exhausted and slept. Lena sneaked to her house early in the morning and settled cozily in her bed. Julia could now smell the rat. However, with several things in mind and duties to fulfill she let it float away just like any other thought.

Day by day many people were found dead, and Lena too had become a suspect for Julia as she noticed that on every other day Lena had large red blobs of paint on her T-shirt. When the laundry would be washed rigorously with soap, the paint would leave its faded stain, but the red color was still dark and as red as fire. Now, Julia’s own daughter Lena had come under the radar of suspicion, as much as she evaded.

After many investigations the police could not come to any conclusion about the murderer. Lena was furious and devastated to know that her mom was suspecting her to be a killer. So, she decided to invite her to death into a place dark, deep and never ending. Lena suffocated her mom and carried her corpse in the trunk of the car. She drove as fast as she could, tossed her body into the black long river at midnight and vanished into the darkness never to be seen again.

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All the members of the family were mourning the death of a lady who not only succeeded in her life unaided but also was a very respectful, trustworthy and patriotic policewoman. All were grieving but one smiled with beguiling tears of sadness.