The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

At the top of the stairs
by Alex Grey

Cissy and Jake and Milo the dog.
Silhouettes in the flickering light
Of their favourite cartoons
On the TV in their bedroom
At the top of the stairs.

On the bottom step
Far below, it seems,
I sit in darkness,
Thoughts swirling in shadow.
I know I am useless,
Can’t see a way forward,
My life needs to end.

I can’t leave them behind.

But how should I kill them?
I can’t hurt them.
It has to be quick,
All three together,
So they don’t know any grief,
They love each other
So much.
Not as much
as I love them,
But I have to die.

Maybe I could
Just kill myself,
But what if their father
Can’t cope?
What if they end up in care?
The dog in a shelter,
Their hearts will be broken.
Can I hurt them so much?

Best if I kill them.

Cissy and Jake and Milo the dog.
Laughing and woofing
As innocents do.
Enjoying their cartoons,
Playing with toys.

Maybe I could wait.

But their dad will be home soon,
I’ll be back to the humdrum
Routine of my life,
The cooking,
The laundry,
While screaming inside.
My chance will be gone.

It needs to be now,
But how?

Fiction © Copyright Alex Grey
Image courtesy of Christina Sng

More about Alex Grey:

After a lifetime of writing technical non-fiction, Alex Grey is fulfilling her dream of writing poems and stories that engage the reader’s emotions. Her ingredients for contentment are narrowboating, greyhounds, singing and chocolate – it’s a sweet life. Her poems and short stories have been published by a number of ezines including The Siren’s Call, Raconteur and Toasted Cheese. One of her comic poems is also available via a worldwide network of public fiction dispensers managed by French publisher, Short Edition. Alex’s original view of the world, which shines through her writing, has led to her best friend to say “For someone so lovely, you’re very twisted!”

Please click here to discover more!