The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Venice is for Lovers
by Naching T. Kassa

Venice is for lovers. 

What could be more romantic than a gondola ride? The amber lanterns of the gondolas are reflected in the waters of the canal as we ride. The dark sky, awash with stars, above us. I smile at Rudy. He’d insisted on acting as my gondolier this time and he pushes our gondola on like a pro. My heart swells with love for him, just before it plops out of my chest.

Rudy and I have been together for three years, ever since I took that tumble off the top of the Empire State Building and landed at his feet. When I looked up from the pavement and into his handsome and terrified face, it was love at first sight. After they shoved me into that drawer at the morgue, I knew I had to see him again.

He screamed when I entered his apartment. I didn’t look my best, of course, and a walking corpse doesn’t tend to inspire romantic feelings. But I hung in there. I still am.

Rudy didn’t appreciate me at first. When I followed him to work, he threw me under the subway train. Luckily, I came out no worse for wear. I went home and waited for him. We had a good long talk after that one and he agreed to take me on a picnic the next day.

We drove way out into the country, and he took me to the cemetery where his grandmother rested. It was a lovely grave, well-kept, and over-looking a beautiful little town. Rudy hit me in the head with a shovel and buried me next to his grandmother. It was the most romantic thing he’d ever done. 

He was quite surprised when he found me in his apartment the next week. We had a lovely conversation after he quit screaming. 

A few weeks later, Rudy suggested we go to Venice. He said it was a place for lovers. I immediately agreed.

And now, here we are. It’s too bad my nose doesn’t work anymore. I’d love to smell these canals.

Rudy has a surprise for me and just asked me to shut my eyes (This isn’t an easy thing to do. I lost my left eyelid ages ago.) and he’s tied something to my ankles. Oh! He just lifted me into his arms. Crap! My right arm fell off. Talk about embarrassing.

I can’t take the suspense and I’ve opened my eyes. Huh! He’s tied several weights to a chain around my ankles. That’s kind of strange. I wonder if he knows the chain is tangled around his feet.

Oh! He just tossed me in the water! It’s so warm against my cold skin. I didn’t know we were going swimming. With only one arm, I can’t swim very well. But neither can Rudy! Why, he’s sinking with me! No matter how he claws at the water, he can’t seem to surface.

I think I’m going to cry. He’s given his life to be with me.

I guess Venice really is for lovers.

Fiction © Copyright Naching T. Kassa
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from Naching T. Kassa:

Arterial Bloom

Lush. Brutal.

Beautiful. Visceral.

Crystal Lake Publishing proudly presents Arterial Bloom, an artful juxtaposition of the magnificence and macabre that exist within mankind. Each tale in this collection is resplendent with beauty, teeth, and heart.

Edited by the Bram Stoker Award-winning writer Mercedes M. Yardley, Arterial Bloom is a literary experience featuring sixteen stories from some of the most compelling dark authors writing today.

With a foreword by HWA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Linda D. Addison, you are invited to step inside and let the grim flowers wind themselves comfortably around your bones.

Available on Amazon!