Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Pier


Schizophrenia according to Merriam-Webster;
: a psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought (as delusions), perception (as hallucinations), and behavior —called also dementia praecox The disorder tends to affect young adult between the ages of 15 and 35.

Martin Meyer was sittin gon the edge of the pier. The empty bottle of Jack Daniels lay forgotten behind him. The wind was blowing and it was beginning to rain but it didn't seem to bother him, nothing could distract him anymore. His son was dead. Joining him was all he wanted. He thought of his wife, his beautiful wife. She would look after Flora, is wonderful daughter. All he needed was to join his son. He didn't want him to be alone, he was lost and it was his job as his father to find him. Tears ran down his face, he didn't even try to disguise them. Then he was falling, nothing was holding him, he was free, when hit the water he opened his mouth and sucked in the piercing cold water. Then he was dead, all the life in him was gone and his body began to return to the surface where it would be unceremoniously washed to the shore for a jogger to find in a few hours.

The phone woke Deborah up with a start, she had been lying on the couch trying to get some sleep after hours of living in the waking coma of grief. "Hello?" She said groggily.
"Mrs. Meyer?"
"Yes, who is this?'
"Officer Stephens-" He was cut off by a scream and the phone going dead.
Deborah had known the moment she had picked up the phone, the same serious tone addressing her with the name only her students used. She had been trying to call him for hours but she'd had no luck, but twice in one day? She thought she was going to be ripped apart, she had tried to remain whole for her family, but now what? She was on the floor weeping when Flora found her. She knew right away. They lay there crying and holding onto each other crying for hours.
The knock on the door was the thing that finally broke them apart. It was Officer Stephens he came to wish them his condolences and ask follow up questions. It had been one hour since the jogger had found Martin Meyer's body washed up on the shoreline bloated and lifeless.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Heat and Liquor


It had now been 12 hours since the body of Dennis Meyer had been discovered. Flora was lying on her back in her room listening to the whir and clink the furnace made while it pumped out heat. Everything was quiet. She heard the phone ring downstairs and her mother go and pick it up. Then muffled voices, her mother was probably talking to another sympathetic neighbour. Then her thoughts were interrupted; "Flora, phone for you." Her mother called. She rose from her bed puzzled and went to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Flora?"
"Yes, who's this?"
"It's Officer Stephens, I was wondering if I could get you to come in to answer some more questions", the tone was cordial.
"Why?"
"Just procedure, follow up, you understand."
"Ok." she said, and hung up.
20 minutes later after having convinced her mother that she was fine and would be back soon, she was waiting in a chair outside Officer Stephens' office. "Why hello sweet heart, thank you for stoping by again today" said Officer Stephens as he opened the door and found her slouched in the chair outside. She shrugged and said nothing, walking past him into his office.

She sat down in the chair facing his desk and he sat down behind his desk. The room was hot and stuffy, Flora didn't like it. They looked at each other for a good while before Officer Stephens said; "Now just to follow up what we spoke about earlier, I'm curious about why you assumed murder when I was asking you about your brother." Flora said nothing, Officer Stephens continued, "Is there something you're not telling us? Because we must do everything we can to make sure your brother is laid to rest in piece if there is." He said fixing her with a serious stare. Flora snivelled in anger and indignation, standing up abruptly and fighting back tears she screamed; "My brother was a fantastic boy and nothing anybody thinks will change that, I did what I could to protect him and nobody can blame me for that, NOBODY!"
Officer Stephens was silenced with his shock and Flora ran out.

Martin Meyer had stopped at the liquor store. He had bought a 40 of Jack Daniels. He had it in a paper bag and was about one third of his was through it. It was beginning to dull the pain, he was still walking but he couldn't feel the blisters anymore and the wind barely bothered him, in fact he couldn't really feel anything at all. He liked this feeling, the feeling of nothing.