The light from the dying fire flickered; sending immense shadows on the blank wall in front of Mary Maloney. She was rocking back and forth in her creaking chair transforming the shadows into images of her and her once beloved husband. The images where of the time when they went dancing at a huge gathering, but neither of them where having a good time, so he took her hand and they went for a walk under the moonlight and they shared poignant memories of their childhood. The images on the wall slowly got darker and started to form sharp rough edges. A huge image of his face appeared and started shrinking, getting smaller and smaller, that’s when her face appeared laughing with a gleam in her eye and a cold lamb leg in her bloody hand. The images slowly disappeared as tears slowly filled her eyes. She reached up to wipe them away with her shaky hands and she watched as the tears dripped down her pointer finger and down to her palm. She keep thinking of the blood dripping in the same manner down farther and farther until it fell to the floor crashing, creating an undersized earthquake in her head.

“Mom! I’m back!” Nicky Maloney yelled on the porch trying to avoid waking her one year old daughter. As Nicky opened the door and took a step in, the sun flooded the dark, curtain closed room. All the haunting images that where still hovering on the wall dashed off, as if the sun would destroy their very existence. When the sun reached Mary’s tear filled eyes she tossed her hand to her side and sat up strait like nothing happed at all.

“Oh, hello dear, how was you day out with Haley?” Mary said forcing a smile on her pale blank face.

“It was very delightful, we had a great time.” Nicky said with a huge smile on her face. When she set Haley in her bed she walked into the open living room holding a gift in her hand. Mary looked perplexed, what was the gift for? It was not her birthday, or at least as her memory recalled it wasn’t. “I got you something, I know it is not the best occasion to give someone a gift, but I mean it’s your anniversary and I think you deserve something for staying loyal to him even after he passed away.” Mary snatched it out of her hands and ripped it open. Inside laid a picture of his face sitting next to hers with cracked glass covering them both. “I found this in a box under my bed; I thought you should have it back so you can remember him.”

“Why would I want to remember him? Tell me! I don’t want to remember his face, his eyes, or even his smile. Because every time I remember I see his pail white skin, his blood shot eyes and his ghost like lips wanting to smile at me but cant. Why would you, my own daughter want me to remember such bad memories such evil?” Mary yelled while standing up and shaking the picture in the air. Tears rolled down Nicky’s face sending instant regret to Mary. She slowly sat back down in her chair and stared at the floor. “You don’t know the whole story, you wouldn’t understand the memories this picture brings me.”

“What do you mean? I know the whole story, you went out to the store and when you got back, he was laying on the floor dead.” More tears started to fill Nicky’s eyes.

“Yes, that’s what I told you but that’s not everything. You see, my husband, your dad, was about too, you know what, why don’t I just tell you at dinner. We are having lamb, your favorite and it’s almost done!” Mary said with a mischievous smile.

“Okay and I am sorry for the picture it won’t happen again.” Nicky said whipping the last of her tears from her warm face. Mary stood up, placed the picture on her chair and rushed to the kitchen to takeout the tender lamb. She put the lamb on the table and set out two dinner plates.

“Nicky it’s ready!” Mary shouted. Nicky arrived and sat down at the old oak table and a smile appeared on her face.

“Yummy! It smells like the thanksgiving festivals we go to every year.” Mary passed out the smooth polished china to both herself and Nicky. They eat like a lost dog getting a bowl of food for the first time. Nicky could taste the tender juicy meat hugging the sturdy bones, but all the Mary could taste was the blood left in every nook of a murder weapon. “So mom, what was the whole story you where going to tell me?”

“Oh yes, well the whole story is that I, Mary Maloney, killed your father. He was the one cheating on me, what was I suppose to do? I just took this very food and hit him on top of the head and that one blow to the head killed him, and the police? Hah! What a joke they are, they where as worthless as a fish on land. They never found out anything and they never will! You know why, because good always looses, because good has to play fair and evil does not.” Mary sighed relief and stood up to go get another lamb leg. This time she did not go to her seat, she walked behind Nicky and said trembling, “Evil always wins.” She raises her arm in the air and brings it down on top on Nicky. Her head slammed on the table like a meteorite crashing into the side of the moon. Right as her head impacted the solid table Haley’s cry echoed throughout the house and bounced in Mary’s head. “Coming!” Mary said laughing with a gleam in her eye and a cold lamb leg in her bloody hand.