Mother

By VH

Vanessa Lawrence and her mother arrived in the city three days ago. While many people prefer  vacationing on tropical islands, Vanessa and her mother, who came from a small town with a  population of just a few thousand, sought a different adventure. The bustling city was a novel  experience for them, a stark contrast to their quiet life. They rarely ventured out of their comfort  zone, except when her mother needed supplies for her artistic pursuits. 

Vanessa was excited to go back to her town, not because she missed the town or the people, in fact,  she hated them but because she was a creature of routine. Her mother, on the other hand didn’t mind  the city, she was the more sociable of the two. Vanessa never knew her father, though she suspected  

she took after him. When she was just fifteen, she learned that her mother had killed him in self defence, or at least that’s what she claims, which the law accepted. 

The two of them loved each other deeply, their relationship transcending the norms of the average  mother-daughter dynamic. They had been inseparable since Vanessa’s birth; her mother was her best  friend. When the townspeople called her a witch, Vanessa would rush to defend her by throwing  rocks at them. 

She walked back to the hotel room, eager to leave this forsaken city. Entering the room, Vanessa  began talking about a fight she had witnessed outside, but when her mother didn’t respond, she  grew concerned especially because it was very unlike her mother to sleep till noon. When Vanessa  tried to wake her up there was no movement nor was she breathing. She tried CPR, shaking her, and  even slapping her, but nothing worked. Her mother was gone. Dead.  

Vanessa couldn’t believe it—her one true source of happiness had been taken from her. Panicking,  she called the front desk, and within moments, at least five people were in the room: a doctor, two  cops, and two hotel employees. Vanessa disliked them touching her mother or the sympathetic looks  they gave her whenever she spoke. The doctor confirmed that her mother had died of a heart attack.  “She had been drinking an awful lot lately, said it was an escape,” Vanessa explained, hoping they  would leave. But they didn’t. “What would you like to do with the body, miss?” one of the cops  asked. “I’d like to take her home,” Vanessa replied without hesitation. She and her mother had made  a pact to be buried next to each other, and Vanessa intended to honour it. However, when she  realised how much it would cost, she had no choice but to bury her mother in this wretched city. 

Everyone except one hotel employee left the room. When Vanessa raised her eyebrows at him, he  cleared his throat and said, “Uh, miss, it’s about your checkout date. Would you still like to check  out tomorrow morning or would you like to extend your stay?” Vanessa glanced at her mother’s  body being taken away. “Actually, I’ll check out tonight, I cannot spend another moment in this  city, ” she replied. The employee offered a sympathetic smile. “The hotel will cover your charges,  miss. I’m sorry about your mother.” Vanessa grimaced at hearing someone else mention her mother. 

The funeral went swimmingly, the hotel had arranged it and covered all the expenses. Vanessa  suspected it was because they wanted to avoid bad publicity, so they were trying to smooth over the  whole incident and were trying too hard to please her. She couldn’t care less about the hotel; all she  wanted was to go back home with her mother, and that’s exactly what she planned to do.

The cab stopped outside the graveyard where Vanessa’s mother was buried. It was pitch black, with  only a few street lamps illuminating the area. Vanessa had two suitcases with her: one filled with  belongings of hers and her mother's, and another completely empty. She looked around to ensure  she was alone. "I’m here to take you home, Mother," she said as she began digging up her mother's  grave. She proceeded to cut her mother into several shabby pieces, after all, it was her first time  cutting up a body. 

Vanessa had planned all this strategically. She purposely chose to do this at night and wore all black  so any bloodstains would be less visible. She wasn't afraid, but she couldn't afford to be careless.  Finally, a few hours later, she was done. As Vanessa dusted herself off, she noticed a silhouette  approaching. Gripping the suitcase, she hurried her pace. Upon closer look, she realised it was the  graveyard caretaker, whom she had seen earlier in the day during her mother’s funeral. 

“Hello, miss, do you require assistance?” the caretaker inquired. 

“Uh, n-no,” Vanessa stammered, noticing the caretaker’s eyes linger on the suitcase. She composed  herself “I’m going back home. I wanted to say goodbye to my mother one last time.” Instantly,  Vanessa knew she had him, as his eyes filled with sympathy for the lonely, helpless girl in front of  him whose mother had just passed. Of course, he didn’t know that the same girl, moments ago, had  cut up and stuffed her mother into a suitcase. 

As Vanessa walked away, she heard the man say, “I’ll be sure to take extra care of your mother,  miss.” With that, Vanessa bid the kind man goodbye and continued on her way to the train station. 

The train left on time, but every minute counted; her mother would start decomposing soon.  Vanessa bit her fingernails, a habit her mother had tried to discourage ever since she was a child.  Tears welled up in Vanessa’s eyes as memories of her mother flooded her head and before she knew  it, she fell into a deep slumber.  

Vanessa was in her home, walking downstairs to see her mother cooking her favourite dish—a  casserole. The sweet smell of a home-cooked meal engulfed her, and she ran to stand next to her  mother. But she wasn’t getting any closer; in fact, her mother seemed to be getting farther and  farther away. Vanessa screamed for her mother but stopped when she saw her transform into a wolf.  The wolf barked multiple times. BANG! 

Startled by the loud bang, Vanessa awoke to find herself on the train, noticing that the suitcase had  toppled over and landed on the compartment floor. A dog stood next to it, barking incessantly.  Though Vanessa couldn't perceive any unpleasant odour, she suspected the dog might detect the  scent of her dead mother. She scrambled to pick up the suitcase just as a child came running in  search of his dog. 

Vanessa dashed into the train washroom, her heart pounding in her chest. With trembling hands, she  locked the door behind her and lowered the lid of the toilet seat, her breaths coming in ragged  gasps. The close call left her cursing her own recklessness. Frustration boiled within her as she  banged her head against the wall, a futile attempt to punish herself, a self-destructive habit she  couldn't seem to break.

Opening her suitcase, Vanessa gently caressed her mother's head.”I'm so sorry, Mother," she  whispered, her voice barely above a murmur. "I promise to be more careful. We're almost home.”  As if in response to her words, the train shuddered to a halt, signalling the arrival of her destination. 

Vanessa's anticipation was palpable as she journeyed home, her foot tapping nervously against the  floor of the cab, her nails bearing the brunt of her anxiety. The desire to reach home surged within  her with each passing moment.As the cab pulled up outside her house, Vanessa practically threw  money at the driver, her eagerness evident in her actions. With hurried steps, she entered the  familiar sanctuary of her home, finally allowing herself a sigh of relief. 

At dusk, Vanessa was almost done in the backyard, she retrieved pieces of her mother from the  suitcase and gently placed them into the grave, granting her a fitting burial. Gazing up at the  darkening sky, she felt a pang of longing before joining her mother in the earth below. 

With a solemn whisper, Vanessa spoke, "We'll be together again soon, mother.” She then pulled the  string of a makeshift mechanism, causing soil to cascade down upon them, honouring her promise  to be buried next to her mother.

By VH