AAAHHHHhhhhhhh!!!

 

This is a frightening tale about a not so young girl who almost died at the hands of her husband...not really, but you can imagine.

It was a cool autumn evening and the full moon had just begun to rise. The girl was looking forward to a relaxing date with her husband to celebrate some of his recent achievements at work, or so she thought. He had planned the entire night, which should have raised the girl’s suspicions since this was a rare occurrence, but she was just happy to be getting out the house without the kids so she didn't give it much thought. They dropped the kids off and headed to the girl's favorite restaurant for dinner. She was so happy to be spending a pleasant night out with her loving husband. “How unusually considerate it is of him to surprise me and bring me to my favorite restaurant”, she thought. During dinner she congratulated him on his success at work, but he seemed momentarily confused. He quickly recovered and thanked her for the accolades.

After dinner the husband guided the girl back to the car. This was strange because traditionally they would see a movie next, and the theater was right next to the restaurant. She decided he must be taking her to the IMAX theater down the road. "What a wonderful surprise that would be" she thought, but as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon the husband calmly continued driving past the IMAX theater and further into the unknown. The girl was confused and excited. "Where could he be taking me?" she wondered eagerly, but as they continued to pass all known landmarks the girl began to worry that perhaps her husband was lost. She asked him, "Is it much further?" "You will see." He replied. The round moon was shining brightly in the darkened sky. The husband exited off of the freeway they had been traveling on for some time and began turning onto to small roads leading away from civilization and towards dark country mountains. The girl's curiosity began to ebb and concern began to set in. She was beginning to think that they were truly lost and she was not sure she knew the way back. She knew that her husband was bad with directions, but she was usually able to guide him out of these kind of situations. The husband began to act irritated and confused. "Are you sure you are not lost dear?" She asked. "I'm just looking for a dirt road." He responded tersely.

They drove further into the dark night with no destination of any kind in sight. Finally they came upon a small country store with a single gas pump in front. A lone light bulb hung from the porch of the store providing little light for the gravel parking lot. The husband parked in a dark corner of the lot and then said he was going in to ask for directions. She watched him go into the store and then decided to text some friends while she waited. She told them that she was lost in the woods with her hudband and they responded that perhaps she should be concerned, but she was already concerned and perhaps even a little frightened. “Don’t be ridiculous…”she thought, “…you’ve been married to him for seven years and he has never been anything but loving and patient.” But then she began to think of all the times that she had tried his patience and rejected his loving advances. She turned to see what her husband was doing. She was surprised to see him aimlessly browsing the aisles of the store. The clerk was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t appear to be inquiring about directions at all. He brought his phone to his ear, had a short conversation, and then headed back towards her and the car.

“Did you figure it out?” She asked. “Oh…no. That woman has no idea where we are going.” He replied nonchalantly. The girls fear was rising. The husband headed further down the road and then abruptly turned around passing the store again. He then turned left onto a small dirt road as if he had known where it was the whole time. The headlights lit the small road ahead of them and the tall threatening trees passing on either side. There was not another car insight. Suddenly, the husband pulled to the side of the road into a small clearing and parked. “Time to start walking” he said ominously. The girl was no longer worried about hiding her nervousness. “Walk? Where?” She whimpered. “Don’t worry. It’s not far now.” He replied in his deep voice with a devilish smirk.

He held her hand as they walk along the same road that they had been driving on moments before leaving the car far behind. The cold air gave her an excuse for her shivering. The Hunter’s Moon was shining above the trees in its full brilliance. They walked for several minutes until they came to an even smaller dirt road that branched off to the right and down a steep hill. “Now it’s time to close your eyes darling.” The husband demanded. She protested, “but I can’t walk down this gravel hill with my eyes closed! I will fall.” “Then I will carry you, but you must promise to keep your eyes closed!” he said. She climbed onto his back and reluctantly buried her eyes into his shoulder blades. She knew that she could open her eyes at any time and he would not know, but she was too afraid to peek at what lay ahead. She didn’t want to know. Though she wasn’t sure if she trusted her husband at this moment she was willing to submit to him because she loved him regardless of the consequences. She would die in his arms if that was his wish.

After what seemed like forever he put her down and asked her to continue walking with her eyes closed. She could feel that the road was no longer headed in a downward slope and that there was grass under her feet. He held her hand and guided her up a small staircase. She heard the creek of a door opening. A rush of putrid air hit her nose! The smell was overwhelming like rotting flesh and excrement. She opened her eyes to find herself in a dark and unfamiliar small cabin. Suddenly she heard shrieking coming from the doorway behind her! She turned to find…all of her friends including the ones that she had texted earlier. “Surprise! Happy Birthday!” The girl was so surprised and relieved. “What?! My birthday isn’t for another two weeks! Where are we?” She exclaimed. “We are in a cabin on a lake in North Georgia! Your husband arranged everything. We will be staying here all weekend!” That was when she knew that there had been no reason to worry. All is right in the world. Her husband loves her and so do her friends.

They never did discover the source of the foul smell.