Kaelyn's Short Story: Murder of Elias
“Mommy?” ten year old Marielle looked up at her mother with pleading eyes. “Can I please go over to Clarissa’s house?” Although Savannah was frustrated because her bread wouldn’t rise in the oven, she softened instantly when she saw her daughter’s eyes.
“Check the time, honey, and I’ll let you know.” she said.
Marielle happily skipped to the old grandfather clock that hung in the living room and called back, “It’s half past three!”
“Yes, you can go. Be safe, don’t go too far into the woods,” Savannah replied and quickly heard the front door slam. Marielle was gone without even saying so much as a goodbye.
Savannah, her daughter Marielle, and her husband Franklyn had inherited her parents’ house a little before Marielle was born. Less than a year ago, Clarissa, a year older than Marielle, moved in with her family. They were just a block down, and the only thing that separated the two families were a vast never-ending plain of farmland, often dotted with cattle and chicken.
Aside from the two houses, there was one that belonged to an old lady who seemed to be forever alone. She never really batted an eye at her other neighbors, mostly keeping to herself. Maybe her name was Jane or Janice or Justine, something that started with a J, but no one really knew except herself. Plus, she lived farthest from the other houses, in a somewhat secluded place under strongly rooted trees that had been there before time.
“Clarissa! Clarissa!” Marielle’s shrieks could be heard far from Clarissa’s house. The door burst open and Clarissa came running out on the porch steps.
“Marielle!” She buried her best friend in a hug as if they were having a reunion after years of being separated. In reality, they saw each other almost every day.
“What should we do today?” Marielle asked. Clarissa’s mom gave them snacks and each a glass of milk. Clarissa stood up and motioned for Marielle to follow.
The two girls tip-toed upstairs to Clarissa’s room and sat on her bed. She moved close to Marielle’s ear and whispered, “Woods.” Marielle broke into a grin. It was all they needed to drop their things and head out the front door. “Bye Mommy!” Clarissa yelled, “We’re going outside to play!”
Clarissa’s mom answered, “Be back before six!”
Once the girls got outside, Marielle grabbed Clarissa’s arm and stopped her. “But my mama said I couldn’t play in the woods.” She looked at Clarissa, concerned.
Clarissa shook her head and laughed, “It’s fine, it’s fine. We won’t go too far in. Don’t you want to explore?”
“But didn’t your mama also tell you not to go there?” Marielle countered.
“Yeah, but…” Clarissa looked at the ground, excitement draining from her face. “Fine! We won’t go, then!” She stormed off, leaving Marielle shocked. She chased after Clarissa and found her in her room, eyes filled with tears. “What’s wrong?” Marielle asked. She sat down next to Clarissa.
She finally said, “We can go to the woods if you want.” Clarissa looked up at her. “Are you sure your mama won’t mind?” she asked. Marielle shook her head, “No, I mean… I guess once would be fine. I mean, we’ve never been to the woods, but…” That was all it took. Clarissa wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve and grabbed Marielle’s hand. “Come on, let’s go!”
Marielle didn’t notice how long they’d been out until the sky darkened and the trees cast uncertain shadows. They had been walking, playing hide-n-seek behind trees, and catching insects for hours. “Clarissa, it’s getting dark.” Marielle said as they continued deeper into the woods.
“Yeah, I know. We can just run back later. It’s a very short way.”
“No, I think we should go back now,” Marielle said, her voice quavering. She looked around at the looming forest and the fading sunlight. She clung to Clarissa worriedly.
Clarissa shook her off. “It’s fine, Marielle. Stop getting so scared. Let’s play one more game of hide and seek.” Clarissa ran off. But before Marielle had even started counting, there was a loud deafening scream.
It wasn’t any words, just a scream, but the whole forest seemed to shake with thunder. “Clarissa?” Marielle was shaking, barely able to walk. She stumbled to the voice, following the sound. When she got there, Clarissa was howling in front of something. Marielle took a closer look. Then her mouth opened, and a strangled cry came out. The two girls screeched together. It was too bad they were so deep in the forest, no one could hear them.
Laying several feet in front of them, in the muddied, barely visible trail, was a body. “It’s d-d-dead, isn’t it?” Marielle shivered. A cold tingle ran down her spine as she saw the blood splayed everywhere. Most of the man’s face had been hacked away, but his some of his facial features were still visible.
“I...I think so…” Clarissa breathed out. She was lightheaded just looking at the terrifying disfiguration.
By the time the girl’s parents had discovered them missing, it was past six in the evening, and dinner was waiting on their tables. Their two fathers journeyed into the woods, after failing to find them anywhere near town or around the neighborhood.
“What’s going on here?” Franklyn, Marielle’s father, asked when they managed to locate the girls. It was almost 8pm, and everyone was tired from the searching. Then, he laid his eyes on the body in front of them. He didn’t get scared, or too scared as to overreact. As a police officer, he was trained to take care of the crime scene. He cornered off the scene and sent everyone away. Police and crime investigators arrived and Savannah came to take the girls home.
The next morning, Savannah woke the girls before the sun came up. She called Clarissa’s mother and told her everything that had happened. Clarissa’s mother began to cry and she wailed at Savannah, “Why has my daughter witnessed such a terrible thing?” She couldn’t bear to hear the rest of the story, so Savannah dropped off Clarissa. They hadn’t heard from Franklyn since the night at the crime, but in the afternoon, Savannah received a call from him.
“Please tell the girls to come down to the police station. We have to interview them since they were the first ones at the scene that we know of.” Clarissa’s mother was incompetent to go, so Savannah took both kids to the town. The town was pretty much the opposite of their rural neighborhood. Shops and restaurants lined the brick tiled streets and people bustled in a hurry. Occasionally a car drove by, but there wasn’t much traffic except by foot.
Franklyn assured his wife the children would be in good hands, and Savannah instructed the girls, “Don’t lie about anything, just tell the truth.”
The two girls disappeared into different interview rooms. Clarissa and Marielle were both obedient and answered the questions to the best of their ability. Based on the way they had found the crime scene, there wasn’t much of a lead to identifying the victim or killer. They all left except Franklyn, who had to continue the investigation.
For a while, everyone in the town kind of forgot about it. Maybe it was in the back of their heads, but no one really spoke about it. The only tension was at the police station. They were sure it was a homicide, but they hadn’t found any evidence that might lead them to the killer.
One night, when Clarissa came over for a sleepover, the two girls shut themselves into Marielle’s room. Savannah and Franklyn sat downstairs to talk. “This case has really taken a toll on you. I can see it. You need to get some rest and stop stressing about it.” Savannah told her husband. Franklyn shook his head and looked down. He sank into a chair and replied, “Aside from tracking down the killer, the press is going to stick their nose in this case when there’s nothing dramatic going on downtown. It’ll get everyone thinking about it and they won’t let us off the hook for turning this into a cold case.”
“You can’t give up on this. This is the biggest case you guys have ever handled. I’ll do my part in taking care of Marielle and the house, but I think people are secretly begging for the killer to be found. They aren’t saying it out loud, but they know it.” Savannah patted Franklyn and poured him a cup of warm water. Franklyn groaned and got up. “I’m already trying hard!” he growled. “I’m not giving up, but I don’t need you to remind me. I’m not stressed, I’m fine!” He stomped off and disappeared up the stairs. Savannah poured the water down the drain in frustration and this time, she didn’t even bother to tell him to come back. She knew he wouldn’t anyways.
“What’s the time, Marielle?” Clarissa asked. Marielle brushed out a doll’s tangled hair and looked up at her clock. “It’s almost midnight! We should go to sleep soon, don’t you think?”
Clarissa nodded. “Probably.” The girls stashed Marielle’s dolls and furniture into the dollhouse and shoved the door shut. “I’ll call Mommy in to tuck us in.” Marielle opened the door to her room and called out, “Mommy, we’re going to bed now!” Savannah came upstairs and pulled the covers over Marielle and Clarissa. “Good night, girls. See you in the morning.” She left the door open just a crack, the way Marielle liked it.
A little past midnight, Marielle and Clarissa were telling each other made up stories. Just as Clarissa was finishing her’s, Marielle heard the window slide open. She hadn’t opened the window in ages, so it made a high pitched creak that cut through the silence of the house. Marielle grabbed Clarissa’s arm and choked back a scream. Clarissa closed her eyes and prayed. Marielle watched as a silhouette of a man crawl through the window. His body was half see through, and Marielle could see the other side of her room through him. She managed to stammer out, “What’s g-g-going on-n?”
The man answered, “I am the one you guys found. I was dead, and I now walk the earth as a ghost, haunting my killer.” He loomed over the girls’ bed, hovering in mid-air.
“E-e-explain, p-p-please…” Clarissa’s voice quavered uncertainly. Then, the man proceeded to sit on their bed, but with no weight at all.
“Enough with pretending to be scary and saying I’m ‘the one’.” He crossed his legs and looked at the girls with facial features that seemed to be slowly melting away. “We need to get down to business. You’re the only people who can help me because you were first at the crime scene.”
Marielle and Clarissa both suddenly had a flashback of the horrible day at the crime scene. Clarissa had nearly tripped over the body!
“Listen to me. I’m not scary, even though I look scary. I’m the man that got killed, and I need you to trust me.”
Clarissa almost smirked. “You’re the one that got killed? No way.” The man nodded and disregarded her comment.
“I know who killed me, of course. But I’m not a victim anymore. I need you to apprehend who killed me.”
“Um, who killed you?” Marielle asked curiously. She was beginning to feel more fascinated than fearful of this strange man.
“Listen carefully. Do you guys know Janet? She lives just down the road from you guys.” the man asked. The girls nodded. “You might not believe me, but that old woman killed me.”
The girls shared a collective gasp and scooted closer to each other. Clarissa straightened up and demanded, “Then why hasn’t anyone questioned her? She hasn’t been interviewed at the station at all!”
Marielle thought for a moment, then said, “Well, she usually doesn’t act suspicious. People barely even know that she exists.”
Then, the man stuck out his hand, “I’m Elias. Nice to meet you, Marielle and Clarissa.” But before Marielle could ask, Elias said, “I know your names because I’ve been watching you guys for a long time. And I’ve decided that you’re the only ones who can help me.”
The girls nodded. “My time is running out. You guys have to find a way to apprehend Janet. But if you report her to the police station, she’ll find a way to get revenge on you guys. And if she’s killed, she’ll come after me.”
Marielle’s face melted into concern. Elias added, “In a spiritual way, of course. The only way she can die and never be found or seen again is if she burns to death. I can feel myself disappearing by the second. I know you guys are scared, of course, but if you don’t do it, Marielle, you will never see Clarissa again.”
“What’s gonna happen?” Clarissa quivered. “And how do you know?”
“I know things, of course. But that’s all you need to know. Burn her to death.” And before either of the girls could say another word, he disappeared in thin air, leaving no trace.
Marielle looked at Clarissa. “What just happened?” Clarissa replied, “We need to kill Janet.” Marielle could feel her face heating up. “I don’t want to kill her… she hasn’t done anything to us.” Ignoring Marielle, Clarissa got out of bed and asked for matches. Marielle led her to the kitchen and obediently gave her a package. “We’re gonna light the woman’s house on fire. Listen, if her house is structured the same way both of ours is, then I know how to trap her with the flames.” When Marielle looked puzzled, Clarissa mumbled, “I guess your ten year old mind can’t comprehend that.” Marielle glared at her friend. “Well, you’re only a year older, nine months to be exact, so you don’t have the right to say that.” Clarissa rolled her eyes. “Just be quiet and let me explain, will you?” She got a piece of paper out and began drawing the overall shape of a house, bird’s eye view. “I’ve seen Janet’s house before. She’s got a front door with a large wooden porch and a huge sliding door out the back. To the right is a water heater, I think, with a gas pipe on the side of it. Isn’t gas very flammable? We should each light a match, one front and the other back, and then hope that it ignites the gas and sets the third wall on fire.” Marielle moved closer to Clarissa, mumbling that she was scared. “Let’s go!” Clarissa practically pulled Marielle out of her house.
When they got to the woman’s house, Marielle spotted something. She pulled her friend over to look with eyes big as saucers. At the bottom of a barrel of water just outside the house was a knife, caked with blood. It had been there for several weeks, untouched and dirty. The water had turned to a pinkish red due to the blood. Both girls said nothing, but knew what they were thinking. Handing Marielle a box of matches, Clarissa ran to the back of the house. “Just keep lighting as many as you can.”
Marielle struck a match and watched as it glowed fiery orange against the night. She put one at the bottom of the door and watched as it slowly seared into the wooden porch, turning it black with ashes. She continued to do this, until the whole bottom was lined with burning matches, and they slowly gnawed at the wall, turning it black. Clarissa did the same on the other side, and they continued to slowly set fire to the house. Marielle walked to the side, found the gas pipe, and placed matches near it. Then, as the flame slowly crept toward the pipe, she fled, whisper-calling, “Clarissa! Let’s go! Run!” Clarissa appeared from behind the house and they raced down the street, back to Marielle’s house. They could still see the red glow of flames from Marielle’s room.
At the early light of morning, the girls were awakened by the sound of firemen and frantic townspeople. Savannah burst into their room and cried out, “The old lady’s house has been burnt down!” while Marielle and Clarissa struggled to express genuine concern.
Investigators and police came, but didn’t spend a very long time digging into the case. The woman who had been burned to death was identified by neighbors as Janet, and she didn’t have a license or any legal papers.
On a bright Sunday afternoon, Marielle went to answer the knock on the door. It was Clarissa. “Can I sleepover?”
Marielle nodded, excited. The girls rushed up to Marielle’s room, but stopped short when they found a crumpled up note. Marielle’s desk was normally spotless, and her schoolwork was kept tucked away in a drawer. Both girls knew that. Slowly, Marielle reached out and delicately unfolded the note. It read:
Thank you,
-Elias
