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Order this writing in the collection book Dark Matter available for only 1495 |
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Order this writing in the collection book Hope & Creation available for only 1495 |
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This appears in a pre-2010 issue of cc&d magazine.
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Unforeseen Circumstances
Marc Tamargo
Bang! The sound echoed loudly throughout the large house. As far as Maria was concerned the sound could have originated from a gun shot aimed at her head, for the results were similar. The sound indicated the crushing of all her hopes and dreams and that her misery would never end. The colour had drained completely from her face, her breathing stopped, and her heart pounded vigorously as she stared at the thrown box that had made the horrible sound. Spilling out of the now broken box was all the money she had been planning to use to make her escape from the endless abuse at the hands of the man who had thrown the box; her husband Danny.
She could tell from the intense burning in his eyes that he knew exactly what the money was for and that no amount of lies or excuses could prevent the severe beating that she was about to experience, but she cared less about her imminent thrashing and more about the fact that her well laid plans to live a happy life away from pain had just been completely ruined. “What is that!?” he screamed loudly while indicating the shattered box. She didn’t bother to answer him; she wasn’t sure why he was prolonging this; they both knew what was going to happen next. And then there it was, the familiar sting in her cheek, the pain that she had grown so accustomed to, but it didn’t stop there; it continued much worse and for much longer; the worst beating she had ever had.
Danny wasn’t always like this; he used to be a very sweet and loving man when she first met him. He had saved her from her poverty stricken life in her native Argentina and had brought her back here to the Catlin Coast of New Zealand where life was good... for a while, but Danny slowly became a monster who would not only beat her but also isolate her from the rest of the world.
The only joy she derived from this life, her main purpose for living came from Bernard, her beloved horse. Ridding him was one of the few pleasures Danny allowed her and their bond was greater than he knew. She would have left earlier if not for Bernard; she couldn’t bare the thought of life without him. One day a secret friend she had made while on one of her few trips into town had lent her the money to escape after learning what she had to endure. She had enough money to take Bernard away to a farm in the North Island which she had arranged work on. Her ferry ticket to the North Island now laid on the floor covered in her blood along with the rest of her money.
She lifted her head up from the floor and watched the blood drip down from her face. Danny was no longer in the room, she had lost track of time, she was unsure of how long she had been lying there alone. Her whole body throbbed in pain, but she no longer cared, now that her escape had been ruined there was no point to anything. A loud click made her look up to see that Danny had returned and he was holding his revolver. This is it, she thought, he’s finally going to do me in, and she was almost happy at the prospect. But instead of hearing a gunshot she felt the fresh pain of her long black hair being viciously pulled as Danny was trying to yank her to her feet. “Get up!” he shouted.
He then pulled her by her hair outside in the cold rain with the sharp rocks scraping her bare feet and talked endlessly about what a failure and horrible person she was and how she would need to be punished. She didn’t really disagree; she knew that she deserved this. She realized with horror where it was he was taking her: the stables.
Before she knew it he was standing in front of Bernard holding the gun to his head. “See what you’re making me do!” he shouted. Outraged, Maria found strength she never knew she had to elbow Danny in the stomach. Unprepared, he fell to the ground in pain. Not wasting a moment, Maria jumped on the horse and rode away as quickly as she could.
She was frantic and still dazed, she didn’t know where she was going, she just wanted to get away as fast as she possibly could. Before she realized it she was deeply entrenched in the thick forest, which Bernard could barely pass through. She could hear Danny shouting profanities at her; he was getting closer. She tried desperately to get Bernard to go faster but in the darkness she failed to notice that they were headed straight over a cliff. She pulled on the reigns hard, trying to get him to stop, but instead was thrown off the back of the horse onto the wet ground. She could only watch in horror as Bernard fell to his death.
Maria was so overwhelmed with grief that at first she could not move, but then she heard Danny approaching so she quickly hid in the bushes. She watched as he approached the cliff and looked over the edge. He fell to his knees crying and calling out her name, he thought she had died with Bernard. This would have been the perfect time to make her escape, if Danny thought she was dead he wouldn’t be looking for her, but all she could think about was that Bernard was dead and it was all Danny’s fault.
Rage surged within her like she never knew was possible and when she saw the gun lying unattended a couple of meters from Danny she saw her opportunity. She emerged from the bushes, quickly snatched up the gun and aimed it at him. He didn’t seem to notice the gun at all; he just seemed relieved to see her. “Maria! You’re alive! Thank God!” he knelt in front of her, “I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done. I promise to change. I love you.”
Bang! This time the sound was more pleasant to Maria. She watched as her husband’s lifeless body slumped to the ground. She looked at him lying there with a hole in his head and noted that it was the only time he looked peaceful.
After a few moments of staring it his lifeless body she returned to house and began to hide all the valuables she could find. Although she was pressed for time she took care to find absolutely everything of value, including all the money in the house. She took them out to one of the nearby cottages that would be used by tourists during the summer, but since it was late autumn they were all vacant. She discreetly broke in and hid all the valuables there.
After she returned to the house she then called the police. When they arrived she explained to them how they had been robbed. “Two big men broke in the house and caught us off guard. Danny tried to get his gun to defend us but they beat us down and found the gun first. I managed to escape on our horse but they got Danny. The chased me on the horse and in the confessed I almost rode off a cliff. I managed to jump off the horse before he fell, but the thieves didn’t know that, they thought I was dead. Then they took Danny and shot him with his own gun.” She expertly managed to let out some very convincing tears and sobs. “You did the right thing.” they had said. When they left she let a small smirk cross her lips. Getting away with murder was a lot easier than she thought it would be.
She had made enough money from selling all of Danny’s valuables, that along with the money she got from Danny’s will gave her enough money to move back to Argentina where she bought the farm she had always wanted as a child. She never thought about Danny again, but every once in a while she would shed a tear for Bernard.
