THE LOVELY ROOM

A room full of sunlight dancing through the blinds. A lovely room, the kind one could sit in for hours, with a view of a garden, which even in the winter enticed the senses.

A woman in the room. Sitting at her computer in a corner, her rich desk facing an angle so that she could take in the entire room and the view.

She is writing. She stops and ponders what she is writing, deciding whether it is up to par or not. She reads her draft over and over. Finally she deems it worthy, and, is ready to send, when she hears a loud noise. It is coming from the kitchen.

She gets up cautiously, moving deliberately but quietly towards the kitchen. She is afraid. She stands outside the door to the kitchen, worrying about what could be on the other side of the door, and, since the kitchen is full of harmful objects, she decides that instead, she will exit the house.

She goes towards the front door, moving as quickly and quietly as she can. Suddenly she feels someone grab her. She screams and tries desperately to disengage from the hands she feels. She has not yet looked back over her shoulder to see who it is, she is so bent on getting the door open. Her blood is pumping, her heart is racing heavily, she feels pain in her ears, she is so excited that she feels like she could pass out, but, no, she must get that door open.

The arms which the perpetrator has in his hands wriggle to be free. She is angry now, and, turns around to see that the person who has her in their hands is not a stranger. The registration of this face comes slowly, as she yet fights to be free. She screams and the person puts a hand over her mouth. She bites the hand.

The intruder grabs her tighter, spins her around and cups her mouth so hard that she cannot bite. She kicks him, right where it hurts. She feels a momentary release on her body and slides down as low as she can, but, he does not let her go. He is moving her towards the lovely room which she loves so.

He throws her on the chaise lounger, which is gorgeous and quite large. In a second he is on top of her, trying to keep her quiet and trying to rip her clothes off. She is so mad, that every chance she gets, she scratches, claws and punches him. This seems to make him more determined. He cups her mouth and unzips his trousers. She bites and fights with all her might. He is not going to take her easily, and, she is not going to relent to his aggressions.

She tries not to look into his face, that face which she has known for years and trusted, which is now a face she loathes with her being. He has been a friend of the family for many years. She wonders while fighting what had provoked such behavior from him.

She did not have to wonder for long as he told her in bursts of winded sentences, "I have wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you; you have teased me for much too long, and, I can't take it anymore." "Today you cannot escape me." "I will take you and you will like it, and, from this day on, you will be mine."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing and she could not believe how strong he was. He was not a young man, instead, he was like, middle aged. She continued to struggle and just as he was about to take her, someone from behind, hit him on the head. He fell off to the left side of the woman, and, it took her a few seconds to realize that she had been saved. She was not yet aware of whom her hero was, but, was shocked when she saw the elderly lady from next door with a cast iron skillet in her hands.

Almost instantly they both started crying; the emotions has overcome them. They decided that they had better call the Police first and then get out of the house, pronto. As soon as they were out of the house, the elderly lady said, "I am sorry, so sorry." "I don't know what came over my son." "He has always been such a good boy, and, while I wondered why he never married, I figured that he just hadn't found the right one." "Oh, and now, I have hurt him."

The two women hugged each other, sobbing and shaking. The elderly lady then told her that she had heard the glass breaking and had seen her son entering the house, so she had grabbed her skillet and came in where he did, quietly and carefully. When the Police arrived, they were told to remain outside while they investigated the scene. They were each full of remorse and fear.

An officer came back within moments and told them that the man was dead. They both grew hysterical. It was some time before they could be calmed down. Then, of course, there were lots of questions to be answered.

After a week or two, it was brought to the elderly lady's attention that her son's DNA matched that of several women who had been assaulted recently. She was shocked and perplexed, but, mostly she was severely sickened by the fact that her own flesh and blood had turned into such a monster, and, then, by the fact that it had been her own hand who had taken his life.

Both women were ruined that day. The elderly lady became a recluse, and, the only one who could communicate with her at all was the lady with the lovely room. The elderly lady had to be admitted to a nursing home. The other lady sold her house,and because of her emotional state, divorced her husband. She moved into an apartment nearby the elderly lady's nursing home. They were all the other had, and, they strived to find some normalcy amid their shattered lives...