#37 Amen!

by Marcia Smart

Hamper overflowing, kids’ clothes on the floors—what a disgrace. Mother would not approve. Well, those filthy things are clean now, the bleach took care of that. Creased, folded, and stacked by category in the drawers. Done. Better move on to the kitchen. Idle hands are the Devil’s tools.

Heaven help us! Breakfast dishes stacked in the sink, toast crumbs on the counter - it’s a sty. A family of pigs is what they are. I’ll have to use my special blend of powdered cleanser, bleach and pine solution to get this place spotless. It’ll take hours, but needs to be done. I know, Mother, I know. If I hum my favorite hymn “Shall We Gather at the River” it will make the time fly by quicker.

Scrub, Jordan, scrub. Remember, cleanliness is next to Godliness.

My fingers look raw, but it’s finally finished. “What do you think, Mother? Are all things now clean unto thee?” No, I’m not dawdling. No, my burden is not too great to bear. I’ve just saved the living room for last.

Good Lord, what a mess. “Oh! Sorry, Mother. I didn’t mean to take His name in vain.” I just didn’t expect this much blood. And I need to dispose of the bodies. I’ll be here cleaning all night. Yes, Mother, I know it was my fault. I promise to be more careful next time.

I’m getting back to work now, Mother. As you always said,“No rest for the wicked.”

3 comments:

C. Sonberg Larson said...

Nice. From OCD to psycho in one line. Great job building up to the twist at the end.

Lisa Pellegrini said...

Pretty creepy! I guess the only thing I am confused about is, did she kill her husband and kids AND her mother as well? Otherwise, nice little horror tale. I like how the title kind of puts a big punctuation mark (a period) at the end of the whole story and wraps it up.

Jonathan Riley said...

I agree with Lisa. It's unclear to me exactly who she killed but I assume her mother was at the top of the list. Otherwise, it's a very well written and well told story.