It was a nice, breezy evening. The home of Smith Lee was quiet, accompanied by the crashing waves of the ocean beside him. He lived alone. Not as alone as he would have liked, of course, but alone enough.

He would have to get rid of his daughter to achieve that goal.

He had forgotten her name; not as though it mattered anyway. She always sat in that swing outside, staring still at the blue, foamy waves. It annoyed Smith to the point where he would drag her into the house and lock her in the room.

Why did she have to be so eerie? Why couldn’t she just act normal?

Sometimes, when Smith called on her she wouldn’t answer, she would not even look back. And the damned girl couldn’t talk either. Smith should have let the girl die a long time ago.

He…had tried…actually, several times.

But each time the girl came back as though nothing had happened. Each time she would return to her swing. Each time she would stare—silent, unblinking—at Smith, as though she knew. She knew!

Smith had stopped trying, but something was off.

Today, Smith went out to feed the thing because he thought she was on her swing. But when he came there, he saw nothing except the empty swing creaking and twisting as though wrestling in the salty wind.

**_No….

_**Smith dropped the plate, practically tossed it to the ground, and ran into the kitchen. There she was, with what he had expected in her small, innocent looking hands.

A knife.

She was cutting herself an apple. No doubt thinking about doing the same to Smith. Smith chuckled silently. He’d just have to kill her again and again and again until she disappeared forever. He wasn’t going to die.

Smith went up to the girl, who looked up at him with a curious glance, knife stilling. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The girl’s eyebrows creased, and she frowned. She placed the knife down and gathered her apple slices on a paper towel. Smith grabbed the knife with a tight grip. The man grabbed the girl, causing her to stumble, to drop her snack, and dragged her flailing body to the edge of the seaside land. Where the ground met the unruly waves.

He’d never tried this before. Usually Smith would just stab and bury here, or burn her in the oven. This would do the trick. This would keep her away from him forever—Smith would finally live the peaceful life he’d always dreamed about when he was young.

The girl was still thrashing, so Smith pinned her down to the rocky ground with a knee and raised the knife high.

He STABBED

And the noise it made was sickening—fantastic—this never happened before either, usually it was a hollow sound. An echoing sound.

The girl’s eyes rolled back.

Her body went limp.

Smith left the knife in, there was no use to get it out, it would be disgusting as her blood would probably stain the knife for eons.

So, Smith just tossed her body into the hungry ocean below him, relief clear on his face.

Finally…finally.

But then he heard a scratching noise, the noise of falling rocks and rubble. Smith shook, he didn’t want to look back…. It couldn’t be possible.

— —— ———

_Something’s wrong with Smith _ He’s so loud, so hurtful I don’t think he knows _Or even understands _ What’s wrong with us both

He doesn’t know

I’m his wife, his lovely Loving wife _I don’t understand why he looks _ At me in such a way As though I’m a stupid child Just because I like to swing Just because I like the quiet Just because I like sweets

I love him I really do _But I think he needs to go _ _Go to a mental hospital _ _For his own health _

_And my safety _

_He’s tried killing me several times _ But each time I’m revived by some strange force _This is why I’m not discouraged _ I will get him the help he needs

But first, I’m a little hungry I’ll cut myself some apple slices Before Smith notices and takes the knife away

Oh, he’s back And he looks…

Frightened?

Oh, I suppose that would be the correct reaction. Seeing the woman you killed over and over again cutting apples with such intensity.

_He asks me what I’m doing. I don’t respond—I can’t. _ He seems to have forgotten that. Smith takes the knife away from me He grabs my wrist rather hard

Ah It’s happening again

I play into the role Knowing I’ll just be revived again _I thrash _ I claw Up until the point where he pins me down and stabs me in my head

…. That…that doesn’t feel right…

…………

——— —— —

Smith watched in horror as pale, dusty hands grabbed onto the crumbling cliff side. The hands pulled some of the grass up as they climbed, closer and closer to the top.

Smith was frozen as the hands revealed a head, then a torso, and so on as it made it fully. The creature stood up, tears in its eyes. A knife deep into its fractured, bloody head.

It was a woman—

No, it was a girl—

A woman….?

A GIRL!

Smith stepped back as the thing approached him with wobbly steps.

It didn’t speak, no, but its eyes were pleading.

Smith didnt want anything to do with that thing, so he pushed it away.

It stumbled with its footing for a moment, then, with wide eyes, it started to fall back.

Down and down and down.

Back into the ocean.

Back where it belonged.

— —— ———

I see now I see that that… That was my last chance

_Time seems to slow _ _As I fall down into the water _ The knife is like an itch inside me But I have no more strength to relieve me of it

My poor Smith _My sweetheart _ Why did he have to read that book Or was it that conference that changed him? Why did he have to think of me that way? Just because I liked the simple things Just because I wanted nothing more Nothing more than his devotion and love

It’s funny how things and feelings can just change like that Forever because of one thing we hear _Or recommended _

Life or Death It’s based off those very things

_Smith had plenty of time _ Plenty of time to realize his mistake _But he never corrected it _ He…he didn’t care about me anymore All he saw was a child _And a stupid thing to feed _

The water is cold It seems I’m fading now _Finally _ Finally….

— —— ———

Finally…FINALLY!

I’m free.

---

(Really, what we believe and the choices we make create pathways to what will happen next. __ Alice Cullen has no hold on me. __ Thank you for reading and have a good day!)