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Short Story&nbsp;&nbsp;Emma’s Nightmare.&nbsp;<img class="img-responsive" src="https://api.novelo.com/uploads/IMG_7919_a0988488ab.jpeg">Emma grew up with an alcoholic father and a mother who had little time for her. They lived in a three-bedroom council house in Wareham, Dorset. It was dull and boring, and she felt like life was passing her by, no boyfriend, no prospects and no hope. The biggest employer in the town was the local hospital.&nbsp;&nbsp;Emma got little out of school and hung around with local friends that would rather hang around the streets than go home. Smoking and drinking was something they all did and every now and then they would do some shoplifting, just for sweets and drinks. Unfortunately, this led to more boredom and some of the boys upped their risk taking. It started with cannabis and eventually she was introduced to smoking heroin. It was a habit she had for a while, but fortunately, she never became dependent on it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Emma’s mother was a part time cleaner at the hospital and with Emma’s lack of qualifications she managed to get Emma a casual job there. It was something to do and gave her some money, but she didn’t like it, who would?&nbsp;&nbsp;Emma used to watch the busy nurses rushing around taking care of patients and wondered if she would ever be able to do it. She once mentioned it to her father, looking for some encouragement and motivation but it never came.&nbsp;He just laughed at Emma and said,&nbsp;“They’d never hire someone like you, girls like you are only good for cleaning”.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whilst at the hospital, and becoming depressed, she made friends with a few of the girls. They used to go out every now and then, nothing special, just the cinema or the pub. After several months, one of the girls told Emma that she was leaving, she heard there was a cleaning job at a local country house. The money was better than the NHS so Emma begged her friend to let her join with her.&nbsp;&nbsp;The country house was amazing, with beautiful grounds and a huge fountain. It was huge but there was only one man living there. He was in his twenties and was recently made into a Viscount after his parents died. He wasn’t around very often but when he was, he had to be addressed as “Lord”.&nbsp;&nbsp;Even though there was only one person living at the house there was always plenty to do, each room had antiques and large paintings which collected dust like a castle and the chandeliers were a challenge to clean.&nbsp;&nbsp;Overtime, Emma saw more and more of the Lord. She felt he was deliberately running into her and making awkward small talk. Emma was shy but she quite liked the attention and had never spoken to someone with a posh accent before. She tried to adapt her accent, so she sounded less common, Emma was embarrassed by her meagre means.&nbsp;&nbsp;Eventually the Lord made his move and asked Emma to dinner, she was wined and dined and made to feel special. She was a rough diamond that needed some polishing. It was different to the lads from the estate she used to hang around with. They were streetwise and swore in every sentence they spat out. The Lord on the other hand was a class act, handsome, polite, well educated and extremely well dressed. It was two worlds colliding.&nbsp;&nbsp;Within a month, after a whirlwind of a romance, Emma had moved into the house. The Lord told her,“You are the only thing, in any room you’re ever in. You’ll never find a man that needs you more than I”.&nbsp;He had ways of using words that were as beautiful as a cloud of starlings.&nbsp;&nbsp;They threw a wonderful party so she could meet his friends and family. It was an incredible night, the ball gowns, the dancing and the gentleman in their tuxedos. It was a fairytale for Emma, it was like she was dreaming, but she knew that one wrong move and she would embarrass him.&nbsp;&nbsp;Six months later they got married at Sherborne Abbey, a beautiful place founded in 705AD. They honeymooned in Barbados and were waited on hand and foot. It was so relaxing. The reggae music, the rum and the friendly atmosphere was just perfect. Unfortunately, when they got home the Lord had commitments he had to attend and a large part of his business was in London. They were in love but it hurt Emma when they were apart. It’s a big house to be lonely in.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Lord was spending more and more time away in London with his business dealings and had an apartment in North London. Emma looked like she had it all but what did she have? She had little contact with her family, her friends had their own families and her husband’s friends only made contact when they met as couples.&nbsp;&nbsp;Emma eventually fell into her old ways and began drinking, which got earlier and earlier. This eventually made her feel ill, so she swapped alcohol for heroin. A drug she loved. It took her away into another world, a comforting place where she felt happy. It was a comfort blanket which wrapped around her and kept her safe.&nbsp;&nbsp;A year later, Emma was pregnant, within five years she had three children. This kept her busy and she hired a live-in nanny to help, her name was Lucy. Not only was this a great help that shared the workload it also gave Emma a companion. The Lord was home every weekend but during the week Emma and the nanny were together raising two boys and a girl.&nbsp;&nbsp;When the children were old enough, they were sent to boarding school in Horsham, Christ’s Hospital. Lucy was no longer needed and quickly found another job. This hit Emma hard, she was alone again and it felt like a breakup. She was hurting like a lost teenager and to kill the loneliness went back to what she knows, heroin.&nbsp;&nbsp;Over the coming years, the Lord and Emma grew apart, time alone is not a friend to a relationship. Many emotions become explosive, jealousy, bitterness, depression and anger. This was the relationship killer. The arguments became more intense and frequent and eventually became physical.&nbsp;Emma was the physical one, she would blow up like a volcano and throw crockery and glasses at the Lord, she would threaten him. Her rough upbringing began to filter through her well worked elegant facade. One night before the children were due back for the summer holidays, she made a threat she would live to regret. She was suffering from withdrawal and blurted out, &nbsp;“If I can’t have the children, then I may as well kill them. I’ll grab a shot gun and shoot them in front of you”.&nbsp;The Lord was shocked and scared for his children’s safety, he lost it. During the heat of the argument, he ran after her and chased her into the basement. She panicked and ran into a small room. The Lord caught up with her and stood at the doorway and just stared at her. He didn’t know what to do, so he simply shut the door and locked it. He needed time to think.&nbsp;&nbsp;That was her home for the next ten years. The Lord had made a terrible error and the longer he left it the worse it became. Days became weeks, weeks became months and then it became years. The Lord had to make up an elaborate story and told everyone that she had died. People believed him because of who he was and the family doctor was open to bribes. For several thousand pounds he signed a death certificate, it was all too easy.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Lord eventually moved on and remarried a lovely woman called Philippa. Philippa didn’t have any idea of the torment another woman was suffering just metres away. She carried on where Emma had left from.&nbsp;&nbsp;The children took the news of their mother’s death badly. Each child suffered in their own way. Self-harm, depression and drugs were part of their journey. Poor Lily, she was only thirteen, her life became a tornado and would end tragically, in Chaos.&nbsp;

Starlings

Gargini10.

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Emma’s Nightmare

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About Author

Kevin GARGINI

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