It All "Depends" (standard:mystery, 2280 words)
Author: LisaAnn	Added: Feb 16 2001	Views/Reads: 4115/2448	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This story is about an older woman who is living on her own after her husband passed away. She moves to a different city and meets two young people, who lead her on a mysterious adventure.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

"I love you too.  Take care."  I hung up. 

That's when all of a sudden I heard a loud crash.  It sounded like pots
and pans falling everywhere.  By the time I got up out of my chair, I 
heard all these bumps.  I couldn't figure it out.  I wanted to call the 
landlord, but had misplaced his phone number.  Of course, when in an 
emergency, you lose everything. 

So being the nosy old lady type, I go to the wall and press my ear
against it.  I could hear a muffled voice talking to someone else, or 
talking to themselves, like I sometimes do.    I could only catch words 
here and there, like "meet" and "bag" and "dogs".  What the heck!  I 
even turned up my Miracle Ear, but that didn't help. 

It was getting dark now, and my stomach was rumbling.  I must have lost
track of time, so I get up to cook something for myself, when I heard a 
door open.  I thought it was my neighbor Sue coming back over.  So, I 
take a look out the peephole, and see Sue carrying something.  Well not 
exactly carrying as opposed to half dragging it towards the stairs.  As 
she passed by, I saw her look at my door, and I got scared and ducked 
down.  What was in there?  I thought. 

My first thought was the garbage.  But why would a garbage bag be so
heavy?  Unless there was something heavy in it of course.  Like what?  
Books, clothes, a body maybe?  Silly me, just an old lady with nothing 
better to do than conjure up stories.  That's what I thought, then.  We 
only live on the second floor towards the back.  So then I hear, thump, 
thump, thump, down the stairs.  That didn't sound like a bag of books 
to me, I think to myself.  Now I was getting nervous, but the curious 
part of me took over instead.  I still couldn't find the landlord's 
number.  And I didn't quite want to alert the police yet either. 

So what did I do?  Yep.  I put on my sweater and attempted to go
outside.  Now, I had to make it seem like I was going outside to get 
some fresh air, or put my own garbage out.  (Minus the body parts!)  I 
opted for the garbage.  I get the tiny bag from under the sink cabinet, 
tie it up and head out.  I start to go down the steps, when I see some 
gooey stuff on the bottom step.  Maybe bodily fluids?  I couldn't tell, 
but convince myself it's applesauce or something.  Outside, it was a 
beautiful night.  Just on the verge of blackness, the sky was turning 
different colors, and a few stars were out.  I take a deep breath and 
smell perfume.  Sue from next-door's perfume.  It leads me around the 
corner to the dumpster.  I peek around the corner and see Sue and 
another person lifting the obviously heavy bag in there. 

I muffled a scream.  With the idea still in my head about a body, I turn
around and start back for the door, when a hand lands on my shoulder.  
This time I did scream.  I turn around and there's Sue and her friend 
looking agitated. 

"Hello Mrs. Knot.  What are you doing out here?"  She says with her hand
still clamped on my shoulder. 

"Oh, I, I was just bringing my g-garbage out."  I couldn't get the words
out.  Looking down, I see the garbage still in my hand.  I felt like I 
needed some depends right now! 

"Well, let me help you with that Mrs. Knot."  Sue lifted the garbage bag
from my hands and tossed it with a flip over to the pile. 

"I have a question for you Mrs. Knot."  Sue said this in a way that
scared me.  "You didn't hear anything a while ago, did you?" 

"Oh no.  No.  I didn't hear any pots crashing.  Not at all."  Oh geez. 
The words came out by accident.  I wish my mouth wouldn't say what I 
was thinking all the time. 

"You'll have to come with us then."  Sue and her friend both brought me
back to Sue's apartment.  I eyed my door as we passed by willing 
someone to be there, to see us, but no one was. 

When we went in to the house, she sat me down at the table.  Since I've
never been to her place yet, I looked around.  I got very afraid after 
that.  There was a set of handcuffs on the coffee table.  On the wall 
above it was a glass case with a collection of knives in it.  And on 
the table, right in front of me, was a gun.  I also looked in the 
kitchen to the side of me, and there was an open cabinet door with pots 
and pans spilling out.  That was what I heard, I thought. 

They didn't even bother tying me up or handcuffing me.  They knew they
were much younger and faster than me, so they just had me sit at the 
table scared out of my wits! 

"What are you thinking of Mrs. Knot?"  Sue asked, picking up the gun and
waving it around.  "The noises you heard?  What were we carrying 
outside?  It's okay, you can ask." 

I didn't know what to say.  If I let on I knew something more, they
would surely kill me.  "I was just starting supper when I heard 
something fall.  Like a pan, that's all."  I was starting to sweat, and 
my stomach felt queasy. 

"Tell me what you're really thinking."  Sue said in a sweet voice,
leaning down towards me.  "We would never hurt you." 

I noticed this very nice ruby brooch she was wearing, and wondering for
someone so young, it looked like something an older person would wear. 

"Ah, you're looking at my brooch?  It is-was-my mother-in-law's.  My
ex-husband gave it to me when we got married.  I keep it so I can 
remember how rotten they both treated me."  The look on her face was 
horrifying.  And why was I noticing on her jeans a substance that 
looked like dried blood?  Could it be just tomato sauce?  I hoped and 
prayed at that moment. 

"I know you heard the crash, and you saw us going outside with that bag.
 Do you want to know what we were doing?"  Sue didn't let me start 
saying anything.  "You're a witness anyway, so I'll tell you, then 
dispose of you."  She said then laughed wickedly. 

Sue and her friend took her by the hands and escorted me down the stairs
again, all the while, Sue was walking backwards in front of me, looking 
at my horrified expression. 

When we got to the dumpster, I could hear chewing and gnawing.  Now
what?  I thought.  Were they going to throw me in the dumpster too 
after they killed me? 

I was in a panic when Sue said to her friend, "show her."  The friend
nodded and opened the bottom of the dumpster.  The infamous garbage bag 
appeared and rolled out in front of us. 

"Well, here we are Mrs. Knot.  I thought you would be quiet and stay in
your apartment, but it's now come to this."  Sue said shaking her head. 


Sue took the garbage bag handles; all the while I'm scared to death,
looking everywhere for someone, anyone to help me, afraid to scream, 
and my feet are just stuck, frozen to the ground. 

Sue opens the bag and starts taking out body parts one by one.  Yes, I
said body parts! 

"Here are my ex-husband and ex-mother-in-law.  Whew, do I feel better
now that's off my chest!"  Sue said and then all of a sudden burst out 
laughing hysterically! 

You can imagine my surprise.  My eyes, widening with horror, bile
starting to rise in my throat.  While they're laughing, I'm ready to 
leave.  As I turn to go, Sue says, "Mrs. Knot!  Wait!" 

I should not have glanced back, but I did, and was glad afterward.  Sue
had taken everything out of the bag and had strewn it everywhere.  From 
all the noise we made, the spotlights had come on and I could now see 
the body parts closer.  They were mannequin body parts.  Smooth and 
shiny.  That's what was so heavy when it was pounding down the steps. 

"I'm sorry Mrs. Knot for scaring you like that.  I have a confession. 
My friend Deidre and I are actors.  For the class we are taking, our 
teacher wanted us to do a short movie about a murder.  Come with me and 
see." 

When we were back in Sue's apartment, an when the laughing subsided,
-not especially from me, the shock was still wearing off- Sue opened 
this closet to reveal and entertainment center, with all hi-tech 
devices.  One of which was a special VCR.  She showed me the brooch. 

"Look in there."  Sue said. 

I peered into the brooch up close and saw a black hole.  "It's a
camera," she said.  "I recorded the whole thing on tape.  That was the 
best murder/mystery movie if I do say so myself."  As Sue said this, 
she blew on her knuckles and rubbed them on her shirt. 

I just sat there stupefied.  I really couldn't believe any of it, but
was relieved it wasn't anything serious. 

"Well, believe me girls," I said, "You scared me senseless.  Next time,
please pick a younger victim, okay?" 

I mean, I didn't want to seem old-fashioned, or an old prude, but my
heart wasn't going to beat that many more times and I think I just 
shaved a couple of extra beats, if you know what I mean. 

"I'm sorry," Sue said.  "I couldn't tell you, I wanted it to be
authentic.  Forgive me?"  Then she came over and hugged me. 

"Forgiven."  She reminded me of my Crystal when she was younger. 

"Would you like to stay and watch the tape?"  Sue asked nonchalantly. 

"No thanks.  I'm going home.  I'm starving!"  I say rubbing my stomach. 

"See you later then, and thanks for being such a good sport Mrs. Knot!" 
Sue yelled as I closed the door. 

When I got back to my apartment, I sat down with a slice of apple pie
and called my daughter.  I got her answering machine. 

"Hi Crystal, it's mom.  I was just thinking of your offer again.  Maybe
I will come to stay with you for a while.  I think I just started 
wearing Depends Diapers! 

By LISAANN 


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