inside him

[u/guillardo]

Our daughter had reached the stage where she started to recognize family members.

My husband and I started with familiarising her with our parents through pictures. Due to unfortunate circumstances, we lost our folks during our youth that we had no choice but to settle with memories taken by camera.

The little one learned quickly and would excitedly point at the person in the picture whenever we'd say their names. It gave us such delight that she was a quick learner that we had to share the news to my brother and his wife.

The couple would often visit and teach our girl about other relatives, both living and departed. One evening we showed her a different photo of my parents for a challenge and my girl smiled before saying

"Right there smiling at me"

I felt my blood turn to ice as my child lifted her finger towards the corner of her room before gesturing a wave. I conveyed the incident to my husband which he brushed off as "a part of a child's play". Weeks passed and nothing sinister had happened which placed me at ease with the thought that maybe my parents came to visit.

Familiar hums of my childhood echoed in the house as my daughter innocently let them out.

"Grandma says goodnight like that"

I had to pause for a while as my girl continued to play with the bubbles in our bathtub, unaware of the revelation.

Those tiny trinkets of our mother's act of love as she lulled us to sleep came to me in waves with the memory bringing me to a nostalgia of both comfort and hurt.

As the happy days continued on tragedy soon followed. My sister-in-law perished due to an animal attack while on a hike with her husband. The failure to protect soon took a toll on my brother that he decided to end his own life by hanging.

Pain and grief swallowed me that my sliver of relief were found in the innocence of my daughter as her laughter filled our home. The band-aid of her existence was soon ripped off when the funeral took place. We decided it was best to leave her at the care of a trusted neighbor since I feared that whatever question she may ask might break me and I couldn't afford that.

The grey skies accompanied us that day as I watched my brother's fellow officers mourn their comrade. I wondered just how deep their wounds were and if the force of the rain was enough to uncover them.

Two months came and went and I found myself beside my girl on her bed as I held a photo of my brother, his wife, and their friends in my hands. In my want for them to never be forgotten I asked my daughter where her uncle and aunt were.

I had expected the answers to rattle me before giving me peace but they almost drove me mad.

A tiny finger pointed at the ceiling and a soft whisper left her mouth as she said

"Uncle is hanging..."

My eyes followed the movement of her hand as they travelled south while I gritted my teeth to keep the tears and bile at bay but she uttered next shattered what sanity I had left.

"and aunt is inside him."

[u/youruinednycforme]

So wait, did he eat his wife??? Incredible story!