SATAN’S ASSISTANT
She died on a Wednesday morning before dawn. She had been gasping for air most of the night with no relief and was too weak to get up or even cry out for help. It was only her sister Charlotte who knew she had passed away, and funeral arrangements were made quickly and efficiently. She was the last member of the family to die, and by now, it was almost routine. Charlotte notified the mortuary when they opened at 9:00 a.m., and her sister’s body was picked up within the hour. A call was also placed to the pastor’s wife who coordinated the standard church service when a death occurred in their small community. No condolences were given or offers to help with anything else. Just questions regarding her sister’s full name, when and where she was born, and a few pertinent facts about her life. She was then put on a hold for a few minutes until it was determined there was a slot available on Saturday at 12:00 pm. Would that be enough time? Charlotte got out her appointment calendar and saw that Saturday morning was busy but by noon she would be free.
Almost no one attended the funeral, but Charlotte did not expect a large crowd. They had lived in Middleton for less than a year, arriving soon after their last brother had died. The family had moved a lot in the past ten years, and roots had never grown deep in any of these towns. For some reason, they were always starting over again and nothing was conventional or ordinary about their lives. Just when they would begin to get to know the area and make one or two friends, something would always happen.
Charlotte’s father was the first to die. His body was found in the garage when Charlotte, the eldest, was only 13. Hit from behind with a blunt object and no sign of a struggle, the police had little to work with. Given her father’s position in the community, his family’s wealth and all his good works, they kept the case open for a while and questioned many, but no one was ever arrested.
Soon, it became apparent to everyone that the family was beginning to unravel. Charlotte’s mother tried to carry on as best she could, a good and caring woman who always put her children first. But when she died a year after her husband, it was assumed that it was the grief that got to her and that she had never fully recovered from the shock of his death. Whenever she was seen around town, it was obvious how thin she had become and that the circles around her eyes were darker and more pronounced. She complained often of stomach pain and difficulty in breathing, but the local doctor attributed most of this to stress and anxiety. When she passed away, it was her sister Claire that rescued the children, moved them to her home in Indiana, and raised them as her own. For three years, their life was more or less stable until the night she just up and walked out on them. Charlotte called the police the next morning and a missing person report was filed, but when it was discovered that Claire’s boyfriend was also gone, it was assumed they had run off together somewhere. Those closest to the couple knew that didn’t sound right and refused to believe this because Claire was just too responsible and Bill would never have left his dog alone to fend for himself.
Having just turned 17, it was felt that Charlotte was old enough to care for the younger ones. That was what they all wanted and money was not an issue, their father having left them a sizeable estate. But when the social worker showed up for a court visit only 3 months after Claire disappeared, she was shocked to discover that they too had vanished. Immaculate and completely devoid of any sign that a family of five had been living there, there was also no forwarding address given to the landlord or to the neighbors. No one had seen or heard anything.
When her sister’s funeral was over and all the paperwork was in order, Charlotte made one last phone call to her father’s financial advisor. She had been following his instructions carefully for years, and she was now the age when she could finally receive her trust fund. If she had done her calculations correctly, she could live quite comfortably for many years on her share plus the income from the work they promised her in the future. Originally, the estate would have been divided up between her and her 4 siblings, but this way, she only had to share with two others: the advisor and Boko Haram.
Copyright © 2015 (Michelle Parsons, Getting Back on Your Path). All Rights Reserved.
