Erica felt her husband's hand on her lower back, rubbing gently. She could not help flinching, then tried to remember the last time he had touched her. It must have been months ago, she thought.

  The fights between them had become a daily routine. Paul was a gambler, and he was spending her father's money. Erica couldn't bear it anymore.

  "You look beautiful tonight," Paul said and caressed her long black hair.  

  "I will divorce you, and nothing can stop me," Erica said firmly.

  "Erica!"

  "No, Paul, no, no, no."

  They were in the small garden on top of the ten- storied apartment building they lived in. She liked this place very much, and she had spent many hours here, just enjoying the glorious scenery. 

  "Erica, I still love you!"

  "It was a bad idea coming up here," she said, looking sadly at the setting sun," There is nothing to talk about."

  Paul slowly withdrew his hand, his eyes boring into her.

  "Do not call me!" she said, and started for the staircase at the far end of the garden.

   Paul rested his hand on her back again. Erica grimaced in disgust.

   "Don't even dare to touch me!" she hissed.

   "Just one more time, dear."

   Her husband was pushing her toward the edge of the roof, and the gaping abyss. He was much stronger than her, and nearly two times heavier.

   "Paul, what the hell are you doing?" Erica cried out in a trembling voice, trying desperately to dig her heels into the grass.

   He just smirked nastily and threw her over the edge of the roof. Erica realized that she was going to die, now, at the age of 27. In this terrible moment, her brain was operating at an unbelievable speed, processing an enormous quantity of data. She was seeing everything in slow motion.

  She saw that Paul waved his hand good-bye; saw the frightened face of the old lady living on the eighth floor; her own terrified eyes, mirrored in the windows; her weightless body; her green pump, swirling funnily in the air a couple of  meters above.

  The rushing air felt cool and pleasant. For a split second, she imagined that she could fly like a bird; she even thought she could cheat death.

  Then, the images started to appear. The tricycle her mother bought her when she was four, her first-grade friend Norma, her father putting ice on her sore knee, her first boyfriend kissing her on the mouth, her graduation dress, the admission examination,  the wedding...

  Anger started poisoning her mind. Her husband had done that to her. Mercilessly, with the sole purpose to get the money. She had married a monster, had shared a bed with a murderer. And now, he will probably get away unpunished. The bastard will be shedding crocodile tears at her funeral.

  Erica desperately wanted to live. She wanted to do so many things. Was it possible? The absurd thought sprang into her head. Ten stories, approximately 30 meters. No chance at all. Is there anything that could cushion her fall? A car? An awning?

  The street was speeding towards her, grinning with her flagstone teeth. Her body will be crushed beyond recognition.  Brains and gore will be scattered everywhere. She could picture the terrified pedestrians on the street, staring at her mutilated body, gagging at the sight. The parents will pull their children aside. She won't be beautiful in her death. You could have just poisoned me, Paul!

  Erica feared the pain and hoped she would die on the spot.

  "No, I am not going to suffer at all," she thought and smiled peacefully.     

  Erica braced herself for the impact. A young woman pushing a stroller was staring up at her with terrified eyes. She recognized her immediately, it was her neighbor Samantha.

  "Hi, Sam! You will be the first one to see me dead." That was the last thought that flashed trough Erica's mind, before her head lost its integrity.

  She was engulfed in impenetrable darkness, but she could feel her body shaking violently.

  "Erica, do you hear me?"

  She opened her eyes and saw her husband. Paul was shaking her, his anxious eyes fixed on her.

  "You were screaming, my dear. Did you have a nightmare?"

  "I...I," Erica stuttered.

  "Here, have some water. You scared me, pet. Are you all right?"

  "Uh-huh."

  Erica held the glass in her trembling hands, sipping the water, despite its strange taste. 

  "Drink some more, dear! It is good, isn't it?" he said smirking. 

Keyword: fall terror nightmare

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Comments (4)

Posted by E1even3rty4 2008-05-19 12:14:39 hmmm . . . I really liked how this started out, but I'm a little confused about the end. All in all really nice. + Report this comment
Posted by resistanceisfreedom 2008-05-19 15:10:29 .... yea i agree the end had me confused. so is her husband really this evil presence her dream made him out to be? but i did like how she was falling recalling all of her past and thinking of a million things at once. well written. + Report this comment
Posted by Dirkin 2008-06-04 06:45:07 .... I took the ending to mean that he did end up poisoning her after all? Is that right? This was a good story, kept my attention right to the end. The husbadn came off as really creepy and sleazy to me + Report this comment
Posted by Zombie Punk 2008-07-07 05:05:06 .... It was a little ironic that she had yelled in the dream "you could have just poisoned me!" and he really ended up doing that in real life, or that could have just been a dream, too. a dream in a dream. ha! you dont really know, you have to interpret the ending for yourself which is always a good thing in a story. well, i think so at least. You did a good job with the character of paul, you made him a believable scumbag. I liked how you had the Erica's life flash before her eyes. I always wondered if that really happens. You've left me with tons of questions, but I am still satisfied with your story. Well done. + Report this comment

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