Page 188 - The Houseguest

DAY SEVENTEEN
Rachel was a tough woman, a fact I hadn’t much considered. Neither my confidence or my resolve was diminished by this in any way, but I was a tad impressed by the strength of the selfish one. Being able to function in society after causing the death of two people, learning about, what I assume, is your first pregnancy while in confinement, unwillingly surrendering body parts and being subjected to the many forms of mental distress I’ve inflicted upon her would have crushed most women.
But here she was on day seventeen, still alive and feisty. Upon entering the room, I noticed the lumps made by crab bodies had been removed from her hair. I took a step forward to lean over the bed and something crunched under my foot. Glancing down, I noticed several small carcasses littering the carpet. She must have shaken them loose after they perished on top of her head. The hackneyed expression: “That which does not kill you makes you stronger” popped into my mind. I wondered how much stronger she would become before: “That which does kill you makes you no longer?”
I sat on a chair at the edge of the now crab-free bed, well at least live ones, and greeted her: “Good morning. You’re probably not in the mood to read today, so I will read to you. You’re such a wonderfully captive audience.” And with that, I literally laughed out loud before beginning to read poem after poem, glancing up at her expression following every meaningful stanza. Sensing my need to feel her receiving and comprehending the power of Karina’s pen, she offered
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The Houseguest by Linda Ellis www.LindaEllis.life