Silently Waiting

            She’d visited before, but she never stayed so long during the many years. She now stood in front of my living room window dark and foreboding, waiting to see what I would do. It wasn’t actually her that was foreboding, but the task that was at hand. I knew what lay ahead and what needed done. I dreaded thinking of it, but it must be done.

            She was left over from happier times in my life. With a quick flip of a switch, she would instantly light up, beautiful and sparkling. The many past memories of her well shaped form, her lovely limbs, and her slender torso trunk crowded into my mind. Clad in a full green skirt cinched with a slender white belt, she certainly drew my attention from the drabness of the rest of my room. Bright bangles dangled from her full and shapely limbs. She wore then in wild abandon; silver, gold, and a multitude of rainbow hues giving her a rich and elegant appearance. Her quiet beauty made me think that she’d been born under a lucky star.

            I sighed. We both knew that her presence couldn’t last forever, and truthfully, I’d grown quite tired of her. I knew what I had to do, but I was reluctant to start. It wasn’t going to be an easy job and I knew that once I started, it would be a formidable task. It was time to start. I had put it off for as long as I could.

            She remained mute as I began to strip her of her baubles and bangles, leaving her limbs bare and oddly misshapen. Unloosening her white belt, I unwound it and tossed it aside. She no longer sparkled in my eyes. Lifting and twisting, I pulled her limbs apart and began to tie them together with a thick cord.

            Earlier, I’d placed a large plastic container nearby. I tossed the bundles of her limbs inside. Bit by bit, I threw her into the plastic chest. With her tucked entirely inside, I sealed the lid, tightly. The sturdy plastic chest was extremely heavy and I struggled as I dragged the burden up the stairs and into my unheated attic. It was the best that I could do for now. She would have to remain in the darkness and cold.

            I hurried back downstairs to the living room and began to sweep, vacuum, and to remove all traces that she had ever been here. I paid special attention to the area of the carpet where I’d dismembered her. At last, nothing remained of her and I sat down to relax.

            There was a knock at my front door. In a panic, I glanced around, examining the room for any remaining telltale signs of her presence. Pushing my hair back, I opened the door. It was my daughters. “Hi, Dad, we’re here to help you take down the Christmas tree.”