Impossible?
Impossible?
“Somebody grab a hold of her!” Dr. Wendell shouted. Two of the woman’s relatives rushed to her side to clutch her arms. She continued to struggle and managed to push them off. They backed away, bewildered.
The woman collapsed onto the grave, still shrieking and crying. “I killed her!” she sobbed onto the headstone. “I killed my baby! I just slashed that knife ‘cross her throat and now she’s gone!” She could speak no longer and sat sobbing over her daughter’s grave.
Dr. Wendell crouched down next to her and spoke in a soothing voice. “Calm down Lisa.” She rubbed Lisa’s shoulders. “We know Andrea’s gone, but you can’t blame yourself. You didn’t do anything.”
Lisa simply continued to weep. “My baby Essie’s gone,” she murmured pitifully. “I killed my baby Essie. It wasn’t my fault; Maria told me to!” Lisa’s voice resumed the hysteric volume it had reached just minutes before. “Maria said I had to! I said no, but she made me! Maria made me kill my baby…she’s gone.” Lisa’s relatives had all left by this point.
The doctor left to make a phone call, but Lisa paid her no mind. She couldn’t leave the woman alone in this state. She called the police station and asked for someone to come help her escort the late girl’s mother home. Dr. Wendell came back towards Lisa and read the epitaph on her daughter’s grave.
Andrea Esperanza de la Luz
1989-2007
Beloved child, hardworking student, loyal citizen.
You will always be remembered, Essie. Your father’s waiting for you in Heaven. We will miss you dearly, but God knew you were too good for this Earth.
The child’s death was an unfortunate accident. Why Lisa thought she killed her own daughter was a mystery to everyone. But the distraught woman had been shrieking about murder and ‘Maria’ since the night they found her by the road. An autopsy discovered that several sharp thorns and branches had cut the child’s throat. She apparently tried to find her way out of the woods but something hit her head hard and she concussed. Andrea then rolled out onto the road where she was hit by an oncoming car.
A police car came quickly and with Dr. Wendell’s help, they managed to drop Lisa safely at her house. The psychiatrist decided to spend the night there to make sure she avoided any further accidents. All the while, Lisa insisted that she killed Andrea and refused to leave her daughter’s room. Dr. Wendell’s comforting words were of no use. Eventually, they both fell asleep on the floor of Andrea’s room.
In the middle of the night, the doctor was woken by clanking noises coming from the kitchen. She looked next to her to find that Lisa was gone. Hurrying downstairs, she saw Lisa collapsed over the sofa with a knife in her hands, sobbing.
“I killed my baby Essie,” she cried. “I took this knife and I just slashed her ‘cross the throat and left her in the woods. I killed her and now my baby’s gone!” Dr. Wendell immediately tried to grab the knife away, but Lisa held fast. “She should’ve listened to me! She should’ve listened or Maria wouldn’t have made me do it.”
Without warning or prior indication, Lisa de la Luz took the knife and cut open her own throat.
Maria woke up sweating. She felt her neck; there was nothing there but a leftover scar from the car accident. She shuddered and looked next to her. She had woken her husband Carl as well.
“Honey, what’s going on?” he turned on the light. “You’ve been tossing and turning for the last hour or so.”
“Have I?” Maria looked alarmed. Who was this Lisa? Lisa was gone. She knew Lisa was gone; she’d spent hundreds of dollars in counseling with Dr. Walden to make sure of it. There was no Lisa.
“Yes, you have. You want me to get you some milk or something?”
“No, no, it’s okay.” She pulled her husband back into the bed.
“Try to get some sleep. We have to go see Andrea’s principal tomorrow morning. She keeps talking to someone who isn’t there. She thinks there’s a girl in class called Essie.”
But that was…
The woman collapsed onto the grave, still shrieking and crying. “I killed her!” she sobbed onto the headstone. “I killed my baby! I just slashed that knife ‘cross her throat and now she’s gone!” She could speak no longer and sat sobbing over her daughter’s grave.
Dr. Wendell crouched down next to her and spoke in a soothing voice. “Calm down Lisa.” She rubbed Lisa’s shoulders. “We know Andrea’s gone, but you can’t blame yourself. You didn’t do anything.”
Lisa simply continued to weep. “My baby Essie’s gone,” she murmured pitifully. “I killed my baby Essie. It wasn’t my fault; Maria told me to!” Lisa’s voice resumed the hysteric volume it had reached just minutes before. “Maria said I had to! I said no, but she made me! Maria made me kill my baby…she’s gone.” Lisa’s relatives had all left by this point.
The doctor left to make a phone call, but Lisa paid her no mind. She couldn’t leave the woman alone in this state. She called the police station and asked for someone to come help her escort the late girl’s mother home. Dr. Wendell came back towards Lisa and read the epitaph on her daughter’s grave.
Andrea Esperanza de la Luz
1989-2007
Beloved child, hardworking student, loyal citizen.
You will always be remembered, Essie. Your father’s waiting for you in Heaven. We will miss you dearly, but God knew you were too good for this Earth.
The child’s death was an unfortunate accident. Why Lisa thought she killed her own daughter was a mystery to everyone. But the distraught woman had been shrieking about murder and ‘Maria’ since the night they found her by the road. An autopsy discovered that several sharp thorns and branches had cut the child’s throat. She apparently tried to find her way out of the woods but something hit her head hard and she concussed. Andrea then rolled out onto the road where she was hit by an oncoming car.
A police car came quickly and with Dr. Wendell’s help, they managed to drop Lisa safely at her house. The psychiatrist decided to spend the night there to make sure she avoided any further accidents. All the while, Lisa insisted that she killed Andrea and refused to leave her daughter’s room. Dr. Wendell’s comforting words were of no use. Eventually, they both fell asleep on the floor of Andrea’s room.
In the middle of the night, the doctor was woken by clanking noises coming from the kitchen. She looked next to her to find that Lisa was gone. Hurrying downstairs, she saw Lisa collapsed over the sofa with a knife in her hands, sobbing.
“I killed my baby Essie,” she cried. “I took this knife and I just slashed her ‘cross the throat and left her in the woods. I killed her and now my baby’s gone!” Dr. Wendell immediately tried to grab the knife away, but Lisa held fast. “She should’ve listened to me! She should’ve listened or Maria wouldn’t have made me do it.”
Without warning or prior indication, Lisa de la Luz took the knife and cut open her own throat.
Maria woke up sweating. She felt her neck; there was nothing there but a leftover scar from the car accident. She shuddered and looked next to her. She had woken her husband Carl as well.
“Honey, what’s going on?” he turned on the light. “You’ve been tossing and turning for the last hour or so.”
“Have I?” Maria looked alarmed. Who was this Lisa? Lisa was gone. She knew Lisa was gone; she’d spent hundreds of dollars in counseling with Dr. Walden to make sure of it. There was no Lisa.
“Yes, you have. You want me to get you some milk or something?”
“No, no, it’s okay.” She pulled her husband back into the bed.
“Try to get some sleep. We have to go see Andrea’s principal tomorrow morning. She keeps talking to someone who isn’t there. She thinks there’s a girl in class called Essie.”
But that was…