When I first met my wife, We were in high school and she came up to me and asked if I wanted to hang out with her. I wasn’t much of a popular kid, in fact, I was a wallflower. I kept to myself and mind my Ps and Qs. My wife was semi-popular (She would hang with the “cool kids” so she didn’t seem like she was into me.)When she randomly asked me that question, I was stunned. I then said sure, and ever since we were best friends. I proposed to her about five years ago, to which she accepted.
Now we both thought that we should do a group activity with everyone at the wedding. I asked what she had in mind, to which she thought it would be fun to play Hide and Seek in the dark. I instantly said yes as it would be a fun way to begin our lives together. The ceremony was taken at my family home, as it was off a lake and had a gorgeous view of it. It also was a two-story with an attic and a basement to it. The ceremony went off with a hitch, some people were crying and some smiled at us.
Then, My wife announced to our families we would start with the game of Hide and Seek in the dark. My wife chose me as the seeker and I closed my eyes and began counting. We had made ground rules not to hide in the nearby woods, as people could get lost and so people could only hide near or inside the house. We also said that the Attic was off limits, as there were items up there that were fragile and could break. While I counted, I heard a few slamming of doors and thuds but thought it was my family trying to hide. Once done, I began my search from top to bottom. I manage to find everyone but one person: My Wife.
She was so competitive when it came to games, so it was no surprise that she was the last one left. After a few hours, I began to call out for her and told her that she had won. No response. I felt the swelling of panic creep into my body as I asked for everyone to help me find her. We had found nothing. It was like she had completely vanished into thin air. Cops were called in and a missing person’s report was made a week later. I had suffered night terrors of my wife screaming to me, to let her out. Out of where I didn’t know.
It had been four years and I had finally moved on, I have a new wife and children that I adore deeply. We were expecting a third on the way, so I went back to my family home to see if there was something that can help store toys. I went to the attic which was dark as night so I had a flashlight with me. I saw this old-looking, big, metal chest that I thought I could repair. I tried opening it, but it was stuck shut. I noticed that the locking mechanism was jammed and decided to crowbar it open. If there was anything in it, I didn’t want to keep it. As soon as I opened the chest, the smell hit me first. It smelled like a lump of rotten meat was left in it. I shined my light into it, and I screamed. There, in her gown, was my first wife…Dead.
Her once blue eyes were replaced with sunken eyes that looked me dead into mine. Her shriveled hands lay in her lap and her once blonde hair was a matted mess of brown. I shone the light on the top of the lid, long bloody streaks covered it. From what I can gather, she must have seen the chest and decided to hide in it. When she closed the lid, the mechanism jammed and locked her into place. When she realized this, she must have screamed and clawed at the lid, like a trapped animal.
For years, I had thought she left me or was kidnapped, but she was here…Oh god, Beth forgive me. I’m so sorry…I finally found you.