Daddy's little hobby

Jack got out of the car and opened the door to the passenger’s seat before offering his arm to help a girl get out. It was a cold autumn evening, the sun had already set and the once colorful leaves that were blown about in a wildfire of oranges and reds changed to a more somber palette, adding volume to the shadows and providing cover for the creatures lurking in the dark. An observant passerby would’ve stated that the couple was warmly dressed: the man wore a long coat, a hat that obscured his face and was carrying a heavy leather briefcase. The woman wore a winter dress and a cozy scarf around her neck; the whole outfit was completed by a dainty little hat with a violet attached to the brim. The man had his arm around the woman’s waist and was swiftly but surely guiding her into the depths of the park where no doubt a passionate evening awaited them. This picture-perfect representation of what a couple hopelessly in love would look like brought appeasement and joy to the park’s late visitors but did not stay in one’s memory for long due to its ordinariness. Using the cover that the darkness had to offer, Jack made no effort to conceal the girl’s troubled breathing, her pale cheeks, glassy, emotionless eyes and general disheveledness of appearance. Although she wanted to call for help or fight her kidnapper, the girl was so heavily sedated that she couldn’t utter a word, let alone move one of her leaden arms. The couple made their way deeper into the park’s wooded area.

The girl moaned as Jack strung her up from a tree branch so that he had more space for maneuver. The rough rope chaffed her wrists, and droplets of blood the color of rubies appeared on her velvet skin. The girl tried to scream and feebly fight against her bounds but Jack stuffed a foul-smelling rug into her mouth, making her choke. The drug was starting to wear off so he didn’t have much time. He crouched in front of his briefcase and took out a saw whose teeth glinted in the moonlight. It was partially covered in brownish rust stains but appeared to be frequently used. Jack approached the girl, saw in hand. She started struggling against her restraints, trying to maintain some sort of distance between herself and her kidnapper but only further damaging her wrists. Jack stopped, his face just a couple of centimeters away from the girl’s face and breathed in, a rabid dog smelling its victim’s fear before landing a lethal bite. The girl angled her eyes towards the saw and, to her horror, saw that the stains covering it were nothing other than blood. Her eyes widened and she started kicking frantically, trying to call for help in the process. Jack watched the girl’s vain attempts to escape with a condescending smile. The more the girl fought to free herself, the more his eyes lit up with a devilish, crazy light. He quickly got tired of her wriggling and, in one stride, closed the distance between them before slapping her across the face. The girl’s head snapped to the side and she went limp. A red rose bloomed on her cheek where he hit her and he knew that if she were to live past tonight, the petals would eventually turn a midnight blue before wilting away. The girl ought not to worry however, her rose would preserve its scarlet color until eternity. He picked up the saw which he dropped while contemplating the girl’s savage beauty and her lust for life before getting to work.

He always cut at the joint, the cartilages being easier to saw through than rigid bones. He started with her left shoulder, moving slowly, watching the girl’s fair skin cry bloody tears before letting the saw gnaw at the tender flesh beneath it. He took his time, knowing that his wife expected him to come home from his “business trip” only tomorrow. Tomorrow he will also see his adorable five year old daughter, Annie. He bought her a cute little teddy bear which she would absolutely love. But that would be tomorrow, Jack caught himself getting distracted. He slowly sawed off the girl’s arm and, carefully carrying it in his arms as he would a newborn, brought it over to a pile of leaves that would be its final resting place. He proceeded with the next extremity.

Having finished his grisly but so incredibly satisfying job, he carefully kissed the girl’s now cold forehead and, after whispering “Goodbye Violet,” took the mentioned flower off her hat before collecting his belongings and making his way out of the park. It was early morning and the city was slowly starting to stir out of its slumber. He found his secret cache with spare clothes and, having dumped all evidence but his favorite briefcase, made his way home.

He knocked on the door and his wife, Jeanine, opened. She was wearing a beautiful yellow dress which fit her like a glove. He smiled and scooped her up in his arms before giving her a long and passionate kiss. She faintly smelled of violets and instantly reminded him of the other girl, the one he left in the park, who looked nothing like Jeanine but had the same doe’s grace. Jeanine, sensing her husband’s tension asked:

“Honey, are you OK? Did your business trip go well? Annie and I missed you so much!”

Jack instantly relaxed and assured her that everything went as planned and that he was expecting a promotion all the while thinking about the week he spent staking out Violet’s favorite places and thinking of the best ways to approach her. His trip did indeed go very well, he felt his inner darkness recede back to its lair having satisfied its thirst for blood. He walked into his house and breathed in the smell of home: a mix of Jeanine’s perfume and cookies wafted in the air. Suddenly, he heard small feet bound down the stairs and turned around just in time to catch his daughter, this small angel with blond hair and blue eyes that cried “Daddy’s back!” before hugging his neck and squealing in delight as he spun her around. Jack couldn’t stop grinning. He set his daughter down before giving her the teddy bear which she immediately loved. He was so consumed by his daughter’s joy that he didn’t notice that the violet fell out of his pocket.

“Where did you get this pretty flower Daddy?” she asked as she picked it up. Jack froze for a second, then, after taking a moment to compose himself, he answered:

“Picking flowers is one of Daddy’s many hobbies. I also find them very pretty.”

Later that day, as Jack watched his daughter sleep with her teddy bear held close, he thought to himself that he wouldn’t let any harm come to his little angel and that Annie will never find out about Daddy’s other little hobby.