Murder
Remember to visit Conrad, Ashok, Ramana, Magpie 11 and Marianna for their take on the topic that I have chosen ~
MURDER
My uncle did not like a curfew. Well, when a young man’s heart turns to romance….
My Granny grew weary sitting up waiting and listening to the slowly ticking clock until all her brood had returned to the nest. Go easy on my Granny if you don’t mind, this was long before the days of mobile phones, Twitter & Television; and the radio in Ireland was in its infancy.
Granny had a shop to run and needed to rise early and open up with everything ready for her first customers before 7am each morning. So Granny gave in and handed my uncle a house key. He was warned not to abuse the privilege, and with that Granny went back to her normal bed time routine & sleep pattern.
One night my uncle returned very late and silently slipped the key into the keyhole and gingerly opened the front door….
MURDER! MURDER! MURDER!
was the roar that greeted his ears and he froze with one foot over the threshold. It was his mother’s voice. With the return of her normal sleeping pattern, came her usual vivid dreams. I don’t think my uncle stayed out late after that.
Confession is good for the soul, or so my father told me. I can get away with my secret no more.
It is time to come clean.
I am a MURDERER!
I have been burdened down with this secret for a long time now. I was behind the wheel of the car when it happened. It all seemed so quick, that I had no time to take evasive action. I heard the bump and felt the wheel go over the body.
I didn’t stop!
I made no attempt to stop.
I just kept on going until I reached home where I checked the car for damage, but there were no tell-tale signs. Sighing softly I went indoors.
It was a late April morning and I was returning home alone from completing a task that required my signature. The envelope of officially Certified papers slipped from the passenger seat beside me on to the foot-well of the car as I braked. I was travelling downhill and slowing from 40 MPH as I was about to enter a 30MPH zone. There was a car on my tail, the driver paying no heed to his surroundings, if I had opened the boot/trunk he might have driven right into it. He was a known ‘dog lover’ yet he had several animals loose on the back seat of his car? I was aware of them from my rear view mirror.
I had a split second to make my decision… take a hit at the front or have a car with a driver and several dogs dig right into me. Technically he would have been at fault and no doubt the Insurance companies would have sorted it out… EVENTUALLY.
I had enough to contend with as it was.
I was returning from doing something that was down to me as next of kin, I had just Registered Jack’s death and now had funeral details to finalise.
I had killed a cat!
So in this instance it was I, and not curiosity, that killed the cat!
Am I forgiven?
Rumuuser said,
August 28, 2009 at 5:10 pm
You are.
And, once again, a brilliant contribution. My compliments.
Magpie11 said,
August 28, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Two stories for the price of one!
Am I a murderer? I used to belt rats with a shovel!
Mayo said,
August 28, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Confession time! I killed (OK,OK –murdured) a dove yesterday with my car. My car, just, would not stop!
I feel your pain, Grannymar!
Brighid said,
August 28, 2009 at 7:34 pm
She giveth and She taketh away. Mother Earth that is.
Jody said,
August 28, 2009 at 7:45 pm
You are forgiven ONLY IF YOU FIGURE OUT WHY you were presented with this challenge and what your decision meant!
Grannymar said,
August 28, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Ramana - Thank you. I am glad someone has forgiven me.
Magpie 11 - I remember years ago a rat arrived in my mother’s garden. Somebody was building on ground that had not been disturbed for many years. The rat got trapped in a hole. I asked my mother for a brick, after all I lived years in Northern Ireland, the capital of knee capping!
Brighid - There is a time for everything!
Jody - That one is easy… The stupid cat ran straight across my path and the idiot in the car behind me was ‘Driving without due care and attention’, a Criminal Offence in this country!
Alice said,
August 28, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I once killed a bird that flew up from the side of the road right into my windshield; it felt horrible, so I forgive you because I know how it feels. Never pleasant, and you remember it the rest of your life no doubt!
I read a few of the other murder stories; a nice touch to have subjects given you to write about. I’ll try to come around more often now that school is starting again and maybe I’ll have more time.
Ursula said,
August 28, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Grannymar, two points: One of them sore since one of our own two cats was hit by a car and its run driver a couple of weeks ago.
Second, don’t you marvel at how the world of the personal blog serves as a modern day confessional? Who is giving, and why is anyone still looking for, absolution?
U
Jody said,
August 28, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Ursula, interesting and valuable point.
Magpie11 said,
August 28, 2009 at 9:13 pm
absolution? What’s that?
Interesting point tho’.
kenju said,
August 28, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Of course, you are. You didn’t do it on purpose, did you?
Jean Browman--Cheerful Monk said,
August 28, 2009 at 10:07 pm
I accidentally ran over a squirrel about 35 years ago and still remember the heartsick feeling. The interesting thing is if I hadn’t done it the squirrel would still be long dead. Yet the memory still has the power to make me sad. We humans are interesting critters.
Nick said,
August 28, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Roadkill is a common hazard in countries like Australia. With the best will in the world you can’t always avoid animals, they run into the road and there’s little you can do to dodge them. I’ve almost killed animals several times but luckily they ran off or I managed to brake in time.
Maynard said,
August 28, 2009 at 10:23 pm
If those “damn” squirrels don’t stay out of my bird feeder, I’m going to kill he SOBs.
Grannymar, look what you have done to this group.
Yessssss, you have given us freedom!!!!!
Magpie11 said,
August 28, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Maynard…I saw some squirrel and large bird proof bird feeders a few months ago…remind me and I’ll find out the make etc.
Maynard said,
August 28, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Thanks Magpie, Grannymar has me shaking with guilt!
Conrad said,
August 28, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Forgive you?? I know some people who would reward you - especially after another cat has crapped on his lawn.
Fortunately, though, I don’t have to do it myself these days. I just drop a hint to Maynard and … somehow … quietly … the problem disappears.
Brighid said,
August 28, 2009 at 11:37 pm
As the 30+ cats at the neighbors keep coming over here to poop & pee & spray in my garden, your welcome to drive around here anytime. I haven’t gotten one yet, but it’s not for lack of trying.
Baino said,
August 29, 2009 at 12:04 am
Ah poor puss! My mother did that to a dog once and didn’t stop because she was on her way to work and running late. She felt awful. Not helped by us saying she should have stopped. Then my horse killed a little yapper once. It ran out right behind her and one swift kick was all it took. I had to take this little limp ball of fluff into the house and apologise. Terrible moment. But the bottom line, their dog shouldn’t have been loose on the road.
K8 said,
August 29, 2009 at 1:09 pm
From a person who once ran over and mushed a chicken into oblivion I can safely say YES! YES YOU ARE A MURDERER!
So am I.
See you in hell
I’m sure it’s lovely down there.
Marianna said,
August 29, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Oh dear, I can just imagine how that felt. You did make the right decision, though…one with fewer casualties.
Grannymar said,
August 29, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Sorry folks for not answering comments, I was a little tied up since yesterday. Normal service begins Sunday. I did read every comment and lost my replies twice! (v_v)
Ashok said,
August 30, 2009 at 5:14 am
LMAO, I am pretty sure you will be forgiven grannymar, truly
Grannymar said,
August 30, 2009 at 8:18 am
Sunday morning and I am here again with full attention. Thank you yet again for all the comments… now to reply:
Mayo – A sheep walked out into the road in front of my car yesterday. Thankfully I was moving slowly and there were no other cars about.
Alice – The LBC is a lovely and challenging idea, I for one, have accepted topics that otherwise I would never attempt.
Ursula – I am sorry about your cat. I didn’t set out to kill any animal, but cats are wild animals and do as they please. I had Elly to think of, she certainly didn’t need to lose two parents in three days!
Ursula, Jody & Magpie – I don’t see blogging as a form of confessional, but rather a means of opening up topics for discussion.
Judy – No way.
Jean – I remember someone telling me about some injured animal that they cared for before releasing it into the wild. The animal ran back across a road where she watched a car run over and kill it. As Brighid said above “Mother Earth takes care of her own”!
Nick – That was my first and only offence while on the road.
Grannymar said,
August 30, 2009 at 8:34 am
Maynard – Calm down…. Magpie has the answer to your problem.
Magpie – You have an answer for everything.
Maynard – ‘Grannymar has me shaking with guilt!’ You must be joking, I am a little mouse!
Conrad – I think there is an invisible sign saying ‘Leave your mark here’, at my garden because up to a dozen different cats visit and ignore me on a daily basis. Why don’t owners teach their cats to ‘go’ before leaving home, like we taught our young children!!
Brighid – see my comment to Conrad.
Baino – If people keep animals, they should have them under control AT ALL TIMES!
K8 – That is the quickest Paté I have come across!
I am sure to land in hell now.!
Marianna – My thoughts were on Elly and the tasks ahead.
Ashok – I hope so!
Rumuuser said,
August 30, 2009 at 3:19 pm
“Ursula, Jody & Magpie – I don’t see blogging as a form of confessional, but rather a means of opening up topics for discussion.”
And just look at the way the discussion is going.
Ursula, it will be nice if you could give us your URL so that we could visit your blog and see what you write about. That is how this little community has grown.
Grannymar said,
August 30, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Ramana - I am not sure if Ursula has a blog.
Ursula said,
August 31, 2009 at 10:14 am
You are right, Grannymar, I don’t - the reasons for which are many.
Ramana - a discordant note has slipped into your response to me. Remember that I complimented Grannymar on her generosity of allowing lively discussion “on the playground” of her blog. I have been seen off a couple of blogs which only encourage fawning of each other. Fluffy is not my style; by virtue of my daily reading matter and what I do, I ask questions: Not all of them comfortable, neither are they meant to offend.
As to cats, Grannymar: I nearly ran one over when moving into this neighbourhood (can you imagine my popularity rating if it had all gone up heaven?); and yes, many a time I asked my son’s now dead cat whether she had a death wish: After all what do you expect sitting in the middle of the road? She too was not up for discussions of a philosophical, indeed practical, nature. In the end she paid THE price.
U
Rumuuser said,
August 31, 2009 at 11:44 am
Ursula, I do not see any reason to do so, but shall offer my regrets if you see any discordance in my comments.
I have agreed with Grannymar that the policy of using blogs to open up topics for discussion is a good one, and suggested that the lively discussion that is taking place on this post is proof enough. What is discordant about it?
I have used Grannymar’s blog to visit other bloggers who comment here and have gained from their blogs and I think, they from mine by exchanging comments on each other’s blogs. I just wanted to know your URL to do the same. Would you not want that to happen in your blog? I would in mine. What is discordant about that?
I have no intentions of seeing you off from this or any other blog. It is not up to me any way. I would really welcome you to my blog posts to comment and would like to visit yours if you have one. That is how many of us commenting here have grown the community here.
Grannymar said,
August 31, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Ursula - Perhaps someday you will find the time and inspiration to start a blog. I wish you well is you choose to do so.