Wednesday

Wednesday ruined his life, and it is now Friday. It is certain as each hour passes he will not be able to forget Wednesday.

The worse aspect of this job is the diesel fumes. Early in the morning in the cold air, the fumes are dry. And the burned diesel seems to draw breath out of the lungs. It is a family business, and the old woman sits on the same chair from four in the morning until seven at night. They are greedy and selfish employers.

The witch looks at him through the office window. She knew about Wednesday and told her son she’d seen it coming. What’s it got to do with her? ‘Be careful it doesn’t affect your work Elmar’ The son said, and the bitch smiled. Elmar hates her; she sits on the chair in her superior way. She despises the drivers and their ways, hates them because they remind her of her origins. She hates Elmar because she knows he comes from a wealthy family.

The hag needs to be careful today. Wednesday ruined his life and she better just be careful. She stares at him again. She knows his family, and she looks at him, and Elmar knows she is thinking ‘Your family is wealthy Elmar, but you drive for me, I own you. My son’s better than you.’ Elmar is going to hurt her, really hurt her. Wednesday ruined his life and today is Friday, the pain will not go away.

Elmar protested when the officer snapped the cuffs around his wrists. ‘I’m not going to run away’ The officer smiled, the smug know all smile of arrogant officialdom. This one looked aggressive, his intimidating smile reveals he had taken the death personally. This man believed himself to be justice; Elmar said ’You uphold the law, you are not the law’ the officer did not understand what he meant.

As the police car took him away, he looked back to see the paramedics and firemen were still trying to free the body. That was incredible to see how everyone had rallied around the rich man’s family. Drivers, warehouse operatives, they were like hornets around a dying rat.

‘I emphatically deny your accusations’ The two officers also believed they were the law. Why do they take it so personally? What does Elmar care? Wednesday ruined his life, and it is now Friday afternoon.

At 09:30 on Saturday morning he is released without charge. And rightfully so, he knew the yard camera could not record the truth. The officer told him the son had died in the early hours. Elmar said he was not surprised; no one could survive being crushed between the trailer and the loading bay. The Rich boy should have stayed in the office with his mother. Elmar said he would hurt her.

The son had said he would open the rear shutter door. As soon as he had disappeared behind the trailer, Elmar released the brake and the lorry rolled back and squashed his body like a fly and the newspaper. The mother screamed and screamed, some would say she could have woken the dead. She could not awaken her son, could she? She’d been with him at birth and death, now that is a beautiful thing for a mother, a beautiful thing.

It is now Sunday. The door bell rings and as he walks down the hall. Through the leaded glass windows, he recognise’s the silhouette standing at the door. She kisses him ‘Elmar, I’m sorry, I love you, I do not know why we argued’ Nothing mattered now, he kissed Wednesday again.

As they lay in bed, Elmar realised the spirit of the dead son had bought Wednesday back to him. The spirit knew if he did not bring Wednesday back, Elmar would hurt his mother again. Elmar had every intention of hurting Wednesday; he would cause her much pain for sleeping with the squashed fly. As he smoked his cigarette, he remembered her brother liked to swim in the cold lake.

written in eight minutes story