Delivery

The UPS truck delivered a box without a return address. Inside I found a pair of eye glasses, not mine, I thought but I tried them on anyway. Whoa that’s a strong prescription. I placed them back in the box. There was a jar wrapped in newspaper that stuck to it because the contents had leaked out. I sniffed at it, then put my finger to my mouth. Hmm that’s honey, I guessed. The biggest item in the box was a hacksaw placed diagonally. I struggled to get it out. When it released, I discovered a note that dangled from the handle. A second box will follow soon. Beware, you owe me big money. I will collect. Who am I?

After pondering long and hard, thinking back–ten years back, I knew this had to be the surgeon with thick glasses, nicknamed Sawbones. He pretended to be sweet as honey  in those days and the doctor and I had done shady business together.

Kirsten Marie Wohlgemuth

*****

                 CONSEQUENCES

The doorbell rang – just once.  When I opened the door the only thing I saw was a small box wrapped in plain brown paper. Printed on it was my name.

“What the hell?”  I tried to be quiet.  Karen, my wife was asleep in the guest bedroom.  I didn’t want to awaken her.

In the kitchen I peeled back the paper and reached inside the box.  The first thing I found was a pair of my spectacles.  The pair that I had forgotten a week ago in a hotel room.  Also in the box were the remains of the jar of honey that I had spread over my lover’s body in that same room.

The third and final item was a blackmail message from my wife.  The solitary hacksaw spoke volumes  about the certainty of my fate should I continue on the same ill advised path.

Bob Kelly