Every Thursday it had to be cleaned
and that was today. Clara wasn't in the best of her moods when she drove the
car into Irene Justesen's big estate. To be frank she was pretty tired of
cleaning and especially tired of Irene Justesen according to whom Clara could
never do anything right.
But she needed the money, didn't she? She needed
that extra cash because her no for good husband had lost his job. That was over
a year ago and still he hadn't found anything new.
"It's because we live on this stupid
island," she had told him several times. "There are no jobs on this
island. Why don't you go to the mainland and look for a new job?"
But all her husband did was to make fun of her
accent. Clara was German and had moved here to get a better life for herself.
Gerhardt, her husband and her had met in Kassel where she worked in a
restaurant as a waitress. Her mother had been sick at the time and Clara was
fed up with taking care of her.
"Cancer eats more than just the
patient," she used to say. "It devours the entire family."
Her father had left many years ago and she
didn't have any siblings so Clara was stuck with the old sick hag and didn't
have enough money or education to move away. Where should she go?
Then Gerhardt came along. A lot older than
Clara, but with promises of a life, living on an island close to the ocean.
Clara had never even seen the ocean in her life and now she got to live close
to it. Close enough to walk to the beach? She was thrilled.
But a year later Gerhardt lost his job as a
mechanic and since then he hadn't worked on much else but opening bottles and
emptying them.
Clara sighed and parked the old van in front of
Irene Justesen's private gym. It was huge, she thought. How could anyone have a
gym that was twice the size of Clara's house, she thought to herself. It wasn't
fair. The woman didn't even live in it.
Clara went behind the van and opened the back.
She took out the mop and bucket and all her chemicals. If there was one thing
Clara had learned while cleaning Irene Justesen's many houses it was that the
more chemicals she used, the happier Irene Justesen was. Simply because it
smelled cleaner, Clara had learned. How it smelled was more important than if
it was actually clean or not. Clara suspected that Irene Justesen was losing
her sight with age. But she also knew her well enough to never wanting to admit
that she was in fact getting older and she would never wear glasses, not if her
life depended on it. So Clara had learned how to cheat her and today she had
planned to skip mopping the floor in the gym. She would just make sure the
bathing area was clean and then clean the mirrors with her strong-smelling
spray. That always did the trick. Clara chuckled. She could be back at the house
and watch reruns of The Little House on the Prairie before lunch and still make a living.
"Beats going to an office every day and
sitting and staring into a computer," she mumbled and found the key in her
pocket.
She rolled her wagon with all her cleaning gear
closer and put the key in the lock. She turned it and pushed the door open with
her back first. She dragged the wagon behind her, reached to flip the light
switch when she suddenly stepped in something. Something wet. She looked down.
Was the floor soaking in something?
Clara smiled widely. It could be some water
damage. Maybe a water pipe burst somewhere, maybe in the dressing rooms. That
would be great. Then Irene Justesen would have to have it all fixed and that
could take weeks. Weeks that Clara wasn't going to have to clean the gym. It
sounded like music to her ears.
She leaned over and flipped the switch and
looked into the gym to better take a good look at the damage, when she realized
that the water she had stepped in was no ordinary water. It was blood. And not
only was she going to miss The Little House
on the Prairie , she was also going to lose her job.
As she opened her mouth to let out a horrifying
scream that would reach far beyond
and that was today. Clara wasn't in the best of her moods when she drove the
car into Irene Justesen's big estate. To be frank she was pretty tired of
cleaning and especially tired of Irene Justesen according to whom Clara could
never do anything right.
But she needed the money, didn't she? She needed
that extra cash because her no for good husband had lost his job. That was over
a year ago and still he hadn't found anything new.
"It's because we live on this stupid
island," she had told him several times. "There are no jobs on this
island. Why don't you go to the mainland and look for a new job?"
But all her husband did was to make fun of her
accent. Clara was German and had moved here to get a better life for herself.
Gerhardt, her husband and her had met in Kassel where she worked in a
restaurant as a waitress. Her mother had been sick at the time and Clara was
fed up with taking care of her.
"Cancer eats more than just the
patient," she used to say. "It devours the entire family."
Her father had left many years ago and she
didn't have any siblings so Clara was stuck with the old sick hag and didn't
have enough money or education to move away. Where should she go?
Then Gerhardt came along. A lot older than
Clara, but with promises of a life, living on an island close to the ocean.
Clara had never even seen the ocean in her life and now she got to live close
to it. Close enough to walk to the beach? She was thrilled.
But a year later Gerhardt lost his job as a
mechanic and since then he hadn't worked on much else but opening bottles and
emptying them.
Clara sighed and parked the old van in front of
Irene Justesen's private gym. It was huge, she thought. How could anyone have a
gym that was twice the size of Clara's house, she thought to herself. It wasn't
fair. The woman didn't even live in it.
Clara went behind the van and opened the back.
She took out the mop and bucket and all her chemicals. If there was one thing
Clara had learned while cleaning Irene Justesen's many houses it was that the
more chemicals she used, the happier Irene Justesen was. Simply because it
smelled cleaner, Clara had learned. How it smelled was more important than if
it was actually clean or not. Clara suspected that Irene Justesen was losing
her sight with age. But she also knew her well enough to never wanting to admit
that she was in fact getting older and she would never wear glasses, not if her
life depended on it. So Clara had learned how to cheat her and today she had
planned to skip mopping the floor in the gym. She would just make sure the
bathing area was clean and then clean the mirrors with her strong-smelling
spray. That always did the trick. Clara chuckled. She could be back at the house
and watch reruns of The Little House on the Prairie before lunch and still make a living.
"Beats going to an office every day and
sitting and staring into a computer," she mumbled and found the key in her
pocket.
She rolled her wagon with all her cleaning gear
closer and put the key in the lock. She turned it and pushed the door open with
her back first. She dragged the wagon behind her, reached to flip the light
switch when she suddenly stepped in something. Something wet. She looked down.
Was the floor soaking in something?
Clara smiled widely. It could be some water
damage. Maybe a water pipe burst somewhere, maybe in the dressing rooms. That
would be great. Then Irene Justesen would have to have it all fixed and that
could take weeks. Weeks that Clara wasn't going to have to clean the gym. It
sounded like music to her ears.
She leaned over and flipped the switch and
looked into the gym to better take a good look at the damage, when she realized
that the water she had stepped in was no ordinary water. It was blood. And not
only was she going to miss The Little House
on the Prairie , she was also going to lose her job.
As she opened her mouth to let out a horrifying
scream that would reach far beyond
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