The Gazebo

He walked the winding road because he knew she'd be at the end. After the fight they just had she needed a little alone time. There was only one place that soothed her, the gazebo. Lisa and Jason bickered like an old married couple, even at twenty-one and twenty-two. This particular fight started when he said they should try dating again. He thought the time seemed right--he had been praying about it for months. Both of them seemed ready for that commitment again.

Lisa had other thoughts. She was ready to move on. It had been a year since they had seen each other, and she had a new boyfriend. David treated her well, they didn't fight all the time, and she was falling for him. She knew that Jason should only be a friend, but they never seemed to find an ending that was painful enough.

After each break up he didn’t spend much time trying to bring them back together. Once he finally saw her again a smile would escape and he knew everything would be fine.

Why is she being so difficult this time? he thought. We fight, give each other space, and then make up again.

When he reached the end of the road he walked up a pile of weathered, gray stones. He built those steps by a gazebo on her grandparents property. Before that Lisa had to climb up into the old gazebo that held many family memories like weddings and family reunions.

Time had taken and broken the place, but it still had the same charm. Lisa dreamed of fixing it up and getting married there as well. She thought Jason would be the man standing next to her, but lately she was having second thoughts.

“Lisa, sweetie, talk to me,” Jason said when he saw her.

“What do you want me to say?” she asked.

“Just tell me the truth,” he said. “Do you love me anymore?”

“Jason,’ she said, “that’s not fair. I will always love you.”

“Well then, what’s the problem, my love?” he asked.

“What’s the problem?” she exclaimed. “Jason, we do this all the time. Back and forth, back and forth. We continue to fight, I cry, you leave. All we do is hurt each other. Besides, I said I will always love you, but—”

“But what, darling?” he asked.

“Don’t call me darling.”

“Ok. What’s on your mind, Lisa?”

“I will always love you, but not enough to go through this pain again.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Take it or leave it, but that’s how I feel.”

She pushed past him and ran down the steps towards the house. Jason called for her, but she didn't look back.

When she reached the old mansion she ran into the living room and threw herself on the sofa. Her face was stained with tears, and they wouldn't go away.

Back at the gazebo Jason was frantic. He needed a sign, or a message. He wanted Lisa so badly, and he knew she wanted him. He had not cried since his mother’s funeral five years before, but the tears started to stream. He believed her this time; Lisa really wanted to be free of him.

Jason heard the crack of twigs on the ground and tried to compose himself. Could she be coming back?

He looked around, but saw no one there. The old columns of the gazebo stood in the way of a good view, so he ran down the stone steps.

“Lisa?” he asked. “Are you there?”

He heard more footsteps and eventually saw the face of a man. He stared in disbelief and finally asked the stranger, “Who are you?”

“I was going to ask the same question,” the man said. “Why are you on my fiancé’s property?”

He thought the man had just said fiancé, but he knew that wasn't right. Lisa owned this property. Her parents left it to her when they died.

“No, I think you are mistaken,” Jason said. “This property belongs to a friend of mine, Lisa.”

“Oh no, I’m not mistaken,” the man replied. “You're a friend of Lisa’s? I’m her fiancé, David. It’s good to meet you.”

Jason took the man’s hand and began to shake it. He quickly pulled it back and stared at him. She said she had a boyfriend, but it wasn't supposed to be serious. He couldn't remember a ring, but he hadn't paid attention to her fingers.

“I didn’t catch your name,” David said.

“Oh, I’m Jason,” he mumbled.

“Wait, Jason,” David thought aloud, “the Jason that Lisa used to love?”

Jason felt sick. He looked at the man and couldn't speak. He wanted to hit him, to kill him. If he was gone, Jason thought, then Lisa would come back to me.

“Well, I don’t know what you were doing out here,” David said, “but when you're done you should come to the house. We are going to have lunch soon.”

Jason hated him. This was supposed to be the place that he and Lisa fixed up, moved into, and raised kids in. How dare this man invite him into his own home.

“Sure, just let me finish,” said Jason. He had to do something, but he couldn't move. This man could not possibly know his Lisa, know what she wanted.

When the man started walking down the path Jason felt tiny daggers cutting his chest. He knew that when he got back to the mansion it would be over, Lisa would cry in David's arms and that would be the end.

His hatred started to drive him crazy. What would he do to make her see? Then he thought again, if I killed him, everything would be okay.

Jason grabbed a branch and followed David's steps. He knew he couldn't have gotten far. When he spotted David he looked for a good position. Low hanging trees made it easy to hide just off the main path. Jason was about to strike when he suddenly collapsed, the branch falling from his hand.

“Lisa!” David screamed. “What did you do?”

“He was going to hurt you,” she said. “I knew he would try.”

She couldn't stop crying. She remembered when she and Jason had been happy, but the pain had to stop.

“Help me get him to the gazebo,” she said.

“Wait, we have to call the cops,” David said. “They will understand what happened. He needs to get to the hospital.”

“No,” Lisa said. “he’s killed before. Do you remember I told you about Lucas?”

“He killed him?” David asked.

“Yes, and also Mark. Jason isn’t well. This is better for him.”

“But, we should still call the police,” David said. “They can take him into custody.”

“He will only get out again,” she said. “And then come after us. They held him for a year for the last one, and then let him go.”

“What, only a year for a crime like that?” David asked.

“No, not prison. A mental ward.” She was dragging Jason towards the gazebo.

“So, he really is crazy.” David said. “Hold on, you can't move him by yourself.”
David and Lisa got the body to the gazebo where Lisa picked up a shovel and started digging.

“Wait, what are you doing?” David asked.

“Grab a shovel and start digging right here along the gazebo,” she said. “We’ll throw him down there with the others.”

“The others?” David paused. “There are others under this thing?”

“Yeah, this is where he buried everyone, to remind me.”

David's stomach twisted. He grabbed his phone to call the cops.

“What are you doing?” Lisa screamed. “You can’t do that. They’ll find out.”

“Find what out?” David asked.

“Nothing, just don’t do that, my love.” She kept digging and David stood looking at her.

“No,” David said.

“No, what?” Lisa said still digging.

“You didn’t, I mean he did, but you didn’t, right?”

“David, don’t worry so much about things you can’t change,” she said.

“We can get you help,” he said, tears falling. “Lisa, you're sick, you need help.”

Lisa held the shovel in her hands and started walking towards David. When he started walking backwards he slipped on the stone steps and fell. Lisa came up behind him and whacked him on the back of the head.

She started crying again and began to scream, “Not another one. When will they learn not to question me?”

She finished digging and found a latch beside the gazebo. Down beneath were her parents, her last two loves, now Jason, and then finally David.

“It’s too bad,” she said. “Now who will I blame the deaths on?”


**I'm planning on entering this one into a competition soon. Let me know if you have any edits or comments.**