Happy Halloween

by Aarushi Sali

I walked back into the silent apartment to see my boyfriend reading on the sofa-cum-bed. I took the book away from him and kissed his chapped lips. He looked at me with the same wary look he always gave me since last week. I knew somewhere behind those cold eyes, sat his love for me.  

Taking the remote, I played some Netflix for us to watch and went into the kitchen. Grabbing some leftovers of our breakfast, I served two plates and went back into the living room. Handing him the plate, I sat beside him and watched Friends with him. I laughed at the jokes and snuggled into his stiff arms.

We chatted for an hour before our dinner was over.  He’s a good listener. 

Getting back on my feet, I took my empty plate and his untouched food into my hands. He hadn’t eaten. That’s okay. He occasionally has these episodes. It’s been on for the past week now. I kissed his dry and pale cheek and went into the kitchen. Throwing away his untouched food, I dumped the dishes into the pile of dishes into the sink.  

I came back into the eerily silent living room and lay down with my boyfriend. I pulled the blankets over us and snuggled into his hard chest. I took a deep breath and the smell of rotten flesh filled my nostrils.

My boyfriend’s body had been rotting for the past week now.

This story was written as part of the Summer Writing workshop for Young Adults.