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| Totally not lost. |
Whenever it started, Aaron now found himself flipping between his bills, his bank account, and his severance letter. The layoffs hadn't been kind to anyone, but Aaron found himself wishing, yet again, that he could confide in someone about how it impacted him. Amy wouldn't hear of it.
"Don't share our business with other people!" she would chide him. "An ideal husband doesn't gossip." As Aaron learned, anything could be an opportunity for gossip. Staying out too late with his friends could make other people gossip, especially if any of those friends were women. Calling his mother without Amy nearby could be gossip. She had worked her way into every aspect of his life, but he knew he was better off. Now he was above reproach, as long as he followed the rules.
Getting laid off had broken one of those rules, and Amy had barely spoken to him all week. He tried to put a brave face on for the children, but he was devastated. What kind of a man can't provide for his family? Aaron sighed and looked at his bank account one more time. They could pay the bills this month, but he would need to get another job before they were due again. Somehow.
It was about this time that Amy's hiking mania came back. That had been one of the first things Aaron loved about Amy. She loved to be outside and active. Now she led them on family hikes through the forest. It was always the same forest, but Amy took them to a different part each time. She hardly ever used the paths. She pulled them along through the trees and just as Aaron was worried that she was really lost, they would come upon a crystal clear stream, or the tallest tree Aaron had ever seen, perfectly centered in a clearing.
When they got to their destination, Aaron would sit with the kids and hand out the snacks. Amy, never one to sit still outside, would pace, staying just in sight, checking trees, or watching squirrels suspiciously. Several times, Aaron realized the only way they would get back out is if she led them. He was thoroughly lost every time.
One day, after they had walked farther than usual, the kids were dozing, tired of trying to get a signal on their phones when there was none, and Amy called Aaron over to look at a bird building its nest. It was moments like these, holding hands and quietly watching something magical, when Aaron felt hopeful. The bird flitted away and Amy started following it. Aaron followed her for awhile. Then he began to get worried. "What about the kids?" he asked.
"We'll get them," Amy replied. "Come on!"
So, Aaron followed her through the forest and, with a start, realized they were back in the parking lot. "We have to go back!" he said.
"It's dark," Amy replied, and it was. "We could walk right past them and never know."
"But they're our kids!" Aaron replied. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Hank! Gretta! Where are you?" Of course, there was no answer.
"Someone will find them tomorrow," Amy said, unlocking the car.
"Tomorrow?" Aaron asked. "We need to find them now."
"It will do them no harm to sleep outside for one night," Amy lectured. "My parents did the same for me and I survived." She opened the car door. "Now get inside."
"No. I need to find my kids." Aaron started to walk back into the forest the way they came.
"If you step back into that forest, I will leave you!" Amy yelled.
Aaron stopped. He didn't know if she meant that she would drive away, or that once he made it home, she would he gone. He couldn't stand that. She made him better. He needed her. She had to be right, like she'd been right so many times before. He didn't always know what was best.
"Now!" Amy yelled.
Regretfully, Aaron walked to the car and got in. "You make me so angry," Amy told him as she pulled out of the parking lot. Aaron didn't reply. He watched the forest as long as he could when they drove away, but he didn't see Hank or Gretta come out.
Aaron didn't sleep that night. Amy reminded him that she was going to her mother's house the next day on an early flight.
"Can't you cancel?" Aaron asked her.
Amy looked at him coolly. "The kids will be fine," she remarked. "I have to go see my mother. Why would you try to keep us apart?"
Aaron swallowed his response. He nodded once and left the room. He must have dozed off in front of the TV because he never heard Amy leave. Instead, he woke up to someone knocking on the door. Groggily, Aaron levered himself out of his chair and answered.
Hank and Gretta were standing on the step.
"Kids!" Aaron yelled. "Come inside!" He pulled them into a hug, telling them how much he loved them, how he would never leave them behind again. Eventually, he let them go a little and asked how they got home.
"We were following a trail of big rocks out to the tree," Hank replied. "We've followed it before. It was kind of hard to find them in the dark, but we followed them back."
"We've been walking forever," Gretta said, sniffling a little.
Aaron scooped her up. "Who wants to have breakfast in front of the TV?" he asked.
"Me! Me!" Gretta yelled.
"I do!" Hank said.
Aaron brought Gretta into the living room and set her on the couch. He brought the kids their cereal and they watched cartoons together. Maybe it had been okay to let them sleep outside for a night. They definitely needed a bath, but they didn't seem to be in bad shape.
The rest of the day, Aaron barely let the kids out of his sight while he applied for jobs. He knew some people around town. Maybe one of them could get him a job. He went to bed that night with a smile on his face.
The next day, Aaron dropped the kids off at school, and watched them walk away until he was sure they were safe. He went home to start making a few calls. He had gotten a few done, when Amy came back home.
"Hello!" Aaron greeted her with a kiss. "The kids came home yesterday! You were right."
"Of course I was right," Amy snapped back. He could tell she was angry about something, but it was never a good idea to ask what it was.
By the time he brought the kids home from school, Amy was back to her pleasant self and Aaron relaxed. The next weekend, Amy took them hiking again. "We can't leave the kids this time," Aaron whispered to Amy.
Amy shook him off and turned to the forest. "Let's find the waterfall today," she announced. It was rare for Amy to tell them where they were going and Aaron could tell the kids were excited to see a waterfall. Again, Amy took them on a long trip through the trees. They walked across the paths a few times, but never followed them. Eventually, the dull roaring they had been hearing got louder and they were right in front of the waterfall.
Aaron had been here before, but it always took his breath away. Hank had been carrying the backpack with their snacks, but he set it down. Then, the kids yelled and ran toward the waterfall. After awhile, Aaron pulled out their snacks and they all relaxed by the falls. They were short a bag of crackers, but Aaron made do without. He must have forgotten to pack enough. When they were done eating, Aaron made himself comfortable and closed his eyes to better hear the waterfall.
Aaron opened his eyes again to find it was close to sunset. "Where are the kids?" he asked Amy.
"They ran off," Amy replied. "We'd better go get them. It's getting late."
Aaron agreed, so they set off where Amy had seen the kids go. The farther they walked, the more Aaron wondered if they were going in the right direction. "Of course it's the right direction," he chided himself. "Amy knows what she's doing." Then, suddenly, they were back in the parking lot. "Where are our kids?" Aaron asked Amy.
Amy shrugged. "I swear they went that way, but they must have gotten lost."
"We have to go back for them," Aaron told her.
Amy looked at him and raised her eyebrow. "Why? They were perfectly fine last time. They'll be fine this time."
Aaron opened his mouth to argue.
"You did it before. Don't contradict yourself." This was another of Amy's rules that made him better.
Aaron swallowed and looked at her. "Yes, dear," he said at last. He got in the car.
"I'm going to visit my sister," Amy announced when they were almost home.
"You're leaving again?" Aaron asked.
Amy sniffed. "I've had this trip planned for months, but I have to leave right away."
"Oh," Aaron replied sadly.
They didn't talk the rest of the ride home.
Aaron fell asleep in front of the TV again that night. The next morning, he kept looking down the street, hoping to see the kids. He thought about going back out to the forest to find them, but what if they came home and he wasn't there? Aaron debated with himself about what he was supposed to do. He couldn't ask anyone else except Amy, and she wasn't responding to his texts. Eventually, Aaron realized it was night and he couldn't go look for them now anyway. He slept in the living room so he would hear it if they knocked on the door.
The next morning, Aaron woke up and the kids still weren't back. Aaron wasn't sure if calling the police was gossiping and Amy still hadn't replied to him. He tried calling her, but it went straight to her voicemail. Aaron paced the house, and finally got in the car to go back to the forest. He had to stick to the paths or he would never find his way out again, so he couldn't search as much as he would like. Still, Aaron walked up and down the paths, yelling for Hank and Gretta until it got too dark. He asked anyone he saw if they had seen his kids, but no one had. Finally, Aaron had to head home, only to be disappointed that they hadn't come back while he was gone. He didn't think he would sleep, but exhaustion kicked in and he passed out on the couch.
The next morning, Aaron decided that if he hadn't found them by lunch time, he was calling the police, no matter what Amy would say. She still was not responding to him and Aaron was beginning to get worried about her, too. He thought about calling Amy's sister to make sure Amy had gotten there all right, but Amy said things like that were manipulative. Maybe after he called the police about the kids, he would call Amy's sister. Aaron got back in his car and drove out to the forest again. He searched again, but he still did not find them. Around noon, Aaron found himself at a picnic site, so he sat down at one of the tables and brought out his lunch. He had brought three, just in case he found the kids.
As Aaron sat there eating, he remembered his promise to himself. Now that it was coming time, he didn't want to call the police. What if they thought he was a bad father? But he had to find his kids. Sighing, Aaron called the non-emergency number, glad he could get cell phone service. He explained that his kids were lost in the forest and he was looking for them. They promised to send some police out right away to help. He was to stay at the picnic site until they got to him. Aaron hung up the phone and stared at his lunch. He didn't want to eat, but he made himself. He had to keep up his strength for the search.
Aaron heard some kids yelling in the distance and thought that whoever was with them didn't realize how lucky they were. The kids kept yelling and Aaron looked up. They were Hank and Gretta! Aaron leapt up from the table and ran to them. When he got to them, he picked them both up and hugged them tight. "We are never going hiking again!" Aaron promised them, in between asking if they were okay and telling them that he loved them. Eventually, they went back to the table and Hank and Gretta devoured the lunch he gave them.
"What happened?" Aaron asked.
"We went to see a squirrel and when we came back, you and Mom were gone," Hank said, finishing the last of his meal.
"We went to find you," Aaron said.
Hank shook his head. "Mom knew where we went, and it wasn't far. I left a trail of crumbs from the crackers so we could get back, but the birds must have eaten it."
"But we found her that night!" Gretta replied happily.
"What?" Aaron asked.
"There was a house in the woods," Hank said. "It looked like gingerbread and there was a light on. We knocked on the door and there was Mom."
"She was in a house in the woods?" Aaron asked.
"She tried to eat us!" Gretta yelled.
"Eat you?!" Aaron asked.
Hank nodded. "First she made us dinner, all nice and everything, and then we got sleepy. When we woke up, I was locked in a cell and Mom told Gretta she had to clean up the house and start getting ready to cook me up!"
Gretta nodded solemnly. "Cook him up," she repeated.
"She tried to make me eat all day, but I wouldn't do it," Hank continued. "She kept saying she had to eat me soon." He shivered.
"I'm sure Mom wouldn't eat you," Aaron began.
"No," Hank disagreed. "She was going to eat me. I spent the night in that cell. There was a chain around my leg!" Hank lifted his leg and Aaron could see a sore spot on his ankle. Just like a chain might leave.
Aaron's face went white. "What happened next?" he asked.
"She wanted the oven to be nice and hot," Gretta said. "She said I had to check the thermometer in the back, but I couldn't see one. She climbed in to show me and I shut the door."
Aaron's stomach dropped. "Was the oven on?" he asked.
Gretta nodded and smiled. "Yup," she said. "She wanted to cook me up too, right Hank?"
"It wasn't a game," Hank reminded her. He turned to Aaron. "Gretta locked the oven shut and let me out. We stayed there until... Well, until it got quiet."
Aaron realized his kids were telling him they'd killed his wife. And that she had wanted to eat them. It was absurd. It couldn't be real. But what marked up Hank's leg? And where had they been for the past two days?
Just then, Aaron saw two police officers walking toward them.
"Aaron?" one of them asked.
"Here," Aaron said, shaking.
"Looks like you found your kids," one of the cops said, smiling.
"Mom tried to eat us!" Gretta told them happily.
"I'm sure she did," the cop replied with a smile.
"She's not joking," Aaron said weakly. Both cops' attention snapped to him. "Can you-" Aaron coughed to find his voice. "Can you find my wife's phone? The kids were telling me she has a house out here and she tried to.... She tried to..." Aaron couldn't finish talking. He started crying and pulling his kids to him. Then, Gretta started crying, and Hank did too. The cops brought the trio back to their car to look for Amy's phone. They got a hit, and it was in the middle of the forest.
One of the officers began calling for backup.
"You don't need to worry about it," Aaron told the other weakly. "She's dead."
"I think we'd better take you down to the station," the cop replied.
"That would be for the best," Aaron said, sighing.
It turned out that the police found everything as Hank and Gretta described it in the forest, including Amy's teeth in the oven among the ashes and bones. She had been burned. There were several cages with chains in them, but only one was standing open. In a way, it was almost a relief to Aaron that his kids hadn't made up something so horrible. But it was worse that it had happened. As the police talked to Aaron about counseling for all three of them, Aaron couldn't help but wonder how much he could tell a therapist. After all, he had to follow Amy's rules and he couldn't let anyone gossip about him.
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If Amy's behavior seems familiar to you, or if you identify with Aaron, please check out this site.
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