I slept poorly that night , lying awake for hours , tossing and turning. Near dawn , I finally fell asleep. I had a very disturbing dream : the doorbell rang. When I opened it , a figure stood on the porch , wearing a shawl over it's head , concealing it's face. I knew it was my mother.
"Richard ," she whispered. When she pulled back the shawl , her face had been crawling with maggots.
I jerked awake. I could still see them swarming and squirming in the hole where her face had been.
It was 9:38. The phone rang. It was uncle Leo.
"Richard , it's me. I've got your money. I'll be there in about two hours. I've got some errands to run first."
"I don't know if I can do this."
I told him about the dream.
"It doesn't mean anything. It was just a dream."
"What if it wasn't just a dream? What if it was a premonition?"
"Stop worrying about it , Richard. Everything will be fine. You'll see."
I took a shower. The memory of all those maggots was disturbing. I felt an urge to wash until my skin was raw. After breakfast , I took a long walk around the city streets. I enjoyed walking. It always helped me unwind after a restless night.
The streets were wet. A heavy summer storm had passed through during the early morning hours. The skies were cloudless and blue.I had no desire to return to the apartment yet. It was too depressing. I wanted to stay outside and enjoy the fresh , cool air. I wanted to pretend that the last few weeks had never happened. For almost an hour , I sat on a park bench and watched the traffic , and people passing by , before heading back to the apartment.
While waiting for uncle Leo , I fell asleep in front of the television. I had the same dream again , only this time , instead of her face being covered in maggots , they swarmed over her entire corpse. There was a ragged hole where her face had been , and a half eaten , black tongue protruded from it.
"Richard ," she said again. Her voice sounded as if it had come from deep under water.
I came awake with a start , a scream locked in my throat. The door bell chimed. It was uncle Leo. He was late ; it was almost noon.
"I'm sorry I'm late ," he said. "My errands took longer than I anticipated."
He handed me a thick , white envelope. "Here's the money. And by the way , you don't have to pay me back. Consider it a gift."
I took the envelope and put it away. "I don't know how to thank you , uncle Leo."
"No need to." He sat down on the sofa. "Is that coffee I smell?"
"I'll get you a cup."
"I'll have to drink it fast. Can't stay long."
I hoped he would stay long enough to tell me what he was hiding. I brought him his coffee in my mother's favorite mug. It had , World's Greatest Mom , stenciled on the side of it. I had given it to her for her thirty ~ fifth birthday. It had been one of the best days of my life. I was eleven years old , my parents were still a few years from divorce , and everyone was happy.
I didn't want any coffee myself. I'd had a hard enough time sleeping lately.
I sat down in my mother's favorite arm chair , where she had spent entire days watching her favorite soaps. I waited for uncle Leo to tell me what he had been hiding. But I knew he wouldn't tell me , so I had to force it out of him.
"I want to know what your hiding from me. And don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about."
He looked at me a moment , and then lowered his eyes to his coffee , which he hadn't yet touched.
He took a sip. "It's better that you not know , Richard. For your sake. And for the sake of Cheryl , and Sam. These people can be very dangerous. If I tell you everything I know about them , they may decide to kill all three of you. They have the ability to make you disappear , as if you were never born. And I can't live with that. But I can tell you this : what I said about Evelyn not being what you expect her to be. I wasn't lying about that. I wasn't exaggerating. It's happened before. And if it happens to your mother , I want you to promise me something."
"What's that?"
"That you will kill her."
I sat in stunned silence. I couldn't believe what he had just said.
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"There's a slight chance that she won't be the same. Her mind may be gone entirely , and in it's place , may be the mind of .... of an animal. Like I said , it's happened before. It's a side effect of the experiment."
"What experiment?"
"The resurrection experiment ," he said. "If her mind is gone , her behavior will be unpredictable. Most of the time she will be docile. She will know who you are. But she will no longer be Evelyn , because she will not have a soul. They can bring back the body , but not the soul , Richard.
"Is that what you've been hiding from me?"
"Yes. And if this happens , you have to kill her."
The past few weeks seemed like a nightmare. I couldn't handle caring for my mother again if she were to come back senile. Which meant that I would have to put her in a rest home. Nor was I prepared to care for someone who could potentially be dangerous and violent. I just couldn't take the chance.
"I can't do it ," I said.
"Can't do what?"
"I'm calling them back to tell them I'm not giving them their money."
"It's too late for that , Richard. The deed's been done. Either you pay them , or someone close to you dies."
"But if she comes back normal , I can't take care of her anymore! I can't go through that again."
"Then put her in a rest home." He put down his coffee and stood up. "I have to go. Call me and let me know how it goes."
He went to the door , but hesitated before opening it , not turning to look at me. "Remember what I said , Richard."
He left , and that was the last time I saw him.
The house was a mess. There were dirty dishes piled high in the kitchen sink , and clothes were scattered throughout the house. I washed the dishes , picked up the clothes , and once again , fell asleep in front of the television. I had the maggot dream again. The door bell chimed , and instead of my mother standing there , there was a large mass of writhing maggots.
I woke up shaking , my forehead thick with sweat. A car horn sounded briefly outside. I looked out the side window. It was almost dark.. A black , unmarked van was sitting in front of the house , it's lights off. Feeling excited and apprehensive I went outside and waited. No one got out of the van. It sat there idling for several minutes. I was getting tired of waiting. Finally , the side door slid open quietly and two people got out , one tall , one shorter. The tall figure had a hand around the other's arm. The shorter figure was dressed in a black robe with a hood over it's head. I knew it was her .... my mother.
"Richard Brooks?" the tall man said. He was dressed in a dark suit and wearing sun glasses. A black man , with a very deep voice.
"I'm Richard Brooks."
"Do you have my money?"
"Yes. Wait here while I get it."
I went back into the house and returned with the envelope uncle Leo had given me. I gave it to him , and he all but shoved her at me.
In a voice filled with loathing , he said , "Take it. I can't bear to look at it anymore."
He shoved the envelope into an inside coat pocket , walked slowly back to the van , and it drove away slow and quiet. She hadn't said a word since it left , but I knew she was looking at me.
"Let's get you into the house." I took her by the arm and led her inside. I left her in the entrance hall while I went throughout the living room and the kitchen , switching on all the lights. I then led her to the sofa and sat her down.
I sat down beside her. "Mom , do you know where you are?"
She said nothing.
"Do you know who I am?"
I expected her to look up at me , smile , and say something like , Richard , it's good to see you again! But again , she said nothing.
"This is your apartment. And I'm Richard , your son."
Still no answer.
I hesitated before pulling back the hood. "Mom , I going to pull down the hood."
I was prepared to see an old woman staring blankly into space , but what I saw was much worse , God help me , it was so much worse!
I screamed , and screamed , and then everything slowly faded ....
The authorities said that I had dug up my mother's corpse , and desecrated it. Obviously I had been under a lot of stress , and grief stricken over her death , I had no idea what I had been doing.
But if that was the truth , I don't remember it. All I remember is pulling back the hood and seeing hundreds of writhing maggots swarming over the hole where her face should have been.
"Richard ," the thing croaked , and that was when I screamed. I don't know how long I screamed , before everything went black.
The psychiatrist I was assigned to , thinks I'm crazy. I can see it in his eyes. I told him everything , but he doesn't believe me. He says it wasn't my fault , that I was under so much stress , that I hadn't realized what I had been doing , and in my illness I had imagined Resurrection Inc.. But he was wrong. It happened. Just the way I've written it , here.
I know I committed an unspeakable crime. And I doubt you will believe me when I tell you that I did it out of love. You have every right to think I'm crazy. I deserve no mercy , nor do I expect any. God is witness to my insanity , and I do not ask Him for mercy.
My crime wasn't just desecrating her corpse , if that is what I had really done. It was bringing her back , thinking that I could play God. That was my unspeakable crime. And soon , I will pay for my foolishness.
Even now , as I sit here writing this , I can hear footsteps approaching in the corridor , outside my cell. They are not the jailer's footsteps. They are slow and faltering , but there is a strange familiarity to them , as if I have heard them before. I think they are my mothers footsteps. But she is not alone. I can hear others besides her own. Footsteps that are also faltering , and also strangely familiar.
My brother's footsteps.
You see , my mother wasn't the only one I brought back. I brought Sam back as well. He was right. I should have given him the money when he asked for it. It was my fault they had killed him.
My mother's voice comes through the cell door. "Richard. Why did you bring me back? Why?"
And Sam says , "I told you they would kill me , Richard. Why did you let them kill me , Richard? Why?"
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me!" The tears come. They finally come.
"It's too late for that , Richard , " my mother says.
The cell door opens. My mother and Sam are standing there. They are nothing more than half rotting corpses , festering with maggots , and worms. Their faces , dear God , their faces are mostly eaten away , but their eyes and teeth remain. They look as if they are smiling. They have come to deliver God's judgment to me at last.
"Richard , it's me. I've got your money. I'll be there in about two hours. I've got some errands to run first."
"I don't know if I can do this."
I told him about the dream.
"It doesn't mean anything. It was just a dream."
"What if it wasn't just a dream? What if it was a premonition?"
"Stop worrying about it , Richard. Everything will be fine. You'll see."
I took a shower. The memory of all those maggots was disturbing. I felt an urge to wash until my skin was raw. After breakfast , I took a long walk around the city streets. I enjoyed walking. It always helped me unwind after a restless night.
The streets were wet. A heavy summer storm had passed through during the early morning hours. The skies were cloudless and blue.I had no desire to return to the apartment yet. It was too depressing. I wanted to stay outside and enjoy the fresh , cool air. I wanted to pretend that the last few weeks had never happened. For almost an hour , I sat on a park bench and watched the traffic , and people passing by , before heading back to the apartment.
While waiting for uncle Leo , I fell asleep in front of the television. I had the same dream again , only this time , instead of her face being covered in maggots , they swarmed over her entire corpse. There was a ragged hole where her face had been , and a half eaten , black tongue protruded from it.
"Richard ," she said again. Her voice sounded as if it had come from deep under water.
I came awake with a start , a scream locked in my throat. The door bell chimed. It was uncle Leo. He was late ; it was almost noon.
"I'm sorry I'm late ," he said. "My errands took longer than I anticipated."
He handed me a thick , white envelope. "Here's the money. And by the way , you don't have to pay me back. Consider it a gift."
I took the envelope and put it away. "I don't know how to thank you , uncle Leo."
"No need to." He sat down on the sofa. "Is that coffee I smell?"
"I'll get you a cup."
"I'll have to drink it fast. Can't stay long."
I hoped he would stay long enough to tell me what he was hiding. I brought him his coffee in my mother's favorite mug. It had , World's Greatest Mom , stenciled on the side of it. I had given it to her for her thirty ~ fifth birthday. It had been one of the best days of my life. I was eleven years old , my parents were still a few years from divorce , and everyone was happy.
I didn't want any coffee myself. I'd had a hard enough time sleeping lately.
I sat down in my mother's favorite arm chair , where she had spent entire days watching her favorite soaps. I waited for uncle Leo to tell me what he had been hiding. But I knew he wouldn't tell me , so I had to force it out of him.
"I want to know what your hiding from me. And don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about."
He looked at me a moment , and then lowered his eyes to his coffee , which he hadn't yet touched.
He took a sip. "It's better that you not know , Richard. For your sake. And for the sake of Cheryl , and Sam. These people can be very dangerous. If I tell you everything I know about them , they may decide to kill all three of you. They have the ability to make you disappear , as if you were never born. And I can't live with that. But I can tell you this : what I said about Evelyn not being what you expect her to be. I wasn't lying about that. I wasn't exaggerating. It's happened before. And if it happens to your mother , I want you to promise me something."
"What's that?"
"That you will kill her."
I sat in stunned silence. I couldn't believe what he had just said.
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"There's a slight chance that she won't be the same. Her mind may be gone entirely , and in it's place , may be the mind of .... of an animal. Like I said , it's happened before. It's a side effect of the experiment."
"What experiment?"
"The resurrection experiment ," he said. "If her mind is gone , her behavior will be unpredictable. Most of the time she will be docile. She will know who you are. But she will no longer be Evelyn , because she will not have a soul. They can bring back the body , but not the soul , Richard.
"Is that what you've been hiding from me?"
"Yes. And if this happens , you have to kill her."
The past few weeks seemed like a nightmare. I couldn't handle caring for my mother again if she were to come back senile. Which meant that I would have to put her in a rest home. Nor was I prepared to care for someone who could potentially be dangerous and violent. I just couldn't take the chance.
"I can't do it ," I said.
"Can't do what?"
"I'm calling them back to tell them I'm not giving them their money."
"It's too late for that , Richard. The deed's been done. Either you pay them , or someone close to you dies."
"But if she comes back normal , I can't take care of her anymore! I can't go through that again."
"Then put her in a rest home." He put down his coffee and stood up. "I have to go. Call me and let me know how it goes."
He went to the door , but hesitated before opening it , not turning to look at me. "Remember what I said , Richard."
He left , and that was the last time I saw him.
The house was a mess. There were dirty dishes piled high in the kitchen sink , and clothes were scattered throughout the house. I washed the dishes , picked up the clothes , and once again , fell asleep in front of the television. I had the maggot dream again. The door bell chimed , and instead of my mother standing there , there was a large mass of writhing maggots.
I woke up shaking , my forehead thick with sweat. A car horn sounded briefly outside. I looked out the side window. It was almost dark.. A black , unmarked van was sitting in front of the house , it's lights off. Feeling excited and apprehensive I went outside and waited. No one got out of the van. It sat there idling for several minutes. I was getting tired of waiting. Finally , the side door slid open quietly and two people got out , one tall , one shorter. The tall figure had a hand around the other's arm. The shorter figure was dressed in a black robe with a hood over it's head. I knew it was her .... my mother.
"Richard Brooks?" the tall man said. He was dressed in a dark suit and wearing sun glasses. A black man , with a very deep voice.
"I'm Richard Brooks."
"Do you have my money?"
"Yes. Wait here while I get it."
I went back into the house and returned with the envelope uncle Leo had given me. I gave it to him , and he all but shoved her at me.
In a voice filled with loathing , he said , "Take it. I can't bear to look at it anymore."
He shoved the envelope into an inside coat pocket , walked slowly back to the van , and it drove away slow and quiet. She hadn't said a word since it left , but I knew she was looking at me.
"Let's get you into the house." I took her by the arm and led her inside. I left her in the entrance hall while I went throughout the living room and the kitchen , switching on all the lights. I then led her to the sofa and sat her down.
I sat down beside her. "Mom , do you know where you are?"
She said nothing.
"Do you know who I am?"
I expected her to look up at me , smile , and say something like , Richard , it's good to see you again! But again , she said nothing.
"This is your apartment. And I'm Richard , your son."
Still no answer.
I hesitated before pulling back the hood. "Mom , I going to pull down the hood."
I was prepared to see an old woman staring blankly into space , but what I saw was much worse , God help me , it was so much worse!
I screamed , and screamed , and then everything slowly faded ....
The authorities said that I had dug up my mother's corpse , and desecrated it. Obviously I had been under a lot of stress , and grief stricken over her death , I had no idea what I had been doing.
But if that was the truth , I don't remember it. All I remember is pulling back the hood and seeing hundreds of writhing maggots swarming over the hole where her face should have been.
"Richard ," the thing croaked , and that was when I screamed. I don't know how long I screamed , before everything went black.
The psychiatrist I was assigned to , thinks I'm crazy. I can see it in his eyes. I told him everything , but he doesn't believe me. He says it wasn't my fault , that I was under so much stress , that I hadn't realized what I had been doing , and in my illness I had imagined Resurrection Inc.. But he was wrong. It happened. Just the way I've written it , here.
I know I committed an unspeakable crime. And I doubt you will believe me when I tell you that I did it out of love. You have every right to think I'm crazy. I deserve no mercy , nor do I expect any. God is witness to my insanity , and I do not ask Him for mercy.
My crime wasn't just desecrating her corpse , if that is what I had really done. It was bringing her back , thinking that I could play God. That was my unspeakable crime. And soon , I will pay for my foolishness.
Even now , as I sit here writing this , I can hear footsteps approaching in the corridor , outside my cell. They are not the jailer's footsteps. They are slow and faltering , but there is a strange familiarity to them , as if I have heard them before. I think they are my mothers footsteps. But she is not alone. I can hear others besides her own. Footsteps that are also faltering , and also strangely familiar.
My brother's footsteps.
You see , my mother wasn't the only one I brought back. I brought Sam back as well. He was right. I should have given him the money when he asked for it. It was my fault they had killed him.
My mother's voice comes through the cell door. "Richard. Why did you bring me back? Why?"
And Sam says , "I told you they would kill me , Richard. Why did you let them kill me , Richard? Why?"
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me!" The tears come. They finally come.
"It's too late for that , Richard , " my mother says.
The cell door opens. My mother and Sam are standing there. They are nothing more than half rotting corpses , festering with maggots , and worms. Their faces , dear God , their faces are mostly eaten away , but their eyes and teeth remain. They look as if they are smiling. They have come to deliver God's judgment to me at last.
