THE SHIVERS

THE BIRTH OF EVIL

"The shivers" Dr Broflowski said... " is a perfectly normal reaction for a woman in your condition." Maria is mildly surprise that her recent symptoms are not the flu. It has been 5 years since she had her 2nd daughter Elizabeth, But still... she feels like she should have known she was with child. But the unexpected is not unloved. And as her surprise ebbs away, she lights up like christmas. Tomas Mortis accompanied his wife in a followup visit. As the pregnancy gets into the second trimester, it is clear that Maria is not having cold spells. It is her unborn that, for a min or so, just shivers. Sometimes once a day sometimes twice, most womb caged creatures kick. This one quakes.

Check up after check up, test after test, all other things fell way into the norm. And so maybe a little more nervous than most parents entering the birthing chamber, Tomas and Maria await the arrival of the greatest of unknowns. For there have been no end to the shivers. But no unusual happenings occurred this all saints day as Angelo entered this world. Silence is the most abundant and disturbing of natures elements. The child is a soundless being, sometimes he seems lifeless. He seems only slightly responsive to the world around him. Angelo is diagnosed autistic, the kingdom of lies and possibilities. Like mona lisa on his lips he neither laughs nor cries. He wakes, he eats and then observes the world around him till he sleeps. The only thing else he does is tense all his muscles until he quivers.

Dr Anderson has helped many families deal with their autistic child. In his early notes he states... Angelo was easier than most. His only aberrant behavior is the shivers. Angelo watched the world, but just as content to watch nothing at all. And if he is perfectly aware of all he sees, then where is his mind when there is no view. His physical development has been well above normal. His mother states that he never crawled. She left him watching tv one day, he just walked to the bathroom and then back to where he was. By 2 he would wake and make his bed. Then sit there till his mother told him where she would prefer him to sit for a spell. The child is as fascinated with everything as he is with nothing . I see no morals within his eyes. Such a person could grow to be more creature than man. At the age of 7 there was an incident in school. Sam Paterson by accounts was picking on Angelo trying to evoke a response. When the antagonizing boy got his face inches from Angelo's. Angelo bit his nose severely. The boy then charged and as he threw his punch Angelo caught the boys hand and simply stared him down. I think of Angelo as being a small boy helplessly trapped in his mind. But I tremble to say that he is more creature than human. And all creatures in the world of man must defend themselves. Defense leads to offense, offense leads to suspicion. Life is full of suspicious things. My worst fear is that he is separate from us all. To be consumed by the inevitable malevolence poured from an ancient pithos.

It was the day before Angelo's tenth birthday. He had one of his little convulsions, as his mother put it, while waiting on the bench outside of school for his father. Aside from his shivers he sat still like always. This day Tomas had a surprise for his son but he had left it at work. And so after picking up his son, they drove to his office which was not far from their home. Once there Tomas reminds Angelo that its halloween and this year he picked out a clown suit for him. He dressed his lifeless boy speaking to him always in the spirit of the day. For like any father when he looks into his child's eyes he sees joy. He sees excitement. He sees hope, that is not there. With glee he stands the boy in front of the mirror. Behind the mask Angelo has what some might call a feeling. Suddenly his father remembers the last part of the ensemble. He gives him a small knife to complete his killer clown from outer space look. He kneels over and laughingly says to his boy not to worry, this little plastic thing could not hurt a fly.

Angelo summarily thrust the toy into his fathers throat, splitting his vocal chords. The shivers had made the boy stronger than most. Even after Tomas pulled the toy out of his body he still couldn't make much more than a gurgle. The only thing that came out of his mouth was a huge clot of blood which splashed Angelo's mask and costume. Tomas staggered but not long. He fell to his knees and then face first onto the floor. Horrified in his surprise as he dies. Angelo looks at his fathers body for a moment and then leaves to go home. Joanna Dark was the first to see Angelo as he left his fathers office. She was uberly delighted to see Angelo in his costume. She asked the boy to pose for a picture. Angelo complied. After Angelo left, Joanna was distracted for a while with a barrage of goblins grubbing for candy. So it took about an hour before she noticed her bosses body and called the police. But an hour was more than enough time for Angelo to get home.

Maria was in her kitchen preparing little bags of goodies to pass out to the creepshow soon to be knocking at the door. Angelo came into his mothers kitchen and grabbed one of kitchen knives. It was then that his mother had noticed he was in the room. Startled by the boy, she cautions him. "That is not a toy Angelo, put it down son." But as the fresh blood drops from his mask, Maria is filled with ever increasing dread. She continues to try to reason with her son, who has always obeyed her commands before. But Angelo is as unmoved as he ever is. He slowly closes in the space between him and that which bore him. Maria refuses to run in fear of her child. Angelo thrust the blade into the soft tissue below rib cage. He knows his anatomy well and drives the blade upwards piercing his mothers heart in more ways than one.

september 2012