The Incubus

Chapter 9, Scene 2

After a long week, Justin opened the door to a quiet apartment with a lingering odour. Instead of the cheerful voice of his wife as greeting, a damp smell and the overwhelming silence was his only welcome. He made his way to the living room and dropped his bags on the floor. The apartment seemed darker than usual, almost as if no light came through the windows anymore. Justin moved to the windows to open the curtains but was side tracked by the smell. It got worse the deeper he moved into the living room.

The bird, he thought and walked to the cage. There was no doubt about it; the odour was indeed coming from the bird cage. Justin held his breath and looked inside the cage. The bird was lying on the bottom of the cage; stiff and dead. Justin leaned forward to take a closer look. Rebecca was right. Its neck had indeed been twisted around. There was no way that a bird's neck could do that on its own. Justin took a few steps back from the cage and exhaled slowly. His stomach churned and he almost lost his lunch.

The place is a mess, he thought. Although no more of a mess than usual, the apartment had a dirty feel to it that he hadn't felt before. Dirty dishes lined the living room table, clothes were strewn on the floor, and the bed was unmade. This was the norm in the Greene household where both worked a full time job, but for some reason, it really bothered Justin. He picked up the plates and carried them back to the kitchen where he placed it in the sink. He ran hot water over the dishes to loosen up the hardened left-over food and would re-fill the sink with soapy water once he returned with Rebecca.

Now for the hard part. He took an old newspaper and breathing only very slowly through the mouth, made his way to the bird cage. Justin wrapped the newspaper around the dead bird and carried it to the garbage bin where he promptly disposed of it.

'What a dump' Justin said as he drew back a curtain. He wondered if it was the exposure to the overly-neat hotel rooms that made him aware of what a mess their place had been all along. How did that motivational speaker once put it? Those who have nothing to do are so busy doing it that they don't have time to clean up the mess that they live in.

'Indeed,' Justin said and surveyed the apartment. With the dishes stashed away and curtains now open, the place appeared somewhat better; but not a whole lot. Either way, it would have to do for now. It was getting dark and Justin had to meet Rebecca at her parents' place. He took the garbage bag and sealed it with a knot. When he returned from the garbage bins, Justin grabbed his phone and keys and locked the door.