THE CURTAINS WERE BLUE...

It was a dark, stormy night. The curtains were a dark shade of blue. The room only lit up occasionally when lightning struck. The sound of the rain pounding on the roof of the old abandoned mansion was too soft when compared to the sick and gruesome thoughts going through his mind.

He never imagined being in such a devastating state, both physically and mentally. Tears were rolling down the side of his cheeks but he had no intention of stopping them. He didn't even have the energy to try. After several long minutes, he finally made up his mind and there was no stopping him.

He gathered all his strength and stood up, slowly. He was gritting his teeth together, trying with all his might to withstand the pain and ache that was tormenting his whole, pale body. He limped away from the corner of the room, where he was lying helpless, just moments ago, thinking about his horrific and sad life.

                                                                                .      .      .

Never did Ronald Finlay imagine in his wildest dreams that he would have to visit the old abandoned mansion this frequently. The good memories of the yesteryears when both his parents and brother were still alive kept reminding him of how wonderful life could have been for him. Now, all that remained were just blurred figures of his family. His memory of their faces was fading quickly and the mere thought of that scared him.

Ever since his mum passed away 6 years ago, he found himself dealing with problems that "Fate" kept throwing at him. Ron, who was only 5 years old at the time of his mother's demise, was forced to live with his father, brother and stepmother. Well, that doesn't sound that bad, does it?

His stepmother, Sharon, was the type of person who couldn't control her emotions. She was a person who needed to go to the hospital. Oh, don't worry, she's perfectly healthy. She was just a crazy little witch.

Sharon did not make life easy for Ron and his elder brother, Gerry. Whenever her husband wasn't home, she would seize the moment and abuse the Finlay brothers. She found pleasure in abusing them and often used metal rods to cane the innocent little souls.

This situation reached greater heights after Ron's father lost his battle against lung cancer. Sharon became the man of the house and she took full control of the household, not that she wasn't doing so before. She now had a new responsibility and that was to land a job for her sake. She needed the income to be able to pass her days. It was never about the children. Not even once.

Unfortunately, this new responsibility meant that she had a new excuse to abuse the children. Gerry became the immediate victim for Sharon's cruelty. She would hit him and force him to bear the pain. Everytime Sharon got infuriated or agitated, she would find that dear metal rod of hers and use it on Gerry.

Finally, after several months of going through physical and emotional torture, they found this old abandoned mansion. The sneaky little brothers often escaped to this place just to avoid from being with her. Although it wasn't the best place to calm themselves down after a shitload of torture, anywhere was better than being at home with the wicked witch.

However, the children's disappearance did not go unnoticed. Sharon made a bold decision on one gloomy day to follow them to see where they were heading. She quietly followed the duo on their secret journey. The wicked bat even tiptoed and was careful enough to avoid herself from stepping on the dried leaves.

As soon as they reached  the old abandoned mansion, Sharon raced towards them and grabbed Gerry by the collar. She wasn't just angry, she was furious! Sharon immediately slapped him hard on the cheeks and screamed at him for bringing Ron to this place. She explained that the duo shouldn't wander off into other poeple's property.

Ron however felt that she was just pertubed as she thought that they may have informed someone about her cruelty. The outraged Sharon then forced Ron to stay put while she brought Gerry back home. Ron, who was only 11 at the time, didn't dare to argue with the evil witch who was already marching his elder brother home.

After what seemed like hours, Sharon returned and called the terrified Ron to return home with her. The 30 minute walk home was tense as neither one of them spoke a single word. Ron was dying to meet his brother to ask where she had hurt him this time. The moment his feet touched the wooden floor of their house, he bolted upstairs to his brother's room. Ron stopped at the door and then fell to his knees...his brother was dangling from the ceiling fan of their room with a rope around his neck! His beloved brother, the one and only true family member left, was dead.

Ever since, Ron became the next victim and he was treated without care. Ron cried himself to sleep every night, wondering what horrible plans Sharon had for him the next day. Sharon couldn't even be classified as a witch to him now. She was a demon and he was going through hell every single day.

One night, Ron stormed out of his room and headed to the kitchen. He searched frantically for a knife and when he was pleased with what he was clenching, he charged into his stepmother's room. There, he slit her throat and watched in delight as Sharon's blood gushed out from her mouth and throat. He watched her suffer and he cherished every moment of it as she succumbed to her death at last.

The pain and suffering that he went through for the past few years were too much to bear. He rushed out of the blood spewed bedroom and out of the house. The only other place he knew was the old abandoned mansion and that became his destination.

He braved through the dark and stormy night, using only the bright striking lightning as a source of light. He reached the mansion and sat in a corner of a room, waiting, watching and wondering when the police would show up...or if they ever will.

He stood up and limped towards the paneless window covered with dark blue curtains. He jumped out, outraged by the fact that his life was going to end. As he fell, his leg got tangled in the curtain and it fell together with him. The dark, blue curtain, now covered in mud and Ron's blood, was a perfect symbolisation to explain about Ron's sad and dejected life. The dark, blue curtain was the last thing Ron saw.