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Edna Smythe was a particularly easy woman to dislike...intensely!
Old Vic Smythe, her long departed husband, had run off with a real harridan. She, however, was a saint compared to Edna.
Evil Edna, as she was known, could have had so much out of life. Instead, hatred and wickedness poured freely out of her every pore, and she was despised by so many.
Her son had come out of the closet. It had taken a great deal of determination and pure strength to face his mother and tell her of his sexual tendencies.
Her answer had simply been to spit in his face and throw vile and vindictive comments at her only child.
Within months, Martin, her son had found a wonderful partner, got a huge promotion at work, and had won a vast amount on the national lottery.
By this time, Edna had managed to inflict so much poison on her son and partner that they had vowed never to contact her again.
Edna had been reasonably saddened by this...the lottery win would have been a real bonus for her!
Her neighbors of some ten years had tried so hard to befriend her. When Vic had fled her
evil clutches, they had asked her to dinner, for Christmas...even to a family wedding.
Edna had accepted the wedding invitation and had made it her ultimate goal to ruin the whole function.
Realizing that the groom was the grandson of an old adversary, she had spread such vicious rumors at the evening reception that a fight had ensued and the bride had fled in tears.
Such an evil woman had not been seen before in this small English village.
Young Sally Slater two doors along had accidentally thrown her beach ball into Edna's garden. Edna had called out to the seven-year-old child and asked her if she wanted her ball back.
She had then burst it with her garden fork.
Another awful thing about this woman was her lies. If she could tell a lie ...she would.
Husbands doubted wives, brothers cursed sisters and family lives were cast asunder...Edna made sure of that.
In fact, she lied so much that truth and fiction rolled into one. Even Edna, sometimes forgot what was real life.
She should have been so unhappy to inflict so many traumas, but she thoroughly enjoyed it.
One morning Edna awoke. She had seen the man from number twenty-four in the back yard of number forty.
A widow lived there, and Edna just knew that they were having a steamy affair. There was nothing for it. She would have to tell his wife.
Later on, as she left the inconsolable wife weeping in her front hallway, Edna smirked to herself...what a life!
That day she did quite well. She told Mr. Hewson that his daughter had been smoking and informed the local dog handler that number thirty-two were ill-treating their Alsatian.
Of course, if she had bothered to check her facts, she would have known that Sherie Hewson was actually purchasing the cigarettes for her elderly and infirm neighbor. Ernie, the Alsatian dog had colic, and despite the utmost care from his
owners, couldn't help but bark in pain at times.
The usually tightly knit community decided to pull rank. One Saturday evening they held a meeting at the Hewson abode.
About thirty-six local residents packed into the through lounge of the property and vented their anger.
It was unanimously decided that Edna would be ignored and sent to Coventry for the foreseeable future.
The residents, usually a caring and warm bunch of folk, felt badly about their decision. After all, what a way to treat a middle-aged lady on her own. However, they stuck to their decision. Maybe Edna would be forced to change her manner and rethink her values.
The evening ended on a high note when Sherie put on a Beatles disc and some lively dancing ensued.
The music wasn't loud really but Edna decided that she just had to put paid to the frivolous behavior.
She telephoned the noise abatement society and told them that no one should have to put up with such a frightful sound at that time of night...it was nine-thirty!
Edna got herself a cup of hot chocolate and sat in her front room whilst she waited for the man with the decibel counter.
She decided that tomorrow morning, she would contact his boss to complain about the tardiness of one of his employees. It simply would not do!
She peered through her net curtains and tut- tutted at what she saw. The young girl from along the road was walking along with a young boy.
Worse still, he had his hand resting on her left buttock. Edna smiled as she mentally made a note to inform the girl's mother. Honestly, flaunting herself in that brazen manner ...that would stop if she had anything to do with it!
The chiming clock on her mantelpiece struck the hour and Edna stifled an ungainly yawn.
Simultaneously, a knock came on her front door. 'At last,' thought Edna. 'Justice would prevail!'
She opened the door and saw only a shadow lurking in the darkness. Covering her mouth, the
shadow, wearing a balaclava, pushed her backwards into the front room.
Edna, for once in her life, didn't have a chance to fight back. The shadow grabbed hold of the solid oak candlestick that lived next to the clock on the mantelpiece.
Repeatedly, it struck Edna on the head, sometimes missing her and striking the wall in a frenzied manner.
Next door, the neighbors heard the knocks on the wall. My God, did that woman have no scruples. Could she not even allow them to have a bit of enjoyment in their lives?
Of course, Edna's cries for help went unheard. Although the music was not too loud, it was loud enough to mask her blood-curdling screams.
When the noise abatement man finally arrived at ten thirty, he notified the police.
Edna's door was wide open, and a sickening sight had met his eyes when he'd eventually found her.
She was very, very dead, and there was a lot of unnecessary mess.
The police later said that Edna Smythe had so many enemies., it would be almost impossible to identify the murderer.
After all, the neighbors had been next door at a party, and nobody had seen anyone leave all night.
Further more...if they had...they weren't letting on. Evil Edna Smythe had pushed somebody too far and as far as anybody cared...she had got her just
desserts.
©2002 StoriesByEmail.com
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