Unfortunate Circumstances

Chapter Six

Much later, the neighbors would come to agree; it was all so scandalous and strange. In the days ahead, they would see the neighborhood begin to fill up with the unwelcome sights and sounds of police cars, detectives, and other uncommon, distracting things.

How could this have happened? they would ask themselves. How had such a horrific event come to occur, right on their quiet street?

Yet, in the weeks to come, many of them also would tell each other that they had known better, for years. Had known that some day, something unusual would take place. They'd known it all along, they'd say, about that house. There was something - almost supernatural - about it.

******

Later that morning, the neighbors saw strange new people start to show up. Worried visitors in weird, colorful outfits, none of which matched. Not a proper suit or dress among them, especially when they saw the outfit on the man with the long dark hair. He was creepy, with a sweeping black robe. One lady even had on a vulture hat. They definitely aren't from around here.

There was the first one, who'd gotten there in the early morning, almost immediately. A very odd, old figure with a silver beard. He'd looked like he could barely stand. Soon after that came a man with a lime-green bowler hat.

An old Ford Anglia, which somehow had three rows of seats, then pulled up. The car was bumping and pulling, looking like it quite recently had had a flat tire, and was clomping along on the spare. It was full, mainly with a family of redheads, plus an older auburn-haired driver filthy from auto grease and oil.

Also included here was a huge, bearded man, who almost blocked out the sun, plus a teen-age boy - whom some of the neighbors had noticed before. They said that he had been here at this very house last night, and had been seen in the same car.

The tragic events seemed to have affected this one child more than the others. For a moment, the neighbors had been afraid that he'd make matters worse by making a scene. The old man and the family, especially the other children, had tried to comfort him, but the teen was almost beside himself.

******

Back before this time, still in the dark of the early morning, near the front door of the house, there was a brief moment when the light had not yet been turned on. In the second beforehand, in the very split-second, the new shiny gold frames had sparkled a bit. They had reflected off something back in the dark room. It would prove to be just enough light for someone within.

******

Vernon had indeed seen the glint of the glasses. He had to be quick. This was his opportunity, and he took it.

Exactly as he'd rehearsed, Vernon took aim, just below where he'd seen the frames. In the dark, before the light of the switch, with the gun fast and true, he fired once. He hit his mark.

******

It would come out later that, on No. 4, Privet Drive, the family who lived there had arrived back home much earlier than expected. The car had pulled up to let someone out, then backed out again so that the driver could unload packages in the backyard garage.

On that morning, the person getting out of the car had unlocked the front door very quietly. The boy wore expensive, brand-new designer spectacles. It seemed that he'd wanted to slip up the stairs, to surprise his father. Because Vernon's son Dudley had never worn glasses before.

******

Yes, the neighbors later decided, watching as a tall redheaded boy tried to help the despondent black-haired teen-ager, it was all very strange. So scandalous and strange. Amid the confusion of the day's events, there was only one thing left to agree on.

Quiet little Privet Drive was normal no longer.

"When we describe the moon as dead... when we find space so hideously void, we are describing our own unbearable emptiness..."

- D.H. Lawrence

Posthumous Papers

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