The darker side of human nature has always been a fascinating topic.  The reasons why people do some things can be unnerving to say the least. For the most part, the motivations behind acts are self-explanatory, particularly in the criminal world.  Thieves steal money.  Murderers kill.  Addicts do not-so-pleasant things to support their habits.   We may feel squeamish, but we still want to hear anyway, much the same way traffic comes to a crawl to gaze upon an accident along the side of the road.

It’s the same reason why serial killers are such a popular topic in books and movies.  We want to know what drives people to do seemingly inexplicable acts.   We are compelled with curiosity to sit in horror and, to a certain extent, judgment as we lap every word, every scene up.

And it’s that fascination, the reader/viewer’s attraction that’s ultimately explored in this story through the perspective of another character.

The core of this short story like many things I write has its roots in real life, because as the adage goes, “truth is stranger than fiction.”  In a nearby town where I grew up, there was an incident that “happened” (quotes because no one that I know can confirm or deny this) that encapsulates why we are so intrigued with understanding human behavior.

At the time (approximately early 1970s), there was an alleged incident where a daughter haunted her father by running away and periodically sending him photos of her in compromising positions with men.  While this was the stuff of neighborhood legend, and admittedly, may have been exaggerated as the years went on (the family had since moved, or so I was told), it nevertheless struck a chord.

Why would a daughter want to cause so much hurt in her father?

Now, if true, there could have been a myriad of reasons. She was abused.  She was molested. She was on drugs.  She fell into a cult.  And while all of these are plausible, viable conclusions to such a strange act, it’s not satisfying for the mere reason that it allows the reader to understand.

But the strangest things in life, we never understand.  Like with serial killers, they are most chilling because, in many instances, it doesn’t make sense.

And from what I could gather growing up from people that knew a person, that knew a person, that knew the family, there was no reason for what she did.

She just did it because she wanted to.

Because she could.

And that’s the most chilling reason of all.

Published by Deer Hawk Publishing www.deerhawkpublications.com

Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency https://loiaconoliteraryagency.com/authors/emilio-iasiello/