By Ron Wetherington

I had never murdered before. But he was a predator. He belittled my opinions. He ridiculed my appearance. He twisted my self-esteem until I felt discarded. I became immobilized with loathing — despising myself and him in equal measure. I avoided mirrors. In desperation, I had to act. 

So, I fell asleep with a goal to trap him without warning. As he crept into my dream, once again whispering threats to my sanity, I sliced him apart and shredded his features beyond recollection. I stuffed the pieces into my darkest, most inaccessible corners. He’s expelled. And I have never slept better.

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Ron Wetherington is a retired professor of anthropology living in Dallas, Texas. He has published a novel, Kiva (Sunstone Press), and numerous short fiction pieces in this second career. He also enjoys writing creative non-fiction. Read some of his pubs at https://www.rwetheri.com/