Sunday Photo Fiction is a weekly challenge presented by my old friend Al Forbes.
The idea is to write a short story (200 word max) inspired by what you see in the picture (below).
This week our intrepid leader provides an entertaining image, which sadly took me to the darkest of dark places.
My apologies in advance, especially to UK readers.
Click on this link to enter your tale, and to see what others have written.
© Al Forbes
Click here to hear this 90-second story read by the author:
The Monster
I stare out over the desolate moorland.
The newspaper slips from my fingers, falls to the ground.
The headline screams up at me.
The Monster is Dead
And there is the photograph of the face that has haunted me for five decades.
Beside it, as always, is the equally evil countenance of his blonde accomplice.
A tear runs down my face.
I am surprised, I thought I had cried myself dry long ago.
But now I realise they will only stop when I die.
It won’t be long now, I am over eighty years old.
My little boy would be sixty, almost a pensioner.
I would probably be a grandfather.
But no, he would probably be a grandfather!
But he didn’t even live into his teens.
Because of these creatures.
It has always been believed that he is buried out here, but now we will never know for sure.
That is the final, cruellest pain.
That even on his deathbed this vile being could not feel enough humanity to say where they had put my boy.
I stare out over the desolate moorland.
And weep.
Sound Bite Fiction 
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When a story writes itself, you have to let it go through with what it wants to say. These two monsters never even gave up the final resting places of some of their victims. There is a special place in hell reserved for these … creatures.
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Clever use of the prompt, C.E., to turn it into the remembrance of a human monster. Good writing. —- Suzanne
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The Moors Murders have passed into the history of the UK, Brady and Hindley almost becoming myths, monsters to scare the children against wandering out alone. That barren moor, those heartless deeds, the recordings – it’s almost incomprehensible. And the fact that Brady was able to live a long and comfortable life, much of the while complaining of his treatment too – a sickening human being.
Thank you for writing this, C. And you’re right, this will never be over until the last person affected by the pain these two caused has died too.
I do hope you are well 🙂
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Thank you for your comments, Lynn, this was a difficult subject, yet it just pretty much wrote itself. I read of his death when I was in Scotland recently, and was reminded just what a vile and depraved pair they were.
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A hard subject to do justice to, but you did it very well.
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Dear CE,
A tragic and haunting tale. Well written…one of your best I think.
Shalom I hope,
Rochelle
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Thank you, m’lady, very kind of you. Sometimes we have no choice but to tell the story, and the words write themselves.
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What a well-written tale, c.e…. and thanks for the link. There are monsters all over the world, aren’t there?
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I hoped my little tale would stand on its own, Dale, but the back story was screaming to be told too. Yes, the saddest thing is that every country has so many monsters of its own that we are unaware of those abroad.
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It did stand on its own. The back story was a bonus (so to speak).
Hope you are well…
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The most frightening monsters are the human ones. Very sad for the families who never had any kind of closure.
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True words, Sascha. In a world with many atrocities this pair managed to claim their own niche of pure evil.
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Most of these monster movies miss the fact that even when the creature is dead, it has left behind a lot of grief and misery.
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Very true, James, and thanks for visiting.
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A grim story, beautifully told.
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Thank you, some tales are innately grim, unfortunately.
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It’s nice to read you again. I like the bite and can see exactly where it’s coming from. It’s so wrong to pass these things in silence and I’m glad you wrote this story.
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Two of the vilest creatures ever to blight our planet, I think.
Thank you for your words, I somehow couldn’t let this one go away.
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Even without knowing the story, the vile deeds came across perfectly well, as did the pain and horror of someone who lost a loved one to these monsters.
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Thank you, Joy.
You might find this enlightening:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/15/moors-murderer-ian-brady-dies/
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I can see why those news reports would stay stuck in your memory, how horrible! It’s hard to imagine that people can be that sadistic and heartless.
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This is among the best known and most notorious murder stories of 20th Century Britain. I hope that the story stands alone, but feel the need to explain the background, not something I often do.
Thank you, Joy.
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I’m not sure about the actual murders these are based off of. Were the murders from the UK or from Europe? To me it seems there is intense relief this ‘monster of a human being is dead’ but the pain or tears won’t stop until the speaker himself had passed on. It’s incredibly sad about his son, murdered as a teenager, never able to live his life. I hope the monsters accomplice is dead too. This picture Al chose causes revulsion in me. I think it’s from the movie ‘Predator’ and reminds me in this case (I think) as in many cases such as in Manchester, the Boston Marsthon, etc how ‘the bad guys’ never look like the bad guys, like predator or ‘Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter.’ For the most part, they appear as every day people but their terrible choices and choice to turn to evil is revealed through their actions, the monster hiding within. Hugs CE.
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You are right in much of what you say, Amanda, thank you for commenting.
You might find this enlightening:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/15/moors-murderer-ian-brady-dies/
Hugs
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Thanks CE for sharing this article. I had never heard of this Moors murderer before . One messed up guy along with his girlfriend/wife and what he did to those kids before murdering them really disgusts me. Unrepentant to the end I think and well actually the predator monster in Al’s photo is quite telling of this man’s soul.
Hugs an enlightening article in a very sad way, 🤗😬
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Such a heartbreaking tale that fits the photo well. Not being from Britain I had never hear of these murders before. This is definitely every parent’s nightmare.
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Thank you for your kind words, Susan.
You might find this enlightening:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/15/moors-murderer-ian-brady-dies/
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Thank you for sharing. Hopefully the remains of the last young victim will be found someday.
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It felt wrong to press like, I find it hard to understand how Brady and Mira could go to their graves and not give this child and his family peace
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I understand, Michael.
I did try to communicate how much I despise these two contemptible wretches.
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What a macabre end. Very well written, Ceayr.
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Thanks, Neel, it is a macabre tale.
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