A Murder At The Reverie

When Nyoka moved to Giverny at the worst time to open up a pub. During this time a mother and son had disappeared without a single trace. As the newcomer in town, a lot of people suspected that it was her. Using her fairytale looks to lure people into her pub just to kill them and use them in tomorrow’s pies. Over time, however, the rumors died down, and Nyoka’s business had become popular.

As her addictive bubbly personality made all those around her smile.

There was one villager named Bernard who disliked her, claiming that she was a witch. He said she was too lovely and that the townsfolk were all being fooled. Bernard needed to get rid of her, but in order to do that, he would have to make sure that they were alone. It had been raining the day he chose to make his move. He saw her hurrying along the cobblestone path, struggling to carry the groceries in her arms.

Bernard swooped in to help her. "Nyoka, do you need some help?" he asked.

He sauntered up to her with an umbrella shielding her from the offending rain and offered her a hand. She smiled, her voice soft and almost sickly sweet to his ears. That made one more thing he hated about her.

"Thank you, Bernard. That would be a great help.”

Bernard took one of her bags and held the umbrella over them, escorting her to the door of Reverie. Nyoka fumbled with the keys in her hand and opened the door. He followed her inside, shutting the door behind them. Lamps dimly lit the bakery's entrance, the flames danced against the walls, twisting the shadows around and shaping them into monsters. To Bernard, her shadow took the form of a snake, twisting and curling around unsuspecting victims.

He knew that Nyoka was deceiving everyone in town, slithering her way into their lives and hearts. Bernard placed the grocery bag on the counter and walked to the other side where Nyoka was putting things away. She simply looked up at him and smiled.

“You don't have to stay, Bernard. It’s supposed to start storming soon,” she said, turning her back to him. He took his chance and reached for a knife hanging on a magnetic rack on the wall. Slowly, Bernard snuck up behind her and raised the knife above his right shoulder. Nyoka’s eyes widened in fear as she flattened herself against the fridge. He brought the knife down only for her to move out of the way.

She ran out the double doors of the kitchen as Bernard left the knife in the freezer door and went after her. He would end her with his own bare hands instead. Nyoka hid under one of the tables in the dining area. Nyoka’s heart thumbed in her ears as she waited for him to just leave the pub.

“I know you're here!” Bernard growled, pacing around the dining room, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. She refused to make a sound and pulled her knees to her chest. If Nyoka was quiet, then he wouldn’t be able to find her.

Or so she thought…

The tablecloth was lifted, and Bernard looked down at her, a dark shadow casting across his face mixed with a menacing smile and bearing inhuman teeth. She screamed as he yanked her from underneath the table, causing her to stagger to her feet. Two hands found their way around her neck and began to squeeze.

Bernard looked her in the eyes, calling her a snake and a deceiver. Not wanting her life to end so quickly, Nyoka reached for anything that could help her. Which happened to be one of the vases on one of the tables he had her pressed against, trying to choke her to death. With it in her grasp, she mustered all her strength, hitting him once and then twice in the head. Bernard’s grip on her loosened, and his face contorted in confusion and pain.

He began to stagger, dripping blood onto the wooden floor from a cut above his forehead. Mustering all her strength, Nyoka hit him one more time, shattering the vase and causing Bernard to fall over. Letting the pieces of shattered porcelain fall to the floor. She stood over him, wiping her hands on the front of her blue dress, then dragged him into the kitchen. Nyoka moved him into the walk-in freezer, taking the bone saw off the wall. She began dismembering him.

Nyoka gathered together the parts she used, disposing of the rest in the backyard furnace. The next day was bright and sunny, and Reverie was open for business. On the menu board, gourmet bear meat pot pies were the special of the day. Two of her usual customers sat together, ordering the daily special.

“Say, have you seen Bernard? They say he didn't turn up for work?"

“Probably hungover at home…it is the anniversary of his wife and kid after all.”

"Oh! That’s right. Bernard’s wife and son disappeared a few years ago, didn’t they, after they went traveling to the next town over?”

“That they did…but we should be celebrating their lives, not the loss.”

“I can toast to that!” he grinned like a fool and raised his glass.

"To Bernard and his family!” both men cheered.

Nyoka also raised a glass with a smile on her face. Yes…to Bernard for I am thankful to serve yet another bountiful meal, she thought to herself, enjoying the chatter of the bustling pub.