An Old Man With A Long White Beard | Teen Ink

An Old Man With A Long White Beard

May 15, 2019
By Anonymous

An old man with a long white beard walks in the store with his chubby belly. It was Christmas time around, so when I saw him getting a stocking, I found it really normal. But as he started collecting things it got weirder and weirder. He was being denigrated by some teenage boy but he didn’t seem to care. After the cinder block he had collected from outside, he keep collecting his items inside, which next was a purse and sunglasses. I didn’t think much of it because I thought it was for his wife. In the end he grabbed a toothbrush and bought a cat. I tried to figure out what he was going to do with all that but never guessed it. I continued with the next customer. When I got home, I couldn't stop thinking of the old man with the white beard and his odd items. This became an impediment for me to go to sleep. The only logical reasoning for the use of those items must have been that he used the cinder block for the building of something. The toothbrush was for his teeth, the one he has was too old and he needed a new one. The glasses was for the upcoming summer and the purse would be indeed for he wife. The stocking for his door to decorate for Christmas. And last the cat, as a pet because he might have felt lonely. It was all what the neighbors were talking about for a few weeks. Everyone was so surprised on what had happened. They never had expected it from the old chubby guy. The old chubby guy was named Tom. Tom was profoundly in love with his wife. They had been together for more than fifty years and had five children. But he had killed his wife because of an apparent heartbreak. He found out that his wife was cheating on him so he went hysterical. She had been seeing a younger man from her job. After two years into the affair, she decided to tell Tom. She told him that she was deeply in love with the other guy and that she wanted a divorce. Tom lost it.  As much as he didn’t want to hurt her, he also wanted her to pay for what she had done. The first week he gave her the toothbrush without her even knowing that he had been using it to clean the bathroom floor. Secondly, he bought a cat because he knew that she was extremely allergic to them, but pretended that he had forgot. This was so dreadful to him but he was hurt. He bought her a purse with the sunglasses but he put paint on them so she would go blind. The stocking was used to cover up the murder, by making his house seem merry. And lastly he dropped a cinder block on her head. That was the end of her. What was once the gaiety of their home had been killed. 


The author's comments:

Greetings everyone! This short story was inspired by a recent dream I had. It was so random and I found it interesting enough to write about. It involves an old man with a broken heart, that makes him go crazy. I really hope you enjoy this story as much as I loved writing it. Thank you so much for taking the opportunity to read my story!


She lives in Dallas, Texas and is 18 years old. She is planning to attend to the University of Arlington and major in nursing and minor in psychology. Photography is her passion.


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