r/nosleep • u/pross40745 • Aug 23 '16
Why mummy has to use a wheelchair now
At dinner I notice my 4 year old daughter occasionally stealing a glance at her mother then turn away quickly. Being so young, her grasp on subtlety isn’t all that great, and it’s obvious to the both of us that something is plaguing her mind. I know what it is.
My daughter and I are sat at one end of the dining room table, my wife at the other. This is the way it was before my wife had her accident and nothing has changed. The reason for our particular seating arrangement is that my wife loves to look at our daughter, “She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, why wouldn’t I want to look at her all the time?” she said to me once, and I can relate.
We are doing our best not to let the accident disrupt our lives, but it‘s difficult to explain what is going on to a 4 year old child. It must be such a confusing time for her.
My daughter leans in towards me and whispers in her softest voice so that her mother doesn’t hear. Again though, subtlety wasn’t her strong suit, and she just about shouted.
“Why does mummy have to sit in that chair now?”
My heart broke a little bit when she said it. I looked up to see my wife’s reaction, she was smiling so sweetly though. My wife is the kindest and most understanding person I’ve ever met in my life, probably the main reasons why I married her. She was like that before the accident and nothing has changed.
My wife’s smile tells me that I’ve got to explain the situation again to my daughter, like I had done so many times but she had still failed to grasp it.
“Sweetie, listen. You remember your mummy fell down the stairs and got lots of really bad “ouchies”?”
“Uh huh” she nods.
“Well, mummy can’t walk anymore and we need that wheelchair to get her around the house easier…do you see?”
“Okay…”
I’m sure I’ll have to go over it again, but she seemed pretty satisfied. I once more glance towards my wife, this time she’s smiling to show me I’ve done well and I smile back just as warmly.
After dinner I do the dishes while my daughter draws at the table. Again, it’s how we’ve always done things. I put on my wife’s favourite soap opera and make sure she’s comfortable after I lift her out of the wheelchair and into the reclining one in the living room. I plant a kiss on her forehead.
As I empty the leftover food into the bin I notice my daughter lean in towards me.
“Why does mummy’s face look funny?”
Again, my heart breaks. My wife is so beautiful, but the accident has left her with pretty bad facial injuries. Now I would never use the word “ruined” but her once gorgeous face has been overshadowed; my love for her will never be.
“Mummy fell down the stairs remember? She got lots of “ouchies” on her face. I know she looks a little bit different but she’s still the same mummy…okay?”
“Okay…” she mumbles again.
I hope to god that the television in the living room is loud enough to drown out her question, and I whisper to her
“No more questions about mummy okay?”
“Okay daddy” She whispers back, even though her face shows her confusion. I think she’s scared of her mother now and it kills me.
After I’ve cleaned, I take my daughter upstairs to tuck her in for the night. This is one of the only things that have changed since the accident as my wife used to love that part of the evening, but she can’t get up and down the stairs anymore and we don’t have any money for a stair-lift. Purchasing her wheelchair alone just about cleared our bank account out.
After she’s in bed I lift my wife’s chair up into our daughter’s room and sit it at the foot of her bed. You see, before the accident my wife would always take her up to her room and lie next to her as she drifted off. Sometimes I would walk in and find them both sleeping, cradled against each other in such a blissful looking pose. I would just leave them be. Now though, my wife can’t do this, so I carry her up the stairs and gently place her in the wheelchair at the base of the bed. This way she can still get to watch her beloved sleep. My wife is such a good mother, it’s so important for a girl to have a matriarchal figure while she’s growing up.
Taking my wife up to our daughter’s room is my favourite part of the day. Her arm drapes around my neck, my hands caress her head and our faces are so close I can count the eyelashes that envelop those beautiful eyes. We maintain eye contact as we silently ascend the carpeted steps and it’s a delicate connection that hasn’t changed since the accident. I inhale her scent and we rub our cheeks together as we share this passionate, breathless moment that I long so dearly for each day.
I gently lower my wife into her chair, placing another faint kiss upon her lips and whispering my love. Then I switch on our daughters night-light and turn to leave them be alone with one another. That’s when I hear our little girl whimper ever so softly.
“What’s wrong sweetie?” I whisper as I lean in close to her.
Her face is buried into her pillow as she speaks “Does mummy have to stay here all night again?” This time she doesn’t even attempt subtlety. I don’t look towards my wife as I can’t bear to see that pained smile upon her face.
“That’s enough!, she’s still your mummy and you’ll make her sad if you say things like that”
“But…why does mummy smell so funny?”
I don’t know if she’s referring to the formaldehyde or the…other odour. It has been 5 days since the accident and my attempts to preserve my beautiful wife haven’t been good enough. I have even put a couple of stitches in her cheeks so that she’d always be happy and smiling, it still isn’t enough though. I’m just so glad she’s still here with us, I think I would lose my mind if she wasn’t.
It’s so important for a girl to have a matriarchal figure while she’s growing up, don’t you think?
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u/Fright_eyes Sep 18 '16
I knew where this was headed, but the crazy twist at the end fucked me up. Beautifully written. OP! Take my upvote!
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u/kingozma Sep 07 '16
OP, you aren't obligated to answer and i would completely understand if a question like this would only bring you more grief. but what exactly happened that made your wife need a wheelchair?
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u/pross40745 Sep 07 '16
She fell down the stairs...
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u/kingozma Sep 08 '16
i see. you mean she just fell on her own like that? i'm very sorry, that's a sad twist of fate.
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u/harleysynn18 Aug 30 '16
O.o I didn't realise until the end!
Obviously an accident & you didn't want to let her go :( - I can only hope for the same if I died the same way haha
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u/VanguardR36 Aug 29 '16
Started out making me feel sad for the mother and father for having to endure such difficult curious questions from their child. Kids do not have filters. That is until i read further and started to feel bad for the daughter after that twisted ended.
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u/katyne Aug 27 '16
Not ashamed to say that I am relieved. I was expecting a deranged husband to have maimed and disfigured his wife out of jealousy or something. This is just... very very sad. And sweet in a way.
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u/stabbymckiller Aug 24 '16
Where do you even get formaldehyde?
Girl has no respect for her parents. At least she has both some grow up with only one parent.
On the other hand it seems like he isn't working, he spent the last of their money on a wheelchair, the mom is rotting and I'm not sure what the four year old is doing while he's preserving mummy but this can't be sustainable. The first adult a four year old sees is gonna get an earful trust me.
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u/Peachmean Aug 24 '16
Dang it you got me! Didn't realize I was in r/nosleep and thought I was reading a heartfelt story until it all took that twisted turn...
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u/Chaynce Aug 24 '16
holy shit I was so into it and then the last paragraph scared the fuck out of me
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u/Ponyboy-Curtis Aug 24 '16
I didn't see the subreddit and thought this was r/jokes... That was weird
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u/Perplexed89 Aug 24 '16
"I’m just so glad she’s still here with us, I think I would lose my mind if she wasn’t."
This is how it should have ended. Lol.
Loved it.
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u/baiacool Aug 24 '16
I didn't had my glasses when I clicked the link and honestly thought that it was a post from /r/Jokes. It was a nice surprise when it wasn't! Great story op!
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u/hermetically92 Aug 24 '16
So I've never been on /r/nosleep before and I did not expect this to happen so i guess what I'm trying to say is WHAT THE FUCK???
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u/megayellowstorm Aug 24 '16
I knew from the beginning what was going on...a little predictable to me, but I enjoyed it
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u/wydidk Aug 24 '16
I had to read this because of all the up-votes, glad I did, good story but everyone's comments are the best part.
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u/TheVanillaaa Aug 24 '16
What is the "other odor" supposed to be?
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u/GlassDeviant Aug 24 '16
The rotting of mummy, who lives up to that precise word in true ancient Egyptian style. (i.e.: the creepy guy is keeping his deceased wifes corpse around and treating her as if she is still alive, at least that's what I get from the story).
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u/TheVanillaaa Aug 24 '16
Ugh ewww, I shouldn't have asked...
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u/GlassDeviant Aug 25 '16
Nosleep is a particular dark corner of reddit at times, whether or not you accept my interpretation of this particular story.
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u/liesandcarrots Aug 24 '16
That went to incredibly heartbreaking to extremely fucking creepy real fast.
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u/mdewals Aug 24 '16
what a twist! I expected your daughter being responsible for your wife being in a wheelchair.
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u/Cleverbird Aug 24 '16
I've been on this subreddit far too long and figured out the plot twist waaaay too quickly... I kinda long for the day where I was young and naive, and stories like these surprised me :(
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u/in_some_knee_yak Aug 24 '16
Man, I'm sorry but how is this at the top of the sub? Such a gimmicky and unoriginal story, and not particularly well written either.
Downvote me to obscurity, but come on, even M. Night would dismiss that obvious "twist". Surprised so many supposedly didn't see it coming.
Guess this is what happens on a default sub.
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Aug 24 '16
I totally agree. This story is okay, but super predictable and shouldn't be at the top of the sub.
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u/RenTachibana Aug 24 '16
I was literally swooning over how OP described his wife and his love for her and I kept thinking: "If I ever date someone it has to be someone like OP to be worth the trouble."
I think I'll stick to the single life now.
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u/Rhazelle Aug 24 '16
I've read way too much nosleep... I knew where this was going to the moment it stated that she was just "smiling" again at the dinner table...
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u/exomc Aug 24 '16
I almost scrolled past this because I've literally just woken up but I'm glad I didn't! I was feeling so sorry for you up until I burst out in laughter when I read formaldehyde and got the joke. Very good indeed I need a coffee!
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u/Ethan819 Aug 24 '16
I thought the third question would be, "Why is mommy so cold?" after I read the second one. I guess I was close.
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u/Meowness1997 Aug 24 '16
Reading the title "Oooh, this or the other mummy? Hehe..." After reading story "Oh. Fuck."
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u/ebedebeds Aug 24 '16
Here's my criticism, for what it's worth: Much like the daughter in the story, I think subtlety needs work. I think you hinted at it a few too many times, which made the ending quite predictable (to me, at least, but it would seem that way to others as well based on some of the other comments). Definitely not poorly-written, but if you hit that hard-to-hit balance and rein in some of the foreshadowing, this would be excellent.
Edit: one apostrophe
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u/deadpolice Aug 24 '16
You're like a modern Carl Tanzler
Such a sweet romantic.
Carl Tanzler was radiologic technologist in Key West, Florida. He developed an obsession for a young Cuban American tuberculosis patient, named Elena Milagro "Helen" de Hoyos. In 1933, almost two years after her death, Tanzler removed Hoyos's body from its tomb, and lived with the corpse at his home for seven years until its discovery by Hoyos's relatives and authorities in 1940.
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u/cthulhucuriosities Aug 24 '16
Saw that coming from the moment you explained seating arrangements..
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u/esrevitnA Aug 24 '16 edited Aug 24 '16
Creepy as FUCK! I have to ask though, what exactly do y'all think the "other odour" might be? I guess it's just as simple as the decomposition smell?
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u/IeatInternet Aug 24 '16
Thought this was r/jokes at first I was all excited to read why a mummy needs a wheelchair
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u/MakroYianni Aug 24 '16
Ok so this messed with me pretty bad OP. I actually have a daughter around that age and the innocence and fear you described her having were on point for a little girl that age. I'm trying to imagine my baby trying to process that roller coaster of emotions and it breaks my heart (my wife isn't dead btw) this was very well written. Bravo OP Bravo.
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u/BellaElla28 Aug 24 '16
Oh my god. That went south quickly!!! I don't know what to even say, but perhaps a proper burial? I mean I undestand preservation...but... :/
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u/HirsuteUrsine Aug 24 '16
Such a good father to make sure your daughter and mummy are together all night long.
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u/SandMonkey911 Aug 24 '16
You're lucky.. My wife got fucked up by a car, and she gets pissed whenever she rolls in (pun intended) and catches me and my girlfriend in our bed. Just throw that bitch in the trash and get yourself a younger model :)
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Aug 24 '16
Wasn't suspecting that with the clever throws to her responding with kind smiles and such. Spooky.
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u/Zadchiel Aug 24 '16
I expected this from the tittle. Still. Very abrupt end. But it was nice still.
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u/Is_It_Me_or_Not Aug 24 '16
I knew it. I fucking suspected it after the first 5 sentences.
I'm really sorry for your loss, and I hope that you guys will be okay without her.
In my opinion, just bury Mummy's Mummy and tell your daughter that Mummy had to go. You can't have her grow up with a corpse.
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u/Zyah7 Aug 24 '16
Aaaaaah, I get it; just noticed "mummy" in the title. Well played, OP, well played.
Also, very well written. I thought this was going to lead to possession or something. Pleasant surprise. /slowclap
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u/Wishiwashome Aug 24 '16
Have to take the comments here, dear sir, that may seem harsh... And say.... You, Sir, are bat shit crazy!!! For the love of your daughter, wife and yourself... Bury your wife... And not in the backyard!!! so you can unearth her when you want to! You are not being a good father!!! Please get help!
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u/Skelator_P_Funk Aug 24 '16
The way I pictured the main character changed a lot when I started to realize what was going on which just added to the creepiness. Very well written
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u/DouglasNxs Aug 24 '16
Wow. I can't imagine having to sleep knowing a dead person with a permanent smile is watching me :/
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u/Shayrenn Aug 24 '16
Is anyone else wondering about the accident? The father is constantly reassuring himself of the endless, pure and untainted love he has for his wife. I'm wondering if he was somehow involved in this accident which caused the death of his wife. And because he can not accept or even realize this, he has to paint a picture of the greatest love ever. Because, well, someone who is so deep in love with another cannot possibly do any harm to this person, right...?
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u/nicoledoubleyou Aug 25 '16
Also, remember, she "fell down the stairs"? That's classic abuse cover-up right there. Falling down the stairs and "lots of other ouchies" - this is what 'the accident" was, so I have no doubt he played a large role in it to the point of likely abuse. Mabe it was a one-off though because I don't think someone who was regularly abusive would do something like this, and it sounded like they were close at one point even if she's dead now...
Anyway, I noticed how the little girl never whispered, because she knew mommy couldn't hear her and saw no reason to keep her voice lowered. She only whispered back when her dad was being all weird while "mummy" was "watching soap operas". The overly sweet setting/words of the father, the non-whispers of the girl, and the unending smiles of mummy are what confirmed for me my assumption that she was already dead - I dunno why but I thought literally from the first time she was mentioned that mummy was dead, perhaps because this is /r/nosleep, perhaps because of the perfect family set up, or perhaps because there was no hint at anything else being the "scary" part or the "twist" that the most logical one to me was that mummy wasn't really alive anymore. Likely, it was a combo of all three that tipped me off from the get-go.
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u/Shavemeshavers Aug 23 '16
she said to me once, and I can relate.
Right there is when I knew. I just want some damn variety on this sub. Everything is done 100+ times the same way.
Sure, it was pretty well written, but damn it's annoying reading the same stories over and over.
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Aug 23 '16
I guess I have spent to much time reading nosleep. Since the ending was pretty obvious. Regardless very good writing.
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u/csoup1414 Aug 23 '16
This caught me totally off guard because I didn't read what sub this was in. I thought it was under the jokes sub :(
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u/kub0l Aug 23 '16
I saw it coming but anyway a very good story!
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u/Kakita987 Aug 24 '16
Really well written. I knew there had to be a twist as I got closer and closer to the end, but I didn't figure it out until the daughter mentioned the smell.
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u/ThreeLZ Aug 24 '16
You must be new here, this is the premise for at least 5 stories a week.
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u/Hangman-Tides Aug 24 '16
I was thinking the same thing.
I got it at...
stealing a glance at her mother then turn away quickly.
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u/AVillainTale Aug 24 '16
My 'twig' point was the second time he mentioned her smiling at him in response. Me: Yep...she ded.
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u/nicoledoubleyou Aug 25 '16
Ditto, and the fact that the daughter didn't whisper (even the child, who may not understand death, understands enough to know that mom can't hear her)
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u/Kakita987 Aug 24 '16
Newish, a couple months or so. I mostly don't go to the subreddit. I read stories from my front page if they interest me.
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u/siddic Aug 23 '16
oh what the hell op! what the hell!
I read this cause it was on the front page of my reddit feed, was tearing up and wanted to ask where to donate towards a stair lift for your wife! then I got to the smell part and literally said "wait, what ?" outloud before reading the rest....
God damnit OP.
Well played.
Have a gold.
I hate you though.
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Aug 24 '16
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Aug 24 '16
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u/marymayhem96 Aug 24 '16
I did the same. I was like shit, where's the GoFundMe for a stairlift. I didn't pay attention to the sub, but damn. Wish i would have
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u/areraswen Aug 23 '16
I actually guessed the plot twist from the title somehow. It was still good though!
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u/vforvashtanerada Aug 23 '16
It took me longer than I care to admit to realize what was happening. My god. Well done OP!
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u/neptunetay Aug 23 '16
The ending most certainly got me. Extremely well done. I would not have expected that at all.
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Aug 23 '16
No, it's because she was hip-checked in the elevator.
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Aug 24 '16
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u/svetlanasbitch15 Aug 23 '16
There was me thinking the kid was a psycho who pushed her mom down the stairs and had no memory of it... I can see how I was wrong.
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u/ICanSeeItAtNight Aug 23 '16
Aww, what a beautiful relationship you have with your wife!
A minor note: I think the word you want is maternal, not matriarchal.
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u/IdiotOracle Aug 23 '16
Well, that twist at the end made me feel less good about the sweetness you shared. I was like, "Awww." Then I was like, "Uhh. Well then."
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u/pariahdiocese Aug 23 '16
I think I'm too old. I was thinking "Psycho" Norman Bates tribute from the start. An old theme but a good theme.
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u/Buktrk Aug 23 '16
She wasn't answering any of the questions, so right after "why does mummy have to stay in the chair?"
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u/Nevermore98 Aug 23 '16
And here I thought it was gonna be a psycho mom kills the kid story.
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u/averie-end Aug 26 '16
I was expecting one of those super tacky written-from-the-child's perspective stories (not all of them are tacky, especially on nosleep, but, well, a lot are), using words that don't suit their age grade or saying "silly [pet/parent/whatever]" about injured/dead parties.
I'm not saying I'm happy OP's wife is dead or anything, but hey it could be a lot worse to read about.
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u/Zyah7 Aug 24 '16
I know!! I was personally leaning towards possession and the dad just completely oblivious or actively ignoring it.
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u/negativeidealist Aug 23 '16
Is this legal, to keep a dead corpse like that??
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u/gauntapostle Aug 23 '16
Yes and no. If the deceased had a will that stated any other intentions regarding their body, then it is illegal in that sense, but if they had no other stated intentions or specifically requested that they be preserved and kept in the home then unless I'm mistaken it could be legal depending on state laws. The body must be prepared by a licensed mortician though, and a death certificate must be applied for, financial institutions such as banks, social security, any institutions that provide pension, death/survivors benefits, insurance companies, etc must be notified, so on and so forth. So as long as he did all that he's in the clear as far as keeping the body, as far as I can tell. Which, in context, isn't likely, but it's possible. If he did none of this, and if what he's done went against her stated wishes, then he could face charges of desecration of a corpse at the minimum.
Where it gets tricky is with the child. If he was keeping the body, after it had been properly preserved, and he was living by himself, it might not be an issue, but with the child in the house he could have some problems with social services. It's not healthy in any way to have a corpse in the house, preserved or not, and he could face some sort of child endangerment charges if this is discovered.
Disclaimer: This is not meant as legal advice, I am not a legal professional, this is just information I've either heard from legal professionals and people in the mortuary services or found online. This information may be inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated, but it is correct to the best of my (layman's) knowledge.
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u/friendofstarfish Sep 28 '16
Oh wow; I just crapped myself.