The Stranger

She stumbled upon her husband’s body at the base of the stairs.
His neck was twisted at a dreadful angle.
She stifled her scream.
He had just made love to her with an almost brutal hunger.
She could still feel the syrupy warmth between her thighs.
She headed upstairs, knife in hand.
The stranger had left her bed.
She looked out the window.
Smoke emanated from the tree in an elegant arabesque.
She saw the ape-like face… the lovesick eyes... and the crimson glow of its cigar…
It’s been lurking there ever since…waiting for the baby to be born.