Tragic House

from The Speed of Darkness

by Steve Tesich

There was a family that lived here. I am almost tempted to say "once upon a time", but it was only a little over a year ago. The father was a hero in this town the mother was a mother. The daughter was Mary.

Neither the inner structure of the atom nor the infinity of space is as mysterious to me as the living room of this house. Blood was spilled on the floor of this living room. Right there.

You can't see it at night, but there is a huge mesa out there. It resides nearly fifteen hundred feet above the ground and there is only a dirt road going to the top. It is hard for me to understand how anyone could sit in this living room and look out at that sight for fourteen years, knowing the crimes he had committed.

The story of Joe and his family has been abandoned by everyone else in my town. Perhaps because I played a small part in that story, I can't seem to let go of it. The tragedy would have occurred without me, but I was, without knowing it at the time, the messenger who brought the news which caused it to unfold. The principals are all gone now. Only the messenger remains. The house has been for sale for over a year.

They used to live right here...