A letter to the virologist
Dr Thon Hughes - a virologist was returning home after ticking all the boxes of things he had to in his laboratory for the day.The road was deserted except a few night shift trucks rolling by. It was almost ten o'clock into the night and the night felt surprisingly cold and heavy against him. He clenched his jaws and tightened his grip around his jacket. He could wait no longer to reach home and settle himself by the fireplace with a cup of Earl Grey. He was now ascending a slope and the wind seemed to frustrate him every time it blew.
Why is it so cold when it’s not even the end of autumn? He thought.
He was now in front of his house. The house was like any normal house you would find in New England, a Tudor styled black wood exterior with marble tiles. He had poured all of his three years of handwork into this and he sure was proud about it. He was greeted by his beloved wife at the door. As soon as he saw her, his mind was back again and it was as if she radiated a contagious calm and stress-free aura. Her eyes were calm and every muscle in her seemed to be relaxed. That’s what he loved about her. She was the only person in the world for Thon who could forget all his frustrations just by being with her.
Home sweet home he thought as he loosened his tie and settled near the fireplace. He stretched his legs to his content and he was now desiring his usual cup of Earl Grey.
“Honey, Sadie?” he called out from the living room. “Can you get me my usual cuppa please?”
“Roger that virologist. Wash your hands first" she replied playfully. And with that, she was dipping a couple of tea bags in the hot water. The scent of Earl grey filled the kitchen. She was stirring the tea with honey and the doorbell rang.
“I’ll go get it” Thon offered and he went to get the door.
Just behind the door, Elbert Macaulay’s ear was pressed to the door. As the footsteps became louder, he put on his hoodie and mask and quickly prepared a letter. He put a kind of liquid through his dropper where Thon would open the letter. He was wearing normal winter gloves not to leave any fingerprints and also not to raise suspicions. He put the dropper in a plastic bag and stoved it in his carry bag. It's all going perfect! Today I’ll have my revenge. The revenge I’ve been waiting for from the past five years. The door finally opened after a series of clicks. And there was Thon, his colleague who had been working with him since they started as virologists. Thon didn't seem to recognize Elbert under the hoodie.
“Hi! How may I help you?” Thon asked.
You just have to die Elbert thought. “I was asked to deliver this letter to your address,” he said extending the letter towards Thon.
“It sure is cold right?” Thon said pointing the letter he just received to Elbert's gloves. “It’s crazy cold nowadays”
Elbert was afraid that he would be given off.
“Y..ye...Yeah,” he replied. Thon raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for delivering this letter,” he said.
“Yeah... certainly sir” Elbert replied as he hurried towards his motorbike.
Thon closed the front door and returned to the fireplace looking a bit concerned. Sadie was now bringing a single cup of tea up to him. Thon tried to open the letter and he felt something sticking to his finger.
Must be glue he thought and advanced. The letter seemed nothing important. Just one of those prank letters he thought. He set the letter down and took a sip of his tea.
He gave his wife an approving nod telling the tea was tasty as ever.
“What was that letter about?” Sadie asked. “You didn’t tell me about it”
From many years, they had always shared and read each other’s letters just to be transparent. But the real reason was different. Sadie still remembered the day where Thon had received a letter from his lab saying they were going low on funds so they were removing people. Thon had always been enthusiastic when it came to virology and he couldn’t bear to hear this. He thought well, imagined stuff and he was having a really hard time facing himself that he had to undergo depression. Since then, Sadie had taken the initiative to get transparent with his husband just so to prevent any more complications.
“Ah, that...” Thon started. “It must be some kind of prank or something”
“Prank?” Sadie asked. “Those things ended long ago” and with that Sadie leaned towards the letter. The letter was neatly written by hand.There were some minute ink spills on the paper. Sadie read the letter aloud.
Dear Mr Thon, I write to you today to remind you of all the sins you’ve made from since 5 years. Firstly, you’ve made me go broke for a year now and I can barely feed my children all thanks to you.You stole my position from me, the position I was dreaming since I got hired. Now, Thon, it’s your turn to pay back and all the hardships that I’ve faced till now, it should cost your life,Thon. I will never forgive you, this is the right punishment for you... for the request you have accepted
Sadie’s eyes were filled with dread. Every line she read seemed to make her paler. She couldn’t face herself with reality. “Tho..n w...what is this? A jo..joke?”
Thon didn't answer. His body stiffened suddenly, his body began contracting vigorously. He was pale and his veins were visible on his neck. He clutched his chest and moaned in agony. She tried to call an ambulance but while the phone was trying to connect and in the meantime,Thon breathed his last breath.
Ten meters away, Elbert had a satisfactory sigh as he heard an earsplitting scream of Mrs Thon. My job has been done.