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Stalking Claire Stevens

  By: A.D. Duling

  To those who continue to support me…I love you.

  Text copyright © 2012 by A.D. Duling

  All rights reserved. Published by: A.D. Duling

  No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Introduction

  Death can come in the most tragic of ways and most of the time, it comes very unexpectedly. Life is like fragile porcelain for those of us who are mortal. It’s solid, but its structure is volatile. Some can live a life to a ripened old age and for some, life is cut short. For some, it is cut so short it makes them angry. Their life taken away is heart wrenching for the victim and for those who were left behind.

  It is inconvenient and inconsiderate. For death to come unexpected for the killer, we call it justice. But the law tells us revenge is not justice, but how many of us agree with the law?

  Many believe if the killer can do the killing, then so can they do the dying. Their victims didn’t have a choice, so why should they?

  Those victims were not ready to die. They were not ready for a long fruitful life to be snuffed out so early. This upsets them and so they linger; angry and lost. These victims are no longer among the living, but are also not ready to be among the dead. They linger in wait and remain on the Earth in spirit form, demanding for their justice.

  But how does one get justice if no one can hear them?

  They search, that is all they can do. They search for the one who can; they search for one that will listen and then help them.

  But what if a spirit doesn’t need another’s help? What if they learned they can do it almost all on their own.

  There are spirits who can do this. Ghost stories, exorcisms and violent hauntings are not around because it does not happen. Just as the living seeking revenge never truly plan to kill, they still do it and then find themselves among the ranks of the killers.

  I will become like those vengeful others, thinking too, I am not the one to blame. After all, I am dead and was murdered.

  I believe myself worthy of exoneration and that it should come the minute after. Stating: “it wouldn’t have happened, if she had not sent him”.

  Who is she and who is him? You ask. That is a very good question.

  Think of as many nasty labels for a human being you can possibly think of in only a second of time given and then double it; no triple it! After that form it like clay, chisel it out like marble until perfection is formed and then call it Claire Stevens.

  That is my kinder thoughts of the girl, the very kindest of ones.

  If you wanted my actual thoughts on her, it wouldn’t have come out so…sweetly. I am not the gal who is delicate. I would also say I am not that girl who allows others to step all over her.

  That is except with Claire Stevens.

  Somehow I allowed her to. Stupid, I know…

  She stole the respect I deserved right from underneath me and for the life of me (which is exactly what she took) I cannot figure out why I allowed this to be. Perhaps it was because we were once friends. And perhaps once, for the most ever brief spit of time, I liked having Claire Stevens for a friend.

  But, I stopped liking Claire Stevens a long time ago.

  It was when her heart shrunk two times too small becoming ever so tiny, not even measuring up to match the size of a pit to a peach.

  Why are my words so vile when I speak, or think of this girl?

  Well! Do we need to rewind back and reread?

  I WAS MURDERED! And by Claire Stevens!

  Forgive me, I’m upset…. My apologies…

  Yes, I was murdered and by Claire Stevens.

  Well… not physically by her, but she did send him.

  Who is him?

  I don’t know, can you tell me?

  My murderer is unknown to me. I can tell you what he looks like, I can tell you the color of his eyes, his hair and even the article of clothing he was wearing,but give you his name, where he lives, the reason why he killed me, I cannot.

  Well, I can tell you part of his reason, it was Claire Stevens.

  She sent him to kill me… and she probably paid him a lot of money to do it.

  Why?

  WHO KNOWS!

  Is there ever a really good reason why anyone kills another?

  If you thought yes, then slap yourself. Yes, slap yourself…and right now. Do it! And HARD! There is not supposed to be any good reason for murder! And no good reason for revenge either, but we still do it don’t we?

  It’s a shame really…

  We still find our reasons to justify our wrong doings.

  I have a reason, not a good one, but I still have it. (Yes, I know, I’m a hypocrite and I just made you slap yourself a second ago over this, but really did you have to? Was I holding a gun to your head?)

  So perhaps I should explain myself. I do agree there is never a good reason to murder, but if there is good reason, I do.

  Yes, I know, I’m confusing you.

  When I say good reason I mean just that… good reason.

  Good meaning virtuous, honorable …justifiable.

  Still confused?

  Its ok, I understand.

  You’re wondering right now, how it is that I jumped from saying there is no good reason, to naming off two good reasons.

  Well… because they are good reasons.

  Ok, I’ll explain more.

  It’s easy to say I have good reason for something, but it doesn’t mean it is a good reason. To have a genuine good reason is something different. To kill another to protect another is a good reason. To kill one to prevent the future death of many others is another good reason.

  Who says?

  Well, this is all me, but doesn’t it make perfect sense?

  So people kill for their good reasons; the big one being revenge and another is for gratification. It’s a fact; people do a lot of murdering for those two reasons and this story does include these two reasons. I was killed over gratification and I shall murder for revenge.

  This is not a story you may want to share with your children. I wouldn’t say this book would exactly be a good candidate for family reading time. This also wouldn’t be a book you would want to post on your family friendly blog as a book recommend and if you picked up this book because you liked the cover (thank you, I helped with that) read the blurb and decided this was the read for you, well, maybe you should think over it again.

  Why am I trying to talk you out of buying this book after all that I stated above?

  Well… because telling my story won’t bring me back.

  Your money may help my parents financially (thank you), but it still won’t bring their daughter back to them. Reading this story will make you feel very sad. You will want a miracle, but it won’t come.

  Heed my warning. If you read this book, you will never think the same again about murder or about the spirits.

  You will however think differently about me.

  Don’t read this with your book club. You will all probably walk away frustrated, and sadly you might find yourself agreeing with me; that there is after all good reason; at least genuine good reason.

  You will also despise everyone who finds good reason for the things that they do, because people find good reason for almost anything.

  I only stripped him of every article of clothing he had and shoved the idiot outside the gym for all his peers to see, naked, just to watch him run about screaming like a little girl and then slip on the freshly mopped lin
oleum floor and crack his skull open. Well, that was just plain stupid and his entire fault. I had a very good reason for what I did and so I did it.

  Was it really? The fool that did it thinks so. Do I agree with him? Do you?

  No… no good reason there.

  We live for good reason. We work hard for those good reasons and we even make up good reason. We scratch, claw and reach for those good reasons and that is exactly what Claire Stevens did. She found her own good reason and made it happen.

  I loved being a teenager. I loved my life and now it is gone.

  I never had problems with others. I got along with almost everyone; everyone except Claire Stevens.

  So why were you her friend then you idiot?

  Well…because… I guess even though I didn’t want to be her friend, I still wanted her to want to be mine. Yep… sounds stupid, huh?

  Of course having our parents like each other played the factor too.

  So what was the big deal between you two? You ask.

  Jealousy..?

  Maybe…

  Insecurities..?

  Oh, definitely.

  Now I’m not ugly, but I’m not hot either. I would classify myself as pretty with a hint of ugly. You know, if I frown or gawk, it makes me look ugly. Hot people, beautiful people never look ugly. There is no hint of it. Oh, what comes out of their mouths may be ugly, but come one, while you’re thinking Oh how ugly she is for being so vain or mean… you’re still looking at her like she’s the last truffle on the shelf.

  The royalty of chocolate, the firm outer chocolate shell covering formed into the most perfect smooth and filled with a creamy chocolate filling that finishes it to perfection. Didn’t the French pick the name? Americans would have just called it chocolate filled chocolate ball, but the French, no, they knew this was perfection and so the name needed to be too. Truffle does sound better.

  It deserved the perfect name, because someone decided it was good reason too. Because they decided for good reason it was the perfect candy and perfection always makes for good reason, right?

  Claire Stevens is perfection. She is the truffle.

  Imagine the most perfect woman and that is Claire Stevens. She’s hotter than Barbie. I’ll leave the rest of the details to your imagination. And if you’re a guy …don’t, don’t do it. The female population will hate you for that. Don’t imagine her, don’t allow yourself to even relish on the possibilities of how she looks.

  What do I look like?

  Imagine the side kick, the second best to Barbie; Midge.

  I’m Midge, pretty, but never prettier than Barbie.

  So am I the jealous one?

  No.

  Insecure..?

  Maybe… just a little…

  But this isn’t about my feelings about Claire Stevens, even though I have already shared them. This is about Claire Stevens’ feelings and what she did because of them.

  If you’re a guy asking me what I meant about what she did, then smack yourself! Yep…do it! It’s obvious you weren’t paying attention to anything I wrote and you will now have to go back up and read again. I bet the only thing you did pay attention to was when I mentioned the word Barbie. And I bet you’re still secretly hoping I will describe Claire Stevens to the tiniest of detail to your sickest delight! Put the book down, right now and smack yourself… I’ll pause while you do it.

  Stalking Claire Stevens coming spring 2013.

  If you enjoyed this, check out A.D. Duling’s other books at:

  https://amzn.to/RdvqfJ