Karma Exists

• Chelsea Mckindley, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2015

Mr. Maple had taken a turn for the worst, after his daughter Dakota had been convicted of murder. Dakota had murdered Mrs Proponte’, which was Dakota’s best friend’s mother and the Maple family’s friendly neighbour. Mrs Maple had also been admitted to the nearest mental institution. Mr Maple was now the town freak, and all in all he was considered a ghastly parent and husband. All forlorn, he lounged at home day after day immersed in his murky thoughts and practically drowning in his sorrow.
When Mr Maple’s wife had left to go to the nearest mental institution as a result of being unstable and clinically insane, it dawned on him. He had failed at each of his simple duties as a stay at home father; to look after his wife and care for his daughter. He had obviously failed that duty because Mrs Maple was sitting perched on the edge of her chair in a shared bedroom playing solitaire and humming nursery rhymes and Dakota was now in juvenile detention having murdered a respected woman of the town. All the while Mr Maple had no idea anything was going on…whatsoever.
Mrs Proponte’ owned a successful apple orchard, and she was very wealthy indeed. Mr Maple was nervously unsure of why his daughter had killed Mrs Proponte’ and he was equally terrified that one day he might just find out.
After Dakota had murdered Mrs Proponte’, Mrs Maple had been driven insane by the horrible crimes her daughter had committed, and she was admitted to the Passaway Mental Institution. Mr Maple feared that he too would soon be sitting in the same mental institution as his poor, decrepit wife. Poor Mr Maple explored every possible solution to this dreadful situation and after a process of elimination determined there was only one…suicide. Mr Maple’s tragic suicide event did little to improve his situation and in fact made matters a whole lot worse as now, silly Mr Maple could never get any better. He died, a depressed and lonely man.
After Mr Maple’s death, Mrs Maple’s drugs and medication had been mis-administered and she had suddenly overdosed and died.
As for Dakota; she had been released from jail and was sitting at home in her living room watching re-runs of Desperate Housewives on television when the Proponte’ family’s apple truck crashed through the front of Dakota’s house and killed her in an instant. Mr Proponte’, mourning his wife had drowned his sorrows at the local tavern and against better judgement decided to drive home.
Meanwhile at the local cemetery, the Proponte’ and Maple families were ‘deep’ in discussion.
“Strange things can happen when Karma’s around…” whispered Mrs Proponte’ while lying prostate in her coffin made of cedar and lined with satin.
“It’s funny how the world turns sometimes”, the Maple family murmured in unison from their coffins.
Dakota served her sentence, whether it was behind bars or 6 feet underground.