The Real Estate Agent

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She was looking at the real estate agency's list of condos for rent in the southwest part of the city. It was her favorite pastime for a dull afternoon, and she felt happy just engaging in this innocent activity while window shopping on Main Street.

I want to move. I want to move to a new, shiny, clean home with a balcony, a kitchen with a dishwasher, and two bedrooms. I have to get rid of a lot of stuff beforehand and declutter first. Luckily, there is the church; I can hold an open house with people from church and sell as much as possible. Then, with the help of my brother, I can notify a good mover who will help me.

There are Jos, Jos, Bas, Karin, and Jaque to help me move. I can ask Karin and Jaque to help me with boxes and putting stuff in. Then there is Joe, my help, who will help when the move is there…

Tick, Tick, Tick-tick… the sound of someone tapping against the window pane.

Startled, she looked up through the glass inside the shop. A man was waving at her, making gestures and articulating something like Come in, you can come in, if you like?

Hesitantly, she moved towards the door to her right. Why not? She had time.

“Mrs?” He politely opened the door for her.

She gave him the information although she didn’t intend to.

“Ms. Hammersmith, Shirley Hammersmith”.

“Glad you came into my shop. Are you interested in one house in particular?” He smiled while he walked toward the coffee machine in the corner.

“Can I get you an espresso or cappuccino?”

“An espresso, please”. She immediately sat down at the table in the middle of the room and watched him preparing the coffee.

“No”, she looked around at the display panels with listed houses. “I was just scanning your windows. I am looking for a rental, actually. I am not in a position to buy right now”.

“Well, well, well”- his smile deepened. “This must be your lucky day. And mine, come to think of it.”

He brought the coffee mug and sat right in front of her.

“I've got the perfect place for you”.

“Oh?” She sounded skeptical.

“Yes, One Drive Way 235, right at the outskirts of town. A two-bedroom house, 1 bath, 88 square meters, not that big. With a substantial backyard accessible from the road and with this awesome special feature. You'll love it.”

“A swimming pool”, she smiled, “now wouldn’t that be something else”.

“No, even more special than a pool. Are you a movie buff by any chance?”

“Yes”, she stated, sipping her coffee. “I love to watch movies; I have a few online subscriptions: Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus, etc.”

“Think bigger”, he laughed out loud. “Think even more grand”.

She shook her head. “I really wouldn’t know. But I don’t think I can afford a special house. I only have a small pension”

“Ah...”, he kept his posture. “A pensionada.

The rent would be all-inclusive, 900 a month”.

“That’s substantial”; she looked at him, a little disappointed. “I don’t think I'll be able to afford…”

He interrupted her.

“It’s a house with a state-of-the-art, new drive-in theater in the backyard. Room for 7 cars.”

“A drive-in WHAT?” She reacted, flabbergasted.

“Yes, you hear correctly. It’s a new theater, with all the equipment to handle an enterprise. With a permit to air every fortnight. Twice a month. There is a movie base with the reels, so you have plenty of possibilities to air. I think there are a thousand movie cans digitized.”

“900, that’s really a bargain…the house and the drive-in? “

“That’s correct”.

Shirley felt excitement crawling from her head to her feet. This was something else…could she? Would she?

The next hour she was having this wonderfully important talk with the real estate agent. The next week she was moving house, and by the beginning of Summer she had settled into One Drive Way 235.

But things didn’t work out for her. As soon as she took on the house she developed headaches. The house pressed heavy on her shoulders, as if it had a spirit of its own.

She told the real estate agent when he visited her one Saturday evening in the drive-in theater.

“Perhaps the house is haunted”, he laughed. “Don’t you worry about a thing. Just take it easy and continue the good work of providing the neighbors in town with good movies”.

When he left, she had to lie down with severe migraine before she started the new movie for her customers.

Upon arriving in his shop, the agent smiled a sinister smile. He took off his coat, walked to the safe, and pulled out a tiny house of porcelain. The spitting image of One Drive Way 235.

He then took it to a shelf, put it there, and uttered a few incomprehensible sentences.

“Now I can rest”, he smiled.


In the theater, Shirley played out The Shining (1980) :

‘’JACK You've had your whole fucking life to think things over - what's good a few minutes more going to do you now?

WENDY Jack... stay away from me... please.

JACK reaches up to her.

WENDY Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me!

JACK I'm not going to hurt you.

WENDY swings bat in front of her as she backs up stairs.

WENDY Stay away from me,

JACK Wendy!

WENDY Stay away...!

JACK Darling, light of my life, I'm not going to hurt you. You didn't let me finish my sentence. I said 'I'm not going to hurt you... I'm just going to bash your brains in!' I'm going to bash them right the fuck in.. ‘’

THE END

WC: 956