Go to shortscarystories r/shortscarystories 5 yr. ago youshallnotpass121 The Lullaby I never wanted children. It just wasn't the kind of life that I imagined for myself. The dirty nappies, the constant screaming and the crying. The break down of a relationship as a result of the inevitable strain. Just not what I wanted. Then, I met Linda and things sort of happened. We married fairly quickly and before I knew it, we were in the emergency room and she was giving birth to our baby girl. We named her Florence. She was a happy, bubbly little baby girl and I fell in love with her immediately. Linda wasn't as keen. I put it down to postpartum depression at first but when she just wasn't showing the love and care a mother should, I took it upon myself to care for Florence. Linda would come around eventually, I told myself. I did all the daily feeds and the night feeds - I didn't mind. Florence was quite an unsettled baby at night so I experienced a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of fatigue. She was my daughter though and I loved her. Linda slept most days anyway. One night, Florence was particularly unsettled and I could hear her through the baby monitor next to my bed. I was groggy and a little slower in getting up than I usually am. I rose from the bed but a hand shot out from under the bedsheets to stop me. "No, it's ok. I'll go." It was Linda. Her voice was so low and quiet, I could barely hear her. I was taken aback by her sudden change of heart but I welcomed it. I was wiped and needed the rest. Before I did though, I listened to Linda's soft voice on the baby monitor as she lulled Florence to sleep. It warmed my heart and I smiled. I walked over to the baby's room and stood outside, listening to Linda's velvety smooth voice when I heard something downstairs. A key turning a lock. I frowned. No one else had a key to our house. I walked downstairs gingerly. What I saw made my heart skip a beat. It was Linda. She tiptoed towards the stairs and jumped at the sight of me. "What are you doing?!" She hissed. The baby monitor came alive with sound. A song. A toneless, distorted voice flooded my ears. Hush little baby, don't say a word. Momma's gonna buy you a Mockingbird. And if that Mockingbird don’t sing. Momma's gonna drown you in the spring.