the guest

The Guest.

When I came to the house it reminded me
of “Mary Celeste” no one there, but warm
dinner on the table. In their big garden
the swimming pool glinted like sunlight on
the Pacific Ocean; no one swam in it though.
I sat down and waited; an hour passed, my
brother came from the garden, grunted
halloo and lit a cigarette, later his wife too
came in from the garden, she ignored me,
yet looked embarrassed, took the food back
into the kitchen to re- heat it; last came their
awful twins, sniggering and whispering as
always. We ate in silence, but I had the weird
feeling that they had tried to avoid me.