Piggyback

There was a married couple who had one young son. Even before their son was born, the couple’s marriage was on shaky ground. As the years went by, the mother and father fought all thetime. Their arguments became more frequent and they talked about getting a divorce.
In the end, they stayed together for the sake of their son, but the arguments continued and the fights became more and more violent. By the time their son was 5 years old, the couple had grown to hate each other.
One night, after they had put the boy to bed, the mother and father got into an enormous argument. The father flew into an insane rage and murdered his wife.
When he came to his senses and realized what he had done, he set about disposing of the body. He dragged his wife’s corpse into the garage and put her in the boot of his car. Then, he drove out to the mountains. Under cover of darkness, he slung her dead body over his shoulders and carried her out to a marshy swamp nearby. He dragged her out into the foul-smelling muck and watched as her corpse sank into the murky depths.
As dawn was beginning to break,he returned home to clean up take a shower. No matter how much he scrubbed and scrubbed,he couldn’t seem to get rid of the sickening smell of the swamp.
He slept for a few hours and when he awoke, he started to think about what he would do if his son asked where the mother was. He decided to tell the boy that his wife had gone to stay with her sister for a while. However, when his young son got up for breakfast, he never mentioned his mother at all. He just stared at his father and said nothing.
The man could still smell the odor of the muck from the swamp where he had buried his wife. He took an air freshener and began spraying it around the house, hoping to mask the unpleasant scent. It made him feel sick.
A few hours passed and the little boy was watching TV in the living room. The father began to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Every time he went into the living room, he noticed that his son was staring at him with a curious look on his face. It made the father feel nervous and paranoid.
His mind was racing. Perhaps the boy knew what had happened, he thought. Maybe the boy had overheard him murdering his mother. If his son knew what he had done, perhaps he would have to kill him as well.
The father walked into the room, where his son was still watching TV.
“Is there something you want to ask me?” he said.
The boy thought for a few seconds and then replied, “Yeah…”
“Is it about your mother?” asked the father.
“Yeah…” said the boy.
“I suppose you’re wondering where your mother is,” said the father.
“No”, said the boy. “I’m wondering why Mommy’s face is so pale and why you’ve been giving her a piggyback all day.”