Fred's Statues (standard:horror, 1229 words)
Author: hvysmker	Added: Dec 14 2003	Views/Reads: 3614/2176	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A nosy neighbor decided that something is not right about Fred making Yard Statues in his spare time. Possibly Murder.

Everyone agreed that Fred had a knack for making concrete statues. 
Right now, he was working on a large garden statue.  He was making it, 
entirely, out of hardwood scraps.  When finished it would be a large 
statue of an elephant.  Fred already had several large concrete animals 
in his  back yard garden.  So far he had a lion, a tiger, and a black 
bear. 

Fred was a retired accountant and a bachelor.  He had been married once
and divorced.  In the past he had to pay alimony and support his two 
kids.  Now, they had all disappeared and he got to keep all his money.  
To the retired accountant that was very important.  He knew the value 
of money.  After all, he had made his living looking after other 
people's.  Now he had time to hoard his own. 

Every evening, until sundown, he could be heard pounding and chipping on
his creations.  He would first make a wooden mold, then he would carve 
a wooden block into a rough statue.  He would then hack at the wooden 
statue with his tools until it was as perfect as he could make it.  
Filling the mold with sand, he would place the statue in and close it. 

After the sand hardened, Fred, would open the mold and remove the wooden
statue.  Closing it again, he would pour mixed concrete in and wait for 
it, in turn, to dry.   Every time he completed a mold he would make a 
half dozen concrete statues, and destroy the mold.  He made extra money 
selling all but one of the statues. 

Lately Fred had been having trouble with his neighbor woman, Frieda. 
She was old and frail.  Also, a victim of Alzheimers she often wasn't 
in her right mind.  Frieda kept calling the police on Fred, even though 
he was within the law on his noisy endeavers.  It was a constant 
bother, since he didn't want them nosing around his house. 

Being at the point where he made his first concrete elephant, Fred
opened and poured another sack of concrete into the mixer.  When it was 
mixed he, carefully, poured it into the elephant mold.  He would have 
to let it dry a few days before removing the completed figure. 

He had no sooner gotten back to the house and poured himself a drink
than he heard a knock on the front door.  It was Policeman Arrenson 
again. 

“I just wanted to tell you, Fred, to take it easy on the noise.  Your
neighbor called us again.”  Patrolman Arrenson told him, for the 
twentieth time.  “We heard you over here, but you were o.k. in the 
noise department.  I figured you should know about it though.”  The two 
men grinned at each other in understanding.  Arrenson had to check out 
the complaint, even though he knew it was unjustified. 

“You want a drink, since you came all the way over, Johnny?”  Fred
asked.  “No bother, I was just going to pour one myself.” 

“Don't mind if I do.”  They went into the living room, filled with
how-to books. 

“Heard anything from Jenny and the kids, Fred.”  Johnny asked after they
sat down with their drinks. 

“No, I would be glad to send her money if I knew where to send it.” 

“She'll turn up some day, I'm sure.” 

“Probably found some new man and just forgot about me.  Maybe some rich
guy and doesn't need my money.” 

“Women are like that, Fred.” 

The policeman finished his drink and left.  Fred had a few more and went
to bed.  A few days later he opened the mold and, using a block and 
tackle, removed the concrete elephant.  It took a few more days to chip 
away the imperfections and tack on some tusks, made seperately.  His 
first one was complete.  He mixed and poured a second.  Looking over, 
he could see Frieda's curtains moving.  Fred just shook his head.  He 
would really have to do something about his nosey neighbor. 

****** 


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