Erma's Inn

She was getting too old for this.

"You better put on a good show tonight Ivan…if you know what’s good for you," Erma quipped.

She turned off the light, leaving Ivan to stand in his mess, and slowly made her way back up the stairs.

In the kitchen she hid the key in its drawer and went about her morning business. Greeting new guests arriving for the nights firework display. There were young couples, middle-aged couples, and old couples. Erma treated them all so kindly.

Around noontime Erma went down to the basement to free Ivan from his chains and give him clean clothing. Before he dressed she hosed him down, and made him scrub the stink off of himself. Wouldn’t do good for the guests to smell her rank husband.

After Erma deemed him suitable to show around to the guests she ushered him upstairs. She knew he wouldn’t try anything. After years of being chained in the basement he didn’t dare. All of his will power had been zapped. Besides how would he live without her? Where would he go? He had no one except for her. They had never had any children. All they had had was Ivan’s money. And Erma had taken all of that over for the Inn.

"Don’t try anything funny Ivan, or you know what will happen," Erma whispered to him and pulled out her stun gun to show him that she meant business.

"No Erma. I wouldn’t dream of it," Ivan told her.

"Don’t get cute with me you bastard," Erma snapped and clicked on the stun gun and shocked him in the small of his back.

It was after noon when Erma took Ivan out by the pond to show him all the neat fireworks she had bought for the special event. Ivan showed no enthusiasm, which angered Erma to no extent.

"You should be grateful that I let you out for this afternoon. Do you know how close you were to being left in there while I found someone else to do the fireworks? After that horrible mess you made. I do too much for you," Erma said exasperated.

Ivan said nothing. He knelt by the box of fireworks and looked through them. That’s when he got an idea. It was a wonderful, horrible idea.

***

Later In the Evening

"Now you make sure you start setting these off in ten minutes. Mind me and things will go good for you Ivan. If not you’ll be sorry," Erma told him matter-of-factly.

Without waiting for a response Erma turned her back to him and marched back to the Inn. Erma quickly gathered all the guests together, most grumbling how full they were from the wonderful barbeque that Erma had prepared for them. Many of the couples were seated on blankets or lawn chairs, all placed perfectly around the pond. Everyone waited anxiously for the fireworks to begin. Erma found her own seat on the dock of the pond and waited for Ivan to do his work.

The fireworks began with a colorful display, and loud, shrill noise. Spirals of light filled the air and reflected onto the pond. Everyone clapped after each display. Erma picked out really good ones this year, how pleased she was with herself. She couldn’t wait for the finale. She had chosen a spectacular one for that.

The fireworks went on for about another thirty minutes and then Ivan got the finale ready. It was the one that Erma had chosen, of course, but it wasn’t going to go exactly the way she had planned it.

Ivan aimed it perfectly at the roof of Erma’s beloved Inn, lit it, and let it rip.

"Take that you old bitch," Ivan muttered to himself.