Hamlet stood over Polonius’ deceased corpse; gazing upon it in disappointment, madness in his eyes. Hamlet was hoping the figure that he stabbed through the drawn curtain in their living room was his uncle - who is responsible for the murder of his father. Gertrude, stood a few feet back from the grizzly scene, unable to speak or move - frozen by fear.
“Poor fellow… He didn’t have to die… Then again, he didn’t have to spy on us…” Hamlet trailed off.
“Hamlet… What have you…? Why would you…?” Gertrude said incoherently. She was in utter shock and disbelief. An unfortunate witness to a gruesome murder.
“If you know what’s best for you, you won’t tell anyone!” Hamlet shouts, bloodstains on his: shirt, his hands, and the kitchen knife used to pierce through Polonius’ heart, killing him instantly. Gertrude simply stared in horror at her son, completely paralyzed from her astonishment.
One of the neighbours must’ve heard Gertrude’s scream, because police sirens rang out in the distance; drawing nearer. Hamlet either didn’t hear them, or didn’t care. He picked up Polonius’ mangled body and dragged him throughout the house - out of Gertrude’s view. She was petrified. Mortified. Gertrude prayed silently to herself that the authorities would get there sooner. She dared not try to find Hamlet or discover what he was doing with the body…
Hamlet entered back into the living room, wearing a fresh shirt, hands washed, no knife in sight.
“Remember what I said. Don’t tell anyone.” Hamlet said sternly, grabbing Gertrude’s wrist tightly. Gertrude could only look into the empty eyes of the shell of the man who once was her son. She now saw him as a stranger. A trespasser. A murderer. She wanted to scream but had no voice to do it. Wanted to fight but no strength to move. She was trapped. She could not move or speak. She could not leave. The only thing she had liberated was her mind, and even it was infected with horrific images and thoughts…
“They’re here.” Hamlet said, peering out of the front door peephole.
A sudden knock, followed by “Police! Open up.”
Hamlet looked at Gertrude coldly (who appeared as though she were about to burst into tears) before opening the door with a smile, replying “Afternoon officers, what seems to be the issue?”
“We received a call about a disturbance, everything alright?”
“Never better. My mother and I were just about to have dinner.”
“May we speak with her?”
“She’s very busy in the kitchen right now. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Nothing in particular, we’re just going to take a look around if that’s alright.”
“Come on in” Hamlet said, swallowing hard. Knowing his mother very well could make things go south quickly.
“You must be this boy’s mother, I’m officer Claudius,” he said after entering the house and making his way over to the kitchen doorway; reaching out to shake Gertrude’s hand “good to meet you.”
Gertrude merely turned her head 30° to look at the officer, before rotating her head back, and walking further into the kitchen without saying a word.
“Odd…” officer Claudius muttered to himself.
“She looks like she’s seen something,” officer Guildenstern said to officer Rosencrantz.
“Perhaps…” Rosencrantz replied questioningly.
“Tell me son, why did your neighbours call about an ear deafening scream that took place at about 5:40pm?” Claudius inquired.
“I don’t know sir, might’ve been something on the TV that they heard; we didn’t hear any such scream.” Hamlet replied shortly.
“I see…” Claudius answered, taking a few steps towards the living room. “You spend a lot of time in here?”
“As much as any normal family does.” Hamlet responded.
“Interesting…” Claudius replied looking around the room intently “Check the back rooms,” he said to Guildenstern and Rosencrantz.
“Yessir” They answered.
After Hamlet left the living room for Claudius to inspect, Claudius noticed a small hole in the drawn living room curtain. The room itself was pretty open, with two sofas in the center of the room angled towards a large plasma TV that stood in between two doorways towards either side of the kitchen.
“Wonder how big the moths are around here…” Claudius said to himself, taking a closer look at hole.
“Chief, you gotta come take a look at this!” He heard Guildenstern shout from the kitchen. Claudius moved quickly, hand on his weapon holster, carefully listening for any more signs of distress. He entered the kitchen, and saw Rosencrantz holding up a knife, recently washed with no other cooking utensils or food products nearby.
“There’s more,” Rosencrantz spoke quietly. “Drops of blood leading up to this door…” He said pointing towards a lower cupboard door. The three officers all nodded silently to each other.
“1, 2, 3!” Claudius counted in order to signal Guildenstern to open the cupboard, only to find nothing inside. Claudius left the kitchen to find Hamlet, to ask about the blood droplets.
“Young man, there’s a bloodstain on your kitchen floor, are you hurt?”
“Oh no I’m quite alright, I can’t imagine what that’s from…”
“Is your mother oka-”
“HANDS ON YOUR HEAD AND GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES!” Guildenstern suddenly roared, standing directly behind Hamlet.
“What is it Guildenstern?” Claudius asked, shocked.
“We found a huge puddle of blood in the upper cupboard, looks like a body was stored there before moving it.” He answered, heart rate elevated.
“It was him…” Gertrude trembled, suddenly in the kitchen doorway “He killed him…”
“Who? Who did he kill?” Rosencrantz urged Gertrude, trying to remain calm.
“Polonius… Poor poor Polonius…” Gertrude replied slowly, holding her head with her hands.
“Where is the body?” Claudius said now grabbing Hamlet and shaking him “WHERE?”
“You could say old Polonius is where one eats.” Hamlet replied, laughing hysterically.
“Search the kitchen and the dining room and find that body!” Claudius ordered the two officers. They moved quickly and were audibly searching hard, it sounded as if Guildenstern was tearing the entire kitchen apart. Meanwhile Rosencrantz flipped the table and searched in all of the corners and shelves of the two cupboards that displayed the family’s fine china. Claudius grabbed Hamlet and brought him into the living room to question him further.
“Why is there a hole in your curtain?” Claudius asked. Hamlet just kept on laughing like a madman. Finally Guildenstern called out “Nothing here, chief,” and Rosencrantz shouted “I got nothing either,”
Hamlet was still laughing.
“Perhaps I misspoke, not where one eats, rather where one is eaten…” He continued, his maniacal laugh filling the house.
“We need to find this body and get him” he pointed at Hamlet “out of here, now.” Claudius said to the other officers, “call it in right away”.
Written by Jack Fowler
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