Have you ever thought of doing something, but once you did, all you felt was guilt? This happens when we make a grave mistake, misunderstand someone's feelings, and react inappropriately. This experience can be the worst, heartbreaking even. It leaves you with regret of doing more due diligence, having empathy, or relating to the other side.

One such story comes from the book The Recesses of Darkness Anthology by author Roger L. Schumacher. The story’s name is “Sins of the Son”, and it carries the same narrative of regret after doing something deplorable. Readers can relate to the story because it’s the narration of realizing a mistake that can never be undone.

The Awakening

The story starts with Roy, a young man awaking at a place of eerie familiarity. This experience sets the stage for his journey of realization and discovering some hidden truths. The place is a strange house where he feels he has been there. He explores the surroundings to find clues and how he got there.

His dilemma is that he has no idea he is in his own house. As he searches for the answers, he relearns things about his family that he never wanted to remember. The realization shocks and sends him into a fit of rage. Next thing, he tries to escape but realizes there is none.

Confronting Family Demons

While exploring the house in his dream, Roy encounters three pictures. An old man, an overweight woman, and a young man who resembles the old man. Looking at these pictures, Roy found himself terrified and wanting to leave the house. His experience at the place is unsettling because he has no idea why he was there.

He soon realizes those were the pictures of him and his parents. Their relationship was not good because his father wanted him to follow in his footsteps with regards to a career. This father-son conflict resulted in his father never respecting Roy’s point of view. His father (Terrance) was a tyrant to him, and all he got from the man was traumatic memories. His father even set fire to his personal library, something Roy has spent a lifetime building. Leaving Roy with nothing but a pile of ashes. Therefore, looking at his father’s picture in the dream only filled Roy with anger and revenge.

The Tragic Cycle of Retribution

This journey through the vaguely familiar reminds Roy of all the tragedies and the harsh upbringing he faced. His life was a struggle. Even though he was a prodigy at literature, his family never appreciated or praised him. Instead, he encountered unrelenting resilience from his father and no support from his mother.

Reaching his breaking point, Roy in a fit of rage, Roy killed both his father and mother. After his father destroyed Roy’s personal library. However, it did not take long for him to realize what he had done. Guilt soon overwhelms him, leading to hanging himself to atone for his sins or punish himself. The last thing he hears is a loud crack in his neck and the tug of the noose that ends his life.

The Lessons of Guilt

This horror story from Schumacher’s book offers many lessons for its readers. It gives a sense of negative nostalgia. It is something that we all have, trauma from the past that revisits us from time to time. It reminds us of the mistakes we made or the pain we suffered, causing us to relive those experiences again out of nowhere.

Such was the case with Roy, who now lives in eternal purgatory as punishment for his actions. His feelings were so deep that he couldn’t consciously face his revenge, only through eternal damnation was he forced to relive those events. So, what did that accomplish? He only ended up taking his own life out of guilt for his sins.

Conclusion

The life of Roy in the “Sins of the Son” is tragic. It shows that revenge is not a solution, leaving readers with the mindset to find a better solution.

Roger L. Schumacher’s book The Recesses of Darkness Anthology carries more stories exploring different horror themes. Each story in this collection is independent with its unique narrative and lesson. Like Roy’s story, other stories have their own unique way of surprising the reader.

What to explore more stories like Roy’s? Then, grab a copy of The Recesses of Darkness Anthology from amazon.com. If you want to know what the author has coming up next you can email him at authorrlschumacher.com.