Tinted View

William McDaniel was known around town from the mysterious bruises that would show up on his wife, night after night. She would always credit them to her being a klutz, but the townspeople knew better. She, too, knew better.

She knew to keep her mouth shut. William was a rich and influential businessman in the town, so no one was really looking for trouble with him. The police were among the few people willing to risk their jobs and even their lives to tryto put away William.

It wouldn’t be so bad if it were just him. The grim truth was that he had a penchant for extending his arm towards his two children and their housekeeper.

Having long sense been fed up with the abuse and eager to do something about it, the sheriff hatched a plan. He contacted Miss McDaniel and the town’s reining fabric queen, Miss Sweeny. Together, they made the most beautiful curtains anyone in town had seen.

The next day, Miss McDaniel went about hanging the curtains around the house, replacing the older, less fantastic ones. That evening, when William came home, he was angered by the sight of such colorful drapes, but was on the other hand pleased that they still obscured the view of the inside of the house.

A few nights passed, and eventually he grew tired of seeing the fabric. It wasn’t long before his dislike turned to rage and he pulled his wife into the living room. Flipping the lights one, he started to beat her, yelling at her about how she had ruined the house with her terrible curtains.

It didn’t take long for the police, who had been keeping close watch on the house at night, to storm in and arrest a stunned William.

“How,” he asked, fighting the two officers that were dragging him outside. “How did yo-.”

And then he saw it.

The curtains, by day, obscured the view from the outside looking in. But, at night, when the light was behind them, they offered up a perfect view of the living room.

Always live life as you are being watched. That veil you cast upon yourself isn’t always as opaque as you might like it to be.