Semi-freak accident?

tooloo · Dec 30, 2015

MC is a preteen, who has recently witnessed the death of his mother. He’s sent to live with his long distance father, and his father’s “new family.” His new life includes a pretty home, which has an unfortunate rumor of being haunted. Creepiness ensues, while collective guilt festers. While trying to navigate his new life and possible paranormal activity, MC begins to remember details that make him question his own role in his mother’s alleged “accident”?

My question is: How did Mommy Dearest die?

My first thought was either a car accident or a house fire, but I feel that these are a little too … typical. I’m not looking for a final destination-esque / one in a million freak accident, but something that would have more of a gray area that would really make MC question his role in the “accident.”

Any suggestions or ideas? Obviously, any death of a parent would be traumatizing for a kid, but I’m looking for something a little more out of the ordinary. The death does not have to be paranormal / horror based, but it is the catalyst for MC’s situation and eventual paranormal assisted psychological breakdown.

Have you ever experienced a freak accident, or a near freak accident (obviously, not an accident that resulted in your death)? Or have you had any near death experiences that could spark some ideas?

Maryn · Dec 30, 2015

I'm slightly drunk, so please forgive me if any of this is stupid.

How about a stove accident, a loose sleeve and a barbecue or a gas stove's flame, and whoosh! She's on fire, and a witness may not opt to help her stop, drop, and roll but let her burn? Or tries to help but doesn't know what to do and makes it worse.

Fruitbat · Dec 30, 2015

Or maybe she fell down some steps, just "right" and broke her neck. Perhaps she tripped on the MC's shoes, which he left in the way. To make it more unclear as to whose fault it was, maybe she was drunk. I'm not sure falling down the steps is terribly original, though...

Fruitbat · Dec 30, 2015

Or a boulder fell on her head, she was struck by lightning, or a lion escaped from a nearby zoo got her. The freak accident occurred while she was out looking for the MC, since he didn't bother coming home for dinner when he was supposed to.

cmhbob · Dec 30, 2015

Mommy having any kind of accident would work, because how many pre-teens really have the intestinal fortitude to help someone who's on fire, or something like that?

I like the fall, but maybe he goes running to help her, and picks her head up, and that's what finishes the break in teh neck. Or a heartless first responder lets slip that "she'd have made it he hadn't tried to move her."

Or they're arguing at the playground, etc, and an out-of-control car hits her while she's yelling at him.

Honestly, given some of the GIFs on http://imgur.com/r/watchpeopledie, that kind of thing is not at all implausible. (Link is NOT SAFE FOR CASUAL BROWSING).

Underdawg47 · Dec 31, 2015

Maybe they were both caught in an elevator between floors, and the mom was cut in half. Maybe she was mauled by a mean dog trying to save him.

tooloo · Jan 1, 2016

I think this is what is making me question myself. I know that any accident would have a severe effect on a child, even a simple car crash. Kids blame themselves for adult issues all the time, and they would definitely overthink their role in their parent’s death.

I don’t know if I should leave it as a statistically ordinary accident, or make it something a little more distinct.

Right now, in the few scenes that I’ve written, it’s implied the death had something to do with a car crash. He keeps having visions of headlights. I just thought I’d do a little more exploring into other ideas, because I'm not too attached to any idea.

frimble3 · Jan 1, 2016

If he's seeing headlights, presumably he's seen them head-on. How about the classic: 'mother and child crossing the street, car heads straight for them, mother pushes the child to safety, but dies under the wheels herself'? This can range from 'they were in a crosswalk, the driver was impaired', to 'the boy darted into the street for some reason, pulling the mother with him' on the guilt scale, as well as on the boy's perception of his guilt.
Could be that the driver was drunk and speeding, but that the boy did step into the street after a toy he lost his grip on. Maybe the driver was totally sober, but the blame was put on the driver, because only the boy knew about the toy, and he didn't 'fess up. Maybe he feels guilty about both his mother, and the (in this version) innocent driver.

If you want them in a car crash, maybe all he can think about is that he was bugging his mother as she was driving, and she was telling him off for distracting her.

If the story is more about the paranormal, and his psychological breakdown, rather than the death itself, I'd stick with a fairly mundane death, so it doesn't take over the story with questions about coincidence, and bizarre events, etc. Or, worse, readers trying to visualize the mechanics of the death, rather than the story you want to tell.

CWatts · Jan 2, 2016

frimble3 said:
If you want them in a car crash, maybe all he can think about is that he was bugging his mother as she was driving, and she was telling him off for distracting her.

My thought is that they were having an argument in the car with him mouthing off to her and then they wreck. It's pretty random but she was distracted and his last words to her were unkind, so there's the guilt factor.

Jamesaritchie · Jan 4, 2016

I can only tell you how I would do it. Since this is probably a horror tale, the death should be directly related to the horror. I'd have the child block out most of the memory, not being at all sure himself what he really saw. But as he gets older, flashes pop into his mind, flashes of something truly horrible.

Maybe she burned to death and he blames himself. All he remembers is knocking over a space heater as he flees the house. His next memory is of setting in the grass in the dead of night, rain pouring down, and the entire house in flames. So the guilt is terrible.

But the truth is that however his mom died, something did it to her, some awful entity, and now it's coming after him. Why? Make up a reason. Whether it's a family curse, or whether the house they lived in when his mom was killed had such an entity that she unwittingly freed, or whatever. As long as it's plausible.

Then, as he gets older, he goes back to where it happened to visit his mom's grave, and when he leaves, the entity follows him. In the end, he learns he wasn't responsible, but he still has the entity to deal with, or he'll join his mom in death.

Hmmm, I could write this one myself.

Semi-freak accident?

tooloo

Maryn

Baaa!

Fruitbat

.

Fruitbat

.

cmhbob

Did...did I do that?

Underdawg47

tooloo

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

CWatts

down the rabbit hole of research...

Jamesaritchie