Molly lay in bed, listening to a distant gate slam back and forth, rattling in its moorings. The rain echoed on the roof and struck the window. In her younger years, she’d found a storm comforting. She’d be snug and safe while the elements raged outside. In this house, the relaxing pitter-patter of the rain failed to soothe.
Writers like to play around with the concept of evil, don’t we? Think of some of the great antagonists: Sauron and Voldermort in their quests for total power and dominance; the criminal mastermind of Professor Moriarty; even the endless hunger and carnage of Benchley’s Jaws. Most definitions of the word evil state immorality and wickedness as the main concepts. But is it for the writer to deem if a character is wicked … or the reader?