[ WP ] Tell me a story , any story , but you may only say what DID N'T happen . Good luck .

`` Tell the truth,'' the detective said, `` It might just save your life.'' 
 
 `` I have no life to save,'' I said, `` All the lives worthy of saving are already dead.'' 
 
 `` Just tell us anything,'' He said, `` the lie detector will do the rest.'' 
 
 `` How does this thing work anyway?'' 
 
 `` When your lying, the lines move up and down, when your telling the truth, they run in straight lines.'' 
 
 I sighed. The real story was too painful to tell. Even now, as I sat in the bright room I could see her face before mine. Her smile enticing. My babe in her arms. I could see everything that did n't happen. I could n't bring myself to see the truth. 
 
 `` Fine,'' I said, `` here's the truth,'' the lines on the machine began to move up and down in rhythmic patterns. `` I came home on the night of the 23rd of February. My wife was sitting in her chair as usual, the baby in her arms, and no other man in the house. I went to her and kissed her on the lips. She kissed back. I told her that I loved her, despite the fact that I was sleeping around, and no one threw anything at anyone. The baby was most definitely not dropped. 
 
 Since we were alone we decided to have a conversation about our marriage and what we both wanted out of it. I did not hit anyone and no one hit me. The sound of a gunshot did not echo throughout the house and the man who was not there did not kill the baby. I was always a faithful, loving, and considerate husband and she was not a drunk who would rather shoot up cocaine than take care of her child. We put the baby to bed, he was not bleeding, and went into our room where we made passionate love and I did not kill her, or the man who was not in the house. 
 
 I snuck out the window and went for a run, you know, to clear my head, and that was where I was n't arrested and brought here, to this god-forsaken place to face chargers for the murder of my family who, in my opinion, murdered me first by breaking my heart!'' 
 
 I looked down at the lines on the lie detector test. It was a mess. The detective's jaw had dropped. I do n't think that they were supposed to show emotion. 
 
 `` You killed Emily? And the baby?'' he said. 
 
 `` I had to.'' 
 
 `` I have to arrest you.'' 
 
 `` You wo n't arrest your own brother, you and I both know this.'' 
 
 He hung his head. 
 
 `` I only slept with her the one time,'' he said. 
 
 `` No you did n't.'' 
 
 `` So she deserved to die for doing the same thing you did to her?!'' 
 
 `` She slept around first! She is the one who broke my heart! The one who killed me on the inside! And you should have known better. We both know what I'm capable of.'' 
 
 We stared at each other for a minute. Then, he reached for his gun and did not point it at my head. 
 
 He did not pull the trigger. 
 
 My own brother did n't shoot me in the head. I did n't die on the police floor staring at his shoes as everything went dark.
