The wind blew through my hair as I made another lap. One foot in front of the other, I wasn’t new to this.

The DJ stood on top of the booth, dancing to the Bee Gee’s. If I didn’t know better, I would swear the brick building was rocking. 

“Tamara, he’s here!” I could barely hear a thing, but I was getting good at reading lips on Friday nights such as these. 

I tilted my toes downward, using the bright orange stopper to slow myself. I hopped off the concrete floor, coasting as I bent down to grab one of the carpet covered squares we used as seats. My shin hit the wood. I held my breath until the pain subsided. The disco ball and multicolored flashing lights interfered with my eyesight as I tried to catch a glimpse of him strutting through the double glass doors.

“That’s him alright, come on!” I grabbed Tabitha’s hand, and we followed the crowd to the lockers. His was the only one painted yellow, he chose the color and he no longer had to pay the rental fee. He slipped out of his rhinestone cladded crocs and covered the lock with his hand, hiding the combination as he spun the dial. He lifted the handle, the entire row of metal clanked when the door opened. “Ahhhh.” Everyone around let out a sigh as he pulled out his gold-plated roller skates. His entourage insisted everyone take a few steps back so he could lace them up. 

I recognized a loud voice moving through the herd of people. “Johnny Rambrandt, tonight is the night you lose your title and locker!” Johnny turned and laughed. “In your dreams, Snotty Hill.” My classmates had been calling Tommy Hill, “Snotty Hill” for as long as I could remember. It all happened in the third grade when a sneeze went terribly wrong. He laughed again and then told Tommy he accepted his challenge. A path cleared and the two headed out to the rink. The place became eerily quiet when the DJ officially announced the race.

“On your mark….get set…..GO!” The DJ shouted over the loud speaker. Poor Tommy Hill lunged forward, attempting a speedy start and fell flat on his face. The brackets on his front teeth came loose, causing the wire from his braces to puncture his top lip. He stood up crying with blood trickling down his chin. I felt sorry for the poor boy. The kids never called him “Snotty Hill” again, from then on out, he was referred to as “Snotty Fall”.

What they didn’t realize was that their meanness was motivation for Tommy. He is now a multimillionaire with his own line of clothing. Snotty Fall denim has been named the slickest jeans out of them all.

The screen on my phone lit up, UNKOWN CALLER. This was my first vacation in over five years, I hit the decline button. My head was pounding from a lack of sleep. The dark splotches under my eyes reminded me that I hadn’t washed off my makeup from the previous evening’s dinner date. He was a lovely man, I met him at the club.

I splashed some cold water on my face, took the terrycloth hand towel down from the metal ring that held it unevenly on the wall. The softness on my brow, tickled. I slipped into my one piece, neon pink swimsuit, cut high above the thighs.

My self-esteem wasn’t ready for the bikini life, but I was pushing my limits a bit, preparing for such. I threw my Bubble yum beach towel over my shoulder; after all it matched my bathing suit. I headed out of my bungalow.

The sand was scorching as it crept in between my toes. I immediately tried to go back in to grab my flip flops, but my key card wouldn’t work. I looked down towards the peer, hoping one of the resort’s employees would be near by. No such luck.

Sweat began to run down my forehead, I wiped it off with the back of my hand, realizing my body temperature must’ve been at a maximum.

The palm trees stood still, there was no breeze, steam hovered over the ocean like a boiling pot of water. There were no birds chirping, and the people; where had all the people gone?

I ran down the wooden pathway, finding shelter from the sun, under the hut. My heart pounded in my chest, I could see my skin raise with each pulse.

My phone began to ring again, UNKNOWN CALLER. This time I answered hoping to be rescued from the now horrifying, uninhabitable elements. “Hello.” I panted, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth from the dryness. “Hello, sweetie. I need to talk to you about last night.” The voice on the other end was sweet and seductive. “Who is this?” I asked. “Luci here, darling, or some like to call me Mr. Fer, you decide. Won’t you join me for brunch?” I realized my time to choose was up.

I remember the morning you left like it was yesterday. The sky was an ocean blue, a few cotton candy clouds crept in. The trees made me think about football and that Tennessee college team you liked so much. The air was crisp, I recall grabbing my hoodie and following you out to the car. You spoke a thousand words a minute, telling me you’d had enough of the country life, there wasn’t a fish you couldn’t catch or a buck you couldn’t take the last breath from. I believed all of that to be true but I also knew you would be back.

You couldn’t keep money, it didn’t matter how much of it you had. It’d be gone in no time, as soon as you came upon the first half full parking lot with flashy neon signs scattered across the side of the building. The sound of the slots and the dinging of the bells would take you out of the game, or maybe it would be the cards sliding across the green felt fabric, the dainty hands with long red nails flipping through the deck. You had a weakness. I wasn’t surprised when they told me the real winner was the sound of the ice hitting the glass. You liked your drink on the rocks. Your body ended up there also. They said you fell to your death down an embankment not to far from the casino but, I heard the whispers and knew you paid a debt with your life.

So, now I sit on the water’s edge, reminiscing of a better time, and the love we once shared, the love you took from me. I see our reflections as I struggle to erase this mirror in my mind.

I was finally prompted to move by the thistles poking my rear end, this shrubbery was unfriendly. I wasn’t sure how I got here, placed in the middle of these bushes. Pulling my cell out, I scrolled through my calls and texts, hoping for a clue to my whereabouts, it had no service. I hadn’t driven in years, not since that vehicular…. Well, I had to swerve to miss the shadows that multiplied down the pavement. I didn’t know the sidewalk was going to be my only alternate route. They gave me probation, a lot of people were angry.

I couldn’t sit here in this makeshift jungle any longer. I stood up and wiped the dirt from my pants. The mulch squished in between my naked toes as I shoved the weeds out of my way, clearing a path to the timber’s edge. I came to an abrupt halt. There was no way I could do this safely.

I squinted as I scanned the area, allowing for the sun to shine directly into my eyes. I aimed for the metal archway above, it was my only hope. Tall and thin, I figured I could make it. I tucked my phone into my bra and jumped, grabbing hold to the first bar, I swung, reached out and caught the next one. This wasn’t as easy as I remembered the monkey bars in elementary. I made it about as far as the fountain in the center of the garden and dropped down onto it, sending it into a wobbling frenzy. Unsteady, I placed my arms around the concrete female and held on tight. I expressed my gratitude for the young lady with a kiss on the forehead, then wiped paint particles from my lips. Night began to fall. The birds no longer chirped.

A beaming glow of light brightly attacked my being. I put my hand up as a shield to see a gentleman clad in all blue, coming to my rescue. “Miss, what are you doing up there?” He reached up to help me down. I smacked his hand a way. “No!” I fiercely wailed. I pointed to the ground weeping. “Step on a crack, break my mother’s back.” He understood and thankfully I was rolled out on a stretcher, avoiding the grooves in the concrete.

He had to duck down to enter the little house even with his back bent from obvious arthritis. He was a big burly man, the front of his hair yellow from all the years of smoking cigarettes, the rest of it a salt and pepper gray. His voice didn’t match his appearance, his tone had a bit of a squeal to it. 

 He asked me how old my daughter was that I intended to buy the playhouse for. I told him she was a small four, but her imagination was a lot bigger than that. His face turned red from laughter. “Oh, I understand. My granddaughter was the same, still is I suppose.”  I lost him in his thoughts for a moment. 

 I heard a rumble and then crunching over the gravel driveway. I turned to see the most beautiful girl atop a green and yellow John Deere tractor. Her hair, locks of gold and her makeup done perfectly. “Da, who’s that man?” She stepped down from her ride. She wore a stunning pink dress, with a rose-colored fur around her neck and to top it off, this girl had on pumps, making her taller than her Da.

 She maneuvered up to us as if she were top model on a runway. “She’s called me Da ever since she’s been old enough to talk.” You could see the gleam in his eyes. She flung her scarf back around her neck and spoke quickly. “Just give the man that old thing. I have no use for it anymore.” She strutted back off. He yelled in her direction. “I need this money to help pay for your fancy Julliard school in the fall, Lilly.” She stopped, turned on her heels and responded. “Momma says you have plenty of money and no matter what, you cannot come to New York with me, if this is one of your ploys.”

He looked back towards me and quoted me a price. The old tractor’s engine revved back up. “Sorry sir, I thought this time would be different. He can’t find it in his heart to get rid of anything that belonged to one of his grandkids.” She was right, the price tag was hefty. “You’ll understand one day, and I would have sold it to you had the price been right.” He winked at me.

“London bridge is ….. Honey, do you want to finish the sentence?” Through her tears she whispered “falling down” and then sniffled.

“My fair ….” I ran my fingers through her long brown locks, snagging them in the process. “Lady.” She cried harder. “Those tears and all that green snot are the cause of these tangles, little missy. Men aren’t meant to fix little girls hair” She rolled over and faced the wall, the paint chipped from where her finger nails dug into it.

The sound of shattered glass startled us both. Heavy boots flooded the upstairs, and then made their way down the steps. “Someone’s here! Get in your place!” The chain rattled as it was drug across the floor. She whimpered, crawled under the bed, reaching back up to grab her dirty white teddy bear that was missing an eye. I shook my head in disapproval.

I tacked the wood paneling back up, the seams sealed tight so no light could escape. “FBI” They shouted repeatedly. Their fearless leader pointed them in different directions as they scattered through the house, calling her name. “Lona, Lona, we are here to help you!”

The aluminum gas can was full and in reach, I had no choice. I drenched the foundation around me, I stood in the flammable circle, holding a box of matches. A dozen rifles all pointed in my direction, I lit match after match, blowing each one out. I tilted my head back, laughing obnoxiously. I struck one more, ready to end it all. “Honey, London bridge is burning down, burning down, my sweet Lona!” I looked back towards my makeshift partition, her cage, hoping she would call out to me, an expression of love, maybe a hint of gratefulness for caring for her all these months. There was nothing.

I heard a pop…….

Sophie struggled to get to the front door of the cottage. She stumbled over her own feet falling just before her hand could reach the brass knob. 

Caleb, dressed in his overalls with a straw-hat wobbling on top of his pointed head, grabbed her by the feet and drug her back over the aged hardwood floor. She screamed in terror as her shirt slid halfway up, causing splinters to inject themselves into the skin of her belly. She rolled from side to side, kicking and screaming, trying to free herself from his monstrous grip – but to no avail. His mother sat over in her brown and maroon plaid lazy chair, cackling full volume. All her teeth missing except for one; second from the front on the bottom row.

Sophie told him many times that she wasn’t interested in dating him, but they would always be friends. He struggled with the notion that someone else could be her soulmate. Being the teacher’s aide in school sometimes came with a price. Her golden hair and eyes as blue as the ocean attracted many.

His mother called for him. He tied Sophie’s hands and feet up with a straw rope, her knees bent up to her chin, she was left in the corner of his room to sob. She looked around, spotting only a wrought iron twin bed with box springs, no mattress.

Slow on his feet, his mother came to him. She ripped the worn leather belt from his waist, beating him while he covered his head in agony. She pulled a small bottle, labelled poison from the pocket stitched into her housekeeping uniform, tilting his head back by way of his hair, she poured the contraption down his throat, dropping the bottle then holding his nose to make him swallow. She referenced the fact, she never wanted a son, she always wanted to be a girl mom. She ran her hand through her stringy, gray hair as she wondered aloud what to do with Sophie.

 

 

I drove my usual route home, pitch black, foggy, with no streetlights. The occasional tree branch scratched across my roof causing me to duck down as if I weren’t protected by the metal. 

The local DJ kept me company. The red 96.7 illuminated from my Kenwood radio, lighting up the car a bit. I even laughed at a couple of his jokes.

“Woah buddy.” I used my hand as a visor to shield the high beams radiating from my rearview. I glanced back once they were dimmed. The car following me had to be at least twenty feet long. The giant circular headlights on the vehicle roused my curiosity, there was four of them.

I could tell the driver was male and at least six feet tall the way the top of his white Stetson hat touched the ceiling. He reached out of his window and placed a single blue light atop the car, activating it. “This guy must think he’s Barney Fife.” I chuckled to myself, still, me being me, I pulled over to check out his car, unconcerned about any authority he might have.

I jumped out and ran back to him. “Holy moly!” I shouted. “A ’64 Cadillac? Am I right? I’m right, aren’t I?” I wanted to say ain’t but my mother was a school teacher, I knew better.

He reached over the long seat and opened the passenger door. He didn’t say a word, I hopped in. He revved the engine and took off down the road. We drove past my old Porsche, wrapped around a tree. “When did that happen?” Wide eyed, I hoped he would answer my question. He looked at me and smiled, turning the volume up on his old dial. He’s a Rebel by The Crystals was now playing loudly. “Heck yeah!” I slapped the dash to the music as he pressed the gas harder. The faster we went, the higher altitude we reached, flying through the clouds and even past the tree my wife and I carved our initials in when we first met; (J.D.+ D.M. <3)

“I’d always heard riding in a Cadillac was like floating but who knew it was so much like heaven.” He laughed at me this time.

 

ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK! You could barely read what was left of the flaky white paint sprayed onto the rotten wood sign at the entry way to the forest. It wasn’t my first time here, probably wouldn’t be my last. This land was actually deeded to me when my father was killed by an earthacoy.

I obtained my license online like I did every October, it was the season to hunt the earthacoys. I aimed to kill as many as I could, they had revenge coming. Few participated in this sport, probably because it wasn’t for the faint at heart. I stumbled down the dusty path using my gun as a walking stick, ready for my first sighting.

The king and queen of the earthacoy’s normally stood over a hundred feet tall, mated every July and their eggs hatched the end of August, that’s when the true game began. Mom and Pop earthacoy’s bodies would sink down below the dirt with only their heads visible. Their babies were nearly thirty feet tall by the time the hunt was legal, they ran quickly through the forest, hopping and leaping over anything in their way. I put my stand about sixty feet above the action. I shot at every one of them I could see. I had yet to bring home the prize.

I cried a little bit today, drank another six pack and leaned back thinking about my father. I held the empty beer can and chuckled, he gave me my first sip at two years old and a whole one when I was six. I loved that man, we had so much in common. That’s when I heard that distinct noise they made. “Clack, clack, clack” I put my arms behind me, pushed myself up, grabbed my rifle, and let my shots ring out! I was sure I got me one.

I crept up to my prey. “Dad, I was just putting a new sign out! I’ve been hoping for years that you would stop drinking and realize you’ve been shooting at trees this whole time!” He was always the protective type, my boy was even in college. He helped me back to the farmhouse just as the earthacoy’s grew back to height.

The wind blew ferociously causing the blinding rain to hit hard against my face. I squinted my eyes as I pulled the strings to tighten the hood on my polyester jacket.

“Tomas!” I yelled from atop the temple ruins which offered no protection from the ravaging thunderstorm. We were separated running from multiple strikes of lightning. Our hopes of shelter diminished when I watched our small tent blow away, mimicking the tree limbs that found security by holding on to their trunks.

“Tomas!” I yelled once more. He turned back towards me and threw his hands up, admitting defeat by the elements. He pulled his coat together and ran through the landscape towards me.

A loud growling noise came from amidst the greenery. I watched as Tomas’s body was violently pulled down and drug through the vegetation. The tall perfectly green grass appeared to roll across the land until I no longer had a visual.

I grabbed hold to the rock siding and threw myself over the ledge landing on both legs, my knees feeling the impact. I was afraid but had to attempt a rescue.

A giant creature, the color of clay emerged from the field. I noticed the horns embedded in his forehead and black upside down crucifix between them, before I realized he had Tomas clinched between his teeth. He was headed my direction.

I ran back towards the stone temple and hid behind a concrete column. He swung his head from side to side, releasing his grip and tossing Tomas to me. He was still alive. He crawled over to me, bloody and out of breath. “It’s the devils game. He wants us to escape but the wages of sin is death.” He barely got his words out.

There was no reason for me to be here in Greece exploring ancient artifacts with Tomas. I realized at that moment just how much my husband and family back home meant to me. I looked down at Tomas’ torn body and I remembered I could win. I could still win at this deadly competition. I fell to my knees and began to pray.