“I told him Oscar the grouch was hiding behind the tree on the other side of the bridge. Oscar the grouch was his favorite.” She spoke of her younger brother. The courtroom was dead silent. I couldn’t believe they allowed seven-year-old Grippy Alms to take the stand. Dark circles engulfed her little eyes, she picked at the skin around her fingernails and kept her head down the entire time. She somehow managed to answer each one of their harrowing questions.

With the heavy wooden doors shut tightly, one could still hear the child advocacy groups protesting in front of the building. “Free Grippy Alms, the truth must be told.” I could feel my stomach turning flips. The judge ordered no one in or out once this thing began so I chewed another orange antacid and braced for more of her testimony.

“Grippy.” The prosecuting attorney moved in closer, blocking the child’s view of her now only living relative. She referred to her as “Nanna.”

“Sweetheart, what happened after you tricked Motley to follow you?”

“Objection!” The defense spoke. “Your honor, terms of endearment trigger young Grippy.” 

“It’s okay. I like Mr. Egley.” The girl whispered.

Egley turned around to face the audience. “See, she likes me.” 

“Do you love Oscar the grouch, Mr. Egley?” Grippy giggled. The prosecuting attorney bellowed out a loud “No!” He stumbled backwards while pulling the white handkerchief from his expensive coat pocket to dab the sweat from his forehead.

“I want to go home, Nanna.” Crocodile tears ran down the tiny girl’s face, littering her pink dress as they fell from her chin. Her grandmother whimpered trying to hold back her heartbreak. “I’m sorry!” Grippy repeated. “I was trying to save Motley from Mommy and Daddy.” Laughter then escaped from her lips as she tried to keep them tightly shut.

The judge hit his gavel. “Who allowed this child to testify? This is over with. Guards!” He called for Grippy to be removed from his courtroom.

A displeased onlooker was immediately found in contempt, unable to control themselves. “But she put him in a trash can!” It’s true there’s two sides to every story but evil is a book of its own.

I was out of breath when I kneeled in the foot tall grass trying to regain my composure. Justin sat down next to me and sprawled his legs out, creating a space for his duffle bag. He struggled to unzip it. His face was covered in soot, I figured mine was too, so I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. “Are you okay?” I questioned his strength when he fell backwards and closed his eyes. He didn’t answer me. I took his bag and retrieved the water he was trying to get. “Save me some.” I could faintly hear his voice. The sound of emergency vehicles travelled all the way to our location. “Do you think they’ll find us?” I was a little concerned.

“I doubt it.” He was never totally honest with me, attempting to minimize my anxiety though it seldom worked. I only trusted him sometimes and others; never. Once rehydrated, we both sat with our knees pulled up under our chins. “Wow.” I whispered. The city was a magnificent amber. The pellets of burning dust appeared brightly against the dark night sky. I was sure it was raining gold. Some of the buildings succumbed to the fire, others stood more masculine and immovable. The tiny hairs on my arms stood at attention above the chill bumps on my fair skin.

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” He stood up, reaching his hand out to help me to an upright position. “Yes, it is.” I didn’t know what else to say. I wanted to thank him, but words couldn’t express my gratitude. Our fingers entwined as we walked closer to the deliberate, newfound, earthly hell. “What about here? Is this close enough?” I nodded in agreeance.

He retrieved my canvas and paints. “Create, my love, create.” My desire was to capture the uncanny. He gave that to me.

Sit down!” I reached up and grabbed Amelia by her hand. She jerked away from me and held her arms high up into the night sky, bellowing out a scream of excitement. She was beautiful, the way her hair blew in the wind covering her eyes. She delicately wiped the strands of gold from her face. She stumbled just a bit. I pulled her down next to me and insisted she never do that again.

We were now centered at the top, looking out over the city, glorifying in its magnificence. The blue and pink neon lights never died; this Ferris Wheel ran all year long except for Christmas Day.

“You wouldn’t care if I fell a million feet.” She laid her head over on my uniform and sobbed. “The only place I want you to fall is more in love with me.” I held her close hoping she could hear me over the loud music that played in the streets.

She turned her worried expression towards me, her baby blues now full of tears. “If that’s what you wanted, you wouldn’t have left me.” I didn’t want to admit that I knew what she meant by that, but rumors spread like wildfire, and I wasn’t oblivious to the mill.

“Part of it’s true.” She revealed, knowing my thoughts from years of companionship. I could feel my stomach move up to my throat as I slid away from her, any truth she could offer would have a lasting impact on our lives. “Which part?” I courageously asked. Cowardly ways disappeared with my enrollment.

She sat up straight with confidence signifying the woman she had become. “I spent some time with Ryan Tilley but I never betrayed you.” She didn’t blink, stared straight at me. Relief poured over me. I believed what she was saying.

She gently put my hand over her navy silk dress, pressing it against her belly. “You’re going to have a son.” I swallowed hard, fist pumping the air and then planting the longest, most passionate kiss on her ruby red lips.

“Our future is the reason I joined. I never meant to hurt you.” The ride stopped abruptly, the operator opened the door so we could disembark. I led her closer to the waters edge, the tiny rippling waves gave me a feeling of euphoria, confirming my split second decision. I dropped down on one knee and became the man I so desperately searched for.

I walked through the ravine amid the towering rock slopes that held both sides of “no man’s land” at bay. “I knew this was coming.” I adjusted my earbuds so I could hear Brody better.

“I wish I was there.” He sighed and paused our conversation. “I’m here and I promised to always be your eyes.” I panned my camera around, holding it still so he could get a good look at the amber colored sky before the earth dipped and spun around on its axis, leaving us in the dark.

Brody fell from a thirty-foot balcony last year during an astronomy lecture. He’s now paralyzed from the waist down, prognosis: unknown.

“Show me the floor!” He wanted revelation of the glassy, black smut that covered the once boat traveled river.

The weeklong heat funnels that escaped the walls of the treacherous, calenture causing gardens brought forth a phenomenon unexplainable by anyone, except, maybe Brody. His studies disclosed that once this magnificent temperature change reversed, it would bring forth a hades type underworld.

“Brody, you know I can’t do that. You theorized the irreversible damage to one’s soul should he view what’s beneath.”  He pretended to cry. “I was wrong. We must witness it!” He begged.

I retrieved a small mirror from my backpack, placing it so my device could record the reflection of the underworld. I filmed for about three minutes; our eyes remained shut.

“Let’s watch the footage!” We spoke simultaneously. 

Featureless gray colored human shapes swam to the brink of the black liquid filled abyss. Their five fingered mitts pressed and beat against the clear cover, trying to push their way out of the void. Oblong mouths covered the largest portion of their faces, white egg-shaped circles appeared where eyes should’ve been, there was nothing else.

Imaginary screams pierced my ears as they bellowed from below. The creatures gurgled incoherently, responding to the horror they now lived in. I spoke my visions to Brody as I watched them unfold.

“Run! The valley of death is against you!” He screamed. 

Once I was out of the tunnel, he began to laugh. “What?” I yelled into the phone, breathless and confused. “All I could see was dark colored ground. You are suffering from optical illusions, thanks to the gases brought on by atmospheric change.” He pulled out his composition book and jotted a few things down. “Put on the mask I sent with you. Your troubles will diminish.”

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…….