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.

He took my hand and twirled me around like we were on a dance floor, I curtsied and then sat down on the concrete chair gasping for breath. “That’s more exercise than I’ve had in ages.” I laughed, coughed and covered my mouth with my fist.

He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with a clean white handkerchief, his initials embroidered in baby blue; NEW.

His body popped as he got down on one knee, pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it. “Do life with me Susie Q?”

I used his arm for leverage to get back on my feet. He moaned as my hand squeezed harder around his frail extremity. Once upright and steady, I reached down and helped him up.

His eyes a cloudy white from cataracts began to well with tears. “Are you turning me down Susie Q?” His voice quivered. I held my wrinkled hand out towards him and showed him my wedding band, still missing the set that fell out three decades ago. “Newton, I didn’t turn you down sixty years ago and I won’t turn you down now you big goof.” We never had children of our own and the rest of the family had long been gone.

“Let me hear you say it. It’s not official until you say it.” His speech slowed.

“I’ll do life with you Newton.” I gently kissed his dry lips. He hobbled over to the rose bush and handed me a beautiful bud on a long stem, he gave me a quick wink. “We’re ready now. You’re just as beautiful today as you were when we first met.” I knew he really felt that way, that made this even harder to do.

His knotted up fingers opened the box and presented me with two little orange pills. He took his out and stuck it under his tongue, shaking from disease. I held mine in my hand and waited for him to drift slowly away. “I love you Newton. I won’t be far behind.” His head fell to the side, he slumped all the way over, his pulse was gone.

I crushed my tablet into the concrete and placed my flower across his lap. I vowed to never break his heart. He so desperately needed to go but I just wasn’t ready.

Fall came and went but only two of the trees in the forest changed colors. The temperature dropped, daylight savings time was no longer, yet the normal transformation of the woodland had not taken place.

My neighbors went on with their day to day activities, unaware that something was most definitely wrong.

“Cynthia, come in for a moment please.” I slightly opened the door and peeked through. She struggled a bit to get up from the ground, placing her hand on her knee to gain leverage and then wiping the dirt from her pant leg after she removed her garden gloves. She too didn’t realize the oddity and continued deweeding and tending to her flowerbed. I didn’t have the heart to bring it to her attention, that is….. until now.

The screen door shut loudly behind her as she made her way to the kitchen, pouring herself a tall glass of water and raising it to her mouth. “No!” I smacked it from her hands, it fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces.

Her demeanor calm, she asked what was the matter. “Dear, you mustn’t be frightened but the water has been tainted with a growth hormone, look around you, nothing is dying, only thriving and in abnormal conditions. It’s late January!” I ran to the window, insisting she acknowledge what I was saying to her.

“It’s our government, they are preparing to build humans for defense. People, giants so tall they will have the ability to remove any plane or threat from the sky with their bare hands!”

“And what will the call them? Seal team Lakers?” She asked, smiled and looked down at the gold watch I gifted her for Christmas. “I’m so sorry, my love.” She reached towards the cabinet. I fell to my knees and covered my head with my arms.

“Here, take your medicine and you can wash it down with this last swallow of Pepsi. The water will be safe in about an hour.” She kissed my forehead and walked me back to my recliner.

There was an old wives tale – place a key on your empty page and prepare to write the most astounding story ever.

I took the old vintage metal piece from my kitchen “junk drawer”, I found it on the floor of my grandmother’s house right before they sold it in 1989. I sat it on the page and waited.

I giggled at my coffee cup, thinking back on the years I spent teaching school – a lifetime ago. The mug was gifted to me by a parent and an appropriate gift it was. A cow stamped on the side with the word “moo” typed underneath. I clearly remember the day I shared with her the words her ever so inquisitive five year old told me after a field trip to the farm. “Mrs. Fenley, a cow’s pee is milk.” I laughed until I cried, ignored the conversation and deemed it incredibly intelligent-actually.

I picked up my glasses, noticing how dirty they were. I brought them to my mouth and breathed hot air upon the lenses, fogging them up. I took my napkin and wiped in a circular motion, repeating the task until they were clean. I paused for a moment realizing I learned this technique from my own mother.

I ran my fingers across the paper as if, just maybe ink would flow from the tips creating my masterpiece for me. Instead, the texture of the paper sent me to a better place in time. I reminisced on the love letters my husband and I would leave for one another in secret places that only the two of us could find. I picked up the notebook, brought it towards my nose and inhaled, bringing back the memory of the tad bit of cologne he would dab on the paper. I desired more of the euphoria that came with such pondering. I hoped for just one more personal experience with those now passed.

I crossed my arms and laid my head down to fully indulge in what once was.

I gasped for breath as I was awakened from a unintentional and not very comfortable nap. I supposed the key idea was just a hoax. At the top of my page, I had merely written MEMOIRS.

The road was full of blemishes from the rough winter we had. The melting ice, water and salt treatment ate through the concrete causing it to erode. We kicked small pieces of cement all the way to school. We lived to close to qualify for the bus ride but appreciated the walk; it was never dull and kept our imaginations running wild.

Apartment five was neatly kept and cleaner than all the others but something about it, gave us the creeps. The shutters were always closed except for the last room on the left. Metal bars covered the front glass. A sheer white curtain draped across the inside occasionally blowing open, though the window appeared sealed tight.

We skipped along, laughing, trying to see who could keep the most rocks tamed until we reached our destination. I didn’t realize my shoestring was untied until it hooked onto a stick, tripping me up, causing me to fall and out of all places, right in front of number five. I pushed myself up onto my elbows and stopped. I couldn’t help but to stare at the window. Victor reached down to help me, but he too was mesmerized.

A small boy peered out, I could see his freckles and fire red hair from the street. He was instantaneously snatched away from our view by a long skinny arm, veins bulging as they distorted a skeleton key tattoo neatly centered on the forearm. I jumped up and ran as fast as I could to school. Out of breath, I put my hands on my knees and panted. I turned to speak to Victor, but he was gone. He didn’t show up for school at all that day and when the dismissal bell rang, he was nowhere to be found.

“Honey, I want you to meet Stony.” After school I ran back home and through the front door to tell my mother what happened. The strange man on my sofa put a stop to that. He stood up to greet me. She hugged him around the neck and planted a kiss on his jaw. He awkwardly smiled at me. “He’s going to be staying with us awhile. He’s having some renovations done to the inside of his townhome. It’s the pretty one, over on Gateway. You pass it every morning, number five.” My stomach turned a flip inside of me.

“So, do you like my tattoo boy?” He held his arm out, hushing me for eternity.

My life had been full of let downs, mostly by the people that claimed to love me. I no longer believed in sincerity. I trusted no one or thing. I believed only in myself.

Who would have thought that would change today.

I woke up, did my usual stretches before my morning jog, breathed in the fresh air and headed out. The ground around me was still wet from last night’s rain. I grabbed my ankle and pulled my leg up behind one last time. I couldn’t bare the thought of a charley horse.

The squishing from the small puddles beneath my sneakers gave way to reality. Life wasn’t always a bed of roses, but it wasn’t a muddy pothole either.

I entered the main highway from my driveway and made it about ten feet before I stopped abruptly in my tracks. The landscape was different. I closed my eyes tightly – twice to make sure there was no deception. The world had given birth to a multitude of colors. I couldn’t fathom what I was looking at. The once dull green was now shouting at me. Purples and pinks took over the trees and grass…. but how?

A rustling sound in the branches next to me caught my attention. The noise drew me in. I walked cautiously to see the cause, expecting a wild animal to devour me seeing as my cup was always half empty. There, amongst the forest lying in arch formation were the small offsprings of the one and only real promise. They sparkled and glittered with happiness; gurgling, spitting up the bright spectrum that gave life to our once dark universe.

I fell to my knees and pleaded for a better understanding. My once heavy heart felt as light as a feather. This sort of beauty would normally kill, instead it reminded me, just as it was meant to do, of who I was. My wavering faith was restored in a split second as I thought of my father. Did he do this just for me? A million questions ran through my mind.

A confirming voice from above spoke clearly and bold. “The rainbow never falls my son, sometimes it just opens our eyes to all the glory we take for granted.” I looked towards the sky as each little prism ascended back into the heavens piecing together the mighty assurance.

 

It was no coincidence they put the 7-eleven right across from the motel, the only convenience store in the alley. The bulbs from the first E and the L were burned out. Whenever I took to my third shift duties as the front desk clerk handing out keys to those people who participated in the night life, I would stare blankly at the sign. “EVEN”. The 7 had become a blur to me.

Everything tends to happen for a reason, I folded my arms and rested them next to the toothpick dispenser that my manager insisted be placed on the counter. I wasn’t sure why, these people didn’t care what particles were embedded in their teeth. I rested my head on my hands, pressing my glasses up towards my forehead. The broken metal frame pinched my skin.

“EVEN.” I thought out loud. “EVEN if I had a more promising job, I wouldn’t be better off. EVEN if I moved away, part of me would still be here. EVEN….” I stopped mid-sentence as the front door swung open. A man entered, his coal black hair and leather coat made me quickly straighten my stance. “Do you need a room?” 

I realized there was a blank name tag attached to his attire. He worked at the 7-ELEVEN. He smiled, his mouth leading way to many enamel swords covered in decay. “EVEN if I did, it wouldn’t help your circumstances any. Haven’t you heard, people such as myself feed off other’s insecurities?”

I looked around for help but there was none. The EVEN was now a crimson EVIL flashing to the beat of his rapid chest movements. He snapped my neck to the side and before he depleted me physically, he whispered “Self-love keeps you from being sustenance for the sanctimonious.” I imagined this piece of advice was always heeded a bit too late.