Just a little longer. All I have to do is stand here a little longer.

The sun was beginning to set. I knew I only had about an hour to get home to Rebecca. She had just given birth to our second child. We gave the first one up, unaware how to properly care for it. Children like ours were special and required light in the dark to keep their mental health under control. Luckily, we found a couple who had already raised three Glo Borns to take her in.

We have since visited the secret palace of Hasbro, located in the Northeast sector of Playskool, a town full of energetic, happy, healthy children that are unable to stand the dark. We never realized how many of us there were spread out across the land until we enrolled in the Firefly classes there. We were taught how to absorb the light we needed in order to radiate the beams required to conquer the growth of our species and keep them out of the dark.

It was up to the Father to play the role of receiver. Once a week, I came here to Pawtucket and stood at the spectrum window. Once my body was engulfed with energy, I was able to go home to our little one. When bedtime came, I had to hold him through the night. The shine was more remarkable, the tighter my arms were around him. The bigger the glow, the happier the child. This took a lot of my strength. I told Rebecca I didn’t want anymore kids because if my light didn’t work on the baby, I would have to see a surgeon to get a music box installed, tunes plus the sparkle would be even better for the kid. I couldn’t understand why we couldn’t have just bought him a Glo Worm, A synthetic light for him to sleep with-Everything else is fake.

“I don’t know what this is, if it’s not whipped cream.” I stuck my finger down to touch one of the peaks. Mother’s hand came out of no where, like it had so many times before and smacked mine.

Me and Ralphie both jumped back from the table. Her voice was deep and manly. We were normally startled by it even when we weren’t in trouble.

The same old cigarette hung from her mouth and moved up and down when she spoke. She quit smoking four months ago, said keeping it there took away the urge. Ralphie and I stepped backwards to escape her, anticipating at any moment she would hit one of us with that wooden spoon she had in her hands. The one she used to sculpt the mountains.

“You boys get outside!” She pointed towards the screen door. “You wanted help with this project for the science fair but you can’t keep your grubby paws off of stuff.” She took her apron off, showing all of her plaid shirt and gleefully spun around to the face the counter. It was then I noticed the bottle. “She’s back on the juice, brother.” I whispered to Ralphie.

She mustered up a good amount of spit from deep in her soul and let it fly into the aluminum sink. She had both arms propped up on the edge so she could watch the water wash it completely away. Her head hung there for a few minutes more – now looking at nothing.

She reached over and flipped through the dial of the old transistor radio, straightening the antenna to get a better sound. She sang along with Diana Ross and cried hysterically trying to quote the lyrics to “Come see about me.”

“Didn’t I tell y’all to get outside?” She screamed. “It’s your fault your Daddy left us in this old farmhouse in the first place.”

That was our queue to go. We ran as far as we could out into the corn fields, sitting quietly in the midst of the tall stalks.

“Oh boys.” Her voice drawn out to purposely increase our anxiety. We could hear her corn knife making a path for her through the thickness. I actually didn’t care if he killed us. I was tired of pretending Dad was Mom and that he didn’t kill her.

It was the last weekend of Summer. The sun was beginning to rise. We had been up all night and hadn’t slowed down a bit.

I pulled Sally in a little closer. The Farmer, the Poet and the Magician were all standing in the bed of the truck, pounding its roof to the tune of Cripple Creek. My speed reached about fifty going down the grass covered, unkept road. The Private Property sign never stopped us from visiting this place before and it wasn’t going to stop us this morning.

I removed my arm from behind Sally, then took her hand and put it on the gear shift. I placed my hand over hers and went through the motions.

The faster we went, the louder the laughter. I turned to look at my friends. Their hair blowing in the wind and smiles as big as Boston. We would be headed off to college soon.

I turned quickly to face the front when Sally screamed. The truck careened off into the water. I pushed the door open before we were fully submerged. We all escaped. The current pulled us downward – fast. I bounced off of the concrete steps to a glorious temple. The glow from its cross was too much for my eyes – I covered them. I knew where we were – Atlantis!

“Look, it is real!” I tried to speak to the others but produced nothing but a gurgling noise. I panicked, looking from side to side, now treading through the water, I realized my friends were gone!

“Wake up you big goof! You never could handle these end of summer bashes!” A crowd formed around me. I purposely sunk back down into the jacuzzi to escape all of the jokes.

Pushing me through the door, Miranda giggled as Ryan and Viv fell frontward on top of her. They all nearly came crashing to the ground. I hated these types of activities but did them to keep the playing field fair with Miranda. I participated in such things as these Escape Rooms and she accompanied me to Poetry readings at the Barista Parlor.

This one was set up in a Green House. We had to search for the code to unlock the door that led to an underground tunnel. The passage way would take us to the main house and from there we would find our way out via clues and videos.

I wondered how hard it could be as I typed in 4202, the number I quickly noticed on the potted plant. It didn’t work but, 3668 did! “Yay!” The group was happy and I was thrilled to please Miranda.

Entering the tunnel, the door slammed behind us. It was pitch black. We couldn’t see our own hands in front of us. I pulled out my Cell phone with the intent of using the flashlight to find the next door. Looking around the place, I realized there wasn’t any more.

Panicked, I tried to exit the way we came in – No luck! My friends – now in tears fought for any way to freedom. I stood behind them, holding my phone high above my head, giving them the sight they desperately needed.

I quieted them when I heard a voice come over the loud speaker. “There is no way of escape.” His words drawn out in horror. “You are now faced with the decision of a lifetime.” The room went silent, flood lights clicked on.

I reached deep into my pocket and fell down to one knee. I slipped the diamond on Miranda’s finger. “Marry me?” She smacked me across the face with her small hand before agreeing. The group cheered!

My Uncle Buddy opened the door and congratulated us. “Pays to have kinfolk out here in the country. I created this fake Escape Room all by myself. I bet You’ll never hear of another proposal story like this one.”

“Soldier, how many of those pods are scheduled to hatch this week?”

“I believe forty, Sir. Enough for the first platoon – as long as there are no issues.”

“There better not be any problems. We spend too much money on this project and it keeps our men safe.”

“Yes, Sir” I said. The lieutenant walked out of the oval shaped building but not before stopping at the door and shaking his head at my counterpart, Durk.

“ I don’t know why he hates me, J.C.”

“Stop pouting, Durk. You know exactly why. You let the water level in here fall below three quarters last season and ruined a whole batch.”

“That wasn’t my fault! The steam prevented me from getting an accurate reading.”

I nearly fell in the floor from laughter after he made that statement. “Yeah, could that have had anything to do with you bringing Betty Stinewall in here?” Blushing, he turned his head away from me.

“You’re the reason we’re both on pond duty now. I still don’t know how you convinced me to lie for you.”

“Well, look at the bright side. If everything goes well, you’ll be a married man by October. I have to wait two more seasons.” Durk walked towards the edge of the retro pad setting off the alarm.

Lieutenant King swung the heavy metal door back open. “That’s it Durk! You are just bound and determined to have you a worldly woman aren’t you?” He pulled out his cell phone and pretended to call Betty. “Stinewall, Lieutenant King here! It’s your lucky day! Durk has decided to wed the likes of you and deal with all of your emotions instead of one of these home grown women that will be at his beckon call and will not talk back!” He was now yelling in the phone.

“Lieutenant.” I politely interrupted his make believe conversation.

“What is it Conway?”

“I thought we had movement on the pods. I sent Durk to the edge.”

“False alarm!” Durk yelled back in our direction.

“You better thank this man, Durk! I have no problem taking you off the recipient list!” Shoving his cell phone back in his pocket, The Lieutenant walked back out again.

I spent hours in front of the aquarium my mother bought me, watching for my fish to swim out from behind the trees. I had only one fish in there and he liked to hide. I always thought he feared the plastic butterflies.

I called him Gone Fish, named after my dad. That’s what My Mom always said when I asked about him – “Your Dads just gone. Get over it!”

She entertained a lot of men. I hid like Gone Fish whenever they would visit our apartment. They usually smelled like alcohol and talked too much.

There was this one guy – He was tall, had a long gray beard and wore leather pants. He drove a Harley, that’s a motorcycle and it was loud! He was my Baby Brother’s Dad or at least that’s what Mom told him. I liked him. He always brought candy for me and diapers and milk for little Mark. Momma was happiest when he was around. She would clean and sing, sometimes even cook.

Then one day his visits stopped. Mom cried a lot and I had to take care of me and Baby Mark – until there was no more Baby Mark. He just up and disappeared.

I figured he was one of the lucky ones and maybe his Daddy came back for him. 

I spent more and more time watching Gone Fish and Mother’s reflection in the glass of the aquarium. She sat on the couch – emotionless and rocked back and forth.

I prayed for my Gone Daddy to come back for me. I thought when those big men in uniforms and black vest with white letters kicked in our door that one of them had to be him.

They handcuffed Momma, who wasn’t much bigger than I was and jerked her around, pushed her out the door, she tripped over her own feet. Blood trickled from her knees after she hit the concrete.  I told them to stop hurting her. They just kept yelling – “We have that baby’s body. You’ll never get out of prison.” She still didn’t say a word.  

The nice Police lady took me to a new family. I don’t know how she found him but, my Gone Daddy was there. He hugged me real tight and cried. Tomorrow he’s taking me to pick up Gone Fish. I have decided to change his name to Lucky.

“Quiet down little ones.” Daddy always sat in the old wood rocker that was given to him by our grandmother. I was too young to remember her or any of my other family members. He never missed a night reading his favorite bedtime story. Just some nights it wasn’t to us. My younger brother Gabe couldn’t talk but he heard every word.

“There was an old man…” He started off.

“No Daddy! That’s not how it goes!” I giggled as Gabe grunted at his mishap.

“Okay. Okay. I was just making sure you were paying attention. There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many cats..”

Gabe got up off the linoleum floor we were sitting on and ran over to daddy. He pointed cleverly at the book to remind him his words were incorrect. “That’s not it daddy.” I told him.

“Okay enough funning. I know you’re very serious about your stories. He went on. She had so many kids, she didn’t know what to do.” When he was finished reading, he would take us back down to the basement with the others and “untie the shoe.” That’s what he called taking the lock off of the door. I was smart and knew what it really was.

There was seven of us down there. We didn’t all look the same but we all had the same stench. I once asked him how he got us since we didn’t have a mommy. He told me we were all gifts from GOD. I knew who GOD was too. HE was always on the radio reading something called a BIBLE.

He kissed each one of us good night and reminded Andrew and Stacy that tomorrow night was their turn to hear the story.

“I only keep you down here because I love you so much and I don’t always know what to do. At least I don’t whip you like the old lady, right?” He would ask. I think we all knew he had stolen us from her.

Many nights I stayed with my Aunt Flora after my Uncle Sibley passed away. She was afraid of storms and couldn’t sleep when it rained. Her house sat about a mile from the prison for the criminally insane. It was closed years ago and now used as a Haunted House attraction in October.

I can remember one hot summer night. The prison alarm sounded, signaling an escape. The rain was falling and Aunt Flora curled up in a corner crying.

The lights flickered and went out. The thunder clapped. The lighting was bright enough that I could see her silhouette rocking back and forth. The heat was sweltering. The windows were up for air. The wind blew the light weight curtains back leaving the outside exposed.

“Baby, they’re coming for me.” She said.

I slammed the window shut and lit the coil oil lamp she had sitting on the mantle. I kneeled down beside her on the hard wood floor.

“Why would they come for you, Aunt Flora?” I asked. Without an answer, she reached her cold, arthritic hand out and touched my arm. Her body shook in fear.

“Being scared of storms is no reason to be housed with the criminally insane. It’ll pass soon.” I put my arm around her shoulder. She laid her head over on my chest. Her long, coarse, gray hair fell into the glass chimney of the lamp – catching fire. She jumped up, hopping around the room, pointing and screaming “Sibley, Sibley!”
My eyes followed her finger and there in the corridor was Uncle Sibley – in a ghostly form. His eyes sunken in and skin dark from the grave. He opened his mouth and wailed. I covered my ears to protect them from the piercing sound.

 I tried to grab Aunt Flora but she moved too quickly, her hair igniting the curtain. The oil from the lamp streamed across the floor creating a line of fire that separated the room, leaving me on one side and her on another.

I watched the orange flames reflect from her eyes. I ran to the front door and looked back. Uncle Sibley had his grotesque hands wrapped around her frail neck. She appeared to melt from the heat. He ingested her as if she were nourishment for his soul.

“Are you alright ma’am?” I was awakened by an officer who found me laying in the tall, wet grass. I looked around at all of the Emergency vehicles that lit up the night sky. “My Aunt Flora?” I asked.
“There was no one else in the house.” He said. “No one?” I whispered.

My Grandpa left me the old antebellum home that he owned in Louisiana. All I had to do was sign the papers.

I pulled up at the Lawyer’s office, shocked that one of the windows was covered with plywood. I walked in the front door and tripped over a tear in the rough, green, outdoor carpet that covered the waiting area.

“Are you Hal?” The man was leaned against the door frame. I stuck my keys in my pocket and reached my hand out to shake his. “I am.” I answered. “No Sir. I don’t shake hands.” He said as he took the toothpick out of his mouth. “Excuuuuse me.” I was insulted.

“Sign here and be on your way.” He handed me a pen and held the papers up to the wall.

He then showed me a picture of an ice block and some trees. “This picture is hanging in your Pa’s study, behind it is a safe and inside you will find your Pa’s ashes in a bronze urn. Here’s the code.” It was in a white envelope.

“And son, don’t look in that urn.” He waved me out of the door.

The house was still magnificent just how I remembered. I ran straight up to his study, curious if there were any other treasures inside the safe. The frame on the picture was missing, it barely hung by a tack in the wall. It was the only thing In the house out of place.

I entered the combination, nothing but his ashes were inside. I picked up the urn. It was so cold, I immediately dropped it. It fell to the ground and spilled out sending dust everywhere including up my nostrils. My body filled with pressure. I ran to the mirror to see my eyes were blood red and my skin now pale. My face became my grandfather’s. He stared back at me smiling with bloody fangs. “HAL-lelujah” He joked. I always hated the name Hal! “I knew you wouldn’t let me down. You can have my home but never my throne.” He laughed. Together as vampires, we tormented the bayou. I never had a chance to feel bad.

This is what they call a “Family Secret.”

There were mirrors placed strategically around me. Seeing my reflection from every angle gave me a feeling of superiority. I felt like that a lot though.

I spent months in a strict program and had now moved on to one that pushed me even harder. My body was firm and and off limits to anyone. However, they were allowed to touch my head. That was something I couldn’t stop them from doing. They came in, double checked my name to be sure I was who I said was. They didn’t ask for I.D. only the first and last noun that I went by. A security breach would be intolerable. I laughed at the thought. These people would never let that happen.

They wore black coats something like a Doctor’s garb but with more pockets. Their shoes clicked as they walked across the floor. I kept my eyes on them, they were quick and precise. I was impressed but I also hated to be here. You could sometimes see the desperation in their eyes especially if you were sent to see them late in the day or if a child was on their list. You had to go when you could or you wouldn’t look the same. They had special powers some learned, some gifted.

I pointed at myself when they called my name as if to question who I was. She nodded yes and I followed her first, to the back. She placed me in the chair with metal sides and had me rest my arms. Next turning on the machine, she began the process. The heated substance poured atop of me. I made a face as to say I was discouraged. “Is it too hot?” She asked. I said “No.” I think it was a little warm. I just wanted to be done.

She protected me with a white wrap and moved me fast to the next station. “Sit here.” She instructed. She reached for what could have been considered a weapon. It was soaked in a blue potion. I closed my eyes. Finally. She was finished.

“What do you think?” She questioned my feelings. Rarely does a woman do that. “I’m not sure ma’am. I will have to ask myself. Get my own personal opinion.” I tipped her and headed to the car. My only wish was that I could have had a lollipop like the three year old getting his hair cut for the first time.