Some things you may never know.

“Fella’s come on in.” I could hear the energetic voice coming through the loud speaker but, neither I nor Randolph could see anyone.

We both squinted our eyes looking all around the Indoor Skate Park – It was the most extravagant venue you could find anywhere in the world for this type of sport. I knew it also held many secrets.

We were so lucky to be able to participate in this year’s Skateboard exhibition. Invited by mail, we signed up online.

I had no clue that anyone was aware of our skating abilities.

We both continued to look around in pure amazement – The background was beautifully painted to match the main arena. It was so massive that the competition solely revolved around seeing who could build up enough speed to make it from one ramp to another – successfully, at least twice. Looking at it now, It seemed impossible.

The temperature in here matched the scenery. I could see my own breath.

“Over here guys, look towards the light.” It was the same voice as before. Finally, He was in our sight.

“Bring your boards and come on down. Follow the arrows against the walls.” He continued. I had to turn on my cell phone light to see them.

“Sam, Don’t you find it a little strange that no one else is in here?” Randolph asked out of true concern. I didn’t have an answer that would suffice so we kept on moving.

Without warning the light cut off and the floor gave way – Randolph and I fell through, screaming. We landed on the biggest trampoline one could imagine, much larger than an Olympic sized swimming pool. Our boards and our bodies bouncing all over the place, Bells and whistles sounded.

I kept my eyes closed. I could hear other kids cheering and wheels travelling on hard wood floors – Something we were both quite accustomed to.

I opened my eyes and looked at Randolph, who was wide-eyed and staring back at me.

Skaters everywhere, from all over, speaking different languages and with different poise and styles of skating. “Amazing.” I whispered.

The test was not above on the first level but down here. The rules were explained; Ditch the person you came with and find a new skate partner. Diversity is what won you a spot in the real game.

“She once was a great physician and healed many people with her knowledge of Science. Her faith was strong and she knew she owed it all to GOD. She gave HIM all the glory.” 

So, this is how the book about my life began – It was a prelude of the sort and it was absolutely true, though I never gave myself as much credit as others did. I figured I was only fulfilling my calling.

I pondered for a moment at the thought of someone actually writing a book about me. I sat it back down on the night stand and just laid there.

“Ms. Rinehold, wake up. It’s time for your morning medication.” I heard the nurse enter into my room and just like she did every morning, she tried to awaken me up from a sleep that I was not in.

“Only meditating on my thoughts, dear.” I told her. 

She was polite but strange. She opened my curtains to let the sun in -it was brighter than usual this morning.

I turned my head to take in the outside World but, all I could see was a man trying to enter into my room through the window. My voice froze up as I pointed towards him to get her attention. The nurse saw nothing.

He moved closer but was pulled back by some sort of force. It was the sun. The sun was preventing his entrance into my Supernatural fortress that my husband had built for me years ago, right around the time my colleague started me on the Thorazine.

Wait… I now remembered why it was I was here. I grabbed the Nurse’s arm as I tried to get up from my bed. “You have me against my will. You cannot hold me in this structure anymore!” I screamed. I was not in my fortress; I was in theirs.

I could see the man was now about to make entrance through the glass.

“Ms. Rinehold, please be still. I have your medication.” She was demanding of me, still trying to hold me here but now with a panicked look on her face.

I felt the needle enter into my arm and there I was once again in a daze of yellow confusion.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive.” Who was it that originally said that? Ah… yes, It was Sir Walter Scott. Reminds me of a man I once knew and the lessons he taught.

Tally was but a boy when Mr. Drisdale hired him on to help with the up keep of his sailboat. He lived in the poor part of town and met Mr. Drisdale by chance one sunny afternoon at the Town Market. He rarely did his own shopping. I don’t know If this was a good thing for Tally or not, even though the life he was thrown into was nothing less than turmoil – His mother was a mad alcoholic and his father was deceased, leaving him to kindly fend for himself.

“Drisdale” as the town folk called him could just about buy or sell anyone within the state, including young Tally. Even though his intentions were of a pure heart, Tally soon belonged to Drisdale.

Hungry, sad and desperate – He quickly accepted the job with the older man. He did whatever the man asked of him. He was paid with necessities; food, shelter, clothing, whatever the young lad needed.

His mother no longer concerned about Tally’s welfare would occasionally pay Mr. Drisdale a visit with the hope of financial gain. She tried on numerous occasions over the years to sell her son to the man. I guess to intoxicated to realize, Drisdale was the only parent the boy had ever really known.

The moon and stars lit up the night sky as she drunkenly moved towards the home unaware of every trade Mr. Drisdale had taught her son.

Tally and Drisdale had prepared for her arrival once they noticed her stumbling down the path moments earlier. Unsteady on her feet, she fell upon the doorsteps.

Drisdale opened the door and peered down at the woman. He turned his attention to Tally, “Now is the time we have prepared for. Take back your courage and all that this woman has caused you to lose.” He instructed the boy.

Tally looked up and into his mentors eyes once more for a second approval which he immediately received.

He lifted his mother’s head and as he pulled his fishing knife from his belt, she tried to convince her son of the love she had for him. Tally was no fool.

He slit her throat from ear to ear. The deed had been done. Drisdale and Tally sailed deep into the waters of the Ravenous Sea and as it gobbled her up like bait, the blood mixed with the water so beautifully that it brought more than life back to the duo. Death was now their biggest desire and killing was their satisfaction.

Let the Game begin

Every Hallows Eve, I returned to the Magical forest to wait for my one true love, I guess you could say. Tonight would be extra special as the moon was full and bright. Everything was perfect and would bring forth pure and great joy.

I had been waiting and practicing (if there was such a thing for something as this) for an entire year now. I could feel my hands shaking from nervousness. I almost dropped the hour glass, even though it did not represent an hour, only a tiny irreplaceable minute. A minute I could not afford to lose.

I gasped at the thought of it possibly breaking before his arrival. That would ruin the evening for sure. I imagined he was close by now. I pictured him running through the trees with sweaty palms from the anticipation and excitement that competition can sometimes cause.

He didn’t fear losing me to another but he did fear losing. That was something that I found extremely attractive. I could hear the earth under his feet, the crackling of the leaves and the rustling of all things nature.

He was fast approaching.

I, appearing to be somewhat of an angelic Princess in my costume ran and jumped into his arms. He surprised me as he rounded the corner in a Werewolf mask. “How fitting, A werewolf and a full moon.” I said. He spun me around and planted a kiss on my forehead.

“Did you bring it?” I asked. “You know I did darling.” He said as he pulled out the tiles and board.

“I still have the timer you left here last year, ya big goof.” I told him as we laughed together.

“Your winning streak ends tonight my love.” He knew I meant business.

“Shall we Scrabble then, My Lady?” He asked.

“Indeed!” I was ready!

A word game is what held us together since we were children and it could quite possibly be what tears us apart. I laughed on the inside. Oh, the excitement.

“Mom, Mom, why is the T.V. Making that loud noise?” Both of my children were in an uproar having never heard the gut wrenching sound that the Emergency Broadcast System let out during their tests.

I wiped my hands on my apron to remove the flour I had left on them from the chicken I was frying. I rushed over to the screen to see what all the commotion was about. I kept waiting for the generic man to say “ This is a test.” But, that never happened.

The television began to spout off instructions on how we needed to take cover because an asteroid was headed towards earth at a fast-moving pace and this little town on the coast of Florida, where we just so happened to reside was going to catch the brunt of it. I couldn’t handle my emotions, I began to cry. It was just too much and at the same time a Hurricane was forming in the Gulf. This must be a nightmare

I grabbed a few items and took the boys down to the Storm cellar that we used for storage. My husband was in the military and I knew there was no chance of contacting him quickly. I took the old transistor radio and some extra batteries with us.

Once secured, the boys and I played UNO for hours until finally we heard the “all clear.” I held their hands as we slowly went back up the steps and back out into the World, not sure what we were going to find.

The radio was still playing and the News casters, with so much emotion, called the event nothing less than a miracle. I couldn’t understand it until I was once again in front of the T.V. The picture captured by a satellite showed the Hurricane rise from the sea and as the asteroid fell from space, The Hurricane reached up and cooled it’s fiery flames, saving us all from what could have been a catastrophic event. I fell to my knees and rejoiced.

“Lucas, come here!” Matt summoned me as he ran up ahead, the leaves crackling under his feet. Unfocused, I was mesmerized by the statuesque trees and the way the sun was shining so bright through their branches.

Suddenly, I recaptured his voice calling out to me. “Lucas, nooooo!” He screamed just as I felt myself slip into what I thought was a hole in the ground, a home belonging to a critter, maybe?

“Mattttt…” I yelled up to him trying to claw my way back to the surface when I figured out I was on a slide of some sort, as it wrapped around, circle after circle with the feel of great stars being sprinkled upon my head. I was sure something magical lay in store for me.

My bottom hit the ground hard. I jumped up quick to see if anyone seen my landing. The place was empty. The only thing that came to my attention was a bench and carved into it’s stone were the words “Playtime”.

I was startled to hear Matt fall to the ground next to me.

“What is this?” He asked. “I have no clue.” I replied. “Ah hahahahaha… you boys do know what this is.” A voice came from the darkness. Matt and I screamed. It was Roy Taylor, the man That owned the property above, we explored daily – He was dressed in a clown suit. “It’s playtime boys!” We tried to run. He grabbed us both by the collar and threw us onto the bench. We were automatically strapped on to this thing and then …. the seat began to spin. “Ahhhhhhhhhhh” we screamed as Mr. Taylor let out a hideous laugh and raised his hand and a sword he had hidden on his person, to the unfamiliar sky.

Bubble Blues

When I heard that noise come flying around the corner, I knew we would dance again. That sound had always been a comfort to me. It was a ‘57 Chevy with a 283 under the hood. The rumbling of that engine gave my heart a jump start!

I couldn’t for a moment begin to figure out how those bubbles Dick Clark blew into the air at midnight on New Years Eve separated me and my Stassi for this long but, they did! We had been sitting here for nearly a week. I tried everything in my power to bust through those bubbles. Our need to dance was far more sinister than one could imagine. We didn’t need food or water to survive. We just needed to be fancy free with our footwork!

I looked up from the position we had been frozen in trying to figure out who was driving that old Bel Air as I felt a gust of wind even from inside this friendly looking cage. I put my hand up to Stassi as a reminder.

I was nearly blinded by the shine coming off of those Chrome wings – The black paint made the car even more prestige.

You’re going to get a real kick Out of who was driving that bad boy…The one and only…. The best D.J. ever – Wolfman Jack!! He backed that Classic right on up, hit those bubbles with that exhaust and “Bloop!” We were no longer captive! Stassi’s shoes were glowing like never before and I felt my energy come back over me like a roar of thunder! Glitter spilled out from the skies and fell down by our sides!

I grabbed Stassi and tossed her up with one hand, I watched her twirl back down past the tree that had also been covered by a bubble. Each leaf that she passed turned into a golden record. We never stopped moving! Dance was the key to everything.

It was just another countdown paving the way for generations to come. Man has always tried to keep things exactly the same. Nobody really likes change.

Not everything’s meant to be packaged and hidden away, especially not the arts!

Wolfman drove off laughing and in that famous gravelly voice, he called out over the airwaves “Don’t touch that dial!”

Stassi curtsied, I took her hand and we American Graffitied the night away.

“In the pines, in the pines where the sun never shines, And I shivered when the cold winds blow.” I sat atop this mountain expecting to hear My Grandmother make the sound that resembled the howling wind just like she had done a million times before when I played her favorite song.

That noise was an actual parts of the lyrics and always sent a cold chill down my spine as if a draft really blew in my direction. I believe it was just the Spirit within me reminding me of how blessed I am.

This was the one place I could come to find solitude, to be alone with my thoughts and to mourn the loss of My Grandmother.

She wasn’t my biological Grandmother but she and my Pa were all I had. They found me wandering through the streets of Jackson – Dirty, Shoeless and with a soiled diaper when I was just a toddler. She had fallen in love with my red tinted hair that was much like her own. The red hair that gave her the temper she was known for around town, the temper that she used to persuade child services to let her and my Pa bring me up in their home. I was blessed beyond belief. 

I knew it wouldn’t be long before my Pa came to rescue me from my own pity party to which I was the only one in attendance. Pa was on up in his seventies and didn’t doubt one bit that my Grandmother was with the Good LORD.

I strummed that old guitar a little longer before I heard his Cub tractor making it’s way up the hillside. Why he continued to make that steep journey, I would never know and especially at his age. He flipped that tractor at least twice in the past years. 

“Come on down now boy. There ain’t enough Pine trees in Mississippi to bring your Granny back and if there were, she wouldn’t want to be back in this cruel world anyway.”

“Hey Bro. Can you hear me? Your headset has static. Jimmy and Troy are winning, collecting all the Inky Cap mushrooms! This is why I can’t be on your team!” I laughed.

Vix had been my homie ever since he moved next door when we were eight.

Normally he would have snapped on me for attacking his Play Station skills.

The noise cleared but when I called for him I got nothing.

Jimmy spoke up “Yeah, I wonder why? You should put yourself on hush mode too, as bad as y’all are getting whooped. These Inks are all over the place – Troy, did you see that? I just snatched one from the grizzly Lycanthrope’s mouth – The one hiding beside that marsh pit! More points!”

“Yeah Baby!” was Troy’s only response. His mind was warped from hours of playing Inky Cap Terrain.

I paused the game from my location causing a simultaneous “Boooooo.”

“Shhh… Guys, Listen… Do you hear that?” I whispered through the headset so my Mother wouldn’t know I was still awake.

It sounded like a growling noise coming from Vix’s microphone.

“What is that?” Jimmy asked. “Who knows, now turn the game back on!” Troy was already having withdrawals.

“I’ll be right back.” I told the two of them.

I removed my headset and sat it down. I slid my feet across the Shag carpet until I reached the window. I could see into Vix’s room – something we figured out in Elementary School.

I moved the curtain back and quickly ducked out of sight – almost out of breath from panic as a set of large, glowing, savage eyes stared back at me.

The moon was as big as the sun but the night was extraordinarily dark.

The creature then turned and gracefully positioned himself back on all fours. When I snuck another glance, he looked back as to mock my fear. His fangs identical to the werewolves in our game but drenched in blood – Vix’s blood!

“Get up! It’s time for school. Your Mom let me in.” Vix was right there in front of me. “Vix? I thought you were….” I grabbed him.

“Let go of me! You made us lose again last night, falling asleep. You need to start taking naps!”

I may never sleep again. These nightmares had taken their toll on me.

The Two of Us

Ever since I can remember, I spent a majority of my time fantasizing and imaging what really went on in the statuesque, imperial towers of the Neuschwanstein Castle.

My family and I lived in a small village that outlined the Palace.

Jonas would sit with me for hours, He was my Best friend but he felt so much more like an Alter Ego. We were so close in fact, that whenever I looked in the mirror – I could see him staring back at me.

He was a tall, lanky lad that made me laugh even during a most serious conversation. His overbite only made him more comical to look at and his stories less impressive.

There was one tale he told about being chased by a Castle Guard after he found himself close enough to hear a young girl screaming from atop the far tower.

“Leon, I heard her. You may not believe me but it’s true. She’s trapped in that tower.” He said.

“Jonas, where do you come up with these ideas?” I asked.

“I don’t have to make stuff up! I’m not a child! You should know me better than that, You’re the child! You’re the one who still lives with his Mother!” His temper was flaring as usual.

 “One day soon, I will go to her rescue.” He knew he didn’t have to prove anything to me but carried on anyways.

“Are you going to call for her to let down her hair? Like Rapunzel?” I teased.

He grabbed his backpack and ran off, turning only to tell me that he would go today.

“I will be a hero!”

“Jonas, Come back.” I pleaded with him as he threw his hand up in a “Good bye” gesture.

I sat there a little longer staring at the ground with only my thoughts.

Jonas had good intentions, He just wanted me to be a good person – Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on him.

I was startled by a noise coming from the crawl space underneath my own home.

If I could just remember to give her fluids on a schedule.

I stood up and wiped the dirt from my jeans. “Hold your horses Rapunzel! I’m bringing your water.”