Sandbox

Again, this is a deep, yet subtle, story.

“Sandbox”

My pants are wet. There is warm pee on my legs and in my socks. I didn’t know I needed to make. Maybe I had too much water? I’m in Patrick’s backyard. Before, we were playing alone on his swing set. Now, Patrick is inside using the bathroom, but Max just came outside. He is watching me.

A squishy puddle of pee is under my butt. My cheeks are hot. I hold the chains and look at my feet. The touch of the soggy pants reminds me of what happened yesterday. It rained yesterday. I was inside. I was standing near the heater, the one in front of the window. I was trying to get warm. I was watching the rain and wearing a dry pair of Patrick’s socks. I love being outside and making sand castles. But when it rains the sand doesn’t stay together. The mot goes into the towers.

I was still by the window when someone came near me. They stopped behind me. They put their large hand on my shoulder. I looked down their jeans were folded up. They had dry Nike sneakers with white laces. I looked at them, and turned to the window. They came close to me. Then, they went on their knees. They were breathing fast, my neck got sweaty.

I should be grateful. I should enjoy it.

The sliding door is opening. Patrick is back outside. I stop thinking about yesterday.

“Wanna play in the sandbox now?” Patrick is yelling while running toward it. My seat is still wet. The puddle has drooled onto the dirt. I slide off of the swing and eat my sleeve. I walk slowly to the sandbox. Patrick is pouring sand into his bucket.

“We’ll make a castle in that corner,” he shouts, not looking at me. I walk to the outdoor tap and fill up a bucket. I bring it back to Patrick. I drip half of it. I sit down and try to help.

“No, not there,” he screams. “We’re making it over there,” he points to the corner. He looks at me. He notices. I feel naked.

“You’re pants are wet.”

“I spilt water,” I mutter. I stare at my dark pants.

He looks away and finishes filling his bucket. He pats down the sand. He flips it upside down and shows me a perfect tower. I start filling my bucket. It takes a while. My sand jumps over the top and falls onto my crossed legs. I don’t brush it way.

I was sitting the same way last Thursday. I was reading and I wasn’t building a sandcastle. My teacher was sick, but they couldn’t find a substitute. My Mom and Dad had to go to work. Patrick’s Mom works at home. His kindergarten teacher wasn’t sick, only mine was.

I was reading on the grass when they sat down across from me. I think they were home for lunch.

“What are you reading?” they asked. I was reading the pictures of fox in socks.

“Fox in socks,” I closed the book and faced the cover towards them. They leaned closer, resting their hands on my ankles.

“What page are you on?” they tilted their head and smiled. They slid their hands up to my knees and drummed their fingers on my kneecaps. I fumbled with the book, looking for my lost page.

“Page 33,” I closed the book again. I looked at the ground, as goose bumps rose up my back.

“Aren’t you bored of reading?” they forced, leaning closer. Their breathe smelt like mint, with a touch of cinnamon. I felt their hand creep up my right leg. I started to shiver. I should be happy, and grateful. I am lucky.

Someone is touching my knee. I jolt my head up.

“Are you ok?”

It is Patrick. His eyebrows are wrinkled around his nose, and his bottom lip is curved down. He has made three sand towers, all perfect, side by side.

“Yah,” I stretch my cheeks toward my eyes and reveal my teeth.

Patrick’s Mom calls us in for lunch. Patrick and I have made a grand fortress. There is even a mot with water in it, though we don’t have a crocodile. We get up and run inside, Max comes in as well. She notices my wet pants and tells Patrick to give me one of his. Once I’m dry we head back to the kitchen. We are having Portobello mushroom wraps and fruit smoothies. I’m not hungry, but I eat.

I go to Patrick’s every Sunday. Mom and Dad need to work. We live two doors down. Patrick is the middle child. His older brother, Max, is cool and goes to college. His younger sister, Anna, doesn’t know how to talk yet, but she’s points and screams.

After lunch Patrick has karate and Anna takes a nap. Patrick’s Mom goes shopping for three hours, alone. I’m not allowed outside. I miss the sandbox. All you need is water and sand, which is dirt, to make anything. Instead I’m kept inside, so I stay under the crawl space. Max stays home too. He used to do homework during this time, but now he stays with me.

He is looking for me. He opens the small door to the crawl space. How does he always find me? He closes the door, and sits down facing me.

“You’re very lucky” he whispers and moves closer. “Say it.”

“I’m very lucky.”

My legs are shaking. I hold them down with my elbow and concentrate on the floor boards. I don’t want to pee again, he might get mad. I am grateful. I am very lucky.

An Attack on Darkness

This is a short story that I wrote for my creative writing class.
Readers beware, it's not for the faint at heart. Otherwise, enjoy and please tell my what you think. I'm in the process of working on my second one.

***

The floor boards groaned, above them, as they huddled closer, barely breathing. The air froze with fright. After all they had done to escape him, to evade him, to be rid of him, they were still hiding. The footsteps grew closer, lingering above their heads.

***

Katherine’s eyes sprung open. She had fallen asleep on the couch while reading a novel, though she should have been studying chemistry. Why do I enjoy horrors so much, she questioned, picking up her textbook and launching into equilibrium equations.

Distracted, Katherine looked up, hearing noises from the kitchen. Someone was walking around, she could hear them bumping into things. Grabbing her flash light, knuckles turning white, she got up and crept into the dark hallway.

She was babysitting overnight for three children which, as a full time university student, she didn't have the time for. The term was almost over and finals were quickly approaching, her nerves were on fire. After three years of cramming, caffeine had failed her. As her immunity to the brown liquid had increased, so did the pressure to experiment. Her friends had recommended crystal meth, using their positive experiences to confirm its efficiency. It was this, and a botched attempt at eating coffee grinds, that had coerced her. She had finally caved.

And now she was here. Katherine kept walking, swinging her flashlight back and forth along the hallway floor, goose bumps climbing up her arms, approaching the noise in the kitchen. As she turned the corner, a shadowy figure spun around to face her.

“What are you doing?” she gasped. “You scared me half to death.” Riki, age ten, shivered and whispered,

“I was looking for another flashlight.”

Katherine swept one off counter and shoved Riki back to bed, for the fourth time that night.

“Stop messing around,” Katherine snapped. “This is the last time I want to see you out of bed, do you hear?”

“Yes,” Riki squeaked, huddling beneath the covers.

Katherine stormed back to the couch, fuming. Riki’s starting to drive me crazy, she thought. Why won’t she go to sleep? She’s always walking around and freaking me out. I have enough stress as it is. She sighed, unclenching her fists, I need a hit…The world began to spin around her. Just breathe. She closed her eyes, in… out… in… out, good job. You don’t need a hit, you’re in control. You can take this.

“Enough, Kathy, time to start working,” she admonished, collecting herself and opening her chemistry textbook in another attempt to study. But it was no use, chemistry was so boring. Why am I majoring in science? It didn’t help that her eye lids felt like lead and her brain like molasses.

“Just one puff, that’s all I need, really,” she heard herself plead. You can’t smoke on the job! She reprimanded. Try to stick to coffee. But she knew it wouldn’t work.

She started reviewing the night’s events, attempting to distract herself. The power had gone out an hour after she had arrived. She had called the parents. They were out of town on a business meeting, so they wouldn’t be coming back that night, but she wanted to keep them posted. The phone calls had nearly drained her cell phone’s power. Afraid it would die on her, she had put it on ‘Power Save Mode’.

Now she was sitting here. If I can’t study, I might as well entertain myself. Picking the paperback up from the floor, she mused,

“Now this is a lot more interesting.”

“He had warned them, from the beginning, that it was futile to hide.

‘I’ll be there, in the end.’ Now he was.”

Time moved on as she delved into the novel. Slowly, subtly, her weariness took over, her heartbeat steadied, and she started to drift off…

***

The hallway lights were blinking. She could hear tapping on the window.

“I’m ok. Nothing is going to happen to me. It’s just the wind outside,” she repeated to herself. But it was pointless. She knew, somehow, that he was out there, waiting, wanting. No matter where she went, his eyes were always following. She was tired of running, tired of being afraid.

***

Katherine stirred and rolled over. Her skin was clammy.

“I should really stop reading this book,” she thought, pushing it aside and reached for her textbook, but stopped half-way. She heard someone shuffling around in the kitchen again. Her body went stiff. Calm down, it’s probably just Riki. Clutching her flashlight, she tiptoed back to the kitchen.

CRASH!

She froze. She couldn’t move. Sweat collected in her palms, lubricating the flashlight in her hand. She tightened her grip on it.

“Don’t be silly, Kathy, you’re just hearing things” -the floor creaked with the drag of feet – “Pinch yourself, it’s just a dream. Ouch, that hurt,” she gasped, startled.

Terror settled in, she willed herself to breathe. It’s probably just Riki. But there wasn’t anyone in the kitchen. Standing in the doorway she, stopped to listen, hearing nothing. She entertained the idea of being crazy. See, you’re just hearing things, he’s – no one’s- here. Go check the kids, just to make sure.

She crept to their bedrooms. They were all sleeping quietly, with no sign of harm. She walked around the house, scanning the windows and doors, finding no broken glass. She resolved that she really had been hearing things. Settling down on the couch, she took her phone out to check the time. That’s odd, she thought, pressing the power button. BATTERY LOW TURNING OFF, and the phone went dark again.

“Great, that’s just great. Now, if something does hap- STOP, just stop that thought. You’re getting yourself worked up. Nothing is going to happen. This isn’t some horror novel.”

Exhaustion and stress washed over her; the night was taking its toll. She felt the stiff veins in her neck pulsing. She tried to loosen up, rotating her shoulders.

“A ringer would feel great right now,” she muttered, struck by the intensity of her yearning. You’re babysitting! You’re responsible for three children, her reason screamed. But there’s no way you’re going to get any more studying done with out one, her craving whispered innocently. And NO one would know. No one’s awake to smell it, it continued, and, after your peak, you’ll return back to earth and be able to concentrate on chemistry. Convinced, she got up.

She went to the kitchen, where she had left her things, and fished around for her smoke and lighter. Finding it, she went to the bathroom and lit up.

“Much better,” she exhaled in-between puffs. Her stress relief was immediate, with peaceful thoughts of pleasure controlling her mind, as she reached the peak in her high. She stumbled back to the couch, weightless.

***

“You know, you’ll never get away,” he nagged. “Even when you think I’ve gone, I’ll come back, I’ll always be back.”

Fog filled the air, obscuring her vision. She was running. Whatever happens, she must protect the children.

“Why won’t you leave us alone?” She screamed. But he wasn’t listening. His hungry eyes locked on her, he were determined, and he wasn’t going to let her go.

***

Startled, she sat up. Her breathing was raspy, her heart pounding in her ears. Someone was running down the stairs.

“You’re not going to hurt us,” she screamed, leaping off the couch. I must protect the children. Her mind howled. His words circulated through her,

“Even when you think I’ve gone, I’ll come back, I’ll always be back.”

“I’ll be there, in the end.”

She ran blindly toward the stairs, stopping suddenly and pivoting into the kitchen. Moon light shone through the window, catching on the blade of a knife in its holder, glinting off of the metal surface, drawing her attention. She snatched the butcher knife and, suddenly composed, continued toward the stairs. She stalked down them, descending on her unknowing prey.

Reaching the floor, she listened, figuring out where it had fled to. She was blind to reason and heard nothing but his voice inside her heard. Then she heard it.

“He’s in there,” she whispered.

Hearing nothing else, she dashed into the room. He was caught completely by surprise. As he spun around to face her, the knife came down, plunging into his shoulder. She could feel the metal grate against his bone. Blood oozed slowly, her knife still within his flesh. She wrenched it free and made to strike again. This time you won’t come back!

“Please stop!” shrieked a voice outside her mind. Katherine stumbled backward, confused. “I didn’t… mean to…” Her prey pleaded between laboured breathes, “I was… just…playing, trying… to… freak… you.”

“He’s trying to trick you,” she reasoned. But her prey had shocked her back into the here and the now, away from the mist and fog. Her vision came into focus, and she looked down at her victim. The colour had drained from its face. Blood was dripping down the left knee, having soaked the torso, and its bottom lip tremble from shock.

Riki’s glazed eyes looked up at her.

This post was a mistake

Sorry, I still don't have an update. BUT, we are now looking forward to Sarah Rutti's upcoming post. HURRAY!

Still Looking Forward

Unfortunately, I regretted to announce that SEP has fallen ill this past week. Due to the pressure at work and school, her physical immune system has weakened. Please accept out appologies for the lack of posting. Thank you for your consideration and sensitivity.

Feel free to send her a bouquet of flowers ;-)

Looking Forward!

To the new post by SEP! I hope everyone else is too! I'm gripping my seat with excitement!

Secret Discoveries #20

"Time is short," was his answer, "I do not have enough of it to explain everything to you, but I will try my best with what I have." Flugenitus sat against the high back of the arm chair, flexing his fingers around his knees.

"Firstly, I will explain the shift in my appearance." With this he paused. Seeing that Crystal made not objection, he continued. "When I am inside my fortress, I am at liberty to show my true form, without fear of the enemy seeing. When I exit, however, I must take on the shape of a wolf, the one you are accustom to. This form allows me to conceal myself within the woods and lends me strength to defend myself."

"But why do you need to hide? Who are you fighting? Who is this enemy?" All of Crystal's questions seemed to flow from her. Flugenitus smiled and waited for her to finish.

"I know that you are confused princess, but you must have more patience and allow me the speak, as time is short, I don't have enough of it to explain everything. Please hold back from questioning any further. When I'm finished all should be answered." He waited, Crystal bowed her head and nodded, apologizing for her outbreak and promising not to interrupt again.

"Now, you are in my domain. I am protector of all the land the lies withing the eight green gates. These gates form a hexagon in shape and serve as the watch towers of the land. The fortress that you are in is in the center of this enclosure. We have been under siege for quit some time . The darkness that surrounds us have destroyed everything in their path. They suck the life out of all living beings, like fire, they live on air and leave nothing but ash in their path." Sighing, Flugenitus continued,

"I do not have the time to relay the history of this war to you. All that I will tell you, for now, is that we are presently under attack at the north east tower. It is to there that I must depart in a few hours. I am sorry to leave you so short after your arrival. While I am away, you will start puissance lessons with Lamont. Elvire will over see to everything in my absence, so call on her if you need anything. She may think it necessary to add another lesson on war strategies. I had promised Merlin more but this is all that I can do for now." He stopped and waited to see if Crystal had any other questions.

"Is Elvire not a fox then? She's a woman?" she asked. Flugenitus nodded. "Then why does she keep her animal form while in the castle?"

"She finds it easier to get around as a fox, then as a human." He answered. Crystal grinned, yes indeed, how fast Elvire could run on those four legs! Flugenitus made to get up but, thinking better of it, sat back down and posed another question, "Do you have any more inquiries princess? I have time for one more."

"Where do I fit into all of this?" Crystal whispered, still trying to sort all of the puzzles in her head. She understood the situation of her surroundings, but she couldn't place her involvement within it. Why had she been brought here in the first place? Why hadn't Merlin transported her back home? Who was that Michiko girl from her dream? Had she been killed by the darkness that surrounded this land? Where had she gone?... the questions were endless. It seemed that Flugenitus had only given her new questions, not answered the old ones.

"This you will see in time" Flugenitus said. Crystal looked up and their eyes locked. "You must have patience princess," his voice ran in her thoughts, deep and powerful. She willed him to take away all of her confusion and worries. "In time, Crystal, in time you will see who you are and what you must do. Know that you were chosen, I have been waiting, we have all been waiting. You will answer your questions, in time." He looked away, their connection broke, but she could still hear his words echoing through her mind, 'in time.'

***

Message Board Jan 22, 2008

Let's keep this update short... Ahem.

Thanks for visiting, and please do come again.

- SEP