"I can't believe it, I just can't!", cried Lea, the tips of her ears turning deep crimson, never a good sign. "From the moment I met you, Jay, I have not lived a single day when you didn't get us in trouble!"
But her friend was too absorbed by his iPhone to worry about their current situation.
"Relax...", he said, eyes still glued to the screen. "We'll find them in no time."
The girl, fed up, snatched the phone from his hands.
"What do you need WiFi for anyway?" Her eyebrows immediately lifted. "I've been waiting here just so you could get yourself some shoes?! You said this couldn't wait!"
"I meant it! They just went on sale, I couldn't miss this chance. Anyway, I ended up picking the black ones, do you think..."
"When will this get to your tiny brain?! I don't care about your stupid shoes! All I want is to find our class ASAP."
Jay was about to say that there was no reason to worry, but reconsidered after a few seconds of staring at the humongous crowds in the hall of the Cupertino Institute of Technology. He realized that finding even the 6'3" tall Martin may prove difficult.
Hoping to prevent another one of Lea's panic attacks, Jay pretended to glimpse their teacher in the crowds and yanked his friend around a corner and through an arbitrary door, not noticing the “staff only” sign. They found themselves in a large, dim lit, dusty room full of sophisticated-looking machinery and computers. Scattered around the floor were boxes of tangled cables, misplaced tools and pieces of scientific equipment.
"I don't know who you saw down here, but it definitely wasn't Mrs. Connolly," Lea remarked. "Let's get out of here."
But Jay wasn't listening. He was standing motionless, eyes fixed on a curious structure before him. A steel frame, not much bigger than a door, placed on a slightly raised platform with a ramp leading up to either side. To an ordinary mind, it was simply an unfinished project abandoned by a scientist, who didn’t get past the framework. But Jay had read more sci-fi comic books than he could count and it immediately got his brain running. Could it really be, at least a prototype of …
"Hello?"
Jay snapped out of his trance.
"Do you see this?!" He exclaimed pulling out his phone again, "Absolutely spectacular! I have to get a picture!"
"I find nothing spectacular in a rusty old door frame. And we really should be going."
Jay, however, had other ideas. He leaped over a barrier surrounding the invention and in a matter of seconds was on the nearest ramp.
Lea felt the urge to yell at him to come back but a sudden feeling that something terrible was about to happen to her best friend spurred her to jump onto the platform herself to stop him from moving any closer to the mysterious device.
But as she stepped in front of the machine her panic was overtaken by a completely different sensation - curiosity. All of a sudden, the thing she wanted most in the world was to know what the unfinished invention so heartlessly abandoned in a dusty storage room was intended for. And so, when Jay moved closer to the frame, she did not object, but followed. Together they stepped through the door.
A sudden chill permeated their bodies, sending shivers down their spines. Blue sparks of electricity flew from the frame, crackling softly. Jay's head throbbed and he felt as if someone were cutting his brains open. Lea felt a slight shock to her ankle, immediately bringing her back to her senses.
"What are we doing?” she gasped. “We could have gotten electrocuted!"
"Yeah, let's get out of here," Jay replied, mustering only a faint whisper.
* * *
“Ms. Helen Connolly please report to the box office, two students are waiting for you.”
The loud announcement sent echoes through the building.
"Don't worry guys, you will be reunited with the rest of your class in no time." assured the young security officer, smiling brightly.
Soon enough they saw Mrs. Connolly storming in their direction, face as red as a tomato and drops of sweat on her forehead. Her eyes were daggers piercing through the kids' bodies. Teeth clenched, she murmured a few choice words about never knowing such irresponsible children and gestured to follow her.
The rest of the class was sitting around a huge model of an atom, subject to the tour guide's futile attempt at explaining the photoelectric effect.
"Here are our Hansel and Gretel." exclaimed the lecturer. "Come have a seat next to Gavin."
They both stared at him with puzzled faces.
"Who's Gavin?" Jay blurted out and a few classmates giggled.
"This is really not the time for joking," snapped Mrs. Connolly.
Fortunately for them, there were only two seats left-next to the tall Martin. Lea and Jay took their spots, exchanging nervous looks.
A few minutes into the lecture, almost all the students were nodding off. Daydreaming about his recent internet purchase, Jay found himself staring at one of his classmates - a skinny Asian girl with round glasses dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans. She didn't look any different than the rest of the class, yet something didn’t seem right. Then it hit him: he'd never seen her before!
Why would some random kid be on our class field trip?
Jay poked his friend in the shoulder, "Hey Lea, who’s that sitting next to Vanessa?”
"I-I don’t know, " she hesitated. "Must be new, I guess."
But her mind would not rest until she found the right answer.
When the lecture finally came to an end, they immediately took action and approached the mysterious girl.
"Hey I don't think we’ve met, are you new to our class?"
"Nice one, Jay," the girl chuckled in response. "We've only been in the same class for like.. 3 years?"
* * *
"We're extremely exhausted, that's all. That would explain the memory loss." Lea concluded.
"But this is not just memory loss, it it? For all we know, Martin's name is now Gavin, Adrian is not in our class and instead there's some new girl, Shannon. It can't be a coincidence that we have the same wrong memories."
"What's your explanation, then?"
"There's only one. When we walked through the teleporter..."
"The what?!"
"Well, you know, the big frame."
"That was a teleporter?!" Lea grabbed her head in disbelief. "Well, even if it was one, it obviously didn't work. We ended up in the same place."
"But did we? I think it actually did work and that we got transported to..." he took a deep breath, "...a parallel universe."
It took almost half an hour to explain what he meant. And another hour to convince her of this possibility. But to Jay, the conclusion was plain as day. He had read about it in multiple magazines and websites. Every choice you make, every second of your life, the universe, or rather the “multiverse”, splits into multiple parallel universes, each one based on a different choice. As the books called it, “differing only by a single quantum event”. It only made sense that the Door (this was the first word he thought of when he saw the teleporter) was a portal to an alternate reality.
"So what do we do?" She finally asked.
"Well, there's only one way to reverse this."
* * *
"I can't believe we're doing this again." Lea sighed, looking through the metal frame, paralyzed at the thought of walking through the Door.
"Don't worry. If this doesn't kill us, Connolly will take care of it for sure."
"Thanks for the pep talk, Jay."
They counted off and stepped forward.
Immediately, their bodies turned to ice. Their internal organs felt as if they were being squished an elephant. But they pushed on, miraculously mustering the energy to take one more step. And just as suddenly as it appeared, the pain was gone and the kids stumbled to the other side of the ramp.
The second they stepped outside, they knew they didn't make it home.
The hallway was crammed with people, dressed a bit unusually, but all alike: bell-bottomed jeans, bomber jackets and funny, conical hats. All around were shops and fast food restaurants Lea and Jay had never heard of. On one end stood a huge screen displaying ads for some new electronics, and in front a retailer was demonstrating the functions of something that resembled a round tablet. The place was extremely loud, with salespeople calling to attract clients, who had to shout to be heard over the advertisements playing from the loudspeakers.
As the kids tried to internalize what they had just observed, a group of students form their class passed by. Spotting Lea and Jay, they exchanged looks of surprise.
"There you guys are! You better report to Connolly, you're in so much trouble."
"Watch out though, she turns absolutely monstrous if someone interrupts her shopping." warned Shannon.
"And where did you guys get these funny clothes?"
Nearly every person they asked for help seemed too preoccupied with shopping to pay them any attention. A young woman offered to walk the kids to the information desk, but received dirty looks from her friends, who insisted they have more important issues at the moment. After an hour of fruitless searching for their teacher amongst the shoppers, the kids returned to the dusty room.
“We’re hopeless.” Lea declared, plopping down on the cold, metal ramp. “We’re stuck in some alternate reality, and the only person we thought was looking for us is most likely more concerned with the best deal on new kitchen supplies.”
Jay put his arm around her shoulder, trying to find the right words to console his friend, when she stood up and said:
“We need to get out of here, I can’t stand these people, behaving like a bunch of morons. They turned the Institute into a shopping mall!”
Jay reminded her there was a high chance they would end up even farther away from home.”
“Wherever we go, it can’t be any worse than this.”
* * *
Expecting a rough landing, they stretched out their arms to protect their heads from hitting the floor, but were surprised to find their hands deep in a pile of mud. Looking up, they saw a sea of bright-green leaves, ruffling softly in the breeze. The noble redwood giants shaded the rest of the forest, keeping a gentle eye over the smaller plants and creatures below.
A few minutes passed before Lea came to the realization that they must have landed in a universe, in which the Institute had never been built. Her deep thoughts were interrupted by a chill-sending screech of a sharp instrument on metal. She turned around to see Jay working gingerly with his pocket knife on a small engraving on the Door. As if he had felt her eyes on him, he answered her unstated question.
“I’m leaving a message.”
“For whom?”
“Ourselves. Our alternate selves, “ he said, finally taking his eyes off his work. “If I’m correct, every time we step through the door, another pair of us from the universe we travel to, comes here. But the Door doesn’t move. It’s a portal, so it has to be part of each of the universes. This led me to the idea that if we write something on here, parallel universes can see it.”
“So you’re hoping that our alternate selves figured out how to get back?”
“Actually, I think I figured it out myself.” he smiled proudly. “all we have to do is jump through the Door at the same time as the alternates that are currently in our home universe, and we’ll be teleported back to the Cupertino we know.”
Lea came closer to the Door, inspecting her friend’s work. Across one side of the fame, in lopsided handwriting, he had inscribed the words: THIS IS J AND L. SWITCH PLACES.
The only problem was that they needed to notify the correct alternates. After pondering in silence for what seemed like ages, Lea jumped up in jubilation.
“Jay, what was the delivery time for you shoes order?”
“Next day, why?”
* * *
In about an hour, their masterpiece was finished. The message on the Door now said:
THIS IS J AND L. SWITCH PLACES IF YOU SEE PACKAGE OF BLACK JORDANS AT J HOUSE. CROSS MAY 15 5:00 PM.
And so there was nothing more to be done, the rest of the plan was left to their alternates. They collapsed on the ground, gazing blankly into the wilderness. The red and purple colors of the sky reminded them that night was nearing, and they were alone, deep in the woods, with no food or shelter.
“Well, you’re lucky I was once a Girl Scout” Lea remarked.
* * *
This is it then, thought Jay. In a couple seconds we will be home. Or a million universes away...
Lea ran through the plan in her head again. All alternates see our message. Those that find black Jordans at Jay’s house are from our universe because that was the last choice we made before jumping through the door and the last separation of universes. They jump through at the same time as us and we switch places.
She let out a loud sigh. The time was nearing. Five. Four. Three. Jay took her hand, smiling reassuringly. Two. They took a running start, hearts pounding, threatening to burst forth from their chests. One. Eyes closed, they jumped through the door.
The agony they felt as they crossed the frame was indescribable. A thousand needles pierced their bodies. Raging fire scorched their skin. Blue sparks shot out of the frame, dancing in the air, flying in all directions. Repeated shocks burned lightning-shaped scars across their flesh, and the heart was spitting out blood into the veins so fast it was on the verge of rupturing.
Before they had time to cry out, the pain ceased and the kids broke through to the other side of the Door. They fell to the ground in the dingy maintenance room, unconscious.
* * *
After a tiring day at school, where Lea had constantly been asking Martin what his name was and if he knew a girl named Shannon, Jay was finally sitting at the dinner table. Never in his life was he so happy to taste his mother’s spinach and mashed potatoes, and in the heat of the moment completely forgot about his new shoes, until his dad mentioned a package that had arrived for him. Immediately after dinner, he darted into his bedroom to try them on. He ripped the sealing tape off the box and flipped the lid open.
At that instant his world came crashing down. The twinkle of excitement left his eyes, his gaze became expressionless, vacant. He felt his heart sink so low, he already knew he’d never dig it out.
The shoes were red.
leather goggles. red bandana.
wings on wind, you tell me
love is like landing a plane.
wheels on world, never
slowing down. divine.
maybe, but our love,
your skin on mine
burns. say pilot,
pronounce it
kamikaze.
I run down the school hallway with tears flowing from my eyes
My world spins as mob of girls come my way
Each one of them hugs me, passing me around
“What happened?”
“Was it someone?”
“Was it yourself?”
“Is it PMS?”
“Is it just stress?”
“What happened?”
“What happened?”
“What happened?”
My world spins faster and faster with every tear
I walk towards the bathroom, stumbling with each step
The mob follows
“What happened?”
“What happened?”
“What happened?”
“Are you oka-”
The bell rings
Then I’m all alone
The trees were yellow and orange, and dappled shadows scattered across the street. I stood outside of the school, a graceful red-brick building. The sun was a bright white spot in the center of the blue sky above. It was a Saturday, and I had just escaped the math extracurricular my parents had signed me up for.
I stared across the street as cars occasionally passed. I was staring at the cars so I wouldn’t have to talk to my classmates.
Henry paced back and forth on the sidewalk some twenty feet away, phone to his ear. Maybe he was calling his dad. Maybe I should’ve called my dad.
I checked my phone for messages. None, yet. He was probably just late.
Lisa was watching me hopefully from a bit away. I stared across the street.
Henry put his phone back in his pocket and looked around. He started to walk towards me.
I looked at him and waved, but made no move to get closer.
“Hello,” he said as he strode up to me. I smiled at him awkwardly, and Lisa seized this opportunity to move closer and join us.
“Hi,” she said.
“My dad will probably get here late,” Henry commented. They were already late. All of our parents were already late.
“Mine too,” added Lisa.
I shrugged. “I don’t know when my parents will get here.”
“It’s almost nice, though.” Lisa tugged on the straps of her backpack. “It’s not that cold, and it’s sunny. It’s good to be outside for a bit.”
Henry smiled. “What are you guys going to do later today? I think I’ll play video games, maybe homework.”
I sighed. “Always homework.”
We stood silently. A car passed by in a silver blur, lifting the leaves on the street into the air. They fell back again. Lisa checked her phone.
“They’ll be here in a bit…” She squinted up the street. “Speaking of homework, I don’t think I can come to class next week. I have a huge paper due soon. For real school, I mean.”
“I might not come next week,” Henry said. “My dad…”
I winced. I wasn’t good at talking about touchy subjects. It made me nervous.
He cleared his throat. “My dad’s moving out. He wants me to help.”
“I’m sorry,” I told him. I looked down. I didn’t know what to say.
“We’re here for you, you know,” Lisa told him. “We’re your friends.” Even though we had been trying to avoid talking just a few minutes ago. Even though we didn’t know him.
Henry laughed sardonically. “What’s a friend?”
“Do you want a hug?”
He nodded, and I awkwardly wrapped my arms around him. Lisa joined in.
“Group hug!” I cheerfully exclaimed.
Lisa laughed.
We pulled apart again, and watched the road, waiting for our parents. Having them around was reassuring. I wasn’t worrying alone.
“So why do you come here?” I asked partly to help the conversation along, partly out of genuine curiosity.
“My parents are math teachers,” Lisa said. “It’s kind of a family thing.”
Henry shrugged. “I’m not that interested in math, but I’m good at it, so my mom sort of forced me into this. My dad doesn’t really care, only he has to drive me.”
“I thought you came by uber today?” Lisa asked.
“Yeah, he slept in. I didn’t realize it was time to leave until late, either. I hope Ms. Smith didn’t mind.”
“She noticed,” I remarked. She tended to notice.
Henry shrugged.
A silver car came to a stop beside us, and Lisa sighed in relief.
“That’s me,” she told us. We knew.
“Bye,” I said.
“Bye,” said Henry.
Lisa walked around to the passenger door and stepped in. The car accelerated a moment later, leaving only the disturbed leaves on the road behind.
“Right,” I said. “Just us now.”
A red car pulled up on the opposite side of the street, and Henry’s dad rolled down the window. Henry smiled sheepishly at me.
“Well...that’s me, actually.”
“You’ll be alright, right?”
“I’d better go.” He waved to me as he crossed the street.
“Bye!” I called after him.
I watched him open the door and vanish inside. I was alone now. Waiting.
I slid my phone out of my pocket and opened it. My background--a picture of me with my dog--wasn't obscured by any notifications. I dialed my dad’s number and put the phone to my ear. It rang for a while, but there was no answer. I called my mom. Neither picked up.
The wind ruffled my hair and blew through the red and gold leaves of the trees around me. I put my phone back in my pocket and tugged my jacket closer around myself. I walked back towards the school and sat down on the step to wait.
Leaves fell and the sun slowly inched across the bright blue backdrop of the sky. No new notifications appeared on my screen. I heard an ambulance in the distance. Then I got a call.
I didn’t recognize the number, but I picked it up.
“Hello? This is Alex Moore.”
“You’re the son of Lily and Andrew Moore, right?” The voice on the other end was muffled and a bit shaky.
“Yes.”
“Your parents…” The man on the other end of the call said a lot of things very quickly, but I didn’t understand. I couldn’t understand.
“What do you mean? My parents are coming to pick me up right now.”
“They aren’t,” he said, more slowly this time. “Your parents got into a car crash an hour ago.”
I was already sitting down, but I wanted to sit down more. I wanted to sink through the step into the ground. I wanted to be a rock. Rocks didn’t have to worry about parents in car crashes. Rocks didn’t have cars. Rocks didn’t have parents.
Did I have parents?
“Are they okay?”
The man on the other end of the call hesitated. “We’re doing what we can. It doesn’t look good. I’m just going through their phone contacts to try to--”
I hung up and put the phone down next to me. The sky was blue. The air was crisp. The wind made a rustling sound as it blew through the trees. My phone buzzed wildly. I ignored it. I was a rock. My parents were late. That was all.
The boy sleeps and the boy talks. However the boy can not walk. Abandoned by his family, he sits in the orphanage. His wheelchair in need of repair, and sadness in his eyes. He just wants to be taken out of the orphanage, but he knows it will never happen. He knows that no one will adopt him because he can not walk. The other boys tell him so every day. His caretakers tell him as well.
One day he meets a friend. This friend is also disabled. He can not talk. The two boys become each others voice and legs.
Everything was black.
Before that, the tired man pulled the trigger with a heavy sigh.
Before that, the man sat lonesome on his bed soaked in blood. He held a worn.48 with three
bullets already missing against his head.
Before that, the man stumbled into the room weeping from what he had done. His bloody footprints soaked through the carpet. The man slowly walked around the room and sat down on the queen sized bed. His mind clouded his actions. He faded in an out of reality distraught with his new-found grief. He sat up and walked over to the opposite side of the bed, and the saturated carpet began to squish under his step while he stepped on it. He sat down next to a the lump on his bed and began to recite “The Lord’s Prayer.”
Before that, the rain trickled down the pink outlined windows of a young girl’s room. Glitter caked the dresser and the walls. Unicorns covered the corners of the room, all with smiles upon their face. Tonight was nothing to be smiling about. Despair and sorrow were the only things that lurked in the air here. A small dripping sound could be heard. Liquid dripping from the bed frame onto the hardwood floors.
Before that, a young girl sniffled and asked:
“Is everything ok Daddy?”
“Don’t worry sweety everything will be ok, Daddy promises,” He said reluctantly.
“Where’s mommy?” The young one wondered.
“She’s sleeping right now. Daddy is here for you” He sighed. The man hugged his daughter tightly making sure she couldn’t squirm away like she always did. Whilst he was holding her tight, he raised the gun slowly placed it against her tiny, little loving head, and with a tear he pulled the trigger.
Before that, the man walked down the hall. The floor creaked with every step he took.
Before that, moonlight shined through the room. The walls were painted grey. The sheets on the bed matched the colors tremendously. The sheets were charcoal grey with a red streak on it, and at the top near the pillow there was a large red blotch that didn’t quite match the rest of the color scheme. Controllers for consoles spread across the floor carelessly placed, and never to be picked up again.
Before that, the room was silent the only sound was a slight breath that inhaled and exhaled a couple of times per minute. The father entered the room with immense disdain expressed on his face. He sat down near the foot of the bed ever so gingerly not to wake the child. He whispered, “I love you kid, and I hope you understand why I am doing this. I love you.” With those final words the man stood up again, softly pressed the cold steel barrel against his son’s head, and then it was over.
Before that, there was a soft voice at the door of the master sweet. “Mommy, is everything ok?”
The man answered in a raspy hoarse voice, “Everything is fine honey, go back to bed I’ll be with you soon I promise.”
“You promise?” She whimpered.
“I promise Sunshine, now get back to bed.” He said sternly with a cold twinge to it.
“Love you Daddy,” She murmured.
“Love you too…Princess.” He said reluctantly.
Before that, the lightning flashed over the crime scene. Blood spilling over the sheets and onto the floor, the pillows soaked in the red substance, and headboard had one single bullet hole in it. The cold lifeless body of a middle aged women lays underneath the comforter. Loving hands turned murdering ones.
Before that, a woman lies waiting for her husband to get into the bed and rest for the night. “Honey are you ok? You should get some rest.” She worried about him.
“No, I’m fine,” He chided with distaste.
“Well sooner or later you’re going to have to get some sleep. You have a long day at work tomorrow.” She rolled her eyes as she said this. The stress had been enough for James. He lost his job awhile ago due to outsourcing in China. He got up and walked over to the safe behind the wall, “Look, I’m tired of this Olivia. You are always on my tail about everything, and life is difficult I’m done. I’M DONE!” He began to raise his voice. He unlocked the safe and swung the door open. He grabbed his father’s old service revolver pivoted 180 degrees and pulled the trigger out of stress and instant rage.
Before that, the man and his wife wash their hands at the vanity within the master suite. He looks over at her sweet gentle hands, and notices one small minute detail. There is no mark or anything where her ring should be. Speaking of which where is her ring? Maybe she forgot it at work. She did work late tonight after all. Come to think of it she had been working a lot recently. And she forgot her ring at work a couple of times. Maybe she lost it, and why didn’t she come to him about it? He would understand and maybe even take her ring shopping...or it may just be too much for the family to pay right now.
Before that, a man, his wife, and his two children are all smiling and eating dinner together. They share stories of their days and what happened throughout them. The fresh cooked meal made the mouths of the kids and husband water. She had cooked a lot from home recently, and it made the family very pleased. Her beef stroganoff was by far the family favorite. The kids explained what they were doing in math, and what cells were composed out of. They talked about their social lives and what their friends did recently. The parents discussed what to get the kids for Christmas, after all it was coming up soon. Families invited them to many parties alike for the holidays. So many things to do, yet there is so little time to do it all.
Before that, it was a sunny day out. It was an almost perfect day out, but something lingered in the air.
I remember a summer of
light and happiness
of rain and sadness
of slowly dissipating madness
laughter light as a cloud
voice soft as silk
something like guilt
in those eyes
saying sorry
telling me it’s okay
making me think of you
everyday
but it’s okay
because I remember
a summer of
crying and drying
my tears
so that I could
be better
a tether
to happier days
a story told
between you and me
a song of the
brokenhearted
will of steel
oxidizing
rusting with time
fading
only a memory
but it’s still there
poking prodding
marauding
this heart of mine
Beep. Beep. Beep. That stupid alarm clock. Why is always it this loud? Emily opened her eyes, waking up to the light of the sun shining in her face. She looked around the room, seeing her trashy apartment that was the only thing she could afford, right now. Emily snapped out of her thoughts and realized that she still hadn’t turned her alarm off. I hope I didn’t wake her up. She looked over confused at her door, hearing loud fast thumps coming from its direction. Slamming the door open, came Emily’s friend, Chloe, who looked like she just ran a marathon. “I’m so sorry! I meant to turn off your alarm, but I got so caught up in cleaning up the place after the party.” What party? I don’t remember that. Emily looked down on her floor, only to see trash and empty red, plastic cups scattered around the room. “Oh, it’s fine. I know how rowdy your friends can be,” she responded, her voice sounding a bit sarcastic in the beginning, which she didn’t mean. Chloe gave her a surprised look and almost screamed. “No, it’s not fine! I knew you were going to start your new part-job today, but I still threw the party. I bet we were so loud through these crappy thin walls.” Chloe frantically started picking up everything and throwing it in the trash bag that she had in her hand. “Anyway,..” Chloe said, still cleaning up the room. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your new job. I know that you hate it. You’re just doing it so we can get more money for college and taxes. We’re not really liquid right now.” Emily sighed and said to Chloe. “I know I may seem like I’m going to hate this job, and we really need the money, but if I can’t become a photographer, then designing dolls will be my second option and I’m happy about that.” I’m terrible at lying! “Why do you think I’m lying?” Chloe looked over at her. “I know you’ve been wanting to become a photographer.” She put her hand on Emily’s shoulder. “And I know you have been working your butt off. You’re so amazing, smart, and you deserve more.” Chloe was always there for her and she really brought the best in her. She was the only person she really cared about. Chloe had this glimmer in her eye that gave her… Shoot. I wasn’t listening to what she was saying. “Oh, sorry.” Chloe let go of her grip. “I hope you have a great day.” Emily smiled and looked at her watch. 9:30, Shoot!
She began to start running to Dolls Inc. when she noticed a bulletin board was filled with five with missing posters. They all were little girls in the same age group and their names were listed at the bottom of each piece of paper. Bella, Sofie, Scarlett, Ellie, and Grace. I hope the police station finds them. She started running again to start her new job as being a doll designer.
“Man, this building is so altitudinous,” She said, looking out from the elevator window. She was pleased to see that she reached her floor number and was surprised at the sight to see that Dolls Inc. looked nothing similar to the open space office areas that a design squad would be working in. She looked around the empty hallways, only to no prevail to see anyone in the area. Where is everybody?! She screamed when she turned the corner to see her boss. “Sorry. Did I scare you?” Heck yeah you did, you jerk! “No!” Emily almost choked on her words. “Just took me by surprise. I’m sorry Mr. Kennedy!” He smiled and said, “Don’t be. Also, call me Robbert. I would not like you to think of me as your boss, but your coworker. I presume you are Emily Thomas. Correct?” She nodded. “You got motivation, I admire that. I get my motivation from my daughter. How do you get yours?” Emily smiled and immediately thought of Chloe. “I get mine from someone, too.” “Real quick before you get started, here’s what I’ve been working on.” Robbert Kennedy walked her to a metal door that had three locks on it, unlocking each one with a key. The door slide open, and Emily saw what looked to be like a little girl inside with coal black hair, and skin the color of snow. “This is the doll I’ve been working on. I haven’t quite given her a name yet, but I’m certain you have many ideas.” Wait, this little girl is a doll?! She looks so life-like, I couldn’t see the woodwork in her body parts. “I can’t believe your team of designers made this doll! It looks just like a little girl. You even got the height right, too!” He turned his head, confused, and said, “What ‘team of designers’? I made this doll myself.” Emily’s head jolted back. “You mean to tell me that all the dolls that are made in Dolls Inc. are created by just you?!”
He nodded proudly and spoke with pride, saying, “No design squad would understand my ideas. My mission is to make the perfect doll.” He smiled even more than he already did. “And you're going to help me.” His tone started in a sweet way but turned off rotten as malic in the end. “I’m going to give you this doll to take home with you. You’ll be able to look off her and see what improvements she needs. All of this workspace is accessed to you, but not that door.” Mr. Kennedy pointed to a color-full door that laid just across from where they were standing. It had 5 locks on it. “You are forbidden from going beyond that door, do you copy?” Emily couldn’t look at her boss in the eyes without sweating, but managed to say, “I-I understand, s-sir!” He smiled and patted her on the back. “Good girl. Anyway, I have to go to the police department. They want me for…….questioning.” His tone made him sound a bit anxious. He’s hiding something. As he walked toward the exit, she called out to him in panic. “Robbert, wait!” He turned around and gave her a concerned look. “Is something wrong, Miss Thomas?” She walked a bit closer to him, inching her hand toward his keys. “I just wanted to say that I’m grateful for getting this job.” Just a little closer! Emily was so close that she could feel him breathing. “I’m very proud to be working alongside you.” He gave a fake smile and spoke in a soft voice, “You really are something, huh?” He gave a little wave and left the room, leaving her alone in the dark. She smiled as she gave a little jingle with the keys in her hand. What is he hiding from me that he’s so worried about? She headed for the door but got sidetracked by the doll sitting in a wooden chair. Her black hair was so soft to the touch that it was surprisingly realistic. Her eyes had a beautiful tint of blue that looked as if they had been human. The doll looked so perfect that it could be alive, which made Emily feel disturbed.
She looked through the set of keys and quickly unlocked each lock before her boss could notice they were gone. Her stomach sank when she opened the door to find what appeared to be a set of stairs that led to the dark abyss. She started to hear weird gasping sounds and heavy breathing coming from the darkness below. “Hello?” The sound suddenly stopped, making so that a whisper could be heard. What if somebody down there is hurt! She grabbed her lighter and stepped down the creaky stairs into the dark room. Emily’s lighter wasn’t really helping the situation, so she tried another approach by feeling her way around. In the corner of her eye, she saw it. A figure hidden in the dark, their body parts in a jagged and twisted angle. *Gasp* She dashed to the light-switch and saw that figure had only been a doll. Emily sighed in relief, but then looked at the doll again. She saw that it was the same size as her, having metal wires stick from it’s back. She brought the lighter to her….it’s face and saw red paint trickle off its jaw. Makeup? The doll had a bright pink blush that matched it’s rosy, but still, wet, lips. She touched the wood that the doll was made of. “This wood has been eaten away by termites,” she whispered, feeling the wood dust in her hand.
Wait, I forgot about the person down here! Emily started to look around the dusty-aired area. She stopped in her tracks, hearing the tap of wood behind her. Slowly, she turned around and saw the doll’s head had turned to face her. The dolls jaw gently began to move downward until its mouth a partially open and breathed. She screamed. “Oh my god!” She tiptoed to the doll, and whispered, “Are you…..alive?” The doll stood silent, then the metal wires attaching the doll to the ceiling started to crank. The lifeless wooden arm moved upward and pointed toward her. “He believes that everyone is perfect. When really….” The doll startled her by moving its head closer to her. “Everyone is disgusting.” Emily looked at it in the eyes and asked, “Do you mean Robbert Kennedy?” The doll picked it’s head up and started to groan, growling words that she couldn’t make out. “Can you please tell me what happened.” I can’t believe I’m talking to a living doll. The creature laid back and cocked its head to the side. “He thought those girls were special.” The doll had such a raspy voice that it was hard for Emily to hear. She gave a confused gaze and saw that the wooden puppet was pointing to the sides of the room. Oh no. Oh god, I’m going to be sick! Alongside the room, were glass containers, each having one of the missing girls that she saw earlier. Engraved in metal, below each container were their names. Bella, Sofie, Scarlett, Ellie, and Grace. She gagged as each girl had their jaws carved off. In the jaws place, was a piece of wood, matching their skin color. Emily smelled the metallic quality of the dried blood the little girls had on their doll-like dresses. She turned to the white-painted puppet, covering her mouth and shedding tears. “H-he did t-this?!” she yelled, demanding an answer on what the hell was going on. The doll didn’t answer her question but responded in a low whisper, saying, “He thinks you’re perfect, too.” The metal wires stopped moving, and the human-size doll went limp. There was a loud metal thud behind her and turning, she saw her boss, Robbert Kennedy.
His lantern was shining brightly in his face, showing dried tears down his cheek. He had enclosed her in the room with a metallic gate. She slammed her hand into the gate, screaming, “Why are you doing this?!” He gave a low giggle, tears running down his face. “All I want is to make the perfect doll.” He got out a remote and pushed down on a button, signaling something behind her. The metal wire came loose and the humanoid doll dropped down to its feet. The doll's arms and legs twitched upward and succeeded in making the body stand. Emily stared in fear as the doll’s wooden jaw gave a twisted smile, showing metal, jagged teeth. She didn’t even turn around when she heard her boss exit the room, leaving Emily and the monster alone in the dark…...together.
The creature on all fours pounced at her. Emily quickly dodged it, slamming herself into the wall. She looked over. Oh no, this is bad. The doll had slammed itself into one of the pipes, opening and exposing a gas leak. I have to get out of here fast. She looked over at the gate covering her way out. If the gate can get slammed, it should break open. She lured the creature across the room from the gate. The doll jumped on top of her, biting her shoulder with its metal fangs. “Aaahhhhh!” she managed to scream. Emily pushed it off of her and head for the door. She stopped in her tracks and turned around, looking the monster in its dead, black eyes. If I screw this up, I’m dead. I have to jump out of the way at the right timing. The doll lunged at her, and instead hit the metal gate, knocking it down. Emily jumped over it and up the stairs, leading into the design room. She ran with all her might as she heard the doll catch-up to her. She clicked the elevator door open and ran inside. The doll charged right for her. Emily quickly ducked out of the way, the creature crashing through the elevator window and dropping all the way down from the gargantuan building. She gasped for air as she tried to regain her breath. Emily slid to the floor and waited until the elevator reached the bottom floor.
Emily saw that the fire department and ambulance had arrived, along with a hoard of people gathering around the building. She heard gasps as they saw her come out of the building, all bloody. “Emily!” She squinted and saw Chloe in the crowd. Chloe’s blond hair bounced in the wind as she crossed over the police tape and ran to her side. Chloe sprinted forward to Emily and jumped into her arms. “Are you ok?!” she asked, giving Emily a big hug. “I-I’m fine. Just a bit bruised, that’s all.” Emily said, trying to sound casual. She could feel Chloe’s tears running down her neck and quickly looked at her. “I thought you were hurt or even worse…,” Chloe said, trying to suck in tears. Emily tried to stop her crying and said, “Hey, you never worried about me like this before.” Chloe hugged her and whispered, “I just…” Chloe leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Emily smiled…..and whispered it back.
A Single Leaf
“The most beautiful things on this earth are the ones that grow out of it.” Timothy couldn’t help replaying his grandfather’s favorite phrase in his head. On the 10th anniversary of his death, Timothy could barely function. His grandfather had been the most important thing in his life until he had died of heart failure. Now the only thing Timothy had left of him was the tree they had planted when he was four. Unsurprisingly, this turned into the most important thing in Timothy’s life.
Timothy II had been a huge activist in saving nature and habitats from the never ending hunger of mankind. He had lived to a ripe old age of 90, and Timothy was grateful for that, but he missed his grandpa so much. He had been the only one in the world who really made sense.
Now 14, Timothy was starting to develop his grandfather’s views on the world. It seemed to Timothy that the earth had turned into huge land of conflict and hate. The only salvation for him was the sycamore tree in his backyard. In the year 3019 there weren’t many sycamore trees left. The government had taken just about all the land, and the air was so polluted that it was almost impossible for a living thing like a tree to live. However, Timothy’s grandfather’s tree still stood tall and strong, except for a small diseased spot in the center of the trunk. Every day Timothy would go and sit by it when he arrived home from school. He would feel the smooth, dark brown bark and sit in between the two biggest roots. He would often try to count the emerald green leaves that stretched on the branches high above his head. Then he would look at the diseased spot in the center of the trunk, a small knot of blackness that grew each day. It saddened him, but it was so small, he expected the tree would fight it off.
Today, after arriving home from school, Timothy followed his regular pattern. He grabbed an artificial apple from the kitchen counter and walked out the back door to his favorite seat, right next to the tree. As he sat, Timothy tried not to think about his grandpa too much; he had been blinking back tears all day. Instead, he thought about what real apples had tasted like. He had never had one, but his grandpa had always talked about the old fruits and veggies, “Yes Timothy! You could go to the grocery store and buy them by the dozen! Or, even better, you could grow them and pick them right off the tree!” This had always seemed the most exciting to Timothy, picking them right off the tree… he kicked himself for letting himself think about his grandpa again. That’s all he seemed to be able to think about anymore. The information everyone else was feeding him was garbage it seemed. At school they were taught drills on how to survive attacks from other countries, like bombings or gas releases. They were also taught how to live off of the food they were given, because every family received only a certain amount. At home - well - his mom was never home, forced to work to support their family, and his dad had died fighting in the army when he was only 10.
Therefore, Timothy simply sat by the tree, not letting those poisonous ideas fill his head. He didn’t care what they were taught at school - he saw through the lies that everything and everyone told him - commercials, the radio, teachers, politicians, even friends. They all tried to pretend like everything was okay, but he knew it wasn’t. It made him want to scream. Did they not see the world falling apart right in front of them? Here was everyone fighting with each other and then stopping, acting like it was okay. Everything was okay.
Timothy didn’t see that. He saw people fighting over race - who cares what color one’s skin is? Then there was gender. One little thing and everyone would blow up at each other. At school, the classroom was one big Jenga game. One piece pulled out of place, one word out of place and everyone blew up.
Sitting by the tree, feeling the cool, squishy earth underneath him, Timothy let go of his resistance and wondered what his grandpa would have thought of the world today. Timothy could just see his bright blue eyes crinkling and the tears spilling from his eyes. He wished he could do something - they both had, but they just couldn’t.
So Timothy went on his way, through each day, each week, each year, listening to the same drone, of phony happiness here, waging war, arguing there. Each day, the sickened spot of the tree grew and grew. He didn’t let it enter his head though. Every day without fail he would go and sit under the great sycamore tree and think of his grandpa.
-
Days turned into years and Timothy found himself 30 years old, sitting next to the same tree, in the same yard, outside the same house, but the world had changed. His mom had passed away, leaving him alone. The sycamore tree had also changed. The diseased spot had taken over most of it, leaving only spots of healthiness almost overtaken by the black of infection. The tree was withered and had shrunk in size to only a few feet tall. Timothy still sat there, his arm wrapped around it, thinking of his grandpa. “Dog-gone it Timmy, you let the world ruin itself!” And so it had. Everyday the turmoil grew worse and more violent. Food and clean water had grown scarce, and so had clean air. In fact, a huge asteroid was predicted to hit next month. Every person in his country was invited to a safe spot underground, but Timothy knew it was no use. As usual, he could see through the fake-happy faces. He knew it was the size of half the earth and would crush all of them. He would be in his usual spot; right next to the tree.
The asteroid did hit one month later, and Timothy was sitting next to the tree. The asteroid did crush the earth, and the only thing left was a single emerald green leaf, floating through the tortured air.
So there I was, realizing how it feels to lose someone you love unbearably-the feeling of that sharp tug in your heart. I have never forgotten that moment, and never will. It always came back to me. I always imagined a five-year-old Lisa running in the fields with her mother. I remember that sharp pain in my heart, as if someone had pricked me with a needle. I fell to the ground and only thought of one person as I grasped my chest. Pant,pant. I blocked everyone and everything else out of the world. Including the sound of my mother calling my name as her alarming voice faded away. ‘ Dad, Dad, Dad, DAD.’ That’s the only thing I could hear inside my head.
“Wh-What happened?”, I asked in a perplexed tone as I sat up in front of my mother, rubbing my head dizzily.
“Honey! Are you alright? I was worried that you passed out.” , insisted my mother.
“I-I’m fine..” I stuttered as I stood up and brushed the grass and bramble off my shirt. My mother patted me gently on the back as she helped me up onto my feet. Then it struck me, the memory of about 5 seconds before I passed out. “MOM WHERE’S DAD?!”, I spat.
“What? What do you mean Lisa?” questioned my mother.
“No time to explain. WHERE’S D-” My mom’s phone rang with her “Barking Dog” alarm/tone, interrupting my shrieking, She slowly pulled her phone out of her back pocket in her bright blue denim jeans.
“Hello?”, my mom said as she accepted the call and put the settings to speakerphone mode.
“Hi. This is Kate from Maryland Hospital. I have some..um.” She paused.
“Proceed?” said, my mother.
“Sorry. What I meant to tell you was that I have some unfortunate news..”, continued Kate.
I stood there, frozen, thinking I knew what the bad news was.
“Okay please proceed.” insisted my mother.
“ Y-Your husband… he was shot at his office, and he didn’t make it.”
‘I knew it. I knew I had lost someone I loved so much. I had a father one moment, the next minute, he’s gone like I never had one. Someone I loved dearly had been stolen away from me-simply because another human being decided to shoot a single bullet.’ I cried a whole river of tears and I couldn’t stop. I never thought this day would come as early in my life.
My mother stood there for two split seconds, shocked. The next thing you knew, she was bawling her eyes out, begging to take her with him to heaven.
“I am very sorry... I know it especially hard to lose someone that takes such an important role in your life.” comforted Kate. My mother didn’t care. She smashed the “end call” button and threw her phone into a riverbank nearby.
“MISS LISA ELIZABETH PARKER!” chided Mrs. Rivera, interrupting my thoughts.
I blinked my eyes rapidly as my eyelids fluttered open. I realized that I was back in my eighth grade classroom, day-dreaming..AGAIN.
“Yes, Mrs.Rivera?” I said, rubbing my eyes.
“Everyone in this room, including you knows the rule; no sleeping in class. Detention for you, young lady”
I groaned softly. A few students around the room chuckled as I walked to the front of the room to receive my detention slip.
After my father had passed away, I never really found myself again, I was so lost inside and out. I was always a straight A student, but that changed forever after I lost my dad. I found myself just shrugging when a teacher asked me a question, and now achieving straight F’s.
Later that school day, I remembered seeing a boy with glasses being bullied, having his body hung by his underwear-band, as people crowded around taking videos for instagram, snapchat, and other useless social media. I wanted to go up and help him, I knew it was right, but I took a step forward and immediately regretted it, stepping back from the sealine of students crowding around the bully and his victim. I then think ‘Heyy.. why not join in on some of the fun?’ I looked around me and smiled slyly. I shoved through the crowd of students and grabbed the victim’s backpack, and all eyes turned to me. I unzipped the backpack, and turned it upside-down, making all the contents spill out. The contents of his backpack included breath spray, pimple cream, and a pack of floss.
The crowd of students burst out in laughter, pointing and screaming at the “freak boy”. Everyone thought of me as “cool” now, and they all walked alongside me in the hallways of our middle school. I looked back at the boy on the ground, his underwear ripped halfway out of his pants and him storing his contents back into his backpack. I felt a ping of regret, but felt confident again. ‘ Your cool now Lisa’ , I told myself.
The next few weeks, I had a blast, laughing it out with my new bully friends and making fun of more easy targets.
Within a month, I was a totally new person. But what I didn’t realize was that it wasn’t a good change. I had turned into a cruel, evil monster. I didn’t notice until I was called up to the office one day.
The loudspeaker gave static, then the familiar voice of the office secretary spoke. “Lisa Parker, please come to the office. I repeat, Lisa Parker please come to the office immediately.” I stood up from my seat, and walked casually out of Room 37, into the hallway, not expecting what was to come.
Later in the principal’s office, I didn’t even flinch when the principal, Mr. Braggs, shoved a phone under my nose, displaying a video of me dumping the contents of that kids bag on the ground in front of everybody.
“Do you even know how much your hurt and embarrassed this boy?”
I shrugged. I didn’t even care at this point.
“Do you know his name?”
“No…” I replied glumly with an annoyed expression on my face.
“ You should have gotten to know him first. His name was Justin. Anyways, I’m very disappointed in you Lisa.. Although teacher after teacher after teacher has come up to me complaining about your behavior, I always had faith in you that you could change your attitude towards life. Now that faith is gone. You should have learned to be like Justin. He was such a smart and good-natured kid. ”, Mr. Braggs remarked with sorrow in his eyes.
“Why do you have to make such a big deal about it anyways?”, I sighed.
“Lisa, it is much of a bigger deal than you think of it as. You made-”
“Fine. I’ll apologize.” I interrupted, rolling my eyes however so dramatically.
“ I’m afraid it’s too late for that. He was extremely broken over your friends and your hurtful words, that he took his own life. Imagine how much he has gone through.”, Mr. Braggs said, shaking his head, downcasted and dismayed.
I paused. Everything around me seemed to stop as I realize what actions I had took.
I had broken someone else down to make myself feel better and in a higher position. I finally felt like I stood above someone, when in reality I was hanging below everybody. Using somebody else to take out my depression and anger on?...what was I thinking?
I was so insecure about losing my father, but I took it out on Justin, which was never okay. And because of some of my hurtful words and actions... I cost a family their son,a brother, something I can never repay to them. Imagine what Justin could have done with his life- I mean he was such a smart kid. It made me feel disappointed in myself, and I felt like such a horrible person. I couldn’t believe myself. ‘ How could I do this?’ I asked myself repeatedly. The videos that the bystanders had taken and posted on social media had gone viral, and now I felt like a huge idiot, which I was for the most part.
As I walked out of this situation, I felt so guilty for what I had done, and it can never be undone. At first I couldn’t believe that I had lost my father, and I felt so sorry for myself. I don’t know why someone shot my father...but I represent the shooter because I did kill someone - not with a gun, but with my words.