Congratulations !
You have been awarded points.
Thank you for !
- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Coming of Age / Initiation
- Published: 11/07/2020
Star Light Star Bright
Val Amant
Like many others this story flashed in my brain. All I had to do was key it in.
4346 words
Tommy Duncan walked home from school everyday, rain or shine, cause he got tired of being bullied on the bus and no one doin’ nothin’ about it. The principal and counselor tried everything other than chaining him to a bus seat.
“As long as he shows up we get paid, that’s the beginnin’ and end to it,” the principal justified himself.
Tommy walked.
Late September brought an early brisk chill over the landscape. Tommy scraped his broken sole, untied shoes along the pavement. He didn’t have to think, his shoes knew the way home.
Harold Forester rolled his pickup alongside Tommy, “you come over, hear, we got pun’kins ta harvest.”
Tommy nodded, “okay Mr. Forester.”
Harold nodded and accelerated.
Tommy smirked, “he coulda given me a ride. Don’ matter,” Tommy mumbled.
Tommy turned left off the highway when he got to his home, a broken down single wide trailer nestled on the edge of the woods.
The bus rolled by then stopped a quarter mile up the road. Tommy turned to watch it unload then slowly move along. He smiled and went inside.
~.~
Early Saturday morning Tommy sneaked out of the house, his parents still in bed, f**king. He grabbed his old bike and pedaled to Mr. Forester’s farm. Tommy turned on Forester Drive about five miles up the highway from his house. He dropped his bike, jumped the steps to their porch and knocked on the screen door. Mrs. Forester saw him and waved him in. He walked in smelling the cooking and baking. The aroma was making him hungry and filling him up both at the same time.
“Did you eat breakfast, Tommy?” Mrs. Forester asked.
Tommy shook his head and sat down at the table next to Annie Forester, their daughter, a year older than he. She had no siblings.
One day about a year ago they were playing on the playground at school.
“You don’t have any brothers or sisters, Annie?” Tommy asked.
She shook her head, “my mother discovered that they couldn’t have any more children after I was born.”
Tommy nodded, though he didn’t understand.
“How about you?”
“No. Just me. Daddy said I was a mistake.”
Annie looked at him with sad eyes.
“He’s really not my daddy.”
It was then and there that she truly appreciated her parents.
“Chicken biscuits with gravy, bacon and hash browns,” her mom delivered Tommy a plate.
Annie buttered and spread a homemade strawberry jam on a piece of toast and placed it on Tommys’ plate. She giggled.
Mr. Forester was a formidable man and enjoyed the kids at the table. His wife was forever sad that she couldn’t fulfill his wish, children. Lots of them. Why Tommy was always welcomed on their farm.
They walked along a slow moving wagon pulled by the tractor that Mr. Forester drove. Annie and her helper sat on the wagon and arranged the pumpkins that Tommy and some Mexican workers piled onto the wagon which they pulled from the vines.
The workers broke for lunch and sat at a long picnic table underneath a protective solid wood canopy. Mrs. Forester and her sister served the fixins.
End of day, Tommy rode his bike home, dead tired, carrying a huge pumpkin that Mr. Forester let him take home for Halloween. He set it on the edge of the front porch with the intent to carve it with a scary face. He couldn’t wait.
The next morning he grabbed his hunting knife and ran out to the porch to carve his pumpkin. He stopped dead in his tracks. The pumpkin was smashed all over the front lawn as if someone kicked it off the porch.
“Clean up your mess, boy,” his daddy yelled.
Tommy cleaned up the pumpkin like he was told to avoid a dreadful lickin’ then disappeared back into the woods. A long time ago he found a soft moss clearing by some rocks and a pond fed by a small babbling creek.
“This is my heaven,” he whispered.
He laid down on the moss, it was soft and it embraced his soul as much as his body. He listened to the babble of the creek. He fell deep into a dream of a beautiful world where he’d hoped he’d live when he grew up, he now only ten.
The lively sounds of the night that accentuated the babble of the creek woke him up. His eyes focused on the millions of stars framed by the trees around the clearing.
Starry light is starry bright,
I see them all tonight,
They await my wish in flight,
To make all things right.
He whispered.
He soon heard a panting and froze. The wolf slowly made his way up to Tommy, they were nose to nose. The wolf drooled then licked Tommys’ cheek, leaving his breath on him. The wolf left. Tommy breathed. He stood up and reluctantly walked back through the deep darkness of the woods, climbed the pallet he leaned up to his bedroom window and crawled into his room. He plopped down on the bed and fell asleep to continue his dream.
It didn’t continue.
During winter break Tommy went outside in the snow. He wrapped plastic bags around his shoes, not having any boots. He rolled a big snowball and plopped it dead center in the front yard. He ran to the edge of the woods and found a straight oak stick about an inch and a half thick or so. He drilled it into the center of the snowball then ran back to the front of the trailer and rolled the second snowball towards the first. He dragged a wooden box out by the beginnings of his snowman, picked up the second snowball, stood on the box and slammed it down the stick. Some parts came loose so he repaired the ball. There was just enough stick showing for the head. He rolled and placed the head. He ran back into the woods and found all kinds of twigs for the arms. He placed the twigs in, one arm down, the other curved twig was perfect for a hand wave. He then packed snow around the twigs as he made snow arms. He sculpted a three finger waving hand, a snowball formed the other hand. He stepped back and noticed that feet were missing so he packed snow against the bottom ball to make the feet. He then ran to the blacktopped highway’s edge and looked for small rocks to make the face.
The snowman smiled as did Tommy.
Tommy ran inside and had a hot chocolate and Christmas cookies with his mother. They had a good time together which he never could really remember they ever had. She complimented him on his snowman, mussed his hair and kissed him.
He was exhausted and went to bed for tomorrow was Christmas Eve.
Tommy ran outside and waved back at his snowman. Cars that passed by honked and waved. Tommy looked over across the highway and saw Annie with a boy riding a snowmobile. He recognized the boy as her cousin who was already in college. He stopped for a sec at the edge of the highway. He and Annie waved. Tommy waved back and smiled. He was happy to see them. They took off and just as quickly disappeared.
A sadness suddenly set in deeply and he didn’t know why but it did. He ran for the back of the woods and ran and ran. He came to the clearing and plopped down in the snow facing the sky. The clouds were dark and gray but the sound of the babbling creek made him smile and sent him into his dream.
Starry light is starry bright,
I see them all tonight,
They await my wish in flight,
To make all things be alright.
The wolf walked up to him, sniffed his breath and licked his cheek. Tommy opened his eyes and smiled. He slowly lifted his bare hand and patted the wolf. The wolf licked his hand. Tommy sat up and hugged the wolf, the wolf continued to lick his face.
They heard a gunshot in the distance and they both jerked back.
“Go, go, run!” Tommy swooshed him away.
The wolf looked around, slightly growled and disappeared. Tommy got to his feet and ran home.
“Hi mom.”
“I got us some turkey dinners,” she smiled as she nuked their Christmas Eve dinner.
She bought him a bottle of bubbly grape. The radio constantly played Christmas songs without interruptions. They ate a frozen chocolate pie then mom got up.
“I didn’t do any shopping this year,” like she said most every other year.
She dropped a small package and a card down on the table in front of him.
He opened the card envelope which he knew came from the convenience store, opened the card and found a twenty dollar bill. He smiled.
“Thanks mom.”
He unwrapped the small gift.
“A racer car!” Tommy pretended to be excited, it too came from the convenience store.
He quickly stood up from his chair and ran over to his mom and gave her a big hug and kiss. He played with his car in front of the TV. She gave him some caramel popcorn and sat on the sofa behind him. He went to bed at 10 p.m.
Tommy woke up on Christmas Day and heard his dad. He was boisterous, sounded like he was yelling and laughing at the same time. He got up out of bed, sneaked down the hallway and looked over at the table. He was eating breakfast and she was holding ice in a towel over her eye. He heard him talking but it all faded away into mumbo jumbo.
“He hit mom,” Tommy whispered.
Tommy ran back to his room and crawled under the covers to be protected from the evil spirits of the world like his dad. He half fell asleep then woke up as if there was a loud sound. There was nothing but dead silence. He sneaked down the hallway and checked the trailer. He was the only one there. He looked out the front window and froze.
Tommy ran down to his snowman in his jammies and bare feet, it was smashed to pieces like his pumpkin, only the stick was left standing. He saw the dirt shovel lying in the snow and some blood.
For some reason his daddy hated him, maybe because he was a mistake, another mouth to feed. It didn’t matter. He loved his mom but didn’t understand why she didn’t take him far, far away.
He spent Christmas in his room having nothing more than the leftover chocolate pie to eat.
~.~
Spring was always fun because of the sun. All the kids were playful, silly and giggly.
Even Tommy was allowed to play in their games.
“Would you come to my birthday party?” Annie handed him an invitation.
He looked down at it then up at her as he nodded. She smiled.
He pocketed the invitation then thought about it. He didn’t have any money to buy her a present. Dad found his stash and took it all leaving Tommy without a penny.
He trashed the invitation then walked home from school wishing that he was in his dream world forevermore.
A week later Annie was riding her bike and stopped on the edge of the highway as she watched Tommy mow the grass, what grass there was. She crossed the highway and parked her bike.
“Why didn’t you come to my birthday party, Tommy?”
He looked down then up at her, “cause I din’ have any money to buy you a present, Annie.”
She twitched her fingers and took a breath, “you being at my party would have been the best present ever.”
Tommy quickly looked away to hide the tears falling out of his eyes. He wiped them with his arm when she forced him to look at her.
“I know what is going on, Tommy, and I’m really, really sorry, but you have to fight through it.”
He looked down then up at her.
“Do you have some time?”
She nodded.
He took her hand and they ran into the backwoods then stopped dead in the moss ground clearing. They stood in silence.
“This is beautiful, Tommy.”
“This is your birthday present, Annie, this is my dream world. Come on, lay down and face the sky and you’ll see.”
They laid down, shoulder to shoulder, faced the sky, closed their eyes and entered into his dream world together.
Shortly, the wolf licked Tommys’ cheek. He giggled. Annie opened her eyes and gasped. Her body stiffened. Tommy grasped her hand and squeezed tightly.
“He is our friend, Annie, don’t be afraid.”
Tommy sat up and he and the wolf hugged. The wolf stepped over him and licked Annie’s face to show his affection and acceptance of her. She sat up grinning beyond belief. The wolf howled then barked. Shortly another wolf emerged with two youngin’s.
They all ran over and got acquainted with Tommy and Annie. Tommy got up and ran with the pups as the she wolf sat next to Annie, taking Annie’s rubs and watching her pups and Tommy.
They all played for an hour then the wolves took off. Tommy extended his arm and helped Annie up.
“That was the best birthday present, ever, Tommy,” she leaned in and kissed him on the lips.
They clasped hands and ran through the woods, giggling like carefree animals of the wild.
She mounted her bike and pedaled home more than excited. Tommy watched her disappear as dad appeared. He pulled into the driveway not saying a word to him and went into the trailer.
“Daddy, you won’t believe the present that Tommy got me for my birthday.”
“Oh, really! Something special?”
Annie nodded wildly and grinned.
“Well, keep us in suspense,” her mother laughed.
“He took me to a clearing behind his house. We laid down on the soft moss, faced the sky then closed our eyes. It was magical. Then this wolf appeared and licked Tommys’ face.”
“What?”
“Daddy, it’s true, I was inches away. Tommy sat up and they hugged. He barked and his family appeared, mama and two pups.”
“No way!”
“Yes, daddy. She sat next to me as I petted her and Tommy ran around crazy with the pups. Their daddy would come and go but always kept an eye on them.”
“Isn’t that kind of dangerous, Harold?” her mother was concerned.
“I’ve heard of that before but far and few in between,” he lit his pipe.
“Daddy, I was in his heaven, me, he invited me in. I’ll never ever forget it as long as I live.”
“Well, if you want to live long, stay away from them wolves,” her daddy chuckled.
“Yes daddy.”
Her mom looked at her and noticed the glow that was emanating from her face, she really did go to his heaven.
Finally. Tommy was relieved of his scholarly duties, Spring sprung into Summer. He did his chores and now eleven, he felt like he was in total command, one with nature. He searched deeper into the woods and came across all kinds of wildlife, they thinking the same of him, yet another wild critter in our midst. Then Tommy froze. He was face to face with a black bear about twenty feet away.
The bear salivated, growled, stepped forward then stood up and showed Tommy that she was queen. Tommy stayed still, on his knees, he was the queen’s servant. The bear settled down on all fours and made her way towards Tommy as she swayed her head back and forth growling. Tommy didn’t move. They were two feet away, face to face. Tommy noticed the raspberry bush to his left and slowly proceeded to pick off the berries. The bear watched, drooling and growled but she held her stance. Tommy slowly moved his left hand to the bear, it filled with raspberries. The bear seemed to nod then growled on a up nod then stretched towards Tommys’ hand. She licked in the berries holding her head to the side. Saliva was dripping into Tommys’ hand. He smiled. The bear finished the berries then licked Tommys’ face. Tommy scratched the bear’s jowls then he started picking the berries for his new friend. The bear sat down next to Tommy and they ate berries. The bear sniffed Tommy and jolted her snout up as if giving him a high five. The bear disappeared.
“Woo hoo!” Tommy was elated.
Now thirteen, Tommy had to ride the bus since the junior high school was further out. He didn’t want his new friends to see where he lived, he got permission to get off at the convenience store. He’d unlock his bike and ride a short distance home, sun, rain, wind or snow. He’d ride to the Forester’s farm and help Mr. Forester harvest the potatoes. They did the tomatoes earlier and sold most of them in their family market on sight. Of course Tommy could always take home whatever he wanted. His mom was elated and cooked them a lot of BLT sandwiches. Dad was gone more and more which gave Tommy more and more time to be with his mom.
Tommy rode his bike home but instead of pulling into the drive he drove by keeping a vigil eye on the two dudes roughing up dad. He pulled in just past the driveway then scurried into the woods to stand watch. The dudes got into their pick up and left. Tommy noticed that they had guns. His dad was on the ground, his face was bleeding.
When it was clear he quietly brought his bike to the back and climbed into his bedroom window. Dad and mom were fighting verbally, something about drugs, then, he heard a smack.
“Bitch! How do you think the bills get paid, huh? Magic? If we didn’t have that piece of shit of a son of yours, we’d be a hell of a lot better off. I want you to get rid of him, now!”
She cried and he went out the front door. It slammed. Tommy heard his truck drive out as it squealed down the highway.
“Mom?”
She looked up from lying on the coach, crying.
“I brought some potatoes.”
“You’re so sweet, Tommy,” she sat up and cupped his face, “I know, come on, we’ll make good use of your potatoes.”
She had him boil then smash the potatoes. He laughed because he got out his aggression and anger over his dad always hitting her. She poured in some pizza cheese and onions as he continued to mash. They rolled out some dough in between their flour fights, they all white, then scooped the potatoes into little squares of dough. They folded up the dough into neat triangles, she doing ten to his one but she lovingly understood. They boiled then fried the little potato dough pieces that were smothered in butter.
He and his mom were once again becoming mom and son and he felt that he was now really in his heaven. Dad didn’t come home for three days, nights, so Tommy confirmed that this was his new heaven.
Thursday night when Tommy was already in bed, he heard his dad come home and start right in. They yelled, then she got slapped, then he ripped her clothes off and f**ked her. Tommy ran out into the hallway when his father walked out in his underwear.
“Wha you lookin’ at? You bin f**kin’ her, the little whore bitch, haven’t ya?”
He laughed and pushed Tommy out of his way. Tommy went back into his room and pounded his mattress so hard a spring popped through the cloth.
Within the half hour those same guys drove up the driveway, got out and started shouting. One fired his pistol in the air.
“Git out here now or we comin’ in!” the one dude yelled.
Tommy watched through his window and heard his dad scurry to their bedroom, shuffle things around, then Tommy heard shots coming from their bedroom window. Mom screamed and the two dudes began shooting into the trailer. Tommy ducked and crawled out into the hallway when he heard the back door being hammered. Tommy reached for the broom and pointed the metal handle at the door. It opened and the dude got off a shot when Tommy slammed the handle into his groin. The dude fell backwards, trying to catch himself on the door jamb. Tommy stripped the gun out of the dude’s right hand and aimed with both hands on the gun. The dude fell to the ground, snickered, then got up to charge Tommy. He fell back with a close range shot in his forehead. Dad ran to the living room and yelled at Tommy, “keep shootin!”
“Mom!” Tommy yelled.
Several shotgun blasts blasted the living and kitchen areas then the trailer broke out into flames.
Tommy ran to mom’s bedroom. She was bleeding and lying on the floor, not moving.
“Shit.”
Tommy holstered the pistol behind him and pulled his mom to the back door. He grunted and lifted her up and took her down the three steps. He ran to the woods and set her down in the back then ran back inside the trailer.
His dad had been shot.
“Git me outta here, boy!” he yelled, “git me outta here, now!”
The front door was kicked opened when the dude was about to shotgun dad. Tommy pulled the trigger. The dude dropped the shotgun and flew back out onto the front porch. The flames now engulfed the front area and were quickly coming towards Tommy. He looked at his dad burning in hell then scrambled out the back door. He looked at mom, ran to the back end of the trailer then peeked around the front. The last dude standing was tugging his partner off the front porch as the flames rose up as high as the trees. Tommy heard the sirens. He held the pistol up, eye level, and walked forward. The dude got his partner down on the ground when he turned to shoot but the barrel of Tommys’ pistol was already on his forehead.
The fire truck pulled in with several volunteer cars coming to a screeching halt.
Tommy dropped the pistol then ran out back to get his mom.
They were already spraying water over the total loss simply to control the flames. EMS pulled up and got the gurneys out to collect the two dudes when Tommy emerged around the corner, carrying his mom. He walked straight for the EMS, crying. They ran over but he wouldn’t let them touch her.
“No! No! Don’t touch her!”
He laid her down on the gourney and cried as he kissed her face. The EMT walked in and started his routine, she was still breathing.
Mr. Forester and Annie pulled to the front, the police now controlled the traffic on the highway.
Tommy looked up directly at Annie, she at him, tears left her eyes as fast as the creek babbled. He turned and disappeared out the back.
“Tommy!” she yelled, “Tommy!”
Her father clutched her and she turned into him crying her heart out.
“At least he’s still alive, cupcake,” he consoled his daughter.
The next morning Annie rode her bike to the taped off disaster, dropped her bike and ran to and through the backwoods. She stopped in her tracks in the clearing and focused on the cross made from twigs and vines. She walked up to the cross and saw mom scratched in the dirt. She dropped to her knees and cried uncontrollably. She then looked up at the blue cloudless sky and fell on her back. She closed her eyes and listened to his voice through the babbling creek.
Her face was licked. She opened her eyes. The one pup was no longer a pup but it remembered her, they were friends for life.
She petted him when she heard a bark and the grown pup immediately ran off.
“I know you’re out there Tommy, I love you,” she shouted.
The babbling creek answered back, I love you Annie.
Within months the burnt rubble was removed from the property. Mrs. Duncan died of complications and was buried in the town public cemetery. Annie went to the burial and heard the howl of the wolf.
She looked at her daddy, “he’s here daddy.”
He acknowledged, “I know, Annie, I know.”
She convinced her daddy to buy the Duncan property and he agreed. They built a fruit stand and named it Tommys’. Mr. Forester made 300% profit when he opened up the success to consignment. All the money they made was put into Annie’s college fund.
She wanted to become a lawyer and fight for children in abusive homes like Tommy’s.
Eight years later, she and her husband brought their son, Tommy, and their daughter, Tammy, for a week to visit grandma and grandpa. She drove the kids to the fruit stand and walked them out back through the woods.
They reached the clearing and her kids let loose, running, playing and laughing. She smiled as she approached the cross and saw fresh flowers beneath mom. She could feel him.
“Kids! Come here. I want to show you something.”
The kids came running up to her and she got them to lay down by her side. They closed their eyes and Tommys’ heaven quickly reached their minds and souls. Soon two tiny pups showed and played with the kids as Annie sat with their parents.
Tommy watched from the fringe of the forest and smiled as he chewed the apple he stole from her dad’s farm. Black bear wasn’t interested, she was too busy filling her belly with berries and goodies. Buck and Doe grazed without any concern. They were all family, Tommy, their loving and protective daddy, finally living in his heavenly world forevermore.
Starry light is starry bright,
I see them all tonight,
They hold my wish so tight,
That all things will be alright.
Star Light Star Bright(Val Amant)
Star Light Star Bright
Val Amant
Like many others this story flashed in my brain. All I had to do was key it in.
4346 words
Tommy Duncan walked home from school everyday, rain or shine, cause he got tired of being bullied on the bus and no one doin’ nothin’ about it. The principal and counselor tried everything other than chaining him to a bus seat.
“As long as he shows up we get paid, that’s the beginnin’ and end to it,” the principal justified himself.
Tommy walked.
Late September brought an early brisk chill over the landscape. Tommy scraped his broken sole, untied shoes along the pavement. He didn’t have to think, his shoes knew the way home.
Harold Forester rolled his pickup alongside Tommy, “you come over, hear, we got pun’kins ta harvest.”
Tommy nodded, “okay Mr. Forester.”
Harold nodded and accelerated.
Tommy smirked, “he coulda given me a ride. Don’ matter,” Tommy mumbled.
Tommy turned left off the highway when he got to his home, a broken down single wide trailer nestled on the edge of the woods.
The bus rolled by then stopped a quarter mile up the road. Tommy turned to watch it unload then slowly move along. He smiled and went inside.
~.~
Early Saturday morning Tommy sneaked out of the house, his parents still in bed, f**king. He grabbed his old bike and pedaled to Mr. Forester’s farm. Tommy turned on Forester Drive about five miles up the highway from his house. He dropped his bike, jumped the steps to their porch and knocked on the screen door. Mrs. Forester saw him and waved him in. He walked in smelling the cooking and baking. The aroma was making him hungry and filling him up both at the same time.
“Did you eat breakfast, Tommy?” Mrs. Forester asked.
Tommy shook his head and sat down at the table next to Annie Forester, their daughter, a year older than he. She had no siblings.
One day about a year ago they were playing on the playground at school.
“You don’t have any brothers or sisters, Annie?” Tommy asked.
She shook her head, “my mother discovered that they couldn’t have any more children after I was born.”
Tommy nodded, though he didn’t understand.
“How about you?”
“No. Just me. Daddy said I was a mistake.”
Annie looked at him with sad eyes.
“He’s really not my daddy.”
It was then and there that she truly appreciated her parents.
“Chicken biscuits with gravy, bacon and hash browns,” her mom delivered Tommy a plate.
Annie buttered and spread a homemade strawberry jam on a piece of toast and placed it on Tommys’ plate. She giggled.
Mr. Forester was a formidable man and enjoyed the kids at the table. His wife was forever sad that she couldn’t fulfill his wish, children. Lots of them. Why Tommy was always welcomed on their farm.
They walked along a slow moving wagon pulled by the tractor that Mr. Forester drove. Annie and her helper sat on the wagon and arranged the pumpkins that Tommy and some Mexican workers piled onto the wagon which they pulled from the vines.
The workers broke for lunch and sat at a long picnic table underneath a protective solid wood canopy. Mrs. Forester and her sister served the fixins.
End of day, Tommy rode his bike home, dead tired, carrying a huge pumpkin that Mr. Forester let him take home for Halloween. He set it on the edge of the front porch with the intent to carve it with a scary face. He couldn’t wait.
The next morning he grabbed his hunting knife and ran out to the porch to carve his pumpkin. He stopped dead in his tracks. The pumpkin was smashed all over the front lawn as if someone kicked it off the porch.
“Clean up your mess, boy,” his daddy yelled.
Tommy cleaned up the pumpkin like he was told to avoid a dreadful lickin’ then disappeared back into the woods. A long time ago he found a soft moss clearing by some rocks and a pond fed by a small babbling creek.
“This is my heaven,” he whispered.
He laid down on the moss, it was soft and it embraced his soul as much as his body. He listened to the babble of the creek. He fell deep into a dream of a beautiful world where he’d hoped he’d live when he grew up, he now only ten.
The lively sounds of the night that accentuated the babble of the creek woke him up. His eyes focused on the millions of stars framed by the trees around the clearing.
Starry light is starry bright,
I see them all tonight,
They await my wish in flight,
To make all things right.
He whispered.
He soon heard a panting and froze. The wolf slowly made his way up to Tommy, they were nose to nose. The wolf drooled then licked Tommys’ cheek, leaving his breath on him. The wolf left. Tommy breathed. He stood up and reluctantly walked back through the deep darkness of the woods, climbed the pallet he leaned up to his bedroom window and crawled into his room. He plopped down on the bed and fell asleep to continue his dream.
It didn’t continue.
During winter break Tommy went outside in the snow. He wrapped plastic bags around his shoes, not having any boots. He rolled a big snowball and plopped it dead center in the front yard. He ran to the edge of the woods and found a straight oak stick about an inch and a half thick or so. He drilled it into the center of the snowball then ran back to the front of the trailer and rolled the second snowball towards the first. He dragged a wooden box out by the beginnings of his snowman, picked up the second snowball, stood on the box and slammed it down the stick. Some parts came loose so he repaired the ball. There was just enough stick showing for the head. He rolled and placed the head. He ran back into the woods and found all kinds of twigs for the arms. He placed the twigs in, one arm down, the other curved twig was perfect for a hand wave. He then packed snow around the twigs as he made snow arms. He sculpted a three finger waving hand, a snowball formed the other hand. He stepped back and noticed that feet were missing so he packed snow against the bottom ball to make the feet. He then ran to the blacktopped highway’s edge and looked for small rocks to make the face.
The snowman smiled as did Tommy.
Tommy ran inside and had a hot chocolate and Christmas cookies with his mother. They had a good time together which he never could really remember they ever had. She complimented him on his snowman, mussed his hair and kissed him.
He was exhausted and went to bed for tomorrow was Christmas Eve.
Tommy ran outside and waved back at his snowman. Cars that passed by honked and waved. Tommy looked over across the highway and saw Annie with a boy riding a snowmobile. He recognized the boy as her cousin who was already in college. He stopped for a sec at the edge of the highway. He and Annie waved. Tommy waved back and smiled. He was happy to see them. They took off and just as quickly disappeared.
A sadness suddenly set in deeply and he didn’t know why but it did. He ran for the back of the woods and ran and ran. He came to the clearing and plopped down in the snow facing the sky. The clouds were dark and gray but the sound of the babbling creek made him smile and sent him into his dream.
Starry light is starry bright,
I see them all tonight,
They await my wish in flight,
To make all things be alright.
The wolf walked up to him, sniffed his breath and licked his cheek. Tommy opened his eyes and smiled. He slowly lifted his bare hand and patted the wolf. The wolf licked his hand. Tommy sat up and hugged the wolf, the wolf continued to lick his face.
They heard a gunshot in the distance and they both jerked back.
“Go, go, run!” Tommy swooshed him away.
The wolf looked around, slightly growled and disappeared. Tommy got to his feet and ran home.
“Hi mom.”
“I got us some turkey dinners,” she smiled as she nuked their Christmas Eve dinner.
She bought him a bottle of bubbly grape. The radio constantly played Christmas songs without interruptions. They ate a frozen chocolate pie then mom got up.
“I didn’t do any shopping this year,” like she said most every other year.
She dropped a small package and a card down on the table in front of him.
He opened the card envelope which he knew came from the convenience store, opened the card and found a twenty dollar bill. He smiled.
“Thanks mom.”
He unwrapped the small gift.
“A racer car!” Tommy pretended to be excited, it too came from the convenience store.
He quickly stood up from his chair and ran over to his mom and gave her a big hug and kiss. He played with his car in front of the TV. She gave him some caramel popcorn and sat on the sofa behind him. He went to bed at 10 p.m.
Tommy woke up on Christmas Day and heard his dad. He was boisterous, sounded like he was yelling and laughing at the same time. He got up out of bed, sneaked down the hallway and looked over at the table. He was eating breakfast and she was holding ice in a towel over her eye. He heard him talking but it all faded away into mumbo jumbo.
“He hit mom,” Tommy whispered.
Tommy ran back to his room and crawled under the covers to be protected from the evil spirits of the world like his dad. He half fell asleep then woke up as if there was a loud sound. There was nothing but dead silence. He sneaked down the hallway and checked the trailer. He was the only one there. He looked out the front window and froze.
Tommy ran down to his snowman in his jammies and bare feet, it was smashed to pieces like his pumpkin, only the stick was left standing. He saw the dirt shovel lying in the snow and some blood.
For some reason his daddy hated him, maybe because he was a mistake, another mouth to feed. It didn’t matter. He loved his mom but didn’t understand why she didn’t take him far, far away.
He spent Christmas in his room having nothing more than the leftover chocolate pie to eat.
~.~
Spring was always fun because of the sun. All the kids were playful, silly and giggly.
Even Tommy was allowed to play in their games.
“Would you come to my birthday party?” Annie handed him an invitation.
He looked down at it then up at her as he nodded. She smiled.
He pocketed the invitation then thought about it. He didn’t have any money to buy her a present. Dad found his stash and took it all leaving Tommy without a penny.
He trashed the invitation then walked home from school wishing that he was in his dream world forevermore.
A week later Annie was riding her bike and stopped on the edge of the highway as she watched Tommy mow the grass, what grass there was. She crossed the highway and parked her bike.
“Why didn’t you come to my birthday party, Tommy?”
He looked down then up at her, “cause I din’ have any money to buy you a present, Annie.”
She twitched her fingers and took a breath, “you being at my party would have been the best present ever.”
Tommy quickly looked away to hide the tears falling out of his eyes. He wiped them with his arm when she forced him to look at her.
“I know what is going on, Tommy, and I’m really, really sorry, but you have to fight through it.”
He looked down then up at her.
“Do you have some time?”
She nodded.
He took her hand and they ran into the backwoods then stopped dead in the moss ground clearing. They stood in silence.
“This is beautiful, Tommy.”
“This is your birthday present, Annie, this is my dream world. Come on, lay down and face the sky and you’ll see.”
They laid down, shoulder to shoulder, faced the sky, closed their eyes and entered into his dream world together.
Shortly, the wolf licked Tommys’ cheek. He giggled. Annie opened her eyes and gasped. Her body stiffened. Tommy grasped her hand and squeezed tightly.
“He is our friend, Annie, don’t be afraid.”
Tommy sat up and he and the wolf hugged. The wolf stepped over him and licked Annie’s face to show his affection and acceptance of her. She sat up grinning beyond belief. The wolf howled then barked. Shortly another wolf emerged with two youngin’s.
They all ran over and got acquainted with Tommy and Annie. Tommy got up and ran with the pups as the she wolf sat next to Annie, taking Annie’s rubs and watching her pups and Tommy.
They all played for an hour then the wolves took off. Tommy extended his arm and helped Annie up.
“That was the best birthday present, ever, Tommy,” she leaned in and kissed him on the lips.
They clasped hands and ran through the woods, giggling like carefree animals of the wild.
She mounted her bike and pedaled home more than excited. Tommy watched her disappear as dad appeared. He pulled into the driveway not saying a word to him and went into the trailer.
“Daddy, you won’t believe the present that Tommy got me for my birthday.”
“Oh, really! Something special?”
Annie nodded wildly and grinned.
“Well, keep us in suspense,” her mother laughed.
“He took me to a clearing behind his house. We laid down on the soft moss, faced the sky then closed our eyes. It was magical. Then this wolf appeared and licked Tommys’ face.”
“What?”
“Daddy, it’s true, I was inches away. Tommy sat up and they hugged. He barked and his family appeared, mama and two pups.”
“No way!”
“Yes, daddy. She sat next to me as I petted her and Tommy ran around crazy with the pups. Their daddy would come and go but always kept an eye on them.”
“Isn’t that kind of dangerous, Harold?” her mother was concerned.
“I’ve heard of that before but far and few in between,” he lit his pipe.
“Daddy, I was in his heaven, me, he invited me in. I’ll never ever forget it as long as I live.”
“Well, if you want to live long, stay away from them wolves,” her daddy chuckled.
“Yes daddy.”
Her mom looked at her and noticed the glow that was emanating from her face, she really did go to his heaven.
Finally. Tommy was relieved of his scholarly duties, Spring sprung into Summer. He did his chores and now eleven, he felt like he was in total command, one with nature. He searched deeper into the woods and came across all kinds of wildlife, they thinking the same of him, yet another wild critter in our midst. Then Tommy froze. He was face to face with a black bear about twenty feet away.
The bear salivated, growled, stepped forward then stood up and showed Tommy that she was queen. Tommy stayed still, on his knees, he was the queen’s servant. The bear settled down on all fours and made her way towards Tommy as she swayed her head back and forth growling. Tommy didn’t move. They were two feet away, face to face. Tommy noticed the raspberry bush to his left and slowly proceeded to pick off the berries. The bear watched, drooling and growled but she held her stance. Tommy slowly moved his left hand to the bear, it filled with raspberries. The bear seemed to nod then growled on a up nod then stretched towards Tommys’ hand. She licked in the berries holding her head to the side. Saliva was dripping into Tommys’ hand. He smiled. The bear finished the berries then licked Tommys’ face. Tommy scratched the bear’s jowls then he started picking the berries for his new friend. The bear sat down next to Tommy and they ate berries. The bear sniffed Tommy and jolted her snout up as if giving him a high five. The bear disappeared.
“Woo hoo!” Tommy was elated.
Now thirteen, Tommy had to ride the bus since the junior high school was further out. He didn’t want his new friends to see where he lived, he got permission to get off at the convenience store. He’d unlock his bike and ride a short distance home, sun, rain, wind or snow. He’d ride to the Forester’s farm and help Mr. Forester harvest the potatoes. They did the tomatoes earlier and sold most of them in their family market on sight. Of course Tommy could always take home whatever he wanted. His mom was elated and cooked them a lot of BLT sandwiches. Dad was gone more and more which gave Tommy more and more time to be with his mom.
Tommy rode his bike home but instead of pulling into the drive he drove by keeping a vigil eye on the two dudes roughing up dad. He pulled in just past the driveway then scurried into the woods to stand watch. The dudes got into their pick up and left. Tommy noticed that they had guns. His dad was on the ground, his face was bleeding.
When it was clear he quietly brought his bike to the back and climbed into his bedroom window. Dad and mom were fighting verbally, something about drugs, then, he heard a smack.
“Bitch! How do you think the bills get paid, huh? Magic? If we didn’t have that piece of shit of a son of yours, we’d be a hell of a lot better off. I want you to get rid of him, now!”
She cried and he went out the front door. It slammed. Tommy heard his truck drive out as it squealed down the highway.
“Mom?”
She looked up from lying on the coach, crying.
“I brought some potatoes.”
“You’re so sweet, Tommy,” she sat up and cupped his face, “I know, come on, we’ll make good use of your potatoes.”
She had him boil then smash the potatoes. He laughed because he got out his aggression and anger over his dad always hitting her. She poured in some pizza cheese and onions as he continued to mash. They rolled out some dough in between their flour fights, they all white, then scooped the potatoes into little squares of dough. They folded up the dough into neat triangles, she doing ten to his one but she lovingly understood. They boiled then fried the little potato dough pieces that were smothered in butter.
He and his mom were once again becoming mom and son and he felt that he was now really in his heaven. Dad didn’t come home for three days, nights, so Tommy confirmed that this was his new heaven.
Thursday night when Tommy was already in bed, he heard his dad come home and start right in. They yelled, then she got slapped, then he ripped her clothes off and f**ked her. Tommy ran out into the hallway when his father walked out in his underwear.
“Wha you lookin’ at? You bin f**kin’ her, the little whore bitch, haven’t ya?”
He laughed and pushed Tommy out of his way. Tommy went back into his room and pounded his mattress so hard a spring popped through the cloth.
Within the half hour those same guys drove up the driveway, got out and started shouting. One fired his pistol in the air.
“Git out here now or we comin’ in!” the one dude yelled.
Tommy watched through his window and heard his dad scurry to their bedroom, shuffle things around, then Tommy heard shots coming from their bedroom window. Mom screamed and the two dudes began shooting into the trailer. Tommy ducked and crawled out into the hallway when he heard the back door being hammered. Tommy reached for the broom and pointed the metal handle at the door. It opened and the dude got off a shot when Tommy slammed the handle into his groin. The dude fell backwards, trying to catch himself on the door jamb. Tommy stripped the gun out of the dude’s right hand and aimed with both hands on the gun. The dude fell to the ground, snickered, then got up to charge Tommy. He fell back with a close range shot in his forehead. Dad ran to the living room and yelled at Tommy, “keep shootin!”
“Mom!” Tommy yelled.
Several shotgun blasts blasted the living and kitchen areas then the trailer broke out into flames.
Tommy ran to mom’s bedroom. She was bleeding and lying on the floor, not moving.
“Shit.”
Tommy holstered the pistol behind him and pulled his mom to the back door. He grunted and lifted her up and took her down the three steps. He ran to the woods and set her down in the back then ran back inside the trailer.
His dad had been shot.
“Git me outta here, boy!” he yelled, “git me outta here, now!”
The front door was kicked opened when the dude was about to shotgun dad. Tommy pulled the trigger. The dude dropped the shotgun and flew back out onto the front porch. The flames now engulfed the front area and were quickly coming towards Tommy. He looked at his dad burning in hell then scrambled out the back door. He looked at mom, ran to the back end of the trailer then peeked around the front. The last dude standing was tugging his partner off the front porch as the flames rose up as high as the trees. Tommy heard the sirens. He held the pistol up, eye level, and walked forward. The dude got his partner down on the ground when he turned to shoot but the barrel of Tommys’ pistol was already on his forehead.
The fire truck pulled in with several volunteer cars coming to a screeching halt.
Tommy dropped the pistol then ran out back to get his mom.
They were already spraying water over the total loss simply to control the flames. EMS pulled up and got the gurneys out to collect the two dudes when Tommy emerged around the corner, carrying his mom. He walked straight for the EMS, crying. They ran over but he wouldn’t let them touch her.
“No! No! Don’t touch her!”
He laid her down on the gourney and cried as he kissed her face. The EMT walked in and started his routine, she was still breathing.
Mr. Forester and Annie pulled to the front, the police now controlled the traffic on the highway.
Tommy looked up directly at Annie, she at him, tears left her eyes as fast as the creek babbled. He turned and disappeared out the back.
“Tommy!” she yelled, “Tommy!”
Her father clutched her and she turned into him crying her heart out.
“At least he’s still alive, cupcake,” he consoled his daughter.
The next morning Annie rode her bike to the taped off disaster, dropped her bike and ran to and through the backwoods. She stopped in her tracks in the clearing and focused on the cross made from twigs and vines. She walked up to the cross and saw mom scratched in the dirt. She dropped to her knees and cried uncontrollably. She then looked up at the blue cloudless sky and fell on her back. She closed her eyes and listened to his voice through the babbling creek.
Her face was licked. She opened her eyes. The one pup was no longer a pup but it remembered her, they were friends for life.
She petted him when she heard a bark and the grown pup immediately ran off.
“I know you’re out there Tommy, I love you,” she shouted.
The babbling creek answered back, I love you Annie.
Within months the burnt rubble was removed from the property. Mrs. Duncan died of complications and was buried in the town public cemetery. Annie went to the burial and heard the howl of the wolf.
She looked at her daddy, “he’s here daddy.”
He acknowledged, “I know, Annie, I know.”
She convinced her daddy to buy the Duncan property and he agreed. They built a fruit stand and named it Tommys’. Mr. Forester made 300% profit when he opened up the success to consignment. All the money they made was put into Annie’s college fund.
She wanted to become a lawyer and fight for children in abusive homes like Tommy’s.
Eight years later, she and her husband brought their son, Tommy, and their daughter, Tammy, for a week to visit grandma and grandpa. She drove the kids to the fruit stand and walked them out back through the woods.
They reached the clearing and her kids let loose, running, playing and laughing. She smiled as she approached the cross and saw fresh flowers beneath mom. She could feel him.
“Kids! Come here. I want to show you something.”
The kids came running up to her and she got them to lay down by her side. They closed their eyes and Tommys’ heaven quickly reached their minds and souls. Soon two tiny pups showed and played with the kids as Annie sat with their parents.
Tommy watched from the fringe of the forest and smiled as he chewed the apple he stole from her dad’s farm. Black bear wasn’t interested, she was too busy filling her belly with berries and goodies. Buck and Doe grazed without any concern. They were all family, Tommy, their loving and protective daddy, finally living in his heavenly world forevermore.
Starry light is starry bright,
I see them all tonight,
They hold my wish so tight,
That all things will be alright.
- Share this story on
- 3
COMMENTS (0)