The boy was sitting on the couch, reading through an English textbook when the front door opened. He looked over to see his Mom walking in.
“Mom? You’re home early.”
It was still light outside, the room filled with warmth and light as the boy got up and ran over.
“Yeah…I um…I got fired from two of my jobs.”
She sounded sad and scared, the evidence of her already having bawled her eyes out covering her face.
“Oh no…I’m sorry Mom.”
He quickly helped her take her thin jacket off and hugged her tightly.
“It’s fine…I just have to find two more. Otherwise we won’t have money to finally leave.” She said, sounding exhausted.
“I could always get a job.” He replied.
She softly laughed and rubbed his head.
“I think you’re too young for that.” She joked.
She went over to the kitchen, quickly glancing over at the microwave before stopping.
“Why is the time flashing?” She asked.
The boy ran over and looked at the microwave, the time flashing on and off.
“Oh…the um…power went out…” The boy replied quietly.
“Well that’s not good. When did it come back on?” She asked.
“I wanna say not long, but I have been so busy studying I don’t remember.” He smiled up at her and watched her fix the microwave until the proper time was set and stayed bright.
“Well, that should be okay. What do you want to do while I’m here?” She asked.
“I don’t know…it’s the first time you’ve gotten home early.” The boy replied.
His Mother made her way past him and went into the bedroom. She lifted up the mattress off the floor, revealing a small key laying on the floor. She then took the key over to the closet, moving all of the jackets from one side to the other. There was a small keyhole she put the key inside, turning until there was a click. She pulled and a small door opened to reveal a small box. Inside was quite a large amount of money, disorganized and haphazardly sitting in a pile.
“Well…we have enough money to get some food delivered.” She said as she dug through the pile. The boy looked disappointed.
“We can’t go out to eat?” He asked.
She quickly turned and gave him a death stare.
“You know the rules.” She said quickly and sharply.
She took some money out before putting the box back, shutting the door, pulling the key out, and moving the jackets over. As she turned, her foot hit the box on the floor, knocking the lid off. She reached down to put the lid back, but stared inside at something that looked off.
“What happened to your glove?”
She pulled it out to see the torn material.
The boy looked nervous and held his arms behind his back, fiddling with his fingers while starting to look towards the ground.
“I don’t know…”
She ran over and grabbed his shoulders while gripping the glove hard.
“I need you to tell me…what happened?”
The boy slowly lifted his head up, tears running down his face.
“The power went out…so I went outside…”
Before he could say anything else, his Mother stepped back and threw the glove to the ground. The boy stared at the burnt and torn fabric.
“I have told you countless times! You can not go outside! If one person sees you, they will want to hurt you!” She screamed out.
“Nobody was outside…it was quiet.” He replied.
She raised her arm like she was going to slap him, but caught herself and began to break down crying as well. She dropped to her knees as the two hugged as tightly as they could, both letting all of their emotions flow out without holding back.
“You know I only want you to be okay. I love you sweetie. You are my special boy.” She said, burying her face into his shoulder and sobbing.
He choked on his tears and rubbed her back, still staring at the glove.
“I won’t leave ever again Mom. I promise.” He said.
The two continued to hug and cry as it felt like the world froze. They were the only things in the world at that moment.
While laying in bed late at night, the boy couldn’t keep his eyes closed. His eyes were wide open staring at the wall as he laid on his side, his back to his Mother wrapped up in the blanket. Once again he gave his half to her, making sure she stayed warm and comfortable while he shivered. He could hear a car drive on the road outside, the first time that had happened in years. He very carefully and quietly got to his feet, walking over to the small window that was covered in dirty and broken wooden boards. He peeked through a hole to look outside. The streets and buildings were illuminated only by billboards and advertisements flashing neon, which made the dark and cold street look like a canvas of moving and changing hues. Pink and blue blending together before the blue subtly morphs into a dark green, eventually being met with the pink changing to a multicolor video with lots of white and black, making the colors dance around like they were their own characters on the cold concrete and pavement.
In the dancing colors, the boy could see a few figures moving around and talking. One pulled out a flashlight, shining it over to a small car with a star on the door and writing that the boy couldn’t see clearly. The top of the car had a long line of lights that weren’t on. Despite all of the movement, all of the color, the people moving around…it was completely silent.
The boy watched as the other men pulled out flashlights, the bright pure light interrupting the beautiful and dancing colors, making them scatter like spiders running into the darkness. The men all made their way over to the alleyway, one by one walking through the cramped space until the boy lost track of them.
He continued to sit, being drawn back to the beautiful colors covering the ground and dancing around. The colors changed beautifully, like paint that washes away and turns into new colors. He got lost in the beauty, not realizing how much time had passed when he saw the pure lights appear once again, interrupting the beauty and peace. He hid as best he could while still being able to see. The men were standing around talking before they made their way back into the car. A loud siren blared out as flashing red and blue lights blasted out from the car. The car drove down the road until the lights disappeared into the darkness, and the siren went silent.
The boy made his way back to the mattress, climbing in and curling up into a ball as he tried to fall asleep.
“Sweetie? Sweetie wake up.”
The boy lifted his head up very slowly and opened his eyes, looking right at his Mother as she was softly shaking him.
“Mom? You’re never here when I wake up.” He sounded tired and rubbed his eyes.
“I gotta go look for more jobs, but today I have the day off.”
The boy looked confused.
“When was the last time that happened?” He asked.
“I’m not sure. I think before you were born to be honest.” She replied.
He yawned and stretched his entire body at the same time.
“I imagine you don’t usually sleep in so late. Did you sleep okay?” She asked.
“I fell asleep later than I normally do. There was something outside.” He replied.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll let you sleep a bit later while I make you a special breakfast.”
She kissed his forehead and put the blanket on top of him, tucking him in as he smiled. The boy turned to his side and curled up underneath the blanket. He heard his Mother walk out of the room and towards the kitchen. His eyes were shut peacefully and his hands under his head.
As the boy kept laying with his eyes closed, everything began to slowly fade away. As he laid in his bed, his eyelashes began to glow a faint orange shade.
The sound of screaming filled his ears, accompanied by gunfire and loud marching. He continued to lay and hear the noise. Tears subtly ran down his face, but his mouth began to slowly form into a smile. His mouth opened as he softly whispered to himself.
“I…am…”
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