| General Fiction posted January 21, 2022 |
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You'll never be alone because
I Promised To Wait
by Begin Again
The dark, windowless space under the roof's eaves was cold and drafty. A few spiders spun their cobwebs in the corners of the rafters. Occasionally, a mouse scampered across the floor and stopped to partake of any crumbs that may have dropped.
"It's time to go, Timmy." When she'd discovered a boy hidden here, she'd been confused. She'd understood her first mission was for a little girl.
She could see the jagged bones disconnected from his tiny shoulder through the giant rip in his flannel shirt sleeve. Tracks of dried tears mixed with dust and dirt were smeared on his chubby cheeks. The dresser lay on its side with the splintered drawers and contents spread across the rough wooden floorboards. It wasn't a pleasant picture.
The woman held her hand out to Timmy, but he pressed deeper into his corner. He wasn't afraid, merely determined to wait. She saw nothing but sorrow when she stared into his sunken eyes.
He tightened his grip on the one-eyed teddy bear and peered through the broken wooden slats on the wall. His mother's lifeless body lay sprawled across the floor. A jagged piece of glass from the liquor bottle remained embedded in her black hair, covered with dried blood.
He remembered his mother's battered face twisted into a gruesome smile as the gun fired and the look of surprise in his pa's eyes as he collapsed across the bed. Then, she allowed her knees to buckle and her body to fall to the floor. Timmy wasn't sure, but he thought he'd heard her mutter, "Till death do us part."
"Timmy, she's not coming with us. I'm sorry."
"You mean ma?" The young boy closed his eyes, pressing against the tears behind his eyelids. "I know. She told God before she pulled the trigger on pa's revolver. She knew it wasn't right to kill him, but she'd prayed for help, and it never came. Last night, she sat huddled on the top of the stairs, crying real hard. All she could say was she was sorry."
"I understand. I'm sure your mother loved you."
"Yeah, when she was younger, but pa stole her youth, and her love faded away. She hated everyone and everything.
"Timmy—"
"I'm not leaving her behind. I promised to wait."
"There's no one left here. It's time for us to go before someone discovers the bodies. Please, try to understand. I know it isn't easy, but you will be much happier. You'll never know pain or violence again."
"Not without her! She counts on me. I'm the reason she made it till now. We talked through all the dark hours, sitting inside these walls, waiting for it to be quiet again. I held her, dried her tears, and promised never to leave her."
The woman's eyes widened as she stared at the dirty boy beside her. It dawned on her why he wasn't feeling any pain. "Timmy, you didn't just die, did you?"
He slowly shook his head. "No, but I wouldn't go when they came for me. I couldn't leave her then, and I won't leave her now. A promise is a promise."
The sound of a siren blared outside the house. Voices yelled, and someone beat against the front door.
"The police are coming."
"I know." He heaved a long sigh. "Maybe she can't—"
The closet door creaked, and a dim light streamed through the crack. A petite blonde head covered with blood lay amidst upside boxes and broken toys. An almost inaudible cry whimpered, "Timmy, wait for me."
A brilliant glow filled the room as the woman recognized the girl as her mission. Her arms gathered around the two children, and they ascended into the light as police officers spilled into the room of death.
With his arms wrapped tightly around the little blond girl, Timmy whispered, "I promised I'd wait, Emmy."
The dark, windowless space under the roof's eaves was cold and drafty. A few spiders spun their cobwebs in the corners of the rafters. Occasionally, a mouse scampered across the floor and stopped to partake of any crumbs that may have dropped.
"It's time to go, Timmy." When she'd discovered a boy hidden here, she'd been confused. She'd understood her first mission was for a little girl.
She could see the jagged bones disconnected from his tiny shoulder through the giant rip in his flannel shirt sleeve. Tracks of dried tears mixed with dust and dirt were smeared on his chubby cheeks. The dresser lay on its side with the splintered drawers and contents spread across the rough wooden floorboards. It wasn't a pleasant picture.
The woman held her hand out to Timmy, but he pressed deeper into his corner. He wasn't afraid, merely determined to wait. She saw nothing but sorrow when she stared into his sunken eyes.
He tightened his grip on the one-eyed teddy bear and peered through the broken wooden slats on the wall. His mother's lifeless body lay sprawled across the floor. A jagged piece of glass from the liquor bottle remained embedded in her black hair, covered with dried blood.
He remembered his mother's battered face twisted into a gruesome smile as the gun fired and the look of surprise in his pa's eyes as he collapsed across the bed. Then, she allowed her knees to buckle and her body to fall to the floor. Timmy wasn't sure, but he thought he'd heard her mutter, "Till death do us part."
"Timmy, she's not coming with us. I'm sorry."
"You mean ma?" The young boy closed his eyes, pressing against the tears behind his eyelids. "I know. She told God before she pulled the trigger on pa's revolver. She knew it wasn't right to kill him, but she'd prayed for help, and it never came. Last night, she sat huddled on the top of the stairs, crying real hard. All she could say was she was sorry."
"I understand. I'm sure your mother loved you."
"Yeah, when she was younger, but pa stole her youth, and her love faded away. She hated everyone and everything.
"Timmy—"
"I'm not leaving her behind. I promised to wait."
"There's no one left here. It's time for us to go before someone discovers the bodies. Please, try to understand. I know it isn't easy, but you will be much happier. You'll never know pain or violence again."
"Not without her! She counts on me. I'm the reason she made it till now. We talked through all the dark hours, sitting inside these walls, waiting for it to be quiet again. I held her, dried her tears, and promised never to leave her."
The woman's eyes widened as she stared at the dirty boy beside her. It dawned on her why he wasn't feeling any pain. "Timmy, you didn't just die, did you?"
He slowly shook his head. "No, but I wouldn't go when they came for me. I couldn't leave her then, and I won't leave her now. A promise is a promise."
The sound of a siren blared outside the house. Voices yelled, and someone beat against the front door.
"The police are coming."
"I know." He heaved a long sigh. "Maybe she can't—"
The closet door creaked, and a dim light streamed through the crack. A petite blonde head covered with blood lay amidst upside boxes and broken toys. An almost inaudible cry whimpered, "Timmy, wait for me."
A brilliant glow filled the room as the woman recognized the girl as her mission. Her arms gathered around the two children, and they ascended into the light as police officers spilled into the room of death.
With his arms wrapped tightly around the little blond girl, Timmy whispered, "I promised I'd wait, Emmy."
"It's time to go, Timmy." When she'd discovered a boy hidden here, she'd been confused. She'd understood her first mission was for a little girl.
She could see the jagged bones disconnected from his tiny shoulder through the giant rip in his flannel shirt sleeve. Tracks of dried tears mixed with dust and dirt were smeared on his chubby cheeks. The dresser lay on its side with the splintered drawers and contents spread across the rough wooden floorboards. It wasn't a pleasant picture.
The woman held her hand out to Timmy, but he pressed deeper into his corner. He wasn't afraid, merely determined to wait. She saw nothing but sorrow when she stared into his sunken eyes.
He tightened his grip on the one-eyed teddy bear and peered through the broken wooden slats on the wall. His mother's lifeless body lay sprawled across the floor. A jagged piece of glass from the liquor bottle remained embedded in her black hair, covered with dried blood.
He remembered his mother's battered face twisted into a gruesome smile as the gun fired and the look of surprise in his pa's eyes as he collapsed across the bed. Then, she allowed her knees to buckle and her body to fall to the floor. Timmy wasn't sure, but he thought he'd heard her mutter, "Till death do us part."
"Timmy, she's not coming with us. I'm sorry."
"You mean ma?" The young boy closed his eyes, pressing against the tears behind his eyelids. "I know. She told God before she pulled the trigger on pa's revolver. She knew it wasn't right to kill him, but she'd prayed for help, and it never came. Last night, she sat huddled on the top of the stairs, crying real hard. All she could say was she was sorry."
"I understand. I'm sure your mother loved you."
"Yeah, when she was younger, but pa stole her youth, and her love faded away. She hated everyone and everything.
"Timmy—"
"I'm not leaving her behind. I promised to wait."
"There's no one left here. It's time for us to go before someone discovers the bodies. Please, try to understand. I know it isn't easy, but you will be much happier. You'll never know pain or violence again."
"Not without her! She counts on me. I'm the reason she made it till now. We talked through all the dark hours, sitting inside these walls, waiting for it to be quiet again. I held her, dried her tears, and promised never to leave her."
The woman's eyes widened as she stared at the dirty boy beside her. It dawned on her why he wasn't feeling any pain. "Timmy, you didn't just die, did you?"
He slowly shook his head. "No, but I wouldn't go when they came for me. I couldn't leave her then, and I won't leave her now. A promise is a promise."
The sound of a siren blared outside the house. Voices yelled, and someone beat against the front door.
"The police are coming."
"I know." He heaved a long sigh. "Maybe she can't—"
The closet door creaked, and a dim light streamed through the crack. A petite blonde head covered with blood lay amidst upside boxes and broken toys. An almost inaudible cry whimpered, "Timmy, wait for me."
A brilliant glow filled the room as the woman recognized the girl as her mission. Her arms gathered around the two children, and they ascended into the light as police officers spilled into the room of death.
With his arms wrapped tightly around the little blond girl, Timmy whispered, "I promised I'd wait, Emmy."
 Recognized |
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