by Unknown
Thomas heard, whether through his ears or his soul, he didn’t know. Let me drink your tears. I need to drink your tears. And before he could even process or blink or think, he was falling, feet over head, out of his bed. Tumbling to the floor, his feet smacking against his nightstand.
And as he was still wincing in pain and pulling himself together, Thomas’s mother burst into the room to see what had happened. He wouldn’t stop ranting about a monster under his bed, but his mother wouldn’t listen. She didn’t believe him. She just rubbed his head and tried to reassure him that
it was just a nightmare, and he had fallen out of the bed. But, Thomas knew the truth.
His mother scooped him up and said he could sleep in his parents’ room that night. Just for the night, so he could get some sleep. Thomas liked knowing he would be safe for the night. But he knew it wasn’t gone, and that he would have to face the monster once again.
And that was the last solid lead I have for its current whereabouts. You hear legend and rumor. But when you investigate, they are never really real, you know? The kid swears up and down that it’s real, but really it’s just a tree branch outside the window. Or, another one is sure she hears it walking around at night. But really, the house is just old and creaks in the night. But I know it’s real. I know! So I’m still searching. I’m still collecting stories. I must find the truth.
So, I ask you, what can you tell me about the monster under the bed?
Bullied and Beaten
Essel Pratt
Sitting upon the edge of an abandoned railroad trellis, feet dangling above the choppy water below, Tyler’s head was filled with cluttered sadness. His fingers rubbed the rusting tracks as he stared down toward the whitecaps that danced within the rowdy river. He hummed to himself, in a hushed tone, while shuffling his rump upon the rotting wooden ties.
Playful chitchat of his classmates was muffled by the splashes, whispering a relaxing hum of white noise through his skull, allowing the world to disappear from his mind. His focus upon the medley of white and blue below was uninterrupted, eternity welcomed him within its embrace, and he felt at peace with his place in the world. His future was his own and he was the god of fate.
As he contemplated where his path in life would take him, darkness crept into his personal space, accompanied by booming silence, an eclipse upon his soul. His eyes opened wider than ever before and the path became clear for the first time since thoughts of freedom cursed his soul. The darkness glowed around him, engulfing his mortality, cutting loose the supernatural chains that bound him to the structured life he was forced to lead.
As Tyler contemplated what was to come and the decisions that would mould his future, a pretty hand caressed his own. It didn’t startle him; he was expecting it and was surprised it hadn’t appeared sooner.
“Hello, Lucy,” Tyler said to the visitor without opening his eyes.
“What ya thinkin’ about,” she said playfully and with a giggle.
“I’m thinking about the future, my future, not the future that everyone wants me to accept,” he said.
“So, you are daydreaming again,” she replied.
Tyler ignored Lucy’s response, refusing to give in to the idea of a daydream. He snubbed the thought that others could openly choose where his place in life would end up. Cursing the playground whispers that reappeared at full volume, he closed his eyes again, hoping to block out the world. The high noon sun beat against his eyelids, forbidding darkness, replacing it with a reddish glow as the rays pierced his skin.
A larger hand slapped him on the back, rocking him forward in his seat. Tyler gripped the rails tighter to ensure he didn’t fall.
“Calm down, bro,” said a deeper voice. “You need to loosen up.”
“Not you too, Angelo,” said Tyler in a drab tone.
“I know Lucy is a drag, but she doesn’t want to see you get hurt. You have a lot of life to live, who cares if you choose your own path or if it is chosen by you?” Angelo straightened his mohawk as he spoke, his sleeveless denim jacket flapped in the breeze, and his leg twitched slightly.
“I’m a drag?” asked Lucy. “I am trying to help Tyler discover who he really is, who he should be. You, on the other hand, are always butting in and confusing him with your lack of inspiration and respect. Why not convince him to be original, to be different, to actually choose instead of be chosen?”
“Lucy, your mind is as defective as a broken heart. You’re talking about giving him wings, letting him soar above the clouds and look down at the people below as they worship his escape from normality. What do you know about flying? Instead, we should be helping him figure things out for himself, not convincing him to follow us into the future. Let him lead us,” Angelo stood up as he belted out his speech, pointing furiously to the sky and the water below, as though delivering a sermon to a congregation of one.
“I am seriously getting sick and tired of your idiotic banter, just leave Tyler and I alone,”
Lucy said in a stern tone.
“Don’t tell me what to…” Angelo wasn’t given the opportunity to finish.
“Stop it!” yelled Tyler. “Every time I come here to relax, to figure things out, to think without distraction, the two of you show up out of nowhere and start arguing over me, my choices, and what I should do. All I want is to block out the world and search within myself, instead I am stuck spending time with a beauty queen and punk rock version of Heckle and Jeckle!”
Lucy and Angelo stared at Tyler in silence, both mouths wide open in disbelief at his outburst. Angelo’s mouth began to quiver, as though he was about to speak, but he quickly shut it tight and lowered his head to stare at his shuffling feet. Lucy’s gaze was fixed on Tyler; a slight smile glimmered on her lips as the breeze fluttered through her long blonde hair. She awaited his next move with captivated anticipation as her hands clenched together tightly.
“I don’t know why the two of you chose to be my heroes,” said Tyler in a hushed tone. “Or what your interest in me is all about. I did, however, learn a thing or two from our visits together. I learned that neither of you is right, nor are you wrong. I need to decide my own fate, but I also need to listen to the advice of others and keep it in my back pocket in case the road gets rocky.”
“What are you saying?” asked Lucy.
“Isn’t it obvious?” replied Angelo. “He has picked apart our advice and chosen the bits that apply to him. Quite smart if you ask me, so what are you gonna do?”
“There is only one choice that I can make. If I go back to the playground, I will be forced to live a life that is chosen for me. If I walk toward the woods on the other side of the trestle, I will be lost forever in a darkness from which I cannot return. So, I choose Option C.”
“Which is?” Angelo asked with eyes wide open and a look of amusement on his face.
Tyler did not respond, instead he pushed himself to the edge of the old train bridge and teetered his body forward, freefalling to the water below. He could feel Angelo’s strong fingertips grasp his oversized cotton shirt, loosing grip instantly. Lucy’s scream faded quickly as the rocky water fast approached, until darkness exploded around him.
***
Tyler sat up straight in his bed, drenched in sweat, and panting as though he had just ran a marathon. The darkness of his room was disrupted by a sliver of light that shot through his cracked blinds, focusing its beam upon an old army green jacket that his grandfather gave him before he passed away.
Tyler’s body quivered as he rubbed his aching head. The falling dreams were occurring much more frequently than they had in the past, four out of the previous five nights. The dreams used to occur a couple of times a year, always accompanied by the presence of Angelo and Lucy. Only recently had he decided to jump to the raging waters that splashed below his feet.
Silence within the room was defeated by the shrill buzz of Tyler’s alarm as the time struck 6:45. He slapped the snooze button to stop the sound, and then flipped the switch
to turn it off. He began to wonder why he even set the alarm anymore; the dreams always woke him prior to it going off.
Tyler forced his legs off the side of his bed and stretched his arms out to his side. The sweat chilled against his exposed torso as cool air from his fan washed over him. He shivered and reached for his Grandfather’s jacket. It fit a little loose around his adolescent frame, but comforted him nonetheless as he grabbed the hanger that held his school uniform and made his way to the bathroom to take a shower before school.
The house was dark and quiet. His parents always left for work at least an hour before he woke. They both worked for the local government and were required to be in at ungodly early hours. Tyler never complained though, he liked having the time to himself. There was no rush to get out of bed, shower, or eat breakfast before leaving. Instead, he was his own keeper and free to move at his own pace.
As he stared into the bathroom mirror, twisting his toothbrush across his teeth, Tyler watched his image fade as steam covered the reflective glass. He wished he could do the same disappearing act at school and hide from the bullies and their followers. He felt a lump grow in his stomach and rinsed his toothbrush in the warm flow of the faucet, while spitting into the twisting water that
escaped down the drain. Looking up again, into the mirror, Tyler outlined his fuzzy silhouette with his finger and drew a frowning mouth in the middle. He paused to stare at his crude caricature until he noticed the clock’s reflection in the clear frown.
“Crap,” he said aloud as he wiped the sadness from the mirror and jumped into the shower.
Tyler thought a lot during his morning showers, as the hot spray washed over him and the steam hugged him. He often found that time got away from him and it would become a mad rush to get to school on time. He snapped back to reality and rushed to dry himself off and get dressed. His hair was still wet as he put on his grandfather’s army jacket and rushed out the front door.
***
Tyler hurried as fast as his legs would take him toward school. With only about a block remaining, he could hear the familiar cat whistles of his neighbor Jason behind him, along with a couple of his goon followers. He tried to outrun them, but their bikes were too fast for him.
“Why you runnin’?” called Jason. “We ain’t gonna hurt ya, we’re just gonna play cat and mouse.”
“Leave me alone, I don’t want to play your games. We’re going to be late for school, come on, pick on someone else,” Tyler yelled back.
He knew they would not leave him alone so he continued to run. The school was visible in the distance, but that didn’t stop Jason and his goons from taunting him. One of the three kids tossed an apple, hitting him square in the back. They were catching up to him fast and he was scared they would hurt him. They always hurt him; his arms were covered in bruises from being pinched, hit, and poked. He was sick and tired of being a victim, but was powerless to fight back on his own. He refused to snitch on his abusers; it would only have ensured the beatings would become worse.
“If you don’t stop, I’m gonna make sure you have trouble sitting in class all day, if you know what I mean,” Jason yelled while his goons giggled in the background.
“I would rather cross the road between Heaven and Hell, than put up with you any longer,” Tyler yelled as he ran toward the woods.
Jason picked up a large stone from the road and threw it at Tyler, hoping it would bounce off a tree and frighten him. Instead, it hit him square in the back of the head as he disappeared into the tree line.
Tyler didn’t respond, opting to disappear out of sight and out of their reach. He knew their bikes couldn’t make it in and they would not leave them lying on the road for someone to steal. He knew he would be safe, even though he would be late to school. However, he also knew that Jason would retaliate at school, probably embarrass him in front of everyone, rather than cause physical pain. Tyler actually preferred the physical pain; at least it faded after a while, whereas the emotional abuse seemed to linger much longer.
“Hiding in the woods won’t save you, just wait until lunch hour, I’m gonna get you then,” Jason’s voice faded and seemed distorted.
Tyler decided to make his way through the wooded area toward the school, rather than chance an ambush outside. The sun had just risen over the horizon and beams of light crept in through the overhead leaves. The eerie brightness conjured shadows that danced upon every surface around him. He jumped a few times as movement in his side vision seemed to be more real than shadow, but felt safe in the shade of the trees.
He found a narrow footpath that lead toward the schoolyard, although it twisted to and fro more than he had hoped. He could hear the muffled morning bell ring in the distance and the hoots and hollers of his classmates rushing inside for the first class. Since he was already late, he chose to take his time, to make sure Jason and his goons were not wandering the halls waiting for his arrival.
The path took a sharp turn to the south, away from the school, and meandered between two large pines, their branches reaching out to each other, as though they were held in an eternal caress. The rising sun barely entered the dense area and it took a minute, or so, for his eyes to adjust accordingly. When they did, he could see that the path extended past the pines and a set of footprints disappeared into their depths.
Curious, Tyler pushed back the branches and struggled through to the other side. The tight squeeze was softened by the forgiving needles that gently brushed the exposed skin on his face. The
trees were much larger than he expected, as he imagined it would only be a few steps to the other side, yet he seemed to have walked for at least five minutes before appearing on the other side.
An eruption of light filled the clearing, nearly blinding his vision until his eyes could once again adjust. As the dark spots faded, he relied on his side vision to observe the area around him. It was mostly empty with a few scattered stones, all grasses, and a large boulder in the center. Oddly, the sound of birds, cars from the nearby road, and all other noise was void in the space. It was quite relaxing and the loneliness was inviting. He thought about skipping school for the day and just hanging out in the solitude, with only his thoughts to keep him company.
His eyes were still splotchy with dark spots, so Tyler sat down upon a flat rock at the base of the large boulder, which stood about two feet higher than the top of his head, and rubbed his eyes with closed fists. As he did so, something from above fell onto his head. It didn’t hurt, but it did startle him. He jumped from his seat and stared toward the top of the boulder, expecting to see a small squirrel or some other furry critter.
“Boo,” said an unexpected face staring down at him.
Tyler backed away awkwardly, falling to his backside in an attempt to get away. He clinched the grass between his fingertips as he crab crawled toward the tree line until he felt the soft needles upon his neck.
“Hahaha,” laughed the young man. “Don’t be scared, I don’t mind sharing my space. Come, don’t be afraid.”
He jumped down from the boulder and reached out his hand to help Tyler up from the ground. His hand was much larger than Tyler’s, and felt neither warm nor cool to the touch. Tyler felt an overwhelming sense that he could trust him.
“I’m Tyler,” he said shyly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, was just trying to get away from some kids that were giving me a hard time.”
“No worries, I am Tory,” he said with an upbeat tone. “You can hang out, I come here all the time because it is peaceful and I get to be alone with my thoughts. I often lie on top of the boulder and let the sun’s rays soak into me. There is just something spiritual about it.”
Tyler didn’t respond, instead he looked up toward the sky, feeling the warmth upon his face, and took a deep breath as the rays washed over him. Tory was right, it was relaxing and it felt amazing.
“It is supposed to rain soon, but I have a backup plan for that,” said Tory.
“Backup plan, what is it?” asked Tyl
er.
“There is a small cavern below the boulder, it is a tight squeeze to get into, but the sun’s warmth gathers inside and becomes an amazing sauna without the steam. I don’t go in often, but when I do, it is a treat.”
“Nice, I would love to try it sometime,” said Tyler as he climbed atop the boulder and lay back, resting his weight on his elbows. The sun warmed him instantly and he let his grandfather’s army coat slide down his arms.
“Hey,” said Tory with enthusiasm. “Why don’t we check out the cavern? It has been a while since I have been in, and it is going to rain anyway. Besides, I love to show it off to guests.”
“Sure, sounds cool,” Tyler said without moving an inch.
Tory grabbed Tyler’s hand again and pulled him down from the boulder. His elbow scraped against the smooth surface, grating away a bit of skin and leaving behind a small stain of blood.
“Sorry,” said Tory. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s okay,” said Tyler. “It’s just a scratch. I think I will live.”
The space between the boulder and the ground was quite slim. Tory went in first and wriggled through like a snake slithering through tall grasses, going in headfirst. Tyler considered himself to be skinny, but was concerned that he would become wedged in the tight space. He removed his loose coat and placed it upon a rock near the entrance. Testing the darkness with his arm, looking for spider webs or any other creepy crawlies, he tried not to let his nervousness get the best of him. He wasn’t claustrophobic in the least, but was still hesitant about entering.
As he felt through the darkness, Tory grabbed his arms and pulled him in. The boulder above scraped his back and pinpoint wounds allowed dots of blood to paint upon his white t-shirt.
