by D. L. Jordan
“Does he know anything about Erlon?”
“Oh, he certainly does!” Granddad exclaimed with a chuckle. Edrana chuckled with him. A sense of relief began to overcome her. “I’ve been telling my son and his children stories about our world for years.”
“That’s good.” She said.
“Yes, it is. But I do not believe my words have done our world justice. We haven’t been there ourselves; we can only go by the tales that have been handed down to us. You know, in a way, I envy Dean. Someday he will have the privilege that neither of us have ever attained. He will experience Erlon for himself and when he does I just know he’ll be absolutely astounded. Erlon contains so much beauty that I believe any description of it would not suffice. But now that those beings from our world have come searching for Dean, it’s only a matter of time before they succeed.” Edrana now shared the worried look Granddad had on his face and decided to change the subject.
“By the way,” she said. “How did you really break your ankle?”
Granddad looked at her playfully and said, “It’s just like my form says…I was simply changing a light bulb and fell.”
“Is that so? Well, I must admit I didn’t know light bulbs could be so dangerous.” Edrana and Granddad laughed.
Three weeks later the hospital called, telling Mr. Richardson that Granddad had healed and was ready to be released. Dean was bouncing on his feet, so excited that his Granddad would finally get to come home.
THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
In September of that same year Dean would begin another year of school. He was so nervous that morning that his fingers were trembling. After eating his breakfast at the kitchen table, he left with Timothy who was already anxious to see his friends again.
The school, although only four blocks from the house, still made Granddad and his mother nervous. The stories that Granddad had always told, Dean’s mom believed too.
Dean’s mother grabbed him. She hugged him and smiled before saying, “You have fun at school and make sure when you get back here you’re ready to tell me what you learned. That goes for you too, Timothy, and wait for your brother!” She called after Timothy as he sped down the hallway, down the steps, and finally out of the building.
“Alright ma!” he replied.
Granddad stepped out from the apartment to wish Dean a good first day at school before quickly going back to bed, hoping that nothing would happen to him and his brother on the way to school.
Dean hastily ran after Timothy when his mother released him out of one of her usual tight hugs and wet kisses. Dean could feel his mother’s eyes watching him like sensors as he left, for she had hoped for the same thing as Granddad. Like any parent would, she prayed that nothing would happen to them and that they would reach their destination safely.
The morning was bright and the air was very warm, suggesting that the day would be extremely hot. The streets were teeming with life as they usually were during this time of day, and most of the shops were busy. Dean followed his brother to school, which in his own opinion was the best part of the day.
***
When Timothy and Dean arrived at the apartment building later that afternoon from school, they were surprised to see their father’s Ford parked in front of the building. He had arrived from working at Pozolli’s earlier than any of them had expected. When they went into the apartment, Mrs. Richardson tended to her husband as he sat on the couch in the living room near the kitchen. Granddad sat in the armchair beside him. Timothy ran over to his father while Dean placed himself in Granddad’s lap.
Mrs. Richardson removed a packet of ice from her husband’s eye, revealing the black bruise that it was covering.
“What happened, Dad?” Timothy asked his father, but Granddad interrupted by saying, “You’re dad’s had a rough day. That’s all, Timothy.”
“Well I can see that’s for sure!” Timothy said.
“I think he wants to rest now after so much excitement,” Granddad added.
Mr. Richardson gave a glare at Granddad to suggest that he agreed with him before going to the bedroom. Still holding the ice packet to his eye, he closed the door.
“Stay here, kids, and don’t move,” Granddad instructed them. He opened the door, obviously wanting to know what truly happened to his son. He closed the door behind him. Dean and Timothy’s mother followed.
The two boys sat on the couch in the still silence of the living room, wondering about their father and whether or not he was going to be okay.
“Of course he’s going to be all right,” Timothy said. “He’s a tough guy…He’s always been tough. Just like Superman. He’ll get what’s going on.”
Dean knew that both his mother and Granddad were going to get information about what happened to his father. Even though he couldn’t be inside the room with them, he could still at least try to find out what was going on. He couldn’t resist the urge to discover what was happening behind the closed door. He pressed his ear to the door, making out everything they were saying the best he could.
“It was them!” He said. “They’re here and they want him. They came into the restaurant…asking where he was!”
“You didn’t tell them, did you?” Dean could now hear his mother’s voice. “Please tell me you didn’t tell them how to find my boy!” Her voice escalated, as she waved her hands frantically in the air. Her eyes widened with uncertainty, as her bottom lip quivered.
“You didn’t tell them where we lived…did you, son?” asked Granddad, his voice quivering.
“Of course not…I would rather have died than tell them,” Mr. Richardson responded. “But I could tell they were determined. It was after closing time at the restaurant, so I was the only one there. After I wouldn’t tell them where he was, one of them punched me in the eye.” Dean was confused. Just who were they talking about? Who was out to get someone?
Dean pondered these questions as he continued to hold his ear to the door. He could feel the back of his shirt being forcefully pulled away. He could feel himself being pulled farther and farther away from the door, only to find out that his brother Timothy was the one doing the pulling.
“Get away from that door, Dean! Granddad said to sit here, and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do.”
Timothy made Dean sit next to him on the couch, asserting himself the usual way older siblings do when it comes to their younger relatives. Moments later, the closed door of the bedroom flung open. Granddad and Mrs. Richardson emerged from behind it.
Even though Dean worried about his father, Granddad told him and Timothy that their father’s black eye was because of a fight that had occurred at Pozolli’s that day. He told them that their father had tried to break up the fight but one of the guys punched him in his eye, intending to keep him out of it. He told them the manager soon broke up the fight and sent Mr. Richardson home so he could take care of his eye until it fully healed, and to not come back to work until he felt he needed to do so.
Granddad then turned up the volume on the stereo and started to dance, moving his arms and feet wildly to the music. It was his own way of making the boys feel better. The sight of Mr. Richardson’s bludgeoned eye was a sign that something even more ominous was about to happen. A centuries-old tale was about to come true, and this truly worried Granddad.
As the music played, the sight of their grandfather swaying to the tunes the stereo projected made them laugh hysterically. Their laughter made all their cares go away. Their grandfather’s efforts to cheer them up had worked.
THE FATEFUL NIGHT
It wasn’t long before the holidays arrived. For Dean and his family the most memorable moments were created during these times. However, for that year, the Richardson family would not be staying in their four-room apartment for a small dinner as they often did. That year, Mrs. Richardson had made plans for the family, and many other members of the family, to meet and eat dinner at her parents’ house in the city of Atlanta, Georgia.
Mr. Richardson loaded
the family’s luggage into the trunk of the car outside the apartment building. The day was bright and cold. Dean stood on the sidewalk beside the stairs that led to the front door of the apartment building, blowing into the air and gazing at the frost of his breath as it quickly appeared and then disappeared in front of him.
The entire family stuffed themselves into the car after their luggage was neatly packed and ready to go, and drove to the airport.
***
During the ride on the plane, Dean’s mind was filled with anticipation. He felt as if he was about to step into a candy store with plenty of money and the will to buy as much as he wanted with it all.
Dean soon started to doze off during the ride as he continued to gaze at the clouds that were flashing by his window.
“I’m gonna get’cha this time, Granddad!”
“I don’t think so, Timothy. You have to be very clever to beat an old man like me!”
Timothy sat beside Dean, playing a game of tick-tack-toe on a napkin that Granddad pulled out of his coat pocket.
Mrs. Richardson was completely asleep. Her head tilted on her husband’s shoulder as she sat behind Dean, Granddad, and Timothy. Mr. Richardson gazed out at the cotton-like clouds that passed the window. Dean, enchanted by the clouds as well, took off his seatbelt and stood on his seat to stare at his father. Mr. Richardson gave him an admiring, fatherly look before breaking the silence and asking, “You okay, son?”
“Alright I guess,” Dean replied. “I still don’t know why it’s taking so long to get there.” “Atlanta is quite a few more miles,” he said to him. Dean sat back in his seat while
folding his arms in a slight protest. Mr. Richardson only smiled at his impatience and continued to gaze out the window at the clouds while resting his right foot on top of his left leg.
Dean tried with everything he had to keep himself entertained during the ride. He even tried closing his eyes and counting imaginary sheep in his head, intending to fall asleep and wake up finding the plane landing at their destination in Atlanta. It wasn’t long before Dean found out that counting sheep was of no use and finally decided to continue looking out of the window.
Pretty soon, Dean and Timothy were asleep.
Granddad then pulled out a long, blue blanket, placing the blanket over his sleeping grandchildren.
***
“Attention, all passengers! Please exit from the plane quickly and safely. Have a wonderful day and thank you for flying International Air.” The passengers soon departed from the plane and entered into the airport. The time was six forty-eight in the evening. Dean and his family and the other passengers aboard the plane had reached their destination in Atlanta, Georgia. Night was falling upon the city quickly. A strip of the setting sun was visible just below the dark sky over the western horizon. The image painted a vivid picture for everyone there, as if it were a giant welcome to the city from above. The air was crisp and cold. Dean walked along with his family while clinging to his mother’s hand, watching the people enter into the airport.
“How are we supposed to get to your parents’ house, Alana?” Mr. Richardson asked. The inside of the airport was warm and the spirit of Christmas could be felt all around. There was a man playing Christmas carols on a piano at the front entrance.
“Edna and Charlie are supposed to be here waiting for us. They’re bringing Charlie Jr.” They continued to walk into the spacious inside of the airport, searching for Uncle
Charlie, Aunt Edna, and Charlie Jr. Dean was eager to see all the members of his family again and wondered how much Charlie Jr. had grown since the last time he’d seen him.
Giving up on their attempt to look for Aunt Edna and Uncle Charlie, the family sat down on a nearby bench.
“Do you remember when they were supposed to be coming, Alana?” asked Mr.
Richardson in an aggravated tone while looking at his watch. “It’s already ten past seven!” “Edna said they’d be here by seven. I hope everything’s alright.”
Dean looked up at his mother and could see the worry that was on her face. A few minutes later, Mrs. Richardson gave out an excited yell.
Aunt Edna and Uncle Charlie had finally arrived. Uncle Charlie was holding Charlie Jr. in his left arm as he hugged Mrs. Richardson with his right one. Mr. Richardson rose to shake Uncle Charlie’s hand.
“Merry Christmas! So, how was the ride coming down here, brother-in-law?” Uncle Charlie said to Mr. Richardson in a tenor voice that Dean always found soothing to his ear.
“Long and boring,” replied Mr. Richardson.
“Charlie, it’s good to see you again!” said Granddad in a cheerful tone, stretching his hand forward to shake Uncle Charlie’s.
“Good to see you too, Mr. Jeremy, as always.” They both shook each other’s hand and exchanged smiles. Uncle Charlie’s eyes widened with astonishment as he caught a glimpse of Timothy and Dean who were standing beside Granddad.
“Well, look who it is! Timothy and Dean, my favorite nephews!” said Uncle Charlie with a wide smile. He placed his son in Aunt Edna’s arms before grabbing Dean by the arm pits and swinging him around to show how glad he was to see Dean and Timothy.
He soon put Dean down and tried the same with Timothy, but since Timothy was older than Dean it was a bit difficult for him.
“I think I’ll just give you a rub on the head, instead.” Timothy only smiled as Aunt Edna came over to hug Granddad, Timothy, and Dean after she’d spoken with Mr. and Mrs.
Richardson.
Aunt Edna looked down at Timothy and Dean. “Well, how are you two doing tonight?”
“Fine,” replied Timothy and Dean in perfect unison along with a third voice that came from Granddad. Aunt Edna gave out a laugh before wrapping Granddad in a tight embrace. “It’s nice to see you too Mr. Jeremy.”
“Ah, and look at little Charlie. He sure does look warm in those clothes,” said Mrs.
Richardson while grabbing little Charlie Jr.’s delicate hand. Dean watched the baby’s angelic face as he was huddled in his mother’s arms.
“Well, enough standing around! Let’s get you all into the car,” suggested Uncle Charlie.
Aunt Edna and Uncle Charlie soon led them all to their vehicle after placing the luggage on a trolley at the airport. Finding the vehicle, Mr. Richardson and Uncle Charlie placed the luggage into the trunk of the car while Uncle Charlie went to return the trolley back into the airport. In a matter of moments, everyone was soon off to Dean’s grandparents’ house where the rest of the family would be there waiting to see him.
As Dean sat in the car beside his brother Timothy, he was anxious to see the rest of his family. His mind was flowing with the thoughts of all the events he would enjoy while he was at his grandparents’ house.
As Dean rode in the car, the stars in the night sky were shining in an elegant display.
Uncle Charlie was driving down a highway that was built through the main routes of the city. He continued to drive on the road for a couple of miles, and as he drove further down the highway he came upon a sign that read Road Closed.
“That’s odd,” he said while pushing hard on the brakes. “The road is blocked. It was fine when we came this way earlier.”
“Well Charlie, do you know of any other routes?” asked Mr. Richardson. “Yeah, I do, thank goodness. It’ll take us straight to Sophie and Eddie’s.”
Uncle Charlie turned left in the opposite direction, down a dirt road that went between woods. It was darker than Dean had ever seen a road before.
Fear and anxiety began to converge on Dean like a shroud, as he clung to Granddad who sat beside him in the backseat. “Don’t worry kiddo, Uncle Charlie knows where he’s going.” Granddad tried to calm him down.
Dean looked at the two headlights that shined onto the brown dirt of the road through the front window as he continued to hold on to Granddad’s arm. He looked to his left and a sudden jolt struck his heart as he saw several figures in brown overcoats disappear behind the woods a few f
eet ahead of the vehicle. Dean clung to Granddad even harder.
“Dean, what’s gotten into you?” asked Granddad.
Dean didn’t answer. He was still shocked by the disturbing figures he’d just seen moments before. His heart sank even more. His breathing became irregular as they pressed on even closer to the site where he’d seen the moving figures.
As they approached it, Dean began to close his eyes. He wished they were all at his grandparents’ house so all of this would be over.
Once the vehicle passed the point, Dean gave out a relieved sigh and everything was finally quiet. At that moment, a light thump landed on the top of the vehicle. This made a small dent in the ceiling. Uncle Charlie continued to drive. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on his forehead and he could feel his heart beating loudly, so loudly that it pounded in his ears.
“Don’t worry about that folks! It’s probably just a fallen limb from a tree. I’ll have the dent fixed later,” announced Uncle Charlie.
Dean’s mind was clouded with possibilities. He didn’t think that it had been a fallen limb that had hit the roof of his aunt and uncle’s vehicle. Dean continued to keep his eyes wide open.
Uncle Charlie was forced to stop in the middle of the dark road, leaving the headlights on. A man in a brown overcoat wearing a fedora was standing in the road, his hands tucked firmly in the pockets of his coat. Mr. Richardson exited the vehicle in order to ward off the man, closing the door behind him.
