by JT Pearson
Part 5
It took everything I had in me to do it but I did what was necessary and threw the monster over the edge, watching it tumble through the air as it plunged toward destruction, the view of sky and street exchanging places for the poor soul, one over the other until they were a blur, the long plunge ending with an explosive crash, crushing the top of a delivery van and setting off multiple car alarms below. My heart was lanced by sadness.
I convinced the police when they arrived that it had been a horrible accident. In the weeks that followed I found the terrible event replaying in my mind over and over. It robbed me of sleep. But then one day guilt gave way to feelings of liberation. A burden seemed to float from my shoulders, leaving my life in a much better place. I was actually finally able to get off of the depression medicine that I had been taking for years.
The triangle relationship was finally broken. The two of us enjoyed a renewed love and became as close as we’d ever been. We both still experience a bad day here and there but just like when we were children, those days were nothing that a grilled cheese and a bowl of tomato soup couldn’t solve. I couldn’t have gone on living with how I had treated Franklin without rectifying the matter and I am eternally grateful for his forgiveness. It is only recently, as I face my own death, that I think about the fact that I took a life and covered the facts with lies. And I can’t help but fear what God has in store for me. And so I created this document, my confession, to be found upon my passing. May I, Elaine, and Franklin all rest in peace one day. Charles Stanford.
Please leave a review if you enjoyed this story, and if you’d like to read other stories by this author there is a list of some of his work below.
About the author
JT Pearson studied writing at The University of Minnesota. He now lives in Wisconsin near his parents, most of his fifteen siblings, and their children. When he’s not writing he spends the majority of his time with his best friend Frank – who generally keeps a very low profile – can solve just about any dilemma with one quick phone call - and insists on calling the mob - The Italian Gentlemen’s Club (forget about it – nothin to see here – move along). JT also spends his days with his mum – Carol –who labors over her formulas – eyebrows raised like a mad woman – tweaking them ever so slightly in the production of her experimental scientific super bread which will soon be released to the people, and his pop, Terrance – who, though quite intelligent and a very nice man when unarmed - screams at the computer with a knife in hand nearly every other hour, threatening to ‘gut the blasted thing!’ if it doesn’t stop lying to him. He also spends much time with the fifteenth and sixteenth children of the enormous Pearson family, Jake (actually born a girl and named Jacinta but older brothers do horrible things to little sister’s names), Mikey (who really is a boy – not that JT ever officially checked while they were growing up, but Mikey’s a thick-necked six footer with a low voice and a back covered with hair so it seems prudent at this point to take his word for it). He also spends time with Nema - the smartest but unfortunately most sarcastic Border Collie on Earth, and lastly, an army of extremely small, dirty-faced beggars who are often missing at least one shoe, talk funny, are short a few teeth, and regularly pick his pockets for gum and small change whenever he’s distracted.
Other short stories by JT Pearson:
The Wormters
Jeff was always like a magnet to the people in society living on the fringe. After compiling a collection of acquaintances that not only seemed bizarre but dangerous as well he decided that a move out of town to the peaceful country was just the answer. But Pyle’s Trailer Court proved to be anything but peaceful. That's when things got really strange.
The Best Short Story of 1976
A young boy, his twin, his psychic mother, his neurotic, superstitious father, and a cat as black as a pile of coal under a starless sky, survive an incident with one of their neighbors known as The Bird Lady who many of the town’s folk believed to be a witch..
Public Toenails and My Fights Over Stolen Chicken and Such
A young married couple attempt a simple Sunday outing to the grocery store but when the man's wife accuses him of flirting with the girl working the deli counter and influencing her to steal chicken for him he tries to reason with her. She's stubbornly insists that he report the incident to the store manager. Problems arise. This is a quirky little story.
All Things Under the Moon
The moon is rotating closer and closer to the earth like a clock counting down the seconds to our destruction. With only a year remaining until the catastrophic event, Earth’s scientists race to find a solution to save the planet. A couple struggles over the decision of trying to conceive a baby or not. A man fights with the young moon cultists who strip naked and rub the apples from his tree all over their bodies during their nightly ritual. Another man tries to reconcile with his son before their time runs out. What will happen to them and the rest of humanity?
Tiny Earth Declares War on Earth
Somewhere orbiting between the works of Monty Python and Douglas Adams whirls the story of Tiny Earth. The president is coming into the Whitehouse after being elected and the Secretary of Defense tries to brief him about our microscopic nemesis and the building agression between the two planets. After the president realizes that he isn't being hazed his first day in office he needs a plan to defend Earth.
The Iceman Lives for One Day – also known as - Port North Minnesota
Conrad Whistler has grown bitter in his old age and blames God and everyone else for the condition of his life. On Christmas Eve he decides to walk out into the ferocious storm that is ravaging the tiny northern town called Port North. The kind folks that live in the humble town mistake his frozen corpse for an ice sculpture and unwittingly include it in the holiday festivities. Things get weird.
Solomon
It's 1957 and aliens that resemble us but say very little about their origins are trading technology and advanced machines for some of our soil. Quickly companies form partnerships with the extraterrestrials and single mother, Lydia Meyer, is convinced by a slick salesman, who used to sell vacuum cleaners, to purchase a new Solomon series robot to be a companion for her lonely son. It’s about to get ugly.
Shoes
John works the all night shift at a convenience store, often visiting with his good friend Shoes, who is homeless. Against his supervisor's orders John brings Shoes into the store each night to warm up, get something to eat, and rest. One night, Shoes, who is mentally ill, does not come by the store. A night turns into many and John begins to search for his friend.
A Song of Crickets
Recovering drug addict Dannie crosses the head of a drug cartel which puts her and her husband Junior on the run from a hitman right out of a nightmare. WARNING: Although this story is written tastefully (Tarantino-esque) some readers may be offended by the violence and torture.
Buying Tyme
A mother and her oldest daughter struggle to provide for their enormous family by buying a bakery after the father of the house has taken ill. This is a funny heartwarming story about two women that refuse to give up and continually laugh in the face of adversity. This feel-good story will make you believe right along with these women that they can take on anything.
The Farm
After a war that nearly wipes everyone out, famine becomes the biggest problem as the toxic aftermath won't allow any plant growth. With the plants and animals nearly gone, people are dwindling toward extinction. Then scientists come through with a plan, setting up farms in the vacant skyscrapers, using artificial sunlight and a sophisticated watering system. This story focuses on the regular schlubs that guard the farm.
My Brother's Keeper
Wealthy, retired tycoon Charles Stanford is sneaking around behind his brother's back with his wife when he finds out that his brother is terminal with cancer. Charles contacts a company that has had success fighting cancer by exchanging human and animal DNA. Instead of curin
g the cancer they create a chimera for Charles, a dog that carries much of his brother's DNA. Things go wrong.
For Joyce
Famous writer Joyce Carol Oates is a young girl on the verge of beginning her writing career when a strange being visits her and turns the world inside out.
Scars
A recovering alcoholic attempts to patch her relationship up with her daughter while the two of them take a road trip across the country. A tremendous storm forces them to seek shelter and they find themselves thrown in with a group of hostages held up in a diner by two vicious fugitives on the run. Will they find a way to get away?
The Reductionists
In the future the problem with overpopulation is solved by a game show that allows everyone to vote on the city where they'd like to see the population reduced. Then cameras follow the action as people are reduced to dry cubes. Even though people are in favor of a less crowded country nobody wants to work for the Department of Population Reduction except for the elderly who are bored and lonely – and Jimmy, a directionless slacker that joins the force after a little coercion from one of his pals. Dark humor.
Squatters
Cameron Peralt returns to his boyhood home long after his mother's death and finds that a heavy metal band is now living there. He attempts to get them to leave and the battle begins. Light humor.
The Final Ride for Roxie
Danny, on summer vacation between his freshman and sophomore year at The University of Minnesota, takes a job working construction building a section of highway. Being from a very conservative family he is shocked when he meets Roxie – a veteran construction worker with a mouth as filthy as her boots. The two of them, however, quickly form a bond. This story is funny and warm with a sad ending.
The Range Trip
When a salesman attempts to infiltrate The Iron Range and convince the salt-of-the-earth inhabitants to pay for home improvements provided by his company, his trip turns out to be a bizarre ordeal involving dark secrets that he would've never expected and wished he’d never learned.
The Service of Robert Fulcher
Apocalyptic flash fiction - enough said without spoiling the story.
An Unkindness of Ravens
Jeff has been locked up in solitary confinement for nearly five years when the warden offers him an opportunity to reduce his sentence by joining crews that are repairing the country's energy grid. The grid has been rupturing and blowing up buildings and people, the unexpected and unfortunate result of changing the nation's fuel. Jeff is added to a crew loaded with the nation's most notorious killers. Can he survive both the dangerous grid and the notorious criminals he’s working with long enough to achieve his freedom?
Stealing Sunday
John and Kim, a married couple that has learned that it is nearly impossible for them to conceive a child together, devise a strange way to remedy the situation, only to find that they may have gone too far.
Best Intentions
A man and his wife, who suffers from bipolar disorder, go into the city to spend the weekend and end up having an adventure they will never forget.
Killin Machine
Jake Barnes, a socially awkward but well meaning man, is a struggling novelist that makes his living as an editor at a publishing house where the owner and the other employees find him too strange to fraternize with. His social life and his writing career change when a mysterious man shows up on his doorstep demanding that Jake hand over the man’s cat. Quirky, dark humor.
A Slightly More Civilized Game
Paul had a secretive job which forced him to conceal secrets from his girlfriend Norma. Eventually their continuous arguing over his job caused them to break up. One night, Paul found himself in need of Norma’s help, so she agreed to assist him. But how pure would Norma’s intentions really be?
Tiny Earth 2
Somewhere between Monty Python and Douglas Adams orbits tiny earth. This is the sequel to Tiny Earth Declares War on Earth. Earth’s peace committee has failed to destroy Tiny Earth, and now the president and his team are stuck on our microscopic nemesis. What effect will earthlings have on Tiny Earth culture? Will the president and his team ever return to our planet?
NOVELS
Roger Faraday Earth's Ambassador
Why do Mogonites have to chase their guests down before a barbecue? Why are cows the most feared creatures in the galaxy? Who stole Earth’s moon? What are dogs actually thinking? The human race is on the verge of eradication and possibly the only man who stands between the deaths of billions and their safety is a skinny fellow dressed in a red and yellow Pizza Star uniform. This is the first novel of the Roger Faraday series. Some critics have compared Roger Faraday to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Men in Black.
TYME – THE NOVEL – DUE OUT SUMMER OF 2014
Short story collections
The Very Best Short Stories of 2014
Contact
Contact JT Pearson at [email protected] if you’d like reprint a story in your magazine or on your website or if you had something else to inquire.
