The Cycle Stops
Mum had opted to attend the spaghetti dinner.
Somebody in town had a kitchen fire, and they were raising money for new appliances.
Like a dutiful son, I offered to take her.
She said she wanted me to have the night off from babysitting.
Gladys arrived minutes later. While we didn’t talk, we exchanged knowing glances.
To reinforce her earlier statement, she threw the key over her shoulder again.
I noted the good intentions.
With the night off, I texted Nick. Not that I wanted to sneak him into the house like a horny teenager, but the thought had crossed my mind.
I could only imagine that Lacie had dragged him to the spaghetti dinner, determined to celebrate the breaking of the curse.
She’d be up on a table, can of Moxie held in the air as she cheered.
Instead of getting laid or partying with a mouthful of meatballs, I called it an early night.
As soon as I walked into my bedroom, the rush of nostalgia set in.
I closed the door, taking in the movie posters and sketches tacked to the wall.
It would be easy to become that antisocial kid again.
After today, I wanted to have a conversation with my younger self.
“Why did I hide?”
The house didn’t answer. No divine light shone through the window. The spirits didn’t shake the walls. The only person who could answer that was me, and every time I attempted, I found myself lost in memories. Johnny had made my life hell. Nobody had come to my rescue…
I reached into my pocket. I held the compass, top flipped open, and the needle inside was unmoving. “It’s a lie,” I whispered. I acted as if I had been alone, and nobody reached through the pain, offering me safety. There had been somebody who never stopped trying.
I eyed the scrapbook on the desk.
“Pops,” I muttered the word, taking in a ragged breath.
I sat down, running my hand over the textured cover.
Firefly might have shunned me, but I couldn’t unload the blame.
Not on them alone. A car outside backfired, and my head shot up.
It sounded like a knock at the door. I waited for it to open, to see the glint of his glasses one more time as he asked if I wanted to go fishing.
I’d have given anything to hear his voice.
“Sounds great, Pops.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes. There was no point in dwelling on the past. The Sandfords were anything but wallowers.
I set the compass on the scrapbook and reached into the drawer.
Flipping through my sketchbooks, I searched for a blank page.
There were demons, castles, more than a few knights, and even a caricature of my history teacher.
I needed a memento, a reminder of this feeling squeezing my chest and keeping my heart lodged in my throat.
Pulling charcoal from the middle drawer, I coated the page in black.
Flipping the pencil around, I used the eraser to draw.
I had a bare spot on my right thigh that I had saved for something special.
For the next hour, I scribbled until I looked at something that embodied the release of the past. Against the dark night, an old lantern inspired by the one Pop’s hung in the garage.
Instead of a flame lighting the way, I filled it with fireflies, a nod…
a peace offering for me and the town. If I had packed my gun, I’d be inking my leg for the rest of the evening.
Satisfied, I tore the page free and tacked it with the others to the corkboard. It’d only be a matter of time before my skin replaced the paper.
I jumped as my phone buzzed. I grabbed it before kicking off my sneakers and jumping onto the bed. The springs groaned, annoyed that I had packed on a few extra pounds.
Nick: Pack your bag. We’re going on an adventure.
Charlie: A trip?
Nick: A camping trip.
Charlie: You want to go camping again?
Nick: I’m a convert… an outdoorsman.
Charlie: I won’t say no to another night by the fire.
Lying in bed, I couldn’t help but smile at the text.
I hoped to get him in the woods again, but I expected I’d need to beg and plead.
Knowing he’d willingly trudge through the forest filled my chest with a sense of pride.
I stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars covering the ceiling.
They had all but lost their shine, but they still transported me into a clearing where I could see a thousand tiny twinkling orbs.
Something had changed, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I eyed the lantern on the wall. I wasn’t sure what it meant, not entirely.
I took a risk.
Charlie: With you.
Nick: Big softie.
Nick: Tomorrow. Bright and early.
Charlie: Tomorrow?
Nick: Adventure waits for no man!
It was time to let go of the past and start a new adventure.