HELP ME
"Help me! Somebody help me," screamed Little Lisa.
She continued to pound on the glass of the boat window with her small fists. To her frustration, no one heard her. The only sounds heard were her small fists pounding the glass and the silence outside the boat window.
"No! My Mommy and Daddy have to hear me. They know I'm here," she thought.
Little Lisa stared at the darkness outside the boat window.
"They have to…," cried Little Lisa.
She slowly stopped pounding on the boat window and put her head down. Just then, something shiny reflected in the water beneath her small knees.
"What's this," she sniffled.
Little Lisa reached down into the water and grabbed the shiny object. The object she saw in the water turned out to be a silver bracelet. Lisa took a closer look at the shiny piece of jewelry. There was an inscription etched on one of its sides.
TO MY LOVING DAUGHTER
"This bracelet is so beautiful. Who dropped it here, though," she wondered?
Puzzled by the inscription, Little Lisa still wore the silver bracelet around her tiny left wrist. Making her way through the water, a large object floated near it.
"It's Molly," she exclaimed.
Little Lisa quickly thrust her small right hand like a spear into the water and grabbed the large object. It was a female doll in her small hand. She quickly pulled it out of the water and hugged it.
"Oh Molly, I missed you. What are you doing here," wondered Little Lisa?
The female doll looked worn, but still in good condition. The clothes on the toy doll looked the same from the last time she changed them. Why was it in the water, however?
Little Lisa had a confused look on her face as she stared at her favorite doll when she noticed something nearby.
"What's that?" she thought out of curiosity.
Making her way through the water again, another object floated nearby. Little Lisa thrust her hand in the water and pulled the slim object from the water. It was a long-stemmed red rose.
"A rose? Why would anyone want to toss away such a pretty rose?" wondered Little Lisa.
This was just another puzzle piece added to a big box of mixed up puzzle pieces. Something did not seem right. Confused even more, she began to breathe funny.
"Where is everyone?" stuttered Little Lisa.
She started to panic. She quickly looked around her and noticed she was alone. Water continued to drop from various places of the vessel ceiling. Some of the salty water dropped onto the face of Little Lisa. Nothing else moved around her, however.
"Where am I," yelled Little Lisa.
She suddenly ran back to the window of the boat.
She continued to pound on the glass of the boat window again with her small fists. Still, no one heard her. There was no response to her cries. Silence continued to fill the air. Distraught, she lowered her head to the knee-deep water underneath her. Her small hand still tightly held onto her favorite doll. The beautiful, silver bracelet she found earlier also fastened firmly to her tiny wrist.
A familiar voice suddenly echoed in the area.
DADDY LOVES YOU
Little Lisa frantically looked around for the source of the familiar voice.
"Daddy, where are you? I can't see you," she pleaded.
It was her father's voice.
Little Lisa ran through the knee-deep water as she looked everywhere for him.
"Mommy, Daddy, I'm here! Help me," she screamed.
Silence was the only response she received in return. Water continued to drop down from various places of the vessel ceiling. Some of the salty water dropped onto the face of Little Lisa. Nothing else moved around her. Out of frustration, she pounded on the side of the ship's wall with her small fists nonstop. Another boat window was near it.
"I'm here! I'm here! Please come get me," she shouted.
CRAAACK
Tiny cracks started appearing in the boat's window. They also got larger as water seeped through them. Lisa noticed the cracks spreading, so she put her small hands on them to prevent them from getting any bigger. Her efforts were useless, however. Large amounts of water gushed through the large cracks.
Water quickly engulfed Little Lisa and the entire area.
Within moments, everything became hazy and turned to black. Shadows and silhouettes swirled around her. Muffled voices and sounds were all she heard. One sound was so loud that it woke her up. A fairy tale book dropped to the ground by accident. It was after her father finished telling a bedtime story that was Little Lisa's favorite story. She slowly opened her eyes as images and shapes focused slowly into view. Lisa tried to make sense of her new surroundings. It was a hospital room with machines blinking everywhere.
"She's awake," shouted a familiar woman. "Lisa's awake."
Little Lisa slowly looked at the people surrounding her.
"You're back," said a familiar male voice.
A large male figure breathed a huge sigh of relief as he hugged her tight.
"You're awake, baby. Daddy loves you," said the large, male figure.
Tears streamed down his face.
A few of the teardrops landed on the face of Little Lisa.
"Why are we here, Daddy," she asked. "Why aren't we at the boat?"
"It's okay, baby. We had an accident on the way there. We can take our boat trip any other time. I just want you better and okay," replied her father.
Around her hospital room were various colored vases filled with red, long-stemmed red roses. In one corner of her room, her favorite toy doll named Molly, sat. It was leaning on one of the rose vases. On her left wrist was a gift from her father, a silver bracelet.
Copyright 2011 J.M. All rights reserved. Email: wisechief@aol.com
"Please don't hurt me," she begged.
He looked at the young woman with utter disgust.
"I won't hurt you, beautiful. I just wanted to give something to you, but you never gave me a chance earlier," replied Chubbs.
He reached out to touch the woman's beautiful face, and his eyes began to radiate then turn black. Within moments of touching her young face, the woman's body shook uncontrollably then seemingly aged seventy years and ballooned to more than four hundred pounds. The young, beautiful woman was now fat and old.
"What did you do to me?" screamed the young woman.
To her horror, the young and beautiful woman now looked aged and extremely overweight.
"Nothing you did not deserve," replied Chubbs. "Just a simple curse."
He laughed as he strolled to the front door.
"Oh, here's a watch," snickered Chubbs. "In case, you need to know the time of day. It's something you never gave me."
He tossed the gold watch at the old woman who stood in the center of the room. She continued to stare and sob at the reflection of her new self in a compact mirror.
Crying resonated throughout the quiet apartment complex.
"No! I don't need my lawn mowed or car washed. Now get off my property," yelled Mister Davis.
"Sorry, Mister Davis," replied the frightened boy. "I just thought you needed a little help."
The front door just slammed shut. A voice continued shouting obscenities from behind it. The frightened boy quickly turned around and left the property of the neighbor. Silence filled the house of Mister Davis as the frightened boy disappeared down the street.
"He's gone. Stupid kid probably came here to be nosy for his damn parents," grumbled Mister Davis.
Looking around his messy house from inside the front door, Mister Davis breathed a sigh of relief. The inside of the house had not been clean or straightened out in a while. Strewn across the carpet floors were old clothes, and a few little toys. The little toys consisted of army men and their cars. One toy soldier caught Mister Davis' eye. It was a miniature toy soldier kneeling and talking on a walkie-talkie.
"What's this," wondered Mister Davis.
He picked it up off the ground to take a closer look.
"I remember you, little guy. My son always pretended you were calling home to talk to me," he said.
Saddened at the memory of his son, Mister Davis was now determined.
"Why did your mother leave me and take you with her," he wondered.
Mister Davis felt a renewed faith as he clenched the toy army man tightly in his fist. He quickly put it in his pant pocket.
"I'm going to bring you back," promised Mister Davis. "Now, I just need a plane to get you, but where can I find one?"
Copyright 2011 J.M. All rights reserved.
“George, is that you,” shouted the Old Man? “Come have a seat next to me on this bench.”
The Old Man padded an open spot next to him on the park bench. The Stranger passing by looked around and saw no one else.
“It’s time we caught up on ol’ times,” said the Old Man.
The Stranger abruptly stopped in front of him. The Old Man noticed and padded the open spot on the park bench again. Looking around, The Stranger hesitantly took a seat next to him.
“Still the ol’ quiet bastard, I see,” smiled the Old Man.
The Stranger watched him in silence. The Old Man did not notice the dark red stains on his clothes.
“What has this world come to,” asked the Old Man. “These kids nowadays have their computers, and cell phones. Back in our day, we were lucky to even have a radio”
The Stranger suddenly reached over to touch the Old Man’s face.
“Oh you agree,” said the Old Man.
He reached over and clapped the hand of the Stranger.
DO IT NOW
Looking at his own hand, the Stranger noticed old, dried streaks of something red on it.
I glanced ahead of me and saw the line to get a free meal was down the street.
"I'm hungry, Daddy," pleaded my little daughter.
"I know, baby. Just hold on a little longer, and we'll get our food," I replied as I tried to comfort her.
We were both hungry, but I did not want to spend the three dollars we had left. I saved it in case of an emergency. Places like these that offered free hot meals to the needy were rare, but much needed in these tough times. It was only a matter of time before the overwhelming need was too much for this place, as well. I just hoped my daughter, and I could get something before they ran out of food and closed their doors.
"We're almost to the front entrance," I said.
Relieved, we finally got to the front of the entrance and were next in line to go inside. However, something out of the ordinary happened.
"I'm so hungry, Daddy," said my little daughter.
"We're next in line to go inside," I replied.
I smiled and hugged her close.
Just then, an old man tapped on my shoulder.
"Sir, can you spare any change," he begged.
Without a second thought, I reached into my pocket and grabbed the last three dollars I had saved for an emergency.
"Here you go, buddy. That's all I have," I said.
"Daddy, dad," pleaded my little daughter.
"Not now honey, I'm talking to this man," I whispered to her.
"Sorry, my daughter's tired and hungry," I assured the strange, old man.
He thanked me and went on his way. I watched him walk away for a second, and then turned back towards my little daughter and the front entrance.
"A man cut in front of us, and they closed the doors after him," said my little daughter.
I looked at the closed doors and a new sign that hung in front. Shocked and disappointed, I read what the paper sign said on the door.
ALL OUT OF FOOD! CHECK BACK NEXT MONTH!
"What are we gonna do now, Daddy," cried my daughter. "I'm so hungry."
"I don't know, baby. We'll find something to eat," I replied.
I bundled my daughter up in my thin coat, and we walked away from the place.
"How do we eat now?" I wondered.
I worried more about my daughter eating than if I ate.
"Excuse me sir, but you dropped this," said an old man.
I looked and saw the old man from earlier, coming towards us. He quickly gave me a crumpled up paper bag.
"I think this is yours," said the old man.
I looked inside the crumpled up paper bag and was speechless. Crumpled to the top were dollar bills of various denominations.
"I don't think this is mine," I stuttered.
I looked up from the paper bag filled with money and noticed the old man disappeared.
"Where'd he go," I wondered.
"The old man went around the corner," replied my little daughter.
We quickly went around the corner and saw no one.
"Where'd he go? He's gone," said my little daughter.
I looked down at my little daughter. Her eyes searched the darkness for any movement.
"What do we do now, Daddy?" she wondered.
She hugged me close. I could feel her tiny body shaking from the cold.
"I don't know, but I think we need to get you something warm to eat," I replied.
I held the small bag full of money close to my body with one hand.
"There might be others in need of something to eat, too," I said.
I hugged my daughter close with my other arm to keep her warm.
"What a strange night," I thought.
We walked down the lonely street together.
I looked at my watch, and noticed it was getting later in the evening.
"This job interview is taking forever and only two more people to go, a young kid and I."
Only two of us remained from the hundreds that waited earlier. We waited all day in an enormous room to be called. It looked gloomy and unfriendly. It was nearly empty, from the hundreds of potential employees who once filled it earlier that day. The silence within it did not help to calm the uneasiness and desperation we felt.
"You look kind of nervous," I said with a friendly smile.
I noticed the young man's right hand fidgeting with something in his pant pocket.
"You'll do fine. Don't worry," I smiled at him again.
"I hope so," he replied. "I really need this job."
"My mom is very sick in the hospital, and I have two little sisters. I am the only one to support them.
His eyes swelled up with tears, but he still tried not to cry. He pulled his right hand from his pant pocket. There was a wallet-sized photo clenched in his hand. The old, slightly torn photo was of him and three other people. The other three people must have been his family in happier times.
"This is my family," said the young man as his face cracked an awkward smile.
Looking at the slightly torn photo in the young man's hand, I could not help but think of my own family in need, also.
I had a wife and two small children too. I had not found a job for several months, and our unpaid bills were piling up.
"When are you going to find a job," nagged my wife.
She abruptly cleaned off the kitchen table and tossed the dirty dishes into the overcrowded sink. The unwashed dishes had been sitting in the sink for days.
"I can't do this anymore," she warned angrily. "All these bills are just piling up. They aren't going to pay themselves."
"I know, I know. I got a call from Evans to go apply at that big white office building downtown," I pleaded. "He guaranteed I'd get a job there 'cause he was responsible for hiring."
"I'll believe it when I see it," she smirked. "Either get that job or the girls and I are gone for good this time."
Deep down, I knew I desperately needed that job. My family knew it too. We also faced eviction and that worried me more than anything else we faced.
Just then, a young woman dressed in a pink, modern business outfit entered the empty room. She quietly walked towards the two of us.
I turned toward the young man as he carefully put the old photo back in his pocket.
"Like I said, you'll do fine, so don't worry," I smiled.
I turned back around and followed the young woman to a smoky glass door, in the distance.
After several minutes, I reappeared in the enormous room and headed towards the exit. I noticed the nervous young man still waiting by himself and gave him a thumbs up sign. I smiled and left. A few minutes later, the young woman reappeared and walked towards the young man waiting alone in the enormous room.
"Congratulations, you have the job," the young woman said as she faced the young man.
Somewhere, a faint sound of a bell echoes, in the distance.
"The nature of the beast" written by me
