Shackles and Chains
by T. S. Kay and Jeff Huff
"Wake up, sleepy head! Your father and I will be leaving in a few
minutes. You need to get up, shower, get dressed and get the twins up,
showered, and off to school." I groaned.
An ice-cold steel shackle, like an inch-wide handcuff, appeared on my
left wrist. I stared at it, annoyed.
"Make sure you pack their lunches for them. I don't want to get another
note from the school." She called out, not knowing she made a shackle
appear on my right wrist.
I jumped out of bed and took off my clothes before she or Dad could say
anything else. I would have to rip my shirt to get it off if the chain
connecting the shackles appeared first. I hated my life.
"Perry, don't forget to take the garbage out when you get home from
school!" Dad yelled up the stairs and the iron links appeared and
connected my iron bracelets. "See you tonight." The front door shut and
they were gone.
I shook my head, hating to shower in chains. I didn't have enough time
to sing them off and get the twins and me to the school buses on time.
I opened my bedroom door to make sure the twins weren't in the hall.
The little dorks would waste ten minutes giggling if they saw me naked.
I didn't want another argument to break out. We had a major fight a few
weeks ago. I got pretty angry and told them they were like a black
cloud hanging over me, that I hated them and they were nothing but dead
weights dragging me down. I felt bad about it and tried to pretend it
didn't happen. The twins had avoided me since.
As I pushed the manacles out of the way to wash my arms, I thought
about when they first appeared.
It all started when Mom went back to work. Up until a few months ago,
Mom stayed home, went food shopping, cooked breakfast, packed our
lunches, and put dinner on the table every night. She did the laundry,
put away our clothes, and cleaned our rooms. Then, after I started
ninth grade, Mom wanted to practice law again.
She and Dad sat gave me "the talk." I was old enough to help out around
the house, take care of the twins, cook easy dinners. I faked it and
told them I was willing to help out and do my fair share. They smiled,
happy with me for being so adult. Then kept piling more things for me
to do while they figured out their new schedules.
I kept up the act until the two nights ago when the Terror Twins, Timmy
and Tommy, became really annoying and I lost it yelling at them. I got
so angry I almost hit them but only managed to avoid that by telling
them how much I hated them and why. Timmy started crying. Tommy only
looked angry.
We didn't talk the rest of the night. Still angry, I had trouble
sleeping. I stomped over to the window and stared up at the face of the
full moon. I usually liked the face, he cheered me up and made me feel
connected to the rest of the world.
A movement in the yard caught my eye and I looked down to see a glint
of light in the grouping of trees at the back of the yard. I watched
for a few minutes but nothing else moved. It must of been a raccoon or
something.
When I looked back at the moon he now looked sullen and annoyed. It
freaked me out a bit and I decided to go back to bed.
The first manacle appeared on my leg the next day. I panicked and
showed it to Mom but she couldn't see it. Neither could Dad. When I
asked the twins they giggled and ran away without comment.
The next day I was folding laundry in the basement that day and feeling
sorry for myself. I sang my favorite song and when I finished singing
and the manacles and chains were gone.
I was so happy I made the mistake of telling my mother. We had another
fight.
The next morning two manacles, one on each arm appeared during my Dad's
rant about being responsible. It took me another two days to figure out
that I had to be alone and sing an entire song for them to disappear.
Shackles and a connecting chain appeared the next day before I even got
out of bed as Mom called out a litany of chores. I couldn't get away
from the Terror Twins to sing so the chains hung awkwardly in my shirt
and pressed cold against my chest all morning during school. It wasn't
until lunch period that I could be alone. I had to run out to the
middle of the football field before I knew no one could hear me.
"Perry, you're not supposed to be out in the field, or out of the
school buildings unless you are in a physical education class. What are
you doing out here?"
I turned around, trying not to groan.
"Sorry, Coach." It was Coach Erwin, the varsity wrestling coach. I was
surprised he knew my name.
"What were you doing?" He asked again and stepped closer, sniffing at
me loudly.
"Were you smoking something out here?"
"No. I just needed to be alone, you know?" He smelled like garlic and
body odor. I was glad Coach Caldo, my track coach, was nothing like
him.
"No, I don't know and don't want to. Go to the detention room this
afternoon. I'll let the Principal know to expect you." A shackle
appeared on my left leg.
"But I have track practice today!"
"Then you had better let Coach Caldo know you won't make it." He said,
yelling and spitting on my face. I didn't understand why he was so
angry with me. I hadn't done anything really.
He followed me across the field and back into the school without
another word.
*****
"You're dragging today, Perry. What's the matter?" Coach Caldo asked.
He dropped back from the others to run alongside me on the track.
I wanted to show him the heavy shackles on my arms and legs from the
three homework new assignments thanks to Coach Erwin but knew he
couldn't see them.
"Just feeling a little weighed down, is all," I told him, enjoying my
private joke.
He laughed. "Seems appropriate given your detention this afternoon." We
jogged a few more moments. "What were you doing in the football field
today?"
I liked Coach Caldo. "Singing," I admitted.
"Really?" He looked over at me.
"Yes." My face burning.
"You any good?"
"I guess."
"Good. Sing somewhere else unless you're in chorus." He smiled. "Now
give me two extra laps for being late to practice."
"But it wasn't my fault!" I protested as a chain appeared and connected
my leg shackles.
He laughed and caught up to the others.
I walked home through the woods that night and used the time to sing
the chains away.
*****
'Put the chicken from the refrigerator in the big pan. Then put it in
the oven at 350. Wait 30 minutes then take the fries out of the
freezer, put them on the big rectangular pan and put them in the oven
too.'
Mom texted me as I got to the front of the house. Two shackles appeared
on my arms as I read the instructions. I remembered to go into the
garage and wheel the cans out to the curb. Just as I got them there,
the Terror Twins' bus stopped in front of the house.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Carrothair!" They ran up the driveway. It was the same
lady I had in elementary school. She had bright red hair when I was a
little kid and we all called her that.
She waved to them then caught sight of me. "You keep your eye on them!"
A manacle appeared on my right ankle.
I hated her now too.
I let the boys into the house and poured milk for each of us and got a
package of chocolate-chip cookies out.
The boys ransacked the cookies while I got the chicken out of the
refrigerator and followed the text.
My cell phone buzzed with a text message and I groaned, knowing it was
either Dad or Mom.
The twins snickered, knowing who it was as well.
'Hi Sweetheart, please tell the twins to change out of their school
clothes. Take your laundry baskets down to the basement. The twins can
play out in the backyard until your father and I get home. Please put
in a load of laundry in. See you soon. Love you!'
"Crap." I said and the boys started laughing.
"We're going to tell Mom you said 'crap!'"
I decided to ignore them rather than get into another fight.
"Go upstairs and change into your play clothes. Then go play in the
yard." I didn't bother to ask them to take their laundry down. It would
be easier to do it myself.
They drank the last of their milk and ran up the back stairs.
I ate another cookie and did the dishes before going up to change
*****
I was closing the lid on the washing machine when the phone rang. It
was Dad. I groaned. If he called I knew it was going to be a pain.
"Hi Dad." If I didn't answer the phone before it went to voicemail, he
would just add more chores to the list.
"Hi Perry. How are things going?" I wanted to tell him I cut my hand
off and blood was spurting all over the room but he never appreciated
my sense of humor.
"Fine." I walked upstairs, while he waited for me to say more. He was
going to ask me what the Terror Twins were doing and since I hadn't
looked in on them for a while, I needed to check they hadn't burnt the
house down.
"What are the boys up to?"
I smiled. "They're running around the back yard with a few of the
neighbors, playing one of their weird games." The Terror Twins were
known in the neighborhood their strange and bizarrely fun games about
wizards, witches, and spells. I still played them every once in a while
although they freaked me out with the level of detail and intensity.
Dad laughed. "Good. Let them stay out for another thirty minutes, then
get them in."
"Aren't you and mom on the way home?" I let him hear my disappointment.
"No. I have to go out to dinner with clients. Mom is coming with us. We
won't be late. Mom says to take the chicken out thirty minutes after
you put the French fries in. Clean the kitchen up and get the twins
ready for bed. We should be home before it's time for them to turn in."
I didn't say anything. It wouldn't make any difference anyway. I just
watched as the shackles and chains reappeared twenty minutes after I
sang them away.
"Did you hear me, Perry?" He was annoyed now.
"Yes."
He sighed. "Perry, we've talked about this. You agreed to help out
until Mom we figured this all out. It's only been a few weeks."
"Can't you buy another car? That way Mom could come home without you."
"We've had this conversation as well. Not yet. You have to stop
whining. You're almost fifteen. Your mother and I both had jobs, went
to school, and had good grades when we were your age. You don't know
how good you have it."
I didn't say anything and he read the silence correctly.
"Fine." He sighed into the phone. "Make sure the dishes are clean and
put away. And do the clothes in my laundry basket as well, please. I
need workout clothes for tomorrow."
I knew that wasn't true. He wanted to punish me for my "bad attitude."
And he put two more shackles, a chain, and a leash or something around
my neck. That was new.
There was noise up stairs. I sighed, the Terror Twins heard and were
laughing. I thought about asking them to set the table but did it
myself. We ate in silence without any trouble. Rather than push it, I
told them to go up to their room and play video games while I cleaned
up the kitchen.
I heard the clothes drier timer buzz and went down stairs to take my
clothes out and move Dad's over.
Sitting down on the steps, I cleared my throat. Then I began to sing
quietly, using the tumbling drier to give me a beat. I sang my favorite
songs from the radio. The chains disappeared from my neck and arms. The
sound of a car engine then two doors slamming interrupted me, letting
me know my parents were home.
Sighing, I stood up, knowing I would not have enough time to sing off
the leg irons. I climbed the steps.
"Hi honey." Mom gave me a kiss and an apologetic look after they came
in. "Thanks for feeding the twins and cleaning up." She looked around
the kitchen appreciatively. It was spotless. I was good at cleaning.
"Where are they?" Dad asked looking in the family room for the twins.
"Upstairs. It was easier to clean the kitchen myself."
"You should still make them help you. They have to learn to be
responsible." Dad frowned at me and a shackle reappeared on my right
arm.
I didn't say anything; just stared.
"Okay, let's go up and check on them. I'm sure Perry has homework to
do." Mom interrupted us before Dad and I could get into a fight.
Dad gave me a look but didn't say anything. He followed her up the
stairs, laughing at something I couldn't hear that one of the twins,
probably Tommy, said when he saw Mom.
I went back down and took Dad's clothes out of the drier. I folded them
quickly and put them in his laundry basket. I hurried so I could sing
off the chains before before anyone could interrupt me.
I could only sing any song once per day, otherwise the chains wouldn't
go away and I had run out of songs I knew from the radio so I sang
three Irish songs Dad taught me, "Goodnight Irene", "The Black Velvet
Band", and "The Unicorn." When I was done, the chains and shackles
disappeared. I grabbed my father's laundry and climbed the stairs.
"Was that you singing?" Mom was staring at me as I reached the top. She
and Dad exchanged looks.
"I guess," I answered her and shrugged. "Here's your laundry." I handed
my father his clean clothes.
"You have a great voice!" My father replied.
"Thanks." I answered, surprised. It wasn't as if I hadn't sung around
the house before.
"You should get a job so you can take vocal lessons." My father
suggested and a shackle appeared on my right ankle.
I shook my head in exasperation and ran down the stairs to get my own
laundry basket before they had me wrapped in chains.
*****
The next day I got the Terror Twins off to school and got on my own
bus. My two friends, Alex and Cheryl were waiting for me. They waved to
me frantically as if I couldn't see them and I laughed despite the
chain connecting the two shackles on my legs. Thanks, Mom.
"Hey!" I said to them coolly and squeezed in next to them despite the
seat being too small for the three of us. We chattered the whole way.
We got off the bus after it stopped behind the others at the main
entrance of the school. Students were streaming off buses while others
milled about talking or pushed toward one of the doors. A few teachers
were keeping an eye on the rest of us.
While we talked and waited for the morning bell, the hair on the back
of my neck stood up. I looked around expecting to see football players
or cheerleaders making fun of me but no one was paying me any
attention. Then I spotted Coach Erwin staring at me.
I gulped.
Before I could tell either Cheryl or Alex about it, the bell rang and
everyone headed toward the doors and their first class of the day. I
lost sight of Coach Erwin. I stopped and let the crowd go around me,
ignoring the annoyed sounds of the kids pushing past. As the people
cleared out of the yard, I realized he was gone and felt my fear
subside.
*****
"Perry! Did you hear me?" Mr. Denisi, my social studies teacher, broke
into my thoughts. The other kids were snickering.
"No, I'm sorry, Mr. Denisi."
He blinked. Most kids don't apologize.
"I didn't sleep well last night and I guess my mind was wandering."
He looked at me a moment, then nodded.
"Fine. But tomorrow answer every question on your homework or I'll
deduct two points from your overall grade."
I appreciated the favor but not the two shackles that appeared on my
wrists.
His gaze moved to Matt Lane, who had snickered at my answer. "Matt,
which of the original colonies was most closely aligned with England
during the Revolutionary War?" The rest of the class laughed at his
groan.
I managed to stay focused the rest of the morning and even found time
to sneak into an empty classroom and sing off the manacles and chains
on my legs before someone came in. I still had the wrist shackles. I
was in the hallway, on my way to the cafeteria to meet Alex and Cheryl
for lunch when I heard my name called.
I turned and immediately wished I hadn't. It was Coach Erwin. He looked
like he stepped in dog crap. Tired of him and his attitude I gave him
the same look and waited for him to walk to me.
His eyes narrowed as he pushed through the milling students. A couple
of them became aware of the tension between us and stopped to watch.
"What?" I asked when he got close enough.
"Your parents need to teach you some manners." His eyes had narrowed to
slits.
"What is your problem?"
"Watch your mouth, Perry. And that's detention for you this afternoon.
And another day tomorrow for unauthorized use of that classroom to
caterwaul when you should have been on your way to class."
Shackles appeared on my legs.
Anger and hatred washed over me. "If you thought that was caterwauling,
you're as tone deaf as you are ugly." I heard a few gasps and a few
guffaws from the crowd now surrounding us. "I hate you, you flabby, old
man."
Coach Erwin had both hands on my chest as he shoved me hard against the
lockers. He was staring in my eyes from six inches away and breathing
heavily into my face.
I didn't care. I had no idea what his problem was but he wasn't going
to take it out on me.
"Fat, flabby, old man."
*****
I woke up a few minutes later with teachers and students standing
around me. Some looked concerned, others amused, one - Principal
Wiggan, looked angry.
"Can you stand?" He asked. He waited impatiently while I struggled to
my feet with the help of two students. I could hear the clank of the
manacles on my ankles.
I groaned and felt my jaw and face. My hand came away bloody. I had a
fat lip. I looked around angrily for Coach Erwin.
"Where is the knife?" Principal Wiggan asked.
"What knife?"
"Don't lie, Perry. It won't do you any good."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Coach Erwin insulted me. I
returned the favor. He shoved me against the locker and punched me." I
spotted a student who had seen the fight.
"Tell him! I didn't have a knife!"
"If you had one, I didn't see it." He shrugged, not wanting to get
involved.
"Did anyone see if Perry had a knife?" Principal Wiggans asked the
rapidly diminishing crowd. Within moments, I was alone with Principal
Wiggans and the two teachers I didn't know.
"I didn't have a knife. I don't own a knife. I know how much trouble I
would get into if I brought one to school." Upset, I gestured with my
hands. Light glinted off the shackles on my wrists. Was that what Coach
Erwin had seen?
"Let's find the coach and get this straightened out." Principal Wiggan
suggested but the teachers gave him a look, then glanced at me.
"Right. First the Nurse's Office."
I nodded, beginning to feel the pain in my jaw and lip. I wanted my
parents.
*****
"That was a nightmare," Mom said when we got to the car.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Dad asked.
I shook my head. The nurse had examined me. I'd have a nasty bruise and
split lip. Nothing was broken. After putting ice on it, the swelling
and pain receded.
"A knife!" My father said and shook his again for the tenth time. "How
stupid does he think you are! Not a switch blade or a Bowie knife but a
kitchen knife! The man's an idiot." For once we were in complete
agreement.
Mom gave me a worried look over the front seat.
The rest of the ride home was quiet except for the occasional mutter
from Dad.
"I'm going to take a shower and lay down for a while." I said.
"That's fine, honey. Tell us if you get dizzy or nauseous." Mom gave me
a hug. "I'll bring you an ice pack."
I made my way up the stairs, grabbed my bathrobe and sweats and went to
the bathroom. After looking in the mirror and wondering just how big
the bruise would be I let the hot water soak away the tension and some
of the pain. The shackles on my arms gleamed with water droplets. I
dried my arms and noticed the towel dried the shackles as well.
Curious, I took a shackle in my left hand and gently scratched the
wall. It left a mark. That was new. The last time I tried that, nothing
had happened.
I finished drying off, put on my sweats and robe, went to my room.
Tired, I laid down on my bed.
There was a soft knocking on the door. Mom brought an ice pack, a soda,
and a bottle of aspirin.
"Did the shower help?" She sat on the side of my bed.
"A little. It still hurts though."
"This should help." She opened the soda and handed me two aspirin. I
swallowed them and laid back with the ice pack.
Mom stayed on the bed.
"What?" I sighed.
"You didn't have a knife, did you? I won't get mad. I just want to help
you."
I looked at her, surprised. I never got into fights at school or played
knives or gun. The thought of stabbing someone made me ill.
"You've been acting so strange since I went back to work. The stories
about the handcuffs and chains were so weird. It frightened me. I know
you were doing it so I would stay home again but couldn't give in to
that. It would set a bad example. But carrying a knife and fighting
with a teacher? Maybe I should stay home again." Mom's eyes were
tearing.
I didn't want to take care of the twins or the house but Mom really
wanted work to make us more money and use her education. I sighed and
gave in.
"First, I didn't have a knife. Second, Coach Erwin picked a fight with
me and threw the first and only punch after I mouthed off. Last, there
isn't anything going on I can't handle. Keep working. I can deal with
the Terror Twins and chores."
Mom was actually crying now and but gave me a hug.
I held in the groan as leg irons, chains, and the neck collar appeared.
Mom jumped and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Okay. I believe you. I'm proud of you for helping out too. Your father
and I talked about it, and we think we should give you an allowance for
it."
She smiled seeing my excitement.
"Why don't you take a nap. I'll call you for dinner." She walked to the
door then. "In case you're wondering, now that you're okay, we'll deal
with Coach Erwin." Her eyes had cold glitter to them - she was in
lawyer mode now. She blew me a kiss and closed the door.
I actually was feeling a little sorry for Coach Erwin and Mira as I
fell asleep.
*****
When I woke up I sang off all the chains. My face and jaw hurt but not
too badly. I swallowed another two aspirins when pounding knocks
sounded on the door.
"Hey!" I called out, "come in before you break it!" I hoped they
weren't here just to tease me.
The twins came in laughing but their eyes grew wide when they saw my
face.
"Wow! What happened to you?" Tommy asked me.
"Coach Erwin decided to punch me." I knew they would hear about it at
school anyway.
Timmy, wide-eyed, gave Tommy a long look.
Tommy gulped and looked back at Timmy.
"We have to tell him!" Timmy said.
Tommy gulped and nodded again. "You have to promise not to get mad."
Tommy looked at me.
Timmy was wringing his hands, a sure sign the Terror Twins had done
something bad, not just goofy.
"I'm not going to promise anything until I know what you did."
"We didn't mean it!" Timmy told me.
"We didn't think it would get this bad," Tommy added.
"Whatever you did, if someone gets hurt because of it then intentions
don't mean anything, only the consequences. That's why you have to
think about what you do first." I winced realizing Mom and Dad told me
the same thing.
"We know." Tommy answered impatiently. "We were mad at you and made it
part of our game. We didn't know it would work for real." Tommy's face
crumpled as he started to cry. Timmy was right behind him.
"Tell me. I may get mad but I'll try not to go nuts. Besides, we can't
fix it until I know what you did." I said before their tears turned
into a full-blown melt-down.
Timmy wiped his eyes and gave Tommy one more look. Tommy, the twin in
charge, nodded.
"We put a curse on you." Timmy told me, his pale, tear-streaked face,
serious.
I rolled my eyes and laid back on the bed.
"My face hurts. Leave me alone? Please?" I asked, trying not to be
annoyed.
"We're serious!" Timmy was nearly crying again.
"Just go!"
Tommy ran over to the door. "Daddy! We're being nice to Perry but he's
yelling at us!" He sounded especially young.
"Perry! I know you're hurt but make an effort to be civil, please."
A shackle appeared on my left wrist.
"See!" Timmy yelled, jumping up and down.
"You can see it!" I nearly yelled, excited someone else could finally
see it.
Tommy shut the door with a smug smile.
"We told you," he said, poking the shackle.
"You told me you couldn't see them!" I was upset, knowing they had let
me hang without helping me. We always helped each other out when we
were in trouble.
"You were mean to us!" Tommy protested.
"You said you hated us!" The hurt in Timmy's made me feel guiltier than
I had felt since the night of the fight.
I let out a breath. My frustration left with it.
"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I've felt bad since then."
"You should have said you were sorry!" Timmy was still upset.
"I just did!"
He giggled when I leaned forward and tickled him.
Tommy stepped back when I went to do the same to him. "No! You should
have said sorry right away not a month later! And you've been mean
since Mommy went to work."
"You're right. I should have apologized sooner. I know I've been cranky
but I thought I was better since we fought. I haven't yelled since,
right? Not even with this chain thing!"
They nodded hesitantly.
"Now tell me what you did to me!"
"We told you. We put a curse on you!" Timmy said as if that explained
anything.
"Yes, you did say that," I said calmly. "Now take it off!" I shook the
manacle at them.
"We don't know how!" Tommy told me.
"We haven't tried," Timmy admitted.
"Why not?!"
"It was funny." Tommy, naturally.
"No one was supposed to get hurt," Timmy added.
"Does it look like I wasn't hurt?" I pointed to my face.
"We're sorry," Timmy apologized, looking at my fat lip.
"No one got hurt until today," Tommy grumbled but didn't meet my eyes.
"Well, you better start trying something soon before something even
worse happens."
"We will!" They both promised.
Before I could ask how and when, there was a knock on the door. Dad
stuck his head in.
"Everything OK? You guys not killing each other?" He kept his eyes on
me.
"Everything's great!" I told him, looking at both twins who nodded
emphatically.
Dad quirked his mouth in amusement.
"Good. Dinner is ready. Come down stairs." He left.
"You better figure this out tonight after dinner," I hissed at the boys
and followed Dad.
*****
Dinner was awkward. I was angry. None of this was my fault yet I
suffered. Then I saw my reflection in my knife. My face looked strange
and elongated but I could see the bruise along my jaw and my split lip.
It made me think about what I said to Coach Erwin. Maybe if I kept my
mouth shut my face wouldn't be messed up. Each time a shackle appeared
right after me running my mouth, reacting with anger. That was how this
started. I told the twins I hated them though it wasn't true, They
hadn't done anything serious, just annoyed me.
Maybe I should learn to think first before opening my mouth.
I sighed and resolved to think before I spoke and to better understand
the consequences of my words and actions.
"What?" Mom asked me, seeing my expression.
"You should keep working. It's not that big of a deal to help around
the house and keep an eye on the twins. I'll try to lose the attitude
this time."
Everyone looked at me in surprise. Tommy usually made the long
speeches.
"Maybe I should ask Coach Erwin to punch you more often!" Dad said. We
all laughed.
"No, thanks," I answered.
After we finished, we brought the dishes to the kitchen, and put
leftovers away.
Mom and Dad kept looking at me. I smiled back and kept drying the
dishes. Dad helped the twins put them away.
I followed the twins up the stairs and to their room.
"What have you come up with?" I asked Timmy, the idea guy. Tommy was
the salesmen.
"I'm working on it." Timmy told me.
"How hard can it be? Love is the opposite of hate, right? Use something
about love and cancel the first spell, right?" Tommy asked Timmy.
"It didn't feel right. I mean, you can't love everybody, right?" Timmy
asked.
"That's not true. I like everyone!" Tommy protested and I had to agree.
He really did.
"What if you went with something about leaving everyone alone if they
leave you alone?" I suggested.
"That may work," Timmy said after thinking about it. "It may take me
awhile but it definitely feels right now that you said it."
I wasn't happy about the delay but Timmy was the expert and there was
nothing I could do.
Mom knocked and stuck her head into the room.
"There you are! I just got off the phone with another. He thinks we can
get Coach Erwin fired! We plan on meeting with the administration
tomorrow." She waved excitedly then shut the door.
"We have to figure this out tonight! I don't like Coach Erwin but he
wouldn't have punched me if you hadn't cursed me. He shouldn't get
fired!"
They nodded in agreement.
"I've been thinking," Timmy began hesitantly.
"That's how this started." Tommy said.
Timmy wrinkled his nose and looked at me. "This started because you got
mad and said you hated us. That made us mad and we said we hated you
and cursed you."
"I apologized already. I love both of you even if you are pains in the
butt."
"That's not the point. We'll have fun most of the time and get along.
We'll be best friends for our whole lives. But we'll have fights and
get angry with each other." He looked at Tommy and me.
We nodded. We would definitely fight again.
"So we need another unbreakable rule?" Mom and Dad gave us rules as we
got older. Breaking them meant big trouble for everyone. Family comes
first. Don't talk poorly about our brothers to others. If we get into a
fight with each other, no fists and no blows to the face or groin.
"What kind of rule?" Tommy asked.
"No more saying 'I hate you!'" Timmy answered.
"Yeah, that's good." I nodded at them. "But maybe we should make it
bigger. Not just saying you hate the other one but also doing something
hateful, like breaking something of theirs or telling lies about them."
"That's good!" Timmy nodded.
"Okay, I like those. I think whoever isn't in the fight should help
calm the other ones down, too." Tommy added.
I hid my smile. Tommy was the older and bossier of the two. Timmy was
quieter and easy-going. But he got mad, he gave far worse than he got
from Tommy.
"I think that is a good one too." I said, and Timmy agreed with a flash
of annoyance.
"That's settled." I smiled and punched them lightly on the shoulder.
"Now what are you going to do about removing the curse?"
"I've got an idea but we have to be outside."
"Mom won't let me out tonight." I pointed to my face. It was starting
to ache and I was getting sleepy.
"We'll have to wait until they go to bed. We need to see the moon and
it won't be up until later."
"What are we going to do?" I asked.
"I don't know everything yet but I've got the basics. I've got a good
feeling now."
I yawned before I could ask more. I shooed them both out of my room.
They said they would wake me up when it was time to go out. I fell
asleep before they shut the door behind them.
*****
I woke up to Timmy shaking my shoulder. He was wearing his superhero
pajamas and a jacket. Tommy was standing at my door in the same get-up,
standing guard. I was up and ready to go in a few moments.
We were silent as we snuck down the hall and staircase. We knew where
the squeaky steps were and skipped over them or hugged the wall to
avoid them. We used the kitchen window to get out on to the back porch
because the door made too much noise. We all had practice sneaking
around the house. I hoped they did because of their games.
The moon had risen and lit the yard in silvery green and grey. We made
our way past the swing-set to the small stand of trees at the end of
our property. Three large pines leaned into one another nearly touching
tips at the top forming what looked like a capital 'A'.
Underneath was a small area hidden from site. Hanging from the branches
and trees were odds and ends; a blue glass bottle, a Christmas
ornament, an action-figure, and other things I couldn't identify in the
darkness. Timmy and Tommy made us promise not to touch the things here.
Mom made them promise no dead animals or garbage.
"Okay, we're here. Let's get started before Mom or Dad find out we're
gone."
"I'm ready." Timmy walked to a shadowed corner and came back with a
paper bag. "Let's go to the stump."
The stump was an old dead tree in the corner of the yard outside of the
pine trees. It had been there before we moved here and served us as a
rocket launch pad, a throne, a card table, and anything else we could
imagine.
The moon shone brightly on the flat surface, glinting off the dimes we
had hammered into it one afternoon.
Timmy and Tommy walked to the stump. Timmy handed the bag to Tommy.
Tommy opened the bag and took out one of their larger action figures.
Walking closer I saw it was a soldier, dressed in fatigues and boots.
It was wrapped by something I couldn't identify. Under the wrapping,
little bits of silver shone through.
"Put him on the stump," Timmy told Tommy, digging in his pajama pocket
for something.
"Walk around the stump clockwise four times and say 'Mr. Moon, I felt
your anger in the dark cloud around me and the chains that bound me.
When I was wrong you freed me through song. Hate made things worse, but
I've done a reverse, please remove the curse.'"
I frowned at first, feeling stupid at the idea but changed my mind as
the wind began to blow around us as Timmy said the words.
I stepped up to the stump and started around it.
"Mr. Moon, I felt your anger in the dark cloud around me," as I chanted
using a sing-song voice and stepped forward, the sky above me darkened,
and the light grew so dim I could barely make out the stump or the
twins standing next to it.
"And the chains that bound me," all the shackles and chains that I had
worn appeared at once - the shackles surrounded my ankles and wrists as
well as the one on my neck. Chains connected them all to one another
and I stumbled under the sudden weight.
"When I was wrong, you freed me through song," as I shuffled the wind
softened and carried the sound of me singing, creating soft harmonies
with my voice that I hoped I could recreate even as they faded.
"Hate made things worse," the wind died and the harmonies faded to
whispers. The chains became cold and I started to shiver.
"But I've done a reverse, please remove the curse!" I sang the last
part loud and happily as the chains faded away and the moon returned,
seemingly brighter and more clearly than I had seen him.
I made to step away but Timmy grabbed my left hand.
"Don't leave yet." He motioned to Tommy to move in closer.
Timmy unwrapped the action figure. Looking closely, I could see it was
mud-covered bubble wrap. The silver shiny stuff I had spotted was
tinsel. There were pieces tied around each limb and the neck. Timmy
ripped each piece off from the figure until it was all gone. He put it
back on the stump then reached to the ground and took two smaller,
identical action figures beside it.
Then he took a small pocket knife and cut the tip of his left pinky.
"Hate made hate, love fixed us, but rules save us. By blood, I swear to
follow and support the rules." He dripped a drop of blood on each of
the dolls. Then he handed the knife to Tommy.
Tommy repeated Timmy's actions and words. As he spoke the moonlight
grew brighter. When he was finished, he handed the knife to me.
I cut my pinky and squeezed the blood out.
"Hate made hate," I sang it out rather than spoke and dripped the first
drop onto a small action figure. It glowed a bright white.
"Love fixed us but rules save us." I dripped blood on the second small
figure and it began to glow.
"By blood, I swear to follow and support the rules," I finished and
smeared blood on the large action figure. At first it glowed and then
the three glowed even brighter. The three joined into one, growing
larger, more muscular, more fearsome yet heroic figure. The light
flashed blindingly bright and then it and the action figures
disappeared.
I felt stronger, calmer, and happier than I had in a long time. Even
though they were young now, I knew that they would have my back as much
as I had theirs. By the look on their faces, they felt the same. I
decided not to ruin the moment by asking Timmy what the joining and
disappearing of the action figures meant.
Tommy had just opened his mouth when my father appeared, wearing
flip-flops and pajama bottoms.
"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" He was a
heavy sleeper and was never happy to be woken up.
"Timmy and I were really upset about what happened to Perry. He could
have died! And we haven't been as nice to each other since we had that
fight." Tommy's eyes slid to Timmy and me, telling us to go along. I
knew we both would; Tommy was our salesmen and the best talker.
"We made Perry come out and swear a blood oath so we wouldn't fight
like that again.”
Dad looked at each of us in turn knowing there was more to the story.
He shook his head but I could see the trace of a smile on his face.
"Fine. Come back to bed. Your mother will be annoyed with you but glad
you've fixed things. She's missed the Triple Threat."
THE END
© 2017 T. S. Kay and Jeff Huff
Bio: T.S. Kay is the author of several short stories and novels
in the Gifted World, including a full-length novel, "Familiar Scents,"
from DAOwen Publications. He grew up an avid reader, loving books,
bookstores, and libraries. An education junkie, he has a doctorate in
psychology, a master's degree in business administration, and a
certificate in military education. Dogs have been a part of his life
and he and his wife currently share their home with three. Their
personal space is encroached upon by more than a thousand frog
figurines they've collected from around the world.
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