Starry Skies

Have you ever wondered what that kid in the corner thought? What was in his mind while he rocked back and forth like a nut? Well that kid in the corner was me. Always in my room, always distant, always alone. No one had a problem with it, so I kept the habit. My parents never realized it for a long time. They were good people. There were never fights, only love and laughter. That’s why I stuck so close to them. I could consider myself lucky to get these type of parents. People like them are rare nowadays, so many unhappy faces at school and other places. It was sad, really.

Elementary school came easy to me, unlike many of my classmates. They became jealous quickly. The teasing soon began after that.‘Nerd’ and ‘egghead’ were two popular names I was given. They all did it behind the teacher’s back, not wanting to get in trouble, but willing to take the risk.

I should have done something to stop it. At the very least tell someone about it, but I didn’t. I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe I thought that if I did tell on them, they would just beat me up later, or do something else that was wicked. I can’t believe I thought that a bunch of 5th graders would beat me up over something as stupid as this. I kept thinking of the outcomes of what would happen. I thought for so long, that by the time I made my decision, elementary school was over. That decision was to do nothing, of course. My parents still had no idea of what was going on, and I felt sorry and stupid for not making the right choice earlier.

When I first entered the halls of my new middle school, I thought that this would be a good couple of years. A fresh start with new people and new events. Hell, maybe I could find somebody to talk to.

Oh, how I was wrong.

I received my schedule in the mail two days before the first day of school. I was excited and nervous for the upcoming year. When I walked into my 1st period, I noticed the room was cluttered with papers, supplies, and garbage. My first thought was,

this is my class? I expected a little better than this.

The paint on the walls was a cracked green color. They really need to re-paint this place.

Why is it that the hallways look more taken care of, compared to the classrooms?

It was sad. Almost as sad as the kids last year. Six rows of desks went all the way back to the back wall. A small opened window let in a gentle breeze from outside. The room was so small, I felt slightly claustrophobic.

When I was finished surveying the room, I finally noticed that there were kids in the desks. I felt dumb for not noticing them sooner. There were about nine kids sitting at the desks.

I'm guessing that the other ten or so kids decided not show today. I wouldn't blame them.

Four of them were guys, and the other five were girls. These kids looked like they should have been in high school by now. The guys had stubbles on their chins and stank with a profound odor of sweat and smoke. The ladies didn’t look any better. They looked like they could be working at a strip club. Though, I think they might be a little too young for that.

I took the empty seat next to the back window. It gave me a breather after smelling the other guys and the girls’ strong perfume smell. Our English teacher, Mr. Kovarik, was a short and chubby silver-haired man with black dress pants and a dress shirt.

The period started slowly with introductions.

“Welcome, everyone, to a new year of learning. I hope you all like your seats, because you’ll be staying in them for the rest of the year.”

Not a problem. I thought. The air felt cool against my neck and hair. I didn’t really have any objections to that idea.

“To start off our day, I have to hand out these forms for your parents to sign.” He took a stack of papers off of his desk and made his way to the rows, dropping off one to each person.

“Why the hell do we need these?” The deep voice came from somewhere on my right.

“It is required by the school district, I don’t make the rules. And I would appreciate if you would use a better vocabulary selection, Mister Hopkins,” said Mr. Kovarik, the annoyance was clear in his response.

The boy grunted and stayed quiet for the rest of the class.

The day continued on quickly. More forms were handed out in each period. By the time the dismissal bell rang in 6th period, I had a neat pile of paperwork in my backpack.

My mother waited for me in the car loop outside of the school. She was in her burgundy colored Toyota Camry. I opened the passenger door and squeezed myself in. It was a tight fit with my gigantic backpack, but I was able to manage it.

“How was your first day of middle school?” My mother started up the conversation.

Mom was wearing a purple button down shirt with dark blue jeans. Her hair was dark brown, but slightly graying along the sides of her head. She always liked her hair in a ponytail so it wouldn’t get in her face. It always had that weird smell that I just couldn't put my finger on.

“Uh… It was interesting, to say the least,” I said.

I should have known better than to say something like that. Mom likes to know things in detail. That’s just how she is.

“Oh really?” Mom said sarcastically. “I’d like to know more about this ‘interesting’ day."

“Well, for one, the people aren’t very bright, and two, some of the rooms need a new paint job. Maybe even a custodian,” I said.

“Hmm… Maybe the teachers just need some time to tidy up. It is the first day, you know. I wouldn’t be surprised if it weren’t messy,” She said in a sympathetic tone.

It made sense, I’m sure if I was a teacher, I would have clutter everywhere. The only things that I could keep neat, were my backpack and my desk.

“You may be right,” I said.

Then, the cars ahead of us finally drove off and we were able to leave.

Our car reached the parking space of our home and we exited the vehicle.

I’m not particularly fond of Mom’s car. I always thought it was a little too small. Then again, she’s smaller than me by about a foot or two. I can’t believe I’ve grown so fast, and I’m only twelve.

I grabbed my backpack from the back seat and shut the door. Mom was already at the door, fumbling with her keys. She opened the door and stood there, waiting for me. “Come on, we don’t have all day,” she said. I smiled and walked past her into my home. Mom closed the door and flipped the lock.

“Alright, what are your plans for tonight?” She asked.

Mom asked me this everyday so I don’t get off task. I remember the days before she would badger me about this. I’d end up falling asleep on my bed or just stare out of my window like a crazy person.

“Gotta get some papers signed for tomorrow,” I said.

“Okay, get them out so I can sign them,” She said.

I slung my backpack off of my shoulder and put it down on the marble floor. I shuffled around in my backpack to find the stack. Pulling it out, I dropped the papers on the dining room table.

“Good luck,” I said, as I walked to my room.

My clock is the first thing I look at when I enter my room. It read; 5:17.

“I have more than enough time to get some more of my story done,” I said with a smirk.

My laptop sat at my desk, still off from last night. I flipped open the top screen and pressed the power button. While it loaded, I took off my shirt and tossed it into the green bin I had on the side of my bed. I opened my closet to see an array of t-shirts and button downs. I selected a dark blue t-shirt and put it on. The cotton felt warm and soft against my skin. Wearing dirty shirts for too long made me uncomfortable. The one I was wearing before, was wet with sweat.

The door cracked open, surprising me. Nobody normally enters my room until 7, unless there was something important going to happen.

Usually, all of the important things were just simple like; ‘your father and I are going to Georgia this weekend and we’re going to leave a babysitter’. Of course I objected to that idea, I can take care of myself. I know how to make sandwiches, and I know how to sleep, so what’s the need for a babysitter?

She closed the door behind her and walked up to me.

“You must be wondering why I’m here, right?” She asked.

“Well… Yeah,” I said in slight confusion.

“I’ve wanted to give something to you for a while, and I’ve made my decision to give it to you now, since you’re old enough for the responsibility.” She was speaking in a very serious tone. I don't hear her like this too often, only when she needs the jokes to stop for a second.

“This is a necklace that was passed down to me from my mother when I was old enough.” She took the necklace off of her and held it out in her hand. It was a small chain connected to a silver crescent moon. It shined in the light of my lamp, almost glowing. I hesitated to take it.

She never let me touch this when I was younger, and now she wants me to keep it?

She noticed my nervousness and just put it on me herself.

“It’s alright, just think of it as a gift, a gift that you can give to your child when he or she gets older,” she said with a warm smile.

I felt happy to know that my mother trusted me with this. It was almost like getting a present on my birthday, only this present was much more special.

“Well, I have to do the bills, so I’ll leave you to your work,” she said.

Mom shut the door behind her and left me standing in the middle of my room, clutching the necklace in my hand. I snapped out of my trance and sat back down on my desk chair.

My laptop had already loaded up and was in hibernation mode now. I slid the mouse and the screen brightened to show my desktop. I clicked on the Microsoft Word application and loaded up where I left off, Chapter 7: The Forest. The story I was making was called; The Black Knight.

Now, I'm not the best writer in the world, but at least I'm sort of decent. I've seen stories with writing that were terrible upon recognition, and ones that didn't even make any sense.

I had already written 6 chapters for it, and I felt like continuing it now. It was about a legendary knight that wore a black suit of armor and saved the princess from an evil dragon that planned to destroy the world. Pretty cheesy, right? I clicked on the paper and began.

Chapter 7: The Forest

The Black Knight had just reached the forest as the dragon zoomed overhead, clutching the struggling princess in its giant claw. The mute hero pressed on to the Dungeon of Mal’Akim on his trusty horse. His sword clanked against his armor as his horse traversed the rocky terrain of the forest of death. Trees that were rotten and decomposing laid in his path, but that did not stop this courageous man. His horse leaped over the fallen logs as if they were nothing but mere stumps. His journey continued through the forest, never stopping, for the princess was going to be executed in 5 hours when the moon and sun cross paths. As his horse galloped on, there was a rustling in the trees that were still standing tall. Then, wolves the size of a grown man, pounced out of the shadows and aimed at their prey. The Black Knight was prepared for the assault, though, and jumped off of his horse, dodging the swipes of claws and jaws. The horse kept going ahead while the Black Knight fought the wild animals.

They snarled at him while he took out his sword and went into battle position. The wolves tried to ambush him from all sides, encircling him in a ring. The first wolf to attack was from behind. It jumped at the warrior, mouth agape. He sensed this and spun around, swiping the sword against the wolf’s side. It crumpled to the ground, blood gushing out of the large gash that was in its torso. The other wolves did not run in fear, though. Instead, they attacked again, full of rage. The last two jumped at the Black Knight from his sides. All he did was back up, watching the beasts plow into each other head first. It sent them in a daze and gave him plenty of time to finish them off. He stabbed one in the gut while it staggered, and it fell into a pool of its own blood. The other wolf was on the ground, writhing around in pain. He put his boot on the wolf’s neck and raised his bloodied sword, ready to strike. Then, he brought it down with all of his force onto the skull of the animal, ending the animal’s life. A loud *Crack* sounded the creature’s death. The Black Knight took his sword out of the wolf’s cranium and put it back into its holder.

“I think that’s a good place to stop at for the time being,” I said.

I glanced at the clock; 6:25.

Dad should be here soon.

He usually gets home at around 6:30 or so. His job has him fix servers that go down, or fix servers that were fried. He's almost like a repair guy, though I wouldn't call him that. He also does programming at that place too. He tried teaching me this stuff one day, but I sucked at it. Hard drives, motherboards, and heat sinks are too advanced for my brain right now.

He’s always fun to be around. Dad is one of the people that everyone likes, because nothing gets him down. He’s always making up jokes or just being plain awesome. In school, he was most popular for having good karma. Having been in a robotics club, his creativity with his work got him loads of ribbons.

Specializing in technology, he wanted to be someone working with cars, electronics, and many other things. He met Mom in his robotics club and they grew to like working with each other.  They got married when they were old enough and had me... And this all happened.

The front door opened and shut loudly. That must have been Dad coming in. The marble floor makes sound in my house blow up to ten times the amount of what it normally is. I could whistle quietly and it would be like screaming in a microphone.

I opened my door and turned into the living room. My eyes met with his and he smiled.

“Hello,” he said.

Oh yeah, and he wasn’t exactly the talkative type. That kind of makes the two of us, I guess.

“Hi sweetie, how was your day at work?” Mom said as she closed her door.

“It was good, not many server burnouts or crashes,” Dad said.

“That’s good, are guys you ready to go?” Mom said.

We were planning on eating out tonight for dinner. Mom didn’t feel like cooking today.

“Yep,” was both of our responses.

“Alrighty then, let’s get going, I’m starving.”

Everyone regrouped outside of the door and Dad locked it with his key. It was beginning to get dark outside. The sunset was a beautiful mix of orange, red, and purple. The sunlight was growing dimmer and dimmer as time progressed.

Dad unlocked his truck and I hopped in, settling in the leather seats and buckling myself in. The doors slammed shut, and we took off, backing out of the driveway and strolling down the road at a steady pace.

I leaned against the side of my window, staring at what was left of the sun. The moon was now making its appearance in the sky, glowing silver through the clouds that was blocking it. I looked down at the necklace and held it out in front of my face, watching it glimmer in the light.

Now I can carry the moon with me, wherever I go. My lips raised into a slow smile as I returned my gaze to the sky.

9 Years Later…

I looked toward the sky on the way back to my apartment. It was 7:30, and the moon was high in the sky. I welcomed it with an open heart, not like one of those other people I call my ‘acquaintances’, more of like an old friend. A friend that I could talk to that wouldn’t criticize me for my personality.

I was about 2 miles away from my home on a walk through the neighborhood. The concrete beneath my feet was flat and narrow. The road beside me was occupied by cars and trucks, either heading home, or to their night shift. My feet felt sore from the dress shoes that I wore, but that didn’t stop me. I loved to be outside at night to look at all of the stars and street lights. The darkness was calming after a hard day of work.

My job is to work as a doctor for the local hospital. I like the fact that I’m helping people, rather than ignoring them. My steady income of about 40 dollars an hour keeps me fed and sheltered.I get off at 6:30 and usually get home by 7. I don’t take my car to work that often, since it’s so close by.

A chilling wind blew past my face as I was walking. It was the middle of December, but no snow came down. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t get cold here though. It can get down to 60 degrees in this time of year. Luckily for me, I was still wearing my coat. The thick layers protected my body from the icy weather. It must be at least 69 degrees out here.

I should get back inside, I don’t want to catch a cold. Wouldn’t that defy the purpose of me being a doctor?

I confuse myself sometimes. I started my way back home on that lonely night, mind completely blank by my stupid question.

The next morning, I woke up with my alarm clock blaring in my ear. My feet ached from last night’s walk as I tried to stand up. Time for my morning routine; shower, clothes, breakfast, work, repeat.

I entered my bathroom for the first step. I like to have the water at a hotter temperature; I’m not into cold showers.

I dumped my shampoo on the top of my head. The fresh-smelling liquid seeped out of the bottle and spread on my hair like pouring syrup on pancakes, though it wasn’t as sticky. I rubbed the gel deeper into my hair and rinsed it off. My wet hair stuck against my forehead.

Okay, maybe it is as sticky as syrup,’ I laughed. ‘But don’t people actually use syrup as a shampoo of some sort?

There we go again; I screwed up my thoughts with another question that I couldn’t answer.

I turned off the shower, feeling slightly rejuvenated. Grabbing a towel, I wrapped it around my head and began to dry off my hair. It’s weird how my hair becomes as soft as a pillow when it’s cleaned with some sort of soap.

I put the towel back on the rack and went over to my dresser. I pulled open one of the drawers and took out a red pair of boxers, slipping them on so I wouldn’t have to look at my junk anymore. I don’t really like looking at it, but I don’t feel ashamed of it or anything, it just slightly disturbs me. Alright, enough talking about ‘it’, now onto my other clothes.

Since I have to look professional at my job, I got a black dress shirt and some black dress pants, including the shoes. I geared up for work and approached my bedroom door. That’s when I remembered it. I turned back around and went to my night stand.

The necklace was sitting there, shining from the sun coming through my window.

“Almost forgot you,” I said, reaching down to put it on.

It still fit perfectly after all of these years. I tucked the moon under my shirt and left my bedroom.

“You know what? I think I’ll just pick up something on the way there.” I didn’t have much to eat here anyway, other than Honey Nut Cheerios.

I grabbed my keys off of the counter and exited the house, locking it behind me.

“My feet hurt too much to walk again so soon,” I said with a small grimace.

I clicked the tiny remote in the cluster of keys and my car responded with a loud *Beep*. The car door swung open and I entered the driver seat.

I stuffed the keys into the ignition and the car lit up like a Christmas tree. I backed out of the driveway and sped off to the street. I checked the time on my watch; 6:54.

Gah! I’m going to be late!

My car was increasing speed, dodging other cars that were moving at a slower pace. The traffic came to a halt at a stop light. I was the first car at the top right corner. I was nearly there, only 2 more miles to go.

The light changed green and I stepped on the gas. A loud horn broke my attention and made me look right. Then, time seemed to slow down as my life flashed before my eyes. A large semi-truck was going full speed ahead… directly towards me. Time sped back up as the truck slammed into the side of my car, flipping it over dramatically.

My thoughts were foggy and my sight was beginning to fade. Blood dripped from my face onto the ground like dew dripping off of a leaf. There was shattered glass and broken car parts surrounding me. The last thing I saw before I was gone was a light, a very bright light, and it wrapped me in its warm glow.

Is this how it all ends?