by M. A. Torres
The fire looked widespread from their position, but hadn’t covered the field completely. The Christmas décor lay scattered throughout, no longer animated, or hostile.
Two white vans drove up moments later, their windows tinted, completely opaque. Agent Law stepped out from one and rushed towards the burning field.
“It’s the agent... what’s his name,” said Jake.
“Law, Agent Law,” remembered Matthew.
“Yeah, let’s get outta here before he sees us. Looks like the decorations stopped attacking.”
The boys turned back and sneaked their way out of the area. By the time they reached the others, a helicopter was releasing a red substance over the burning field, calming the flames.
Chapter Twenty-Six:
We Found Him
Kevin sat on his sofa, wearing his favorite ugly Christmas sweater. It was bulky, warm, and comfortable—adorned with red, green, and white horizontal stripes. A huge Rudolph head was stitched on the front, its red nose enormous and fluffy. The nose was Velcroed on the sweater and could be removed and used as a pillow.
Mark introduced him to his very first home console—the one he used to play as a kid back in the previous century. “So, this is my Atari 2600,” he explained to a dumbfounded Kevin.
The console was a black and gray rectangular device. Its wired controls were clunky and simple, comprising one joystick and a lone red button. Kevin held one and glanced at Gabby, whose face spelled underwhelmed bewilderment.
“One button?” asked Kevin.
“Yeah, you’ll see that’s all you’ll need,” said Mark as he fiddled with the back of the television. Then he grabbed the remote and pushed the power button. “So, what game do you want to try first?” He placed a large cardboard box filled with games besides them.
Kevin reached in first, sorting through various black plastic cartridges. “So, these are the games?”
“Yup, these are them. They are the ancestors of current game discs, believe it or not,” Mark raved.
Kevin found one he recognized. “E.T.!” he hollered. “This movie is great! Have you seen it, Gabby?”
Gabby shook her head. “No, but I’ll put it on my list.”
Gabby wore jeans and a brown sweater, two sizes too big. Her beanie was still on her head, and her face was more handsome than pretty. She was a sarcastic girl and got along great with both Kevin and Tara. She was not into sports or clubs, but she was a gamer and loved to read.
“E.T. is good, but it’s sad,” added Tara.
“Oh. Well now I don’t want to watch it cuz I’m afraid I’ll cry,” Gabby said in jest. She grabbed Tara and tickled her sides.
Mark inserted the E.T. cartridge into the console and flicked on the switch.
“What the?” Kevin was confronted with a large pixilated E.T. head. Then, he was in control of the small alien amidst graphics that reminded him of a pre-historic Minecraft. “What am I supposed to do?” He moved the alien to the next screen, then found himself inside a deep pit, from which he could not escape. He looked at Mark with pity.
“Yeah, this game is kinda whack, but some others in there are pretty fun,” explained Mark.
Ms. Martinez entered the room and gave them all a beaming smile. She had curled her hair and applied red lipstick. She wore a dress and heels beneath her coat.
“Mommy, you look pretty!” Tara said.
“Thank you, Honey. Now you all be good with Gabby! I’ll have my cell just in case you need to contact me, okay?”
“Don’t worry about us, Ms. Martinez, just go have fun,” assured Gabby.
“Yeah, Mom, everything will be all right,” added Kevin.
Ms. Martinez kissed both of her children goodbye.
“Have fun with those games! See ya, buddy!” Mark fist-bumped Kevin. Luckily, he was not as strong as Bruce, Son of James.
“See ya, Mark. Thanks for bringing your games.”
“You got it.” Mark smiled at Tara and held out his fist.
Tara met it with hers. Mark pulled back, squirming in agony. “Tara, you just about broke my hand!”
Tara giggled.
“C’mon silly.” Ms. Martinez pulled on Mark’s arm, and they were out the door.
Kevin turned back to the box of games.
Gabby was already sorting through it. “Let’s try this one.” She held up a cartridge called Asteroids. Its cover displayed a grand spaceship shooting asteroids upon the backdrop of an Earth-like planet.
Kevin inserted the game, and he and Gabby began to play. The grand spaceship turned out to be a tiny triangle which shot dots at fluffy looking objects they assumed were the ‘asteroids.’
Gabby and Kevin looked on with disappointment.
“Are these what cavemen used to play?” he asked.
Kevin tried other games, but it was more of the same—amazing cover art followed by underwhelming graphics. “Hm, I think I’ll stick to my X-Box.”
“I don’t blame you, Kev,” agreed Gabby. She stood and removed her beanie, letting her red, curly hair drop to her shoulders.
Auburn hair!
“Gabby, your hair’s red!” Tara noticed.
Her natural hair color was brown.
“Oh yeah, you like it?” She ran her fingers through it.
“Yes, it looks pretty,” approved Tara.
“Gabby, are you in theater?” asked Kevin.
... beautiful girl upon a stage for all to see and honor... Gabby is not particularly beautiful, but she’s not ugly either.
“No.”
“Is there a chance you’ll be on some sort of stage anytime soon?”
“No. Kevin, why do you ask?”
“No reason.”
Gabby gave Kevin a narrowed-eyed side glance, then took Tara by her hand. “C’mon Tara, let’s go play Barbies.”
“Yey!!” she hollered.
Kevin added Gabby to his mental list of red-haired girls he knew. Sylvia, Megan, and Gabby.
He sighed, then tried another Atari game to ease his mind. Many of the games he started, he quit after just a few minutes, unable to decipher their objective. But the few that were simple enough to not require an instruction manual he found to be more fun. Pac-Man was addictive, but nowhere near the Pac-Man version he had played at Arcade Rock. He also took a liking to Defender and Space Invaders, which reminded him of Galaga—one of his favorite cabinets at Arcade Rock.
He played Atari for another twenty minutes. Then, he sat in Tara’s room and observed the manner in which Gabby played with his sister. If he was going to babysit Tara for entire evenings, he figured he should improve his Barbie gaming skills.
An hour crept by and Kevin was trying his best to stay awake. Gabby and Tara had played non-stop, and their constant soft chatter was putting him to sleep.
The adventure had begun inside Tara’s dollhouse, where the two prepared Barbie and her friend—a dark haired doll named Jaime—for the long and arduous day ahead. A day Kevin soon found would be spent at the make-believe mall, shopping for clothes and looking for boyfriends.
Gabby was a natural with Tara, playing off her suggestions and adding her own when it seemed the current scenario had lost steam. It was a plethora of make-believe drama, from Barbie accidentally ripping her dress, then having to shop for a new one, to Barbie and her friend rushing to the mall to make their hairdresser appointments on time.
Kevin tried to stay focused through it all, but his eyelids were anvils, and he dozed in and out. Unwilling to succumb, he forced himself to stand and walk to his kitchen. He took a Coke from the fridge, flicked the tab open and brought the can up to his lips. He tipped his head back and took a long and deep drink. The caffeine would surely perk him up, for he intended to practice his sword skills well into the night.
He returned to the living room and turned on the television. The Grinch that Stole Christmas was on. He plopped down on his couch and remembered watching it every Christmas, back when he was younger—back when his father was still arou
nd, and they were one big happy family.
If it were something important, he would have come for it.
Kevin changed the channel to something less stressful. He never noticed when he fell asleep.
He was racing down the shadowed tunnel, attempting to reach the distant radiance. But like before, the light was just beyond his reach. He slowed to a jog, then to a walk, and realized the glow remained the same distance away anyway—just beyond the reach of his outstretched hand.
Then the beings appeared. Both woman and man, the crown of fire upon their heads, their hands stretched out before them, and a hint of a smile upon their faces.
“WHO ARE YOU?!” he hollered, wasting no time.
“I am a mother, and he is a father,” said the woman.
Before Kevin could follow-up, she continued. “The child you must protect can be found amidst the moon, the stars, and the ringed planets.”
“What?”
The beings faded away.
“No! No, no, no, no, no! Wait!” he screamed.
He woke to find Gabby and Tara next to him on the couch. Tara was leaning on Gabby’s side, her eyes half-closed while Gabby caressed her hair. The Charlie Brown Christmas Special was showing. A news ticker at the bottom of the screen informed of a forest fire in north Wakefield Falls, which was being investigated as arson. It did not dawn on him then—his mind was tangled with the words he had heard inside his dream.
The child you must protect can be found amidst the moon, the stars, and the ringed planets. What on earth does that mean?
He sat up and rushed to his room. He grabbed his phone and texted his friends.
Me 8:24 pm
Had a visit from the light
beings. Told me I could find the child
amidst the moon, the stars,
and the ringed planets.
JAKE 8:26 PM
What the heck?
Me 8:26 pm
I know. Riddle after
riddle. Everyone be on
the lookout for a child near
space stuff.
Matthew 8:28 pm
Will do. Wait till you hear
What we went through tonight.
Me 8:29 pm
Was that you? Just saw a ticker
on the TV about a forest fire.
Matthew 8:30 pm
That was us. We could
have used your help.
Me 8:29 pm
I’ll call you later!
KEVIN PLACED THE PHONE down. He opened his closet and pulled Flameclaw from its bag. He walked into his recently cleared garage, where the space was more conducive for sword practice. He took Flameclaw with both hands and swung it in flurries through the air, pushing himself to be quicker with the blade and nimbler with his feet. After thirty minutes of practice, he returned to his room, put Flameclaw away, and walked to his kitchen. He poured himself a glass of juice. As he crossed the living room, he noticed Tara peeking out of the window.
“What are you looking at, Tara?” he asked.
“Shhh. There’s something strange happening at the witch’s house,” she whispered.
Gabby approached the window and peeked out.
“Something happening?” asked Kevin.
The girls did not respond. Kevin walked over and took a spot next to Gabby. He looked at Old Em’s. Her house was dark—not even her Christmas lights were on.
“What’s so strange, Tara?”
“I saw lights flashing inside her house... through her windows.”
“Huh? I see nothing, do you, Gabby?”
“Tara’s right. I saw flickering lights inside her house. It looked really weird.”
“Maybe her lights went out or something,” reasoned Kevin.
“I don’t know, I’ve heard many stories about her.”
“What stories?” asked Tara.
“Just rumors—that she’s a witch. How she never dies. How she eats children to stay alive...”
Tara gasped. “That’s what you said, Kevin.”
“They’re just stories, Tara. Not real.”
“Every rumor is based on some level of fact, though,” argued Gabby.
“What do you mean?” asked Kevin.
“I mean every myth, every story, is based on some truth. Of course, people add to it over the years, but the core of the story remains.”
“So, you’re saying Old Em really eats kids?” asked Kevin.
“No, but maybe she is someone to be feared.”
Tara and Gabby returned to the sofa, but Kevin remained at the window. He stared at Old Em’s house a bit longer and noticed a flicker inside her side window.
That was weird...
Kevin rushed to his garage, looked through a cardboard box and pulled out a set of binoculars. He returned to the window and raised them to his eyes.
He scanned the side of Old Em’s home. Only the house silhouette was visible through the darkness. He viewed the rear window, searching for any sign of activity, but found none. He sighed.
“See anything?” asked Gabby from the couch.
“I thought I did a moment ago, but nothing.”
Then he saw it—a flicker of light from the right of his viewing frame. He shifted the binoculars to the right.
Could have sworn I saw something there...
He stared at the darkened window for a few moments, waiting for another sign of activity. Then it flickered again... Old Em was standing at the window, staring at Kevin.
“OH MY GOD!”
Kevin dropped out of view, the binoculars hitting the floor with a loud thud, his face fraught with fear.
“Kevin! What happened?” asked Gabby, rushing to his side.
“She saw me! She saw me staring at her house!”
“What?”
Just then, the lights inside the house went black.
Tara rushed to Gabby’s side and grabbed her legs. “I’m scared!”
“Don’t be Tara! Everything is okay; it was just...”
The lights and television flashed again, startling them all. They flickered with a black so dark it enveloped everything around it. A black neither of them had seen—a black that seemed to devour the light.
Gabby began to hyperventilate. She held onto Tara and glanced side to side at the front door and the kitchen. “Kevin... get your phone!” she commanded.
Then the television screen lit up. Charlie Brown was gone... in his place stood a crystalline tree within a tomb-like chamber—and a sarcophagus behind its glimmering branches.
Knock... Knock...
The knock came from the front door. The three dashed and huddled by the living room corner.
“Don’t open it!” whispered Kevin.
Gabby’s eyes were wide and pressed with fear.
Slow roots slithered like snakes from the sarcophagus on-screen.
“Kevin... look at the T.V.!” whispered Gabby.
The foliage was pouring from the sarcophagus, filling the screen.
Kevin hurried behind the television and unplugged it, but the screen remained on... then the foliage reached the screen... and emerged into the room.
Gabby and Tara screamed.
Gabby dashed to the front door and opened it, but standing before her was a figure in black. It was hooded with a dark cloak, its face hidden beneath a white mask with a long black tear.
“Halloween was last month!” screamed Tara.
SLAM!
Tara slammed the door on the intruder’s face.
“Follow me!” ordered Kevin.
The foliage slithered through the floor and towards their feet. Gabby took Tara in her arms and hurdled it while rushing towards Kevin.
“Not again, not again!” Gabby repeated.
Not again? Kevin wished to inquire, but there was no time. He sprinted towards his bedroom.
“Where are you going, Kevin?” hollered Gabby.
“I need to get my sword!”
Kevin turned down his hallway, but someone was there too,
blocking the path. It was dressed in black armor and wore a white smiling mask. He held a curved sword in his right hand—a sword with a blade as dark as the flickering light from moments ago.
Tara screamed again.
Kevin spun and rushed to the garage, with Gabby and Tara on his heels.
“Kevin, I’ve seen them before! They’re dangerous! We need to escape!” said Gabby as she pressed on the garage door button, but it was not opening.
Kevin did not respond; he was busy pulling his armor from the duffle bag. He donned his helm just as the side door bust open. Shade stood at the doorway, holding his black sword, prepared to engage the fearsome knight he had heard so much about. He creeped in, his steps measured and careful, his attention focused on his foe. Kevin took position before his sister and Gabby, holding a broom in his hands. His helm was on his head, and Rudolph’s enormous red nose was prominent beneath his chest.
Shade raised his hand, and suddenly, Kevin could not move. He tried to step back, but his legs were tree trunks buried in the earth. He tried to swing the broom, but his arms were stiffened oak. His eyes were still his to control, however, and what they saw was his worst nightmare coming to fruition—the zealots with the pale face had found him. They were all there—the one with the teardrop, the one that smiled, the one with a slash down its left eye, and the one with the two angry eyes. He had failed to heed Charlie’s warning, his ally beyond the grave... and now this was his deserved consequence.
“Is it really you? Kevin... the fearsome villain knight we were purposed to defeat?” said Shade. He eyed Kevin up and down. “Is this really you? Standing before me, holding a broom, wearing... huh, what are you wearing?” He chuckled. “It’s so disappointing. It’s so... anticlimactic.” Shade reached forward. “Let’s remove your helm so I can look upon your face, your eyes, and your mind.”
Suddenly, he regained control. Kevin swung powerfully and cracked the broomstick across Shade’s face, stumbling him sideways, his mask knocked half-way off. Shade clutched at his face and adjusted the mask before Kevin could get a good look.