Chapter 4: The Reflection

After a long brilliant day at the lake, the sun and Timmy become exhausted and needed rest, at least the sun will always shine as bright as the day before. When Timmy made it home again he repeated the same process of entering the house as quietly as possible. When he walked passed his father’s room, relief overcame Timmy when he heard snoring from the slumbering beast. Tonight, Timmy was safe.

 He entered his room, and slid the book under his decaying wood made bed. Upon putting on more comfortable clothing to get better sleep, Timmy’s eyes caught attention to a little boy staring at him. For the first second this boy was completely unrecognizable until he realized it was himself. It has been a very long time since he truly examined himself in the mirror. Timmy stepped closer to the reflection and concentrated on his blue eyes. He saw the current of the lake in it and got lost, going through all the memories. He then looked away and noticed each freckle spotted on his face centered above his nose. His shaggy deep rich brown hair cursed a shadow on his face. Timmy was a beautiful little boy. He was often told he wasn’t and always thought he was ugly.

The last thing he noticed before in-casing himself in sleep was that he got older. He forgot about time but the small hairs growing on his chin and upper lip brought back the truth. Timmy never really cared about how old he was, he just wished he could freeze time at certain moments. Pondering about this subject he fell asleep, dreaming about everything, losing all aspects of time. 

Chapter 3: The Book

Sunlight sifted through the window and illuminated the room in yellow. Timmy awoke in a fetal position in the corner of the room, rubbing his eyes and making his annual yawn. Slowly he rose but small jabs of pain shot up and down his body like lighting. He looked out the window to make sure his father’s car was gone, and like usual at this time of day, it was. Timmy exited his room to the kitchen to find some food. Upon opening the pantry he found a can of beans which he thought would do plenty. Grabbing the rusty, but trusty can opener he cut open the can, and quickly devoured the meal. Timmy was not allowed to use the stove so cold beans it was.

Feeling full and satisfied Timmy soaked in the bath tub for 20 minutes to wash away dirt and filth that had cemented to his body. Afterword he took a quick look around the house to make sure nothing was out of place, and if it was he would eliminate the problem so a bigger problem wouldn’t occur once his father came home. Timmy often checked twice, just in case. Finally he made his way back into the bedroom and dug under the bed to pull out a hard cover book. He blew off the dust that made home on it into the surrounding air where it spun into little spirals dancing around him. The gold print on the book shined beautifully when mixed with the rays from the parallel window. World Atlas was what the book was called, Timmy’s favorite book. He often dreamed in his sleep of being in the worlds that the book consisted of. Many of the places seemed unreal, and too spectacular to even exist. He studied the atlas as if it was his calling in life. This book kept him sane, such as the lake. His two favorite things in the world.  

The sun was almost already in the middle of the sky so Timmy knew that if he wanted to spend as much time at the lake as he could, he needed to leave now. With the book in his hand Timmy flew off to the water, where he would be in a different city, a different country, even a different continent, at least until the sun was ready to set. 

Chapter 2: The Darkness

The wooden door that stood face to face with Timmy didn’t greet him, but more so ridiculed him. When he slowly turned the door knob and pushed the door, the whole house creaked. He closed the forsaken door behind him and quietly tried to make his way to his room. Every step made an echo due to the fact there wasn’t much furniture in the house. Everything was old and with a poke, seemed like it all would collapse. Just before Timmy could make his way into the nesting of his room, his concentration was broken by the shatter of glass, more than likely a bottle of whisky from across the hall. Immediately following afterword, heavy footsteps one, by one, growing louder shuffled into Timmy’s ears. Then too dismay, Timmy’s father stood 20 feet from him staring Timmy down as if he had done something wrong. His father stumbled over and picked up small little Timmy with one giant hand. The breath of the drunken man was steam from a dragon on the boy’s face, melting away all that was there. His father took him to his bedroom and did what he did every night. Some may ask why Timmy doesn’t run away, but the truth was that Timmy had nowhere to run too. He often turned into a thousand year old petrified tree gazing at the horrors that took place around him. After everything was over Timmy was thrown into his bedroom. Into pitch darkness.  

With eyes closed he made his way into a corner in his room and decompressed. As much as he tried to fight every single emotion the conjured up inside he simply fell victim and let tears avalanche out. He sobbed for hours. But he wouldn’t dare open his eyes to more darkness. He couldn’t turn on the lights because his father would know, and physically he couldn’t even do so. After he stopped crying he just thought. Then he asked for help, not to anyone but just to the air around him. He prayed, not to any god or deity but to the world. He needed light to push away the shadows of the evil but how? Timmy knows he did not do anything wrong to deserve this but he often though he did. Was it because he often stole candy from a store when he was younger and never got caught to redeem his wrong doing? Or was it because he saw one of his classmates beat up a kid behind the school one day and when asked what happened by his teacher denied everything, the world was taking its revenge. It was neither of these. People teach you that everything happens for a reason but the innocence of a 12 year old boy being ripped from his own very soul and being crushed into a bloody mess into the pavement below is not something that just happens. Timmy wanted to give up on the world but knew he couldn’t. He knew that in a few more hours the black around him will fade and the sun will be there again to shine through the window, to eliminate the darkness.

Chapter 1: The Lake

The lake’s waves were soft, soft just like the way Timmy liked it, carrying his body afloat like a small boat. Timmy was one with the lake and the lake was one with him, at least that’s how he felt at that exact moment. Nothing in the world made Timmy feel more relaxed. As he drifted along he examined the various birds that flew around him and the different creatures that swam next to him, unafraid of him. He imagined them greeting him, he thought they were his friends. He never really talked to them but with a smile he would sum up a whole conversation. They made him feel happy.

For the whole summer, Timmy would come to the lake and simply just lay in it, all summer, every single day. The lake was his mother. The waves were arm’s cradling him, the sounds and whistle of nature around was his mother’s sweet lullaby sinking him to sleep. He filled gaps in his heart worn from abuse with love from the waters he swims in. When Timmy was hurt, the lake washed away the burns.

                The best part of the day was sunset. The big orange sky magnified the beauty of the lake by ten folds. The sky above turned into sherbet, which he could taste. The lake would always become silent as if the show just began and everyone was watching a performance of a life time. On top of this being Timmy’s favorite part of the day, it was also the most upsetting, and it meant he needed to go home. The lake was more of a home than his house, home is where you feel love, and there was no love at where he lived. Just a dreary cluster of heartache and pain Timmy must fight off.

He slowly but surely swam back to the shore. He swept off the sand and collected his courage to march home. Every day without missing a beat he looked back at the lake and captured the fragrance of the site, just in case it might be his last. He blew a kiss and said goodbye. The rumble of the water was the lake’s farewell. Timmy paced off before the last bit of light transformed into darkness. Timmy was scared of the dark.