Categories > Celebrities > Slipknot > The Day The Whole World Went Away
Disclaimer-I do not own Slipknot. This story is entirely fictional. I do not profit from these stories.
I woke up the next day in the late afternoon. I lay in bed for a while, just enjoying the warmth of the quilts and the surroundings in my new room. The sunlight reaching through the small window made it look even cozier than the night before. Once again I was filled with a surge of happiness with my new, although temporary, home.
Being a 7 year old meant that my attention span was short, and enjoying the aesthetics of my small room didn’t keep me content for long. I roused myself from my bed and pulled on some clean clothes from my duffel bag. A single duffel bag carried all the belongings I had, and I was used to not unpacking it. We never stayed anywhere long enough to bother, especially if it was a Boyfriend’s house. But my affection for our new home gave me the motivation to clean out the contents of my bag and designate places in my room for them.
I got to unpacking, setting my belongings in different spots in my room. I would set a Mickey Mouse doll on the little bedside table, stare at it, decide it would look better on my dresser. Move it to the dresser, examine it again, before moving it back to the bedside table. I repeated this routine with all my things. I took this job very seriously. Then I unpacked my clothes into the small dresser with three drawers. It was simple—I put shirts and sweaters in the top, shorts and pants in the middle, socks and underwear in the bottom. Once I was complete I looked over my new domain, and a surge of childish pleasure coursed through me. Finally, my own room.
I then set out to find my mother. Walking a few paces down the hallway in the morning light, I peered into the door next to my room to see my mother partaking in the same unpacking routine. I quietly walked inside; she heard the creak of the floorboards and turned to see me.
“G’morning. Did you sleep ok?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Good.” She stated simply and went back to unpacking. Her room was slightly larger with a big bed. Some unwashed jeans and shirts lay across a chair, while and alarm clock and a half empty bottle of whisky lay on the bedside table. She was sharing a room with the Boyfriend.
“I’m going in town this morning with Jack to look for a job.” My Mother said while folding a pair of jeans. “I’m not sure when we’ll be back. Jacob will be home to watch you.”
I nodded. I assumed Jack was the Boyfriend. Jacob was the man sitting by the fire the night before.
“Well, now that you’re up, we’re gonna head out.” She said, leading me towards the door. “I was waiting ‘til you woke up to let ya know. I think Jacob picked up some Life cereal at the drugstore yesterday just for you.”
We went down the stairs and into the warm living room. The fire was now out and the sunlight spilled through the windows with drawn-back curtains. Jacob wasn’t in his rocking chair, but the dog was still sleeping soundly on the carpet. It seemed as if it hadn’t moved since last night.
We walked into a rather spacious, dingy kitchen just off the living room. The cabinets and counters had a 70’s style about them. The stove and the fridge were old and yellowed. A table was nestled on the far side of the kitchen, where Jacob sat eating a bowl of cereal.
“Jacob will get you some cereal. Have a good day, k?” My mother bent down and kissed my cheek. She hugged me tight before exiting the kitchen. I then heard the slam of a screen door as she left the house. Left me.
Still slightly foggy from sleep, I stood cautiously watching the tall man at the table. He wore black pants with a long-sleeved black shirt. His brown hair was combed and cropped close to his head. A pair of reading glasses sat low on his nose and his eyes were fixed on an open book next to his cereal bowl. My stomach growled.
“Want some?” Jacob said, not letting his eyes leave the book.
“Um, sure…” I said softly before approaching the table and seating myself next to him.
Jacob silently rose from his seat and took his now empty bowl to the sink. I watched his movements as he grabbed a clean bowl from a cabinet. To this day, I still can’t fully describe the way he moved. Everything was done with purpose, like he was confident of every reach, step, and action. I could have sworn he had a notebook with a pre-ordained game plan of every move he was going to make. Every day of his life, every minuscule action, was pre-destined in his mind.
He returned to the table with a bowl filled with Life cereal. He handed me a spoon and I dug in greedily. He left the kitchen and I ate in silence.
Once I had finished my cereal, I returned it to the sink just like Jacob had done. I could barely reach it, and had to stand on my toes to set it inside the sink. I walked back into the living room, where I noticed Jacob sitting on the same rocking chair from last night. It was a similar picture—the dog, the man in the rocking chair, the same room, but in the daylight and without the crackling fire.
Making my way into the living room, I came close to the dog lying on the carpet. This time the large dog was awake and panting slightly, staring at me as I approached. It was a Newfoundland—a large, dumpy canine with a long coat of black fur. Its jowls hung low past its panting mouth. Its eyes were deep set and warm, chocolate brown.
“Does he bite?” I queried. I never spent much time around dogs. The only dogs I remember were large pit bulls or mutts belonging to various Boyfriends. I was always cautioned to stay away from those.
“Cass? Nah, she’s a good ‘ole girl.” Jacob answered.
With Jacob’s words, I moved closer to the dog. I lowered to my knees and lifted my hand to pet Cass. The dog lazily moved her head upwards to sniff my hand. After a short paused, she relaxed back into the floor and allowed me to pet her head. I scratched behind her ears, relishing in the soft feel of her fur.
“Here, she likes catching this.” I heard Jacob say. I turned and saw an old, chewed up tennis ball in his hand. I caught it when he tossed it to me.
Moving a little back from Cass, I showed her the ball in my hand, which she eyed curiously. Confident that I had her attention, I tossed the ball in her direction. Instead of valiantly jumping up from her spot to partake in some impressive act of acrobatics to retrieve the ball, it bounced pathetically in front of her paws. She blinked lazily.
I heard Jacob snicker behind me. “She used to be more energetic. She’s more interested in sleeping and lazing about now.”
I sighed. I was hoping to enjoy the company of a lively dog while I was here. Cass was as lazy as some of the Boyfriends.
Slowly Cass lumbered up and walked towards me. I was intimidated by the sheer size of the dog, and thought about running. But instead of an attack, Cass pressed her front paws into my legs and lay back down onto the floor. She rested her head in my lap and nudged my hand, a demand for me to pet her. I giggled and continued to scratch her head. I could hear the rocking of the chair next to me. Sweet silence.
I woke up the next day in the late afternoon. I lay in bed for a while, just enjoying the warmth of the quilts and the surroundings in my new room. The sunlight reaching through the small window made it look even cozier than the night before. Once again I was filled with a surge of happiness with my new, although temporary, home.
Being a 7 year old meant that my attention span was short, and enjoying the aesthetics of my small room didn’t keep me content for long. I roused myself from my bed and pulled on some clean clothes from my duffel bag. A single duffel bag carried all the belongings I had, and I was used to not unpacking it. We never stayed anywhere long enough to bother, especially if it was a Boyfriend’s house. But my affection for our new home gave me the motivation to clean out the contents of my bag and designate places in my room for them.
I got to unpacking, setting my belongings in different spots in my room. I would set a Mickey Mouse doll on the little bedside table, stare at it, decide it would look better on my dresser. Move it to the dresser, examine it again, before moving it back to the bedside table. I repeated this routine with all my things. I took this job very seriously. Then I unpacked my clothes into the small dresser with three drawers. It was simple—I put shirts and sweaters in the top, shorts and pants in the middle, socks and underwear in the bottom. Once I was complete I looked over my new domain, and a surge of childish pleasure coursed through me. Finally, my own room.
I then set out to find my mother. Walking a few paces down the hallway in the morning light, I peered into the door next to my room to see my mother partaking in the same unpacking routine. I quietly walked inside; she heard the creak of the floorboards and turned to see me.
“G’morning. Did you sleep ok?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Good.” She stated simply and went back to unpacking. Her room was slightly larger with a big bed. Some unwashed jeans and shirts lay across a chair, while and alarm clock and a half empty bottle of whisky lay on the bedside table. She was sharing a room with the Boyfriend.
“I’m going in town this morning with Jack to look for a job.” My Mother said while folding a pair of jeans. “I’m not sure when we’ll be back. Jacob will be home to watch you.”
I nodded. I assumed Jack was the Boyfriend. Jacob was the man sitting by the fire the night before.
“Well, now that you’re up, we’re gonna head out.” She said, leading me towards the door. “I was waiting ‘til you woke up to let ya know. I think Jacob picked up some Life cereal at the drugstore yesterday just for you.”
We went down the stairs and into the warm living room. The fire was now out and the sunlight spilled through the windows with drawn-back curtains. Jacob wasn’t in his rocking chair, but the dog was still sleeping soundly on the carpet. It seemed as if it hadn’t moved since last night.
We walked into a rather spacious, dingy kitchen just off the living room. The cabinets and counters had a 70’s style about them. The stove and the fridge were old and yellowed. A table was nestled on the far side of the kitchen, where Jacob sat eating a bowl of cereal.
“Jacob will get you some cereal. Have a good day, k?” My mother bent down and kissed my cheek. She hugged me tight before exiting the kitchen. I then heard the slam of a screen door as she left the house. Left me.
Still slightly foggy from sleep, I stood cautiously watching the tall man at the table. He wore black pants with a long-sleeved black shirt. His brown hair was combed and cropped close to his head. A pair of reading glasses sat low on his nose and his eyes were fixed on an open book next to his cereal bowl. My stomach growled.
“Want some?” Jacob said, not letting his eyes leave the book.
“Um, sure…” I said softly before approaching the table and seating myself next to him.
Jacob silently rose from his seat and took his now empty bowl to the sink. I watched his movements as he grabbed a clean bowl from a cabinet. To this day, I still can’t fully describe the way he moved. Everything was done with purpose, like he was confident of every reach, step, and action. I could have sworn he had a notebook with a pre-ordained game plan of every move he was going to make. Every day of his life, every minuscule action, was pre-destined in his mind.
He returned to the table with a bowl filled with Life cereal. He handed me a spoon and I dug in greedily. He left the kitchen and I ate in silence.
Once I had finished my cereal, I returned it to the sink just like Jacob had done. I could barely reach it, and had to stand on my toes to set it inside the sink. I walked back into the living room, where I noticed Jacob sitting on the same rocking chair from last night. It was a similar picture—the dog, the man in the rocking chair, the same room, but in the daylight and without the crackling fire.
Making my way into the living room, I came close to the dog lying on the carpet. This time the large dog was awake and panting slightly, staring at me as I approached. It was a Newfoundland—a large, dumpy canine with a long coat of black fur. Its jowls hung low past its panting mouth. Its eyes were deep set and warm, chocolate brown.
“Does he bite?” I queried. I never spent much time around dogs. The only dogs I remember were large pit bulls or mutts belonging to various Boyfriends. I was always cautioned to stay away from those.
“Cass? Nah, she’s a good ‘ole girl.” Jacob answered.
With Jacob’s words, I moved closer to the dog. I lowered to my knees and lifted my hand to pet Cass. The dog lazily moved her head upwards to sniff my hand. After a short paused, she relaxed back into the floor and allowed me to pet her head. I scratched behind her ears, relishing in the soft feel of her fur.
“Here, she likes catching this.” I heard Jacob say. I turned and saw an old, chewed up tennis ball in his hand. I caught it when he tossed it to me.
Moving a little back from Cass, I showed her the ball in my hand, which she eyed curiously. Confident that I had her attention, I tossed the ball in her direction. Instead of valiantly jumping up from her spot to partake in some impressive act of acrobatics to retrieve the ball, it bounced pathetically in front of her paws. She blinked lazily.
I heard Jacob snicker behind me. “She used to be more energetic. She’s more interested in sleeping and lazing about now.”
I sighed. I was hoping to enjoy the company of a lively dog while I was here. Cass was as lazy as some of the Boyfriends.
Slowly Cass lumbered up and walked towards me. I was intimidated by the sheer size of the dog, and thought about running. But instead of an attack, Cass pressed her front paws into my legs and lay back down onto the floor. She rested her head in my lap and nudged my hand, a demand for me to pet her. I giggled and continued to scratch her head. I could hear the rocking of the chair next to me. Sweet silence.
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