Categories > Original > Horror
"Emily? Aren't you going to touch your porridge?" Mother tried to wake me from my trance at the dining table.
"No ma'am. I'm not the least bit hungry," I couldn't think of anything better to say. Being with Mother always made me feel safe, I loved her more than anything in the whole wide world. Her parents named her Jill, but Mother always wished she was named Emily, so she passed the name down to me. It was pleasing to know that I was an accidental child because birth control wasn't around those nine months before I was born. But Mother thanks God each and every day for my existence, 'cause she'd be awfully lonely.
Today I played sick so I could spend time with her. The floral print on our walls were always peeling, Mother said she'd fix that when she got her child support money. Sadly, Father rarely sent money to us. We despised him. Everyone did. It was his idea to put me in a half-way house, isn't that cruel? He thought I was a criminal, a burden on society. I was his biggest mistake but Mother never wanted to think of me that way. I was a blessing in disguise.
Our tea kettle whistled to let us know it was done but my throat was feeling mighty sore this morning so I just settled for water from the tap. Once, blood came out of our faucet. Mother was convinced that it was Father who played this dirty trick on us but it was just another dead body in our water system. Hasn't it happened to everyone? Well, Mother just told me to go sit on the sofa and rest. I'm not tired...
Sometimes at night, I hear Mother crying. I caught her doing it once and all she did was cover her face with a handkerchief and shoo me out of the room. It keeps me up at night, I wish she'd stop. "Jack, Jack, why did you have to bring the world down on our heads?" It's what she always moaned. Nothing was on the television, pretty typical because I don't fancy cartoons. Each little hand on the fire engine red clock spun in unison, almost as though time was deciding it couldn't stop for us.
I felt a little queasy so I picked myself up and carried me to the powder room down the hall. Whenever the light flickered on, my eyes had to glance into the mirror. In my face you could see my Mother. Each and every feature, her face was sparkling with unrivaled beauty. You couldn't say the same about me, because I was just a clone. Except that I had my father's mouth. Mother didn't like to look at me when I talk, she preferred staring at the ceiling fan. Oh... Well...
I crawled back up into my bedroom because there was a strange feeling picking at my insides, ripping at each heart string and threatening to kill me from heart failure. A broken heart killed my grandmother, you know. "Emily dearest? I know you feel under the weather but can you go down the street and ask Mrs. Cabrera for some sugar?" Mother pleaded to me from the den. Doing as I was told, I slipped my worn out sandals on and zoomed out the door without one little word.
When I reached Mrs. Cabrera's house, she wasn't even home. I knew this 'cause her car wasn't in the driveway and her pesky little poodle, Tara, was barking at the windows. Mrs. Cabrera always gets her dog when it barks and normally she takes it everywhere. Something wasn't right... I shook it off and headed home. Some cars passed by and everything like orderly around here but I always know when there is trouble in the air.
Halfway home...
Almost there...
My front door was open, I scratched my head in confusion. Mother always as the screen door closed when she needs fresh air but maybe not this time. Today the grass was extra crispy, I made a mental note to come out on the lawn and look dreamily at the stars tonight. For some reason, Mother was screaming in our kitchen. Maybe there was a raccoon in there or something, but no. He came back.
"Stay out of our lives, Jack! You're not welcome in here! Emily hates you!"
"I'll tell you whether or not she hates me. I'm taking her back so shut your damn trap!"
"Emily!" Mother had spotted me in the door way. What was I to do? Father stared at me and ran towards me.
I ran...
See... I saw him.
Jack... Don't let him catch me.
Run... And that's what I did.
See. See. Jack. Jack. Run. Run.
I wish I could... Sacrifice myself.
If it meant getting the Jack part out... I'd do it.
I'm half Jack.
A rock tripped me, I fell...
And Jack came tumbling after.
"No ma'am. I'm not the least bit hungry," I couldn't think of anything better to say. Being with Mother always made me feel safe, I loved her more than anything in the whole wide world. Her parents named her Jill, but Mother always wished she was named Emily, so she passed the name down to me. It was pleasing to know that I was an accidental child because birth control wasn't around those nine months before I was born. But Mother thanks God each and every day for my existence, 'cause she'd be awfully lonely.
Today I played sick so I could spend time with her. The floral print on our walls were always peeling, Mother said she'd fix that when she got her child support money. Sadly, Father rarely sent money to us. We despised him. Everyone did. It was his idea to put me in a half-way house, isn't that cruel? He thought I was a criminal, a burden on society. I was his biggest mistake but Mother never wanted to think of me that way. I was a blessing in disguise.
Our tea kettle whistled to let us know it was done but my throat was feeling mighty sore this morning so I just settled for water from the tap. Once, blood came out of our faucet. Mother was convinced that it was Father who played this dirty trick on us but it was just another dead body in our water system. Hasn't it happened to everyone? Well, Mother just told me to go sit on the sofa and rest. I'm not tired...
Sometimes at night, I hear Mother crying. I caught her doing it once and all she did was cover her face with a handkerchief and shoo me out of the room. It keeps me up at night, I wish she'd stop. "Jack, Jack, why did you have to bring the world down on our heads?" It's what she always moaned. Nothing was on the television, pretty typical because I don't fancy cartoons. Each little hand on the fire engine red clock spun in unison, almost as though time was deciding it couldn't stop for us.
I felt a little queasy so I picked myself up and carried me to the powder room down the hall. Whenever the light flickered on, my eyes had to glance into the mirror. In my face you could see my Mother. Each and every feature, her face was sparkling with unrivaled beauty. You couldn't say the same about me, because I was just a clone. Except that I had my father's mouth. Mother didn't like to look at me when I talk, she preferred staring at the ceiling fan. Oh... Well...
I crawled back up into my bedroom because there was a strange feeling picking at my insides, ripping at each heart string and threatening to kill me from heart failure. A broken heart killed my grandmother, you know. "Emily dearest? I know you feel under the weather but can you go down the street and ask Mrs. Cabrera for some sugar?" Mother pleaded to me from the den. Doing as I was told, I slipped my worn out sandals on and zoomed out the door without one little word.
When I reached Mrs. Cabrera's house, she wasn't even home. I knew this 'cause her car wasn't in the driveway and her pesky little poodle, Tara, was barking at the windows. Mrs. Cabrera always gets her dog when it barks and normally she takes it everywhere. Something wasn't right... I shook it off and headed home. Some cars passed by and everything like orderly around here but I always know when there is trouble in the air.
Halfway home...
Almost there...
My front door was open, I scratched my head in confusion. Mother always as the screen door closed when she needs fresh air but maybe not this time. Today the grass was extra crispy, I made a mental note to come out on the lawn and look dreamily at the stars tonight. For some reason, Mother was screaming in our kitchen. Maybe there was a raccoon in there or something, but no. He came back.
"Stay out of our lives, Jack! You're not welcome in here! Emily hates you!"
"I'll tell you whether or not she hates me. I'm taking her back so shut your damn trap!"
"Emily!" Mother had spotted me in the door way. What was I to do? Father stared at me and ran towards me.
I ran...
See... I saw him.
Jack... Don't let him catch me.
Run... And that's what I did.
See. See. Jack. Jack. Run. Run.
I wish I could... Sacrifice myself.
If it meant getting the Jack part out... I'd do it.
I'm half Jack.
A rock tripped me, I fell...
And Jack came tumbling after.
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