Shortish Stories

Sam

For X_Drew_Tanaka_X  sorry this is late!

I look out the window, wishing this day was over. I just found out that my grandma died. She wasn't all that great, or important to me. It's just that I've never had a death in the family before. Angrily I kick the wall below the window, and plug my headphones in.

Mom taps my shoulder, and I turn to face her. She motions for me to remove my headphones, and I do so reluctantly.

"Sam, you have to get dressed. The funeral is today." She says. She wasn't close with grandma either, and it makes sense since grandma wasn't her mom.

I tromp into my room, and throw on black pants and a T-Shirt. I grab my long black coat, and walk downstairs again. Dad is fully decked out in a black suit. Oddly enough, he's not as upset as I thought he would be. She was pretty awful to him when he was a kid though....

Dad is atheist, so is mom. But grandma is a Jehovah's Witness, and you know what that means. No holidays, no birthdays, no anything! But of course, church every weekend. So naturally he felt suppressed. I just would've thought he would've been more depressed. She's his mother. I know I'm not sad, but that's cause we didn't visit her much.

I'm jerked out of my thoughts when mom pokes her head in from the kitchen, yelling "where are my keys?!"

Of course. Mom looses lots of things. She's holding something, sets it down, and 2 seconds later it's gone, she can't find it! I find her keys on the counter behind her, and hand them to her. We all climb into the car, and I insert my headphones once again.

*******

We reach the place where we say the... What's that word again?? You know, after somebody dies, you say a sort of speech thing about them? Well we went to the place where you say that thing.

Walking in, I see lots of people, but most of them are old. And then I see Grandpa. He's crying, and my aunt Alice is trying to comfort him. My dad heads over to do the same. I glance up at mom, and she positions us near the middle, but more on the left.

A man steps up, and I can see the coffin. I assume he's the guy who starts off by saying some nice things. I zone out, figuring I don't need to say anything, so why pay attention? Different old people go up, and then my dad. I don't listen to what he says, but his expression is pained.

Dad joins us again as Aunt Alice speaks. When she's done, that guy goes up again. He's droning on and on, until mom and dad stand up for some reason, so I do too.
"You inherit the property, and it is mentioned that Sam gets a certain necklace. This necklace is enclosed in an envelope, which you may retrieve later." He says. Mom and dad sit down, and I'm only a split second behind.

I get a necklace? Really? That's the stupidest thing I ever heard! I don't wear jewelry! Grandma really doesn't know me.

As the rest of the people file out, mom motions for me to go up to the guy who said the nice things. I walk up to him, and he hands me the envelope. I walk back to my parents, and we go outside. It's cold, and I'm glad for my thick jacket. I open the envelope, pulling out the necklace.

It's on a thin gold chain, and there's no clasp. The pendant portion is also gold, but it's a circle with a symbol engraved on it. Under my parents watchful eyes, I slide it over my head, slipping it under my shirt.

We watch them lower her coffin in the ground, and people throw roses. After that, we go to a monster of a house, and Grandpa tries his best to host. Grandma was always the hostess. There's food, and most of the old people fall asleep in chairs or on sofas. We leave, driving back to our house. Unfortunately, my phone died, so no more music.

******

Arriving at our house, I flop down on my bed.

"You can read before bed" mom says, startling me. I nod, and she leaves. I pull on PJ's, and grab the book I'm reading. It's a sci-fi novel, called the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Everyone else has already read it, but I just managed to get a copy.

I feel the necklace on my chest, but it's adjusted to my skin temperature so it's quite comfortable. I'm still at the beginning, so I don't really know what's gonna happen yet. I turn on my reading light, and open the book.

((Disclaimer, I don't own this book!! Douglas Adams is the writer!))
"Six pints of bitter," said Ford Prefect to the barman of the Horse and Groom. "And quickly please, the world's about to end."

This, somehow, for some reason, who knows how, transported me to a chair. I was in this chair, in a bar. What bar? Why? I'm underage, you know. And then I heard the next lines.

"Oh yes, sir? Nice weather for it," the barman said. He was a dignified old man, with glasses. He had started pulling pints when he said, "Going to watch the match this afternoon then?"

The other man at the bar glanced back at him, saying "no, no point." And then I knew. That face... And the face next to it... And the barkeep...

I'm inside a book. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, to be precise. And unfortunately, I know the world is about to be destroyed. And for a galaxy freeway, no less!

I keep an eye on the men at the bar, rushing out when the second man does this. Of course, this is Ford. And I run after Ford, who runs after Arthur. And after a few moments, I hear the voice I hadn't known was coming. Of course, I had seen the huge yellow things coming out of the sky, and I had heard Arthur shout "What the hell's that?!"

But this voice said it belonged to Prostetnic Vorgon Jeltz, and I didn't like it one bit. And of course, I didn't like it when it said the yellow ships would destroy the Earth.

The silence was deafening.

The noise was silencing.

And I was back on my bed, gasping for air.