DESPERATE

6

It was a big day for Andrea's family. Tom had a crucial meeting with the CEO and coworkers today; he needed to impress them with his new project. Jillian was going to do a presentation about Saving the Environment at a Catholic University nearby; she hoped to inspire the students and faculty with her passion. It was also the first day of school for the children; they had to face new teachers, new classmates, and new challenges.

The air was heavy with tension and anxiety during breakfast. Everyone had a bad night. No one seemed willing to talk about it. Unable to sleep, Jillian stood next to the counter, stirring her steaming coffee. She glanced nervously at the window, hoping the intruder wouldn't come back. Tom was still upset with his wife for disturbing his sleep; he skimmed quickly through the newspaper and munched on his charred bread. While Jordan and Gail ate their mushy flakes, they made faces at each other.

Furious as hell, Dionah rushed into the kitchen, "Jordan, I'm sick of your disgusting pranks. Why didn't you flush the toilet? You left your crap there. I almost threw up in the bathroom."

Jordan rubbed his forehead, "I have no idea what you're talking about." He ignored her and kicked Gail under the table.

"It wasn't me," the little girl replied. "Probably the boogeyman."

"Don't be ridiculous. The boogeyman doesn't exist. It's all in your head." Jordan snapped. He shuddered as he remembered the eerie sound of the owl hooting in his room.

Dionah wouldn't stop complaining about the foul smell in the bathroom last night. Tom had enough. He banged his fist on the table and shouted, "Shut up! I don't want to hear about shit in the toilet while I eat." He got up from the table and grabbed his mug of steaming coffee. It splashed all over his white shirt. A wave of fury crashed through him. He hollered all sorts of cuss words in the book.

"Mommy, mommy, make him stop!" Gail sobbed as she covered her ears. Jordan was frozen. He was amazed by his father's vocabulary. He tried to memorize all the new words. Dionah gave her father a disdainful look. It was pathetic to see a grown man throw a fit.

"How dare you swear in front of the kids. You're upsetting Gail. Poor child can't stop crying." Jillian scolded. She stroked her daughter's hair to soothe her. Tom glared at his wife. He stormed out of the kitchen to change his stained shirt.

Inside the wall, Randall watched the Andera's morning chaos with curiosity. He couldn't wait for them to leave so he could have the whole house to himself.

"Hurry up, kids. We can't be late." They left their unfinished food on the table and went upstairs to get ready. Tom was the first to leave the house, followed by his wife and children. When Randall saw the cars leave the garage, he took off his clothes.

He strolled around the house in his birthday suit, feeling the cool breeze on his skin. He glanced at the food left on the table and shook his head in dismay. "What a waste of food," he muttered. His stomach growled, but he ignored the tempting leftovers. He had a better idea. He decided to whip up his own morning feast. He cooked some eggs, bacon, toast, and pancakes. He devoured his meal with gusto, savoring every bite. After he ate, he let out a loud burp and rubbed his bulging belly.

After finishing his meal, Randall headed to the parent's bedroom. He found the vanity table where Jillian usually applied her makeup. He grinned at himself in the mirror. His hair still looked horrible. He took some rubber bands and tied his unkempt hair into messy pigtails. "I need a haircut," he said, taking a liquid eyeliner and drawing dark circles around each eye. "I look like a panda." He put a lot of white face powder all over his face, making him look pale and ghostly. He took a red lipstick and smeared it all over his mouth. "Oh, my mouth is bleeding." He burst out laughing.

Randall wanted to get a better view of his appearance. He stood in front of a full length mirror across from the bed. He was thrilled with his transformation. He looked like a clown who had escaped from a circus. He stood sideways in front of the mirror and shook his hips quickly right from left.

Mrs. Veronica was an elderly widow who lived next door to Andera's family. She was lonely and bored, so she spent most of her time tending to her rose bushes. She loved the smell and the color of the roses. She was outside, watering her plants, when she felt a sudden pain in her neck. She stopped and massaged her neck, hoping to ease the stiffness.

As she massaged her neck, she saw a small, odd-looking person dancing naked in the window. "Oh dear, what is that?" She rubbed her eyes and it disappeared. "I need to change my medication. It's making me hallucinate.”

Randall was having a blast. He didn't notice the old woman watching him from the window. He heard a dog bark outside and peeked out the curtain. He saw an old woman staring back at him. He quickly ducked behind the curtain. "Oh fuck! The old woman saw me. I need to pay her a visit tonight before she tells the Andera family about me. I can't stand nosey neighbors."

He stormed into Dionah's bedroom and rummaged through her dresser. He pulled out a bra and a lace thong and put them on. He passed by Gail's room and saw the Barbie dolls watching him. He hated them. He snatched three Barbies and went into Jordan's room. He ripped off their heads and legs and threw them under the bed. It was payback time for smartass Jordan, who had disrespected his sister. He searched for the iPad and found it inside the cluttered closet. Without hesitation, he deleted all the games on it. Satisfied, he went back to his den and rested. He left all his disguise on for tonight. He had to make sure the old woman wouldn't snitch on him.

In the evening, Mrs. Veronica, the elderly neighbor next door, sat on her favorite wicker chair on the porch. While she sipped her chamomile tea, she rested her aching legs on a beanbag footstool. She spent most of her time taking care of her garden. It was a backbreaking task for an old lady. She couldn't stop thinking about that bizarre person in the Anderas' house. "Should I tell Jillian about it? What if she thinks I'm just a senile old lady?" she said aloud as she stirred her cold tea.

Mrs. Veronica saw Jillian and the kids in the car pull into their driveway. They waved at each other. She didn't want to have problems with her new neighbors and kept the strange incident to herself. She placed her teacup on a table and stood up to do some stretching exercises. It was a terrible idea. She pulled some muscles on her back and legs. "That's enough for today." She went back inside her house to prepare herself a light dinner.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Veronica sliced some tomatoes into the mixer. She sighed, thinking about her deceased husband. He had passed away several years ago. They didn't have children. She lived alone. People advised her to get a pet to keep her company. She flatly refused. Animal fur scattered all over the house disgusted her. She looked out her kitchen window. It was already dark. She drank her two glasses of tomato juice and went to bed.