Where Stars Touch Reality: A Collection of Short Stories

Mama's Boy

Taylor looked out into the fields from the rooftop of the barn. A paradise only someone who was brave enough to climb a rickety old wooden ladder, on the verge of collapse, up four stories, could ever find. It was a place of refuge for Taylor. Away from crazy cousins who liked to beat up smaller children and an uncle that was to blind to see the torment Louie, Van, and Edward had placed upon poor little Taylor. Looking out upon the rolling crisp wheat as it swayed with the ever blowing breeze was a sight that few wouldn't appreciate. Hidden by the shadows of the loft window, it was the only place Taylor could cry in peace.

And cry he did. More so than usual knowing that tomorrow was the start of harvest week. A week of profit and joy for most, but for Taylor, it was never so. It was a week of hard work in which his cousins were little help. He was forced to do the labor of five and to make matters worse, he didn't even get paid. Uncle Benny always gave the money to Louie, who was supposed to divide it evenly. But Louie's version of even was he gets half the money and he gives his brothers the rest. Taylor never received anything. Why would he give money his leech of a cousin who was nothing but a freeloader in his house and sucked up all of his father's spending money- the money that used to be spent on him and his brothers?

But that was nothing for Taylor. He was used to that sort of treatment. The worst part about harvest week was knowing that was the week his mother died.

Almost three years ago, she was found floating in the stream, knife in her back. Taylor could never forget the day. He could never forget the pale blue dress she wore, how it was tied at the waist with a silky white lace that trailed behind her as she flowed from place to place. Her brown hair with strands that whipped at her face. Her hazel-brown eyes that were so kind and loving. And her smile. He could never forget her. He saw her face every time he looked in the mirror. He avoided mirrors a lot these days.

Taylor would never forget that moment. He sat on the bench waiting for her to return. She said she had a surprise for him. She said to wait here. On the bench over looking the stream. It used to be painted yellow, but at that time only flakes of bright colored paint remained. He heard a scream. She said she was fine. She said she'd be back. She said to stay right there on the half-yellow, half-brown bench that used to be their sanctuary. When she didn't return an hour later, he went to find her. What he found instead was a bloody woman. She made the stream run red. She made tears run down his face. Tears that never stopped.

At sunset, Taylor climbed down from his safe haven. It was almost dinner time. You didn't miss dinner at home. Aunty Gracie would kill you. And death wasn't something Taylor was fond of.

Taylor climbed down the ladder, slowly. Getting down was always harder than scurrying up. He walked around the side of the barn to the front, where he usually kept his backpack. Instead of finding his book bag, Taylor found papers caked in mud and hay- the obvious work of Edward, who loved to pull pranks like this.

He bent down to grab up what was left of his homework and find his backpack in the dim orange-purple light. He was so focused on making it home to Aunty Gracie and her sweet potatoes and baked chicken, he didn't notice them until a swift kick and knocked him into the barn door. Louis. Only Louis can kick that hard. "Looking for this, Mama's Boy." A voice called. It was Van holding Taylor's torn up backpack in his arms. Van probably orchestrated this whole mess. It's something he would do. Taylor wouldn't have been surprised to find out that Van was the bandit who killed his mother. He would do anything if he believed it would benefit him. Van was, by far, Taylor's most dangerous cousin. He was the only one who truly scared him. And he knew that Van could tell.

"Did the poor Mama's Boy drop his book bag in the mud," Taylor hated when he called him that, "And he messed up his homework, however will he do it, tonight. Doesn't he know that Miss Shirley doesn't accept excuses. Whatever will he do?" Van nodded at Louis who proceeded to kick Taylor again. He groaned.

"You ought to leave that boy alone, dearie." A girl called out. Taylor looked up to see a beautiful brunette wearing a washed out button down shirt and loose deans with slits in the knees. She completed the outfit with a straw hat, the kind most of the farmers here used to keep the sun out of their faces while the worked. Her thick accent cut deep like a knife and her suggestion sounded more like a threat than anything else. "You never know what could happen out here, where there's no one around for almost half a mile." She paused smiling deviously, "You never know."

Edward shrunk into the corner at the sound of the girl's voice. Louis was about to challenge the heroine, but Van put a hand to his chest, "Let's go. She isn't worth your time, Louis." He walked away casually, Edward scampering behind him and after a long moment of consideration and a frustrated stare, he followed his brothers.

Taylor groaned as he picked himself up off the ground and dusted off his pants, with little effect. Taylor rose from her seat, one of the rusted barrels that lay half-hidden in the wheat field. "Here you go, dearie." She said thrusting his backpack at him. Taylor stared at it seeing that now it was mended and even cleaner than before. He looked inside to find his homework was saved... and already completed. "Who... who are... you?" Taylor stammered. "Come with me." She said.

Talyor followed the girl to past the wheat fields to the neighboring forest. The nameless girl stopped her brisk walk in front a large tree. "Climb." she commanded as she began to. Taylor, extremely puzzled followed the mystery girl up the tree.

When they reached the highest branches that would support them, they stopped. "I'm Merlin." The magical girl said. "Uh, I'm Taylor." he choked. "Yes, I know." Merlin said staring of into the distant moon rise. They sat in silence admiring it's beauty for a long while.

"Taylor, before I go there are things I must teach you." Merlin said, quietly as if in a trance. "Like what?" Taylor replied confused as ever. "It's okay to be confused, Taylor. But soon you will understand. Just remember..." Merlin said taking Taylor by the hand and starting deep into his eyes.

"Some people are like roses
Sweet and Delicate, but thorned
Like Me

Are like grass
Swaying with the wind
Like Edward

Are like blossoms
Leading bright beautiful lives
Like your mother

Are like potatoes
With their best parts buried
Like Louis

Are like weeds
Sucking up every nutrient
Like Vancely

Are like fruit
Eaten away
Like Benjamin

Are like mushrooms
Surviving where they can
Like You

Are like birds
Who must learn to soar
Like us."

With that Merlin leapt from the roof, dragging Taylor down with her. They fell fast and swift and right as they were about to hit the ground everything went black.

When Taylor awoke he was in his bedroom on the third floor of his Uncle Benny old house that had been in the family for generations. He was sitting in the chair by his window. On the small desk next to him was plate of baked chicken and sweet potatoes with a note saying, Feel better, Taylor. -Aunty Gracie next to it. But Taylor felt fine. Better than fine. He lifted up his shirt and found that the bruises that would be forming from the kicks to his side Louis had delivered, were non existent. A final gift from Merlin. Taylor wondered when he would see her again, gazing out the window as two birds flew, side by side, off into the night.