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Crack!

An unforgettable weekend.

By Karimah PeartPublished 3 years ago 9 min read
4
Crack!
Photo by Shannon McInnes on Unsplash

“It’s freezing out here!” El said, as he tucked his head as far as possible under his plaid navy-blue and white pajama collar while twisting about, in an attempt to gain warmth. All while he stood in front of the peeling white wooden vacation home they were visiting for the first time.

“Yeah, but we’re here now. What do you want me to do about it?” Mike said, while grasping his flannel shirt tighter with one hand, and randomly slapping his body with the other.

Visibly frustrated El exclaimed “Well for one, you could stop being such an ass!”

“Me, an ass?!” Mike said in anger with his index finger pointed at himself.

“Yes you. You’re the one who dragged me out of bed and told me you needed my help in getting Tilly back inside; the stupid golden retriever that doesn’t even recognize his own name. All because you left the door unlocked. Oh and don’t get me started on the fact you said it would only take a minute but now the damn dog is no where in sight and we’re locked out. Yet, I’m the ass.” Shouted El, as his temples flared and the vein in his neck started to emerge. He continued, “We’re outside in our pj’s with bed slippers on our feet and no way to get back inside and it’s frickin’ 22˚ Mike!”

Mike said in a rather taunting tone “Stop being a baby. We’ll just ring the door bell.”

“And wake Martha and Joe up? Are you crazy?!” Exclaimed El.

“You’re the one who’s crazy because if you think about it, I’m pretty sure that they’d rather have two annoying children, than two dead children!”

“And what if they decide that they’re done with us? You know ever since we got here we’ve really put them through the wringer and so far they’ve been patient but what if this pushes them over the edge.”

“You worry too much El.”

“Yeah and you should be just as worried cause what if they say they don’t want us anymore? What would we do? I don’t wanna go back to that place. I like them. They’re nice people.”

With a smirk on his face Mike gave him the side eye while shaking uncontrollably “So much that you’re always talking about running away.”

“Yeah well sometimes I don’t want to get too comfy with the thought of having someone to call family. Ever think about that Mike?”

“Wow! I never knew that.” a statement accompanied with gorging glossy eyes.

“Yeah well…”

“El, what do we do now?”

“Well, we can’t get in the house but we can go across the lake and over to Mr. Lyn’s for the night. He’ll be sure to let us in. Then we’ll wake up in the early morn and then make our way back and act as if Tilly ran out just then.”

“Mike, you want us to skate across the frozen pond at 2 o’clock in the morning. You’re bat shit crazy! It’s even colder there and we only have the moon’s light! What would ever possess you to think of such an absurd totally idiotic non-sensical thing?”

“Well, do you have a better idea?”

El in a rushed tone, “Yeah, a million. Okay, that was an exaggeration but seriously, why can’t we just go the regular way?

“You mean, out the back, and around the dirt road?”

“Yes, exactly!”

“Because we’ll freeze to death before we even get a quarter way there stupid. The pond is our only option.”

In a rather resentful voice, El said “Just for the record, I am totally against this!”

The brothers walked their slender bodies capped with red hair to the outpost containing fishing supplies and skates. They grabbed themselves a pair and put them on and began making their way down to the pond. Right at the bank, they looked at each other and nodded their heads and then began skating. Their legs were shaking visibly and they were having difficulties keeping their balance.

“Look El, we’re almost half-way there! I…”

Crack! Crack! Crack! The ice begins to fracture beneath their feet and the brothers legs come to a complete stop, their teeth begin to rattle from fright, their breath even more visible in the cold air, their eyes riddled with shock, and mouths agape.

Crack! The Mackley twins look down at their feet and saw visible splits in the ice, some thick and short and others thin and long. The sight so frightening that El pees on himself.

“Mike! Mike! Mike!?” El exclaims while tears flow from his eyes, his knees slightly bent inwards and his face as pale as the inside of a cucumber.

Mike stood speechless, his eyes and ears intensely focused on any sign that the frozen pond was about to swallow them whole. Crack! Crack! Crack!

“Don’t move El! Stay right where you are!” Mike shouted. “Listen El the ice isn’t going to hold us for much longer, so we’ve got to haul ass! Do you understand me? This is serious! I need you to skate like you’ve never skated before! Show me just how fast you can go! You hear me?!”

El hesitates and just stares at Mike.

“Wake up, you little shit! On three we skate like our lives depend on it! 1-2-3 GO!”

El and Mike take off skating. Crack! Crack! Crack!

“Skate El skate!” Says Mike almost breathless.

“I’m trying!”

They’re a few feet away but the ice breaks and is crumbling under their feet so Mike pushes El forward and he makes it to the bank but twists his ankle. Mike is now behind and the ice is Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Cutch! Mike can feel the absence of the ice’s sturdy and solid state and instead feels a cold air rushing at the back of his feet. He’s only a few feet away but his legs are overwhelmingly tired and stiff.

“Skate Mike! Skate! You can do it! You’re almost here!” El exclaims while laying on the brink of the pond and his eyes popping out his head. He looks as if he’s about to witness the biggest tragedy of them all and he does. The outside lights of Mr. Lyn’s house turns on and just as Mike jumps for it and lands on the bank right beside El, out comes Martha, Joe, Mr. Lyn and Tilly.”

The two boys, whisper to each other while exhausted and their breathing visually heavy.

“Ah shit El.”

“Don’t ““Ah shit”” me! You’re the one that came up with this fricking brilliant idea!” El said in a rather sarcastic tone, followed by his mocking of the situation “I mean, you’re the one who said we couldn't go on the back road because we’d freeze to death. Well Mike we nearly drowned to death! Bet you never thought about that!”

In the distance, there were obvious footsteps and assorted yelling approaching.

Mike, in a very low tone “Well, what the hell do you want me to do about it now?!”

“Nothing! You've already done enough, and because of you, they're gonna send us back.” El starts mumbling.

Mike visibly saddened, “You don’t know that. They might just keep us because they’re so concerned.”

“Stop lying to yourself. The only thing that will make them want to keep us is if you actually are drowning and they save you.”

Then Mike thinks about it while putting his folded fist under his chin and is like “Huh, good idea. Why don’t you do it?”

“For starters I’m the one with the twisted ankle, remember? And it's a stupid idea!”

In a rather optimistic tone, he says “Yeah, but no, it’s pretty genius. It will work!”

“No it won’t. They’ve already seen us come out. They’ll just think you’re fricking crazy and instead of being sent back to the group home. We’ll be sent to the loony bin!”

Mike hangs his head and says, “Yeah but I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry El. I’m really sorry!”

Tilly rushes over, jumps on Mike, and starts licking his face.

El, looks at him rather jealously and says “I can’t believe this. I’m the one…you know what, never mind.”

Their heartbeats begin racing even more as Martha and Joe finally arrive. The boys begin bracing themselves for the speech. But instead, Martha says, “Joe I told you not to ride that snow mobile on the ice! But no you didn’t listen! I can’t believe I let you drag me out here at 11 o’clock in the night for the purpose of looking for that damn dog! That’s not even our dog!”

All the while Joe is just sighing. Then after what seemed like forever. Joe finally said “Martha, it was your idea to borrow Mr. Lyn’s dog so the boys would have some form of entertainment in this god forsaken, shit out of nowhere vacation home that doesn’t have tv, that by the way cost us a fortune.”

Meanwhile Martha was visibly upset; her brows knitted and supplying Joe with the look of death, all while Mike and El put on an award winning performance of tears and after being comforted, and having been carried inside, wrapped in heavy blankets that had seen better days and drinking hot chocolate, they look at each other with a very subtle smirk.

The night was short, but in the morning the boys woke up to the smell of french toast and being instructed to eat and pack because the trip was over. On their way back, they all hopped out the car at the nearest gas station to relieve themselves, refuel and pick up some snacks and as they were leaving the boys saw a dingy poster on a light pole that read, “Have you seen me? I’m two feet tall, fifty-six pounds and nine years old. I’m truly the sweetest Goldie you’ll ever meet. I love being outside and playing in the snow. I was last seen being taken by a man who owns rental property in a few remote places. My name is Biscuit, can you please help me get home? If there’s ever a time you've seen me, call this number…”

Simultaneously, the two boys looked at each other in utter shock. Then Mike said “I always knew he wasn’t a stupid dog!” El rolled his eyes and Mike ripped the poster off the light pole. As he was going to give it to Martha and Joe, the wind took it out of his hand and it flew away. Right unto the windshield of Mr. Lyn’s truck that was heading down the main road. Unable to see Mr. Lyn slammed on the breaks and the car flipped. In the end after all the commotion and people rushing from everywhere to help, he survived but Biscuit didn’t.

Short Story
4

About the Creator

Karimah Peart

I've always had difficulty in being raw and vulnerable but fine and literary art allows me the ability to do so and the process gives me joy. I hope that my art inspires you to do the same and if it does, you try to inspire others as well.

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