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Neighborhood Outbreak

When Rambunctious Boys Descend Upon the Backyard

By Jessica C.Published 2 years ago 8 min read
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“Thanks so much for coming! I know it was last minute, and we sincerely appreciate you helping out!” Serena was warmly greeted at the door.

Walking through the open door, Serena returned the boys’ mother’s smile. She didn’t mind a little spontaneity. Embracing the unexpected and staying flexible helped keep life interesting, after all.

Their mother guided her towards the back of the house in search of the boys. The pair of brothers, Eli and Aiden, were taking advantage of the warmer weather and romping about the backyard.

Glancing at the scene transpiring outside, their mother shook her head and remarked, “We currently have a wild pack of rabid boys on the loose in the backyard. The neighborhood boys love to congregate here; all the houses around here are brimming with boys.” She paused before assuring, “You’re only responsible for our two—I’ve contacted their moms, so they know to stay outside or go home.”

Serena chuckled, watching the outbreak of boys and their antics. The nine boys ran rampant all over the yard, unafraid of playing a bit rough or taking a tumble. It was a blessing that it was such a gorgeous day. The intensity of their energy levels would prove rather disastrous if the group had been confined to indoors. That was a travesty that the neighborhood had luckily avoided.

Their mother proceeded to explain the rundown of the night, what to make for dinner, when to send the boys to bed, and the like. Amidst the instructions, the swarm of boys had suddenly disappeared. Serena blinked, confused as to how such a rowdy, noisy group managed to vanish without anyone noticing. It was almost as if they had never been there at all, but the remnants of their fierce Nerf war lay scattered all over the backyard, proving otherwise.

5-year-old Aiden sprinted up to the backdoor and burst inside, panting. Scanning the area frantically, he began to race around the house in search of who knew what.

Catching his attention, his mother inquired, “Where’d your brother and all the other boys go?”

“Huh? Oh, they all ran away because I told them that my grandma is alive,” Aiden replied breezily and as if it were blatantly obvious and common knowledge.

His mother raised a dubious brow, perplexed by her son’s answer. “Your grandmother is alive, you goof.”

Aiden noticed Serena’s presence and exclaimed, “AAAHHHH!!! MY GRANDMA’S ALIVE!!!”

Serena chuckled, unfazed by the odd reaction. Working with children as often as she did, she rolled with their exclamations and games. It didn’t always make sense, but it often led to interesting and entertaining stories.

Aiden grabbed Serena’s hand, pulling her to go outside to the deserted battlefield. “Come on. Come on! We have to go outside!” he urged insistently.

Serena allowed herself to be guided outside; she had no qualms with getting fresh air. Plus, Aiden was bound to have information about the “battle” that transpired. Whether he provided accurate information or decided to delve into the imaginative and fictional, Serena’s intuition felt that it would be an intriguing tale.

“Sooo,” Serena began. “What happened to everyone? They all just seemed to have disappeared.”

Aiden began to climb up the play structure in the corner of the yard, glancing at Serena as he remarked nonchalantly, “Well, they didn’t run away. Actually, I threw them all into a pit of lava. It’s connected to our basement, but they can’t escape.”

Stifling her laughter, Serena inquired, “Oh, so you have a pit of lava? That’s new. I don’t remember seeing one before.”

Weeeelllll, the others were scheming in their secret base—we’re going to have a big Nerf war next weekend. They thought they could get away from me, but they were wrong,” he confided. “Buuuuuut the lava pit was filled up with dirt 15 years ago and used to be right there,” he added, pointing at a patch of dirt in the opposite corner of the backyard.

“Is that so?” Serena remarked with a smile.

“Yup!” Aiden answered. “You know, I fought in a war 50 years ago.”

“Oh, really? Aren’t you five years old?”

Aiden nodded fervently before exclaiming, “Yes! I was 2 years old for 45 years, though. The war was crazy. You see this horse?”

Serena gazed at the springy rocking horse located next to the play structure. It looked like something her grandmother used to have at her home years ago. The horse looked well-loved, and Serena surmised that the boys had spent a great deal riding it. She nodded in response to Aiden’s question to let him know that she was listening and paying attention.

“This horse is my brother’s. He served as my brother’s noble steed in World War 1. It’s sad, though. He got turned to stone after the war, and now he’s just a horse statue,” he declared.

“Oh, that sounds serious. It’s not every day that a horse gets turned into a stone statue,” Serena observed.

As Aiden swiftly glided down the slide, Serena glanced back at the “war horse.” A lot of its paint was worn away due to repeated use, but it seemed to be in great condition otherwise. As her perusal gravitated downwards, she noticed a wrapper lying in the grass next to the horse. She crouched down, curious, and noticed that it was some kind of nut granola bar wrapper. “Who left this wrapper out?” she asked.

“Hmm?” Aiden slid down the slide once more to get a better look before replying, “Oh, that must have been the horse.”

“Didn’t you say that it got turned to stone and is a statue? I don’t think statues eat or litter.”

“Oh, well, actually, it was one of my stuffed animals,” he amended. “I threw him in jail for all eternity so he can learn his lesson about littering and take responsibility for his actions.”

Serena swallowed her laugh, thinking, that certainly is dramatic and intense. Littering certainly isn’t good, but it might be a tad excessive for culprits responsible for a single piece of litter to earn a prison sentence for eternity. She shook her head, amused by Aiden’s explanations and stories.

Gazing up at the fluffy, white clouds rolling across the bright blue sky, Serena took in a deep breathe, savoring the fresh air. It was a gorgeous day, and she was happy to take advantage of it. Aiden had no qualms of playing outside, and the fresh air would do him wonders. It might make bedtime go more smoothly, too, as he might be tuckered out and willing to go to sleep instead of trying to sneak out of his room and stay up later.

Suddenly, Aiden started shouting. A bit perplexed about the sudden change, she inquired, “Why are we yelling now?”

“Because this is Scream Land,” Aiden proclaimed with absolute certainty. “You need to scream!”

“What if I don’t want to scream?”

“You have to scream! If you don’t scream in Scream Land, you will be executed with a sword!” he declared dramatically while gesturing slicing a neck.

He certainly has a flair for the dramatics, Serena mused before replying, “I’ll pass on the scream, thanks.”

Fine,” Aiden huffed with a sigh. Glancing at the sky, his eyes widened. “We have to go inside!” he urged vehemently. “Rain is coming! It’s going to flood! It’ll go over your head!”

Serena eyed the sky, taking note of the blanket of gray clouds looming overhead. She conceded that it could rain with the swift cover of storm clouds now above and noted that it was increasingly windy, but flooding would be an exaggeration. Maybe the backyard would gain some deep puddles, but she doubted it would flood this time. It hadn’t rained too recently, which made it unlikely, although, not impossible. Serena decided to humor him, and they raced back to the house.

Aiden decided to go to the basement to play and watch shows, finding his older brother Eli playing Minecraft. Browsing the selection, Aiden picked Teen Titans Go and got comfy. Serena settled down on the chair, content to read while the boys chilled in the basement.

After chilling and playing in the basement for an hour or so the trio decided to return to the main level. The group noticed the approaching sunset but was surprised with what else they found. The mass outbreak of neighborhood boys had returned to the backyard with a vengeance and were as rowdy as ever, coming full circle to the beginning of the afternoon when she first arrived. Serena was surprised that the mass of boys could descend upon the land so noisily while being so close without anyone noticing. It was certainly an interesting day of babysitting, and Serena found the day’s events ever-so amusing.

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About the Creator

Jessica C.

I've always enjoyed creating, whether it be art or stories. I've enjoyed creating art from a young age and have worked in a variety of schools. I adore anime & cats. Over the summer we adopted baby Tsuki/Tsukihime, my moon princess kitten.

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