7

This Just In -

Where is he now? Pauline wondered.

"I don't care," she said aloud.

Maybe he still has them. Maybe he didn't sell them and he's just waiting to give it back, she thought.

"We both know that's not true."

Pauline never considered talking to herself a bad thing. She got herself through some pretty stressful situations before. And, she thought that she was great company. While most children without siblings would create some imaginary friends, Pauline talked to herself. On the playground, she would sit facing a wall, cross-legged (or 'pretzel-legged', as it was called back then), asking questions in her mind and answering them aloud.

"I wish I wasn't so stupid." She hugged the throw pillow close to her chest and curled up into a ball. The light from the TV was the only thing illuminating the room.

And, the weatherman said in the cockiest voice Pauline had ever heard, it seems to me that this is going to be the wettest summer in, say, three years. After this thunderstorm passes over towards New Jersey, New York is expecting another one. Isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard, John?

John, Pauline recited the name in her head. There was always a John on the news. Whatever happened to creativity when naming your children?

It was hard to believe that Pauline had spent half the day watching the news. Watching the same stories repeated every ten minutes after a seven minute break for commercials. Was every story emphasized to the extreme? Yes. But, Pauline continued watching the news until she had that one story about an old woman's missing Chihuahua stuck in her head.

It was five-o-clock and the storm was starting to calm down. The sky was a swirly mixture of gray and orange. The sun was on the brink of setting.

Do you think he's okay? Pauline's subconscious asked soothingly.

"Why do I care, again?"

It's not really right to just leave him out there like that.

"Well, the right things aren't always easy."

Maybe –

"Enough with the maybes! He had his chances and he took advantage of them. I'm done with being looked on as some kind of welcome mat."

Where did the 'welcome mat' come from? He never treated you like that. He looked at you like some kind of blessing.

"He turned into thin air a couple of years ago. And you know perfectly well where the 'welcome mat' came from."

The 'welcome mat' originated from a grudge that Pauline held since grade school. A grudge that she held against most people – they were always looking for someone to take advantage of. She found it fitting to bring up now.

Shattered glass hit the wooden floor in one of the other rooms. Pauline shot up, straightening out her red dress. She stood up, looking frantically for some kind of weapon. She grabbed a vase and walked into the small corridor.

The sound came from her room.

She pushed the door open lightly. Her grip on the vase loosened and it fell to the ground.

There was a man was on her bedroom floor, probably unconscious.

"Sir, sir, are you okay?"

She rushed over to his side, nervous and nauseous. He grabbed her hand abruptly and looked up. His voice was as sharp as a razor blade.

"Do as I say, or else."

Pauline stood back, but he held onto her.

Where is he now?


See, I could have made this longer, but I don't like to dwell on unnecessary details. It makes me feel like I'm dragging on and I feel uncomfortable with that. And I can't go into detail well.

The only other event after this is the event after this, so I couldn't really fit it all in. It would be too much too soon. Plus, Klutz's plan deserves a little more build-up. Hopefully I won't disappoint.

There you have it. The shortest chapter in my first short story. Wonderful, idn't it?

I don't like it, I don't hate it, I just didn't know what to do with it. It's one of those scenes that I don't like but have to be put in the story for it to progress. My only favorite part was describing the news through Pauline's eyes.

Criticism or not, all reviews are welcome!

- Great Mistake