(The Loud House and/or other related titles are rightfully owned by Nickelodeon)
(This story is a work of fanfiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the writer's imagination or are used fictitiously. All statements, actions, descriptions, stunts, information, and material of any kind are included here for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied upon for accuracy. Any resemblance to actual moments, locales, or persons - living or dead - is entirely coincidental.)
Chapter Nine:
You Are My Neighbor
Sunday afternoon, the next day. 4:01 P.M.
When the Pingreys had finally arrived at Lynn's Table, it was quite the surprise to be sure. Many times, in the past year, the restaurant was always within their lines of sight whenever they drove around the neighborhood running errands and what not. They talked a few times about wanting to go there someday to see what the food was like but could never quite get around to actually going there. Never thought that that would actually happen because of this kind of occasion.
So when the five of them had walked inside, they were all welcomed by quite a sight.
Not only were the Louds there, but also some of the people who knew the family were here as well; there was Mr. Grouse, the Louds' grumpy but good-hearted next-door neighbor. Flip Phillipini, penny-pinching miser, cheapskate, and owner of Flip's Food & Fuel gas station, which the Pingreys had stopped at every now and then. Kind of a wonder to see him of all people here. Then again, it wouldn't surprise them at all if he only came to the restaurant for the free food.
Conner never once thought that he would also see Mr. Bolhofner, the ever-so cantankerous sixth-grade math teacher from the same middle school that both he and Lincoln attended. Even Agnes Johnson, his old elementary school teacher was here as well. The Pingreys also met Chester Monk, or simply nicknamed "Chunk". He was one of Luna's best friends and her band's roadie and he was also currently the lead singer of his own band, "Chunk and Pieces".
He sat in one of the booths to the left of the restaurant along with his other bandmates. And lo and behold, sitting in the big circular table in the very center of the restaurant were the Louds themselves, Rita, Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lola, Lana, Lisa, Lily, and of course, Lincoln. But where was Lynn Sr.? The Pingreys them remembered that he was also the place's chef as well as the owner and manager, so the five of them mentally concluded that he must be in the kitchen preparing for their meal.
Much to the Pingrey's further surprise and delight, Dr. Mike Wagner himself was there too, all dressed up in some casual attire, sitting in the same circular table as the Louds. Seated closely next to the good doctor was his five-year-old son along with his beautiful wife. And it was also here that Conner finally got the chance to meet Lincoln's best friend, Clyde McBride, who sat alongside Lincoln with his family.
Clyde was a twelve-year-old African American boy with short curly black hair and rounded glasses. He wore a long-sleeved shirt that with a white collar, and the shirt itself was blue and yellow striped. Conner then remembered Lincoln talking about him when he was still in the hospital, but he especially remembered being told that Clyde was the one who gave Lincoln that first aid kit a week prior to Conner's mugging.
As the Pingrey's made their way to the Louds' table, everybody else around them gave them pats on the backs, congratulative handshakes, and gave a thumbs up to Conner himself for his recovery. Never in their lives, especially Conner, had they received this much love and attention before, even if it had come from people whom they hardly knew of and possibly never even met. But still, it felt very good to be given this kind of love at all.
As the Pingrey family found their seats along with the Louds, with Conner sitting right next to Lincoln and Clyde on the two boys' left, and setting his crutches safely between him and his mother, Lynn Sr. came forth from behind the kitchen door, along with his good friend Kotaro, holding in their hands some of the most delicious food in the restaurant. In both of the Loud father's hands was a stack of three large glass trays of a seven-layered lasagna, or his famous "Lynn-sagna", as he always called it.
Kotaro held three small wicker baskets of garlic and herb breadsticks, freshly baked from the oven. Once after they brought the food over to their table, the Loud patriarch took a seat next to his wife.
"Thanks for the help, Kotaro." Lynn Sr. said appreciatively. His good friend nodded his head.
"It's no problem at all, Lynn," the Asian American responded. "You all enjoy the food. Now, if ya'll will excuse me, I've got more orders to fill out."
With that, Kotaro went off back into the kitchen, allowing the family's to be left to their own devices. Conner could smell the cheese and the sauce radiating from the three lasagnas, and the inside of his mouth began to water. Luckily for him, he and his family got to go first in grabbing a slice or two on their plates, them being the main guests of honor, of course.
Conner had never tasted anything this delicious before in his young life. Sure, he has had really good food before, some of them his mother's own cooking. But whatever recipe Mr. Loud had put in it was by far the best choice ever, because the Pingrey boy practically found himself becoming addicted to the point of possibly asking for a fourth plate. Maybe another after that.
"What do you think of the food, Mom?" Conner asked his older mother. Leslie sat beside him as she dreamily chewed her food.
"What do I think?" she said after swallowing. "I think that I'm never going to eat at Giovanni Chang's ever again. This is by far one of the best meals I've ever had in my life, hands down. What do you think, Carol?"
"The sauce has got a really nice zip to it," Carol said. "It really gives it a more Mediterranean flavor."
"Seriously, Lynn," Walter spoke, after swallowing a mouthful from his plate. "I don't know what recipe you're using for the sauce, but it tastes amazing. What's the secret?"
"Yeah, Mr. Loud," Carol added. "Why don't you tell us?"
"Well..., I could..." Lynn Sr. said with a coy smile, crossing his arms. "But then, I'd have to kill you all."
"Oh, come on," Dr. Wagner playfully whined. "Not even a smidgen of a hint?" The Loud father shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, if I told you guys," he added, "it just wouldn't be a secret anymore, now would it?"
"Eh, it was worth a shot," Conner muttered before taking another bite of his slice of lasagna. "Still though, I honestly did not expect it to taste this amazing. Out of all the Italian food that I've had so far in my life, this is the best one out of all of them." A large grin suddenly grew across Luan's face.
"You know what else you won't be expecting, Conner?" she called to him from the left side of the table. "The Spanish Inquisition. Hahahaha, get it? After all, it is a known historical fact that–"
"–nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Conner finished before laughing, before Luan started to laugh along with him.
"Ah, a fellow Monty Python fan, I see," Clyde commented with a smile.
"We are the Knights Who Say 'Ni!'" Conner quoted, confirming Clyde's words.
"Pfft, 'tis but a scratch!" Lincoln said, joining in on the fun. "Just a flesh wound."
"The Black Knights always triumphs! Have at you!" Clyde shouted, puffing out his small chest. The three boys laughed heartily while the three families watched them amused. Using this moment of opportunity, Luan pulled out from under the table Mr. Coconuts and held him in her free hand.
"Hey, Conner," she began. "What do a tick and the Eiffel Tower have in common?"
"Oh, Albert H. Einstein, please help us." Lisa groaned, massaging the bridge of her little nose.
"Mmmm... I don't know, Luan," Conner said. "Why is that?"
"They're both Paris sites. Hahahaha..." Whereas everybody else just groaned in annoyance and cringed upon hearing the joke, Conner, on the other hand, actually chuckled at the punchline.
"Hey, Conner," Luan's dummy, Mr. Coconuts 'said'. "You wanna hear a pizza joke?" Conner snickered again as he still sat in his seat next to Lincoln and Clyde.
"Nah, I don't think so," he said. Everyone sighed in relief completely oblivious to what was about to happen next.
"Aw, why not?" Luan asked, before noticing Conner's big grin on his face.
"Because I just know that it'll be too cheesy," he said with a small laugh. Quickly catching on, Luan laughed as well. Once again, the three families groaned annoyedly from the spoken punchline.
"Alright, how about a paper joke instead?" the comedian asked. The Pingrey boy shook his head.
"Oh no, that one I know for sure is going to be tear-ible," And the two of them laughed while everyone else groaned even more. Lola growled in complete frustration and then clutched onto her own blonde hair so hard she could easily rip it off of her scalp.
"Ugh, great! Just what we all needed; another Luan!" she commented.
"Okay, okay, last one, and then no more," Luan said after calming down from her and Conner's laughter. "What does James Bond do before he goes to bed?" Leni covered her ears while everyone waited on bated breath before the comedian had finally let them have it.
"He goes undercover! Hahahaha! Get it?" she snorted, followed by more laughter, mostly from herself and Conner.
"God above, please help us," Lori muttered covering her forehead with the palm of her left hand.
"I got one! I got one!" The Pingrey boy said. "What do you get when you cross a banker with a fish?" Luan sucked in her lips, trying really hard to suppress a laugh that threatened to escape from her throat.
"I don't know," she squeaked. "But I'd like to hear it."
"You get a loan-shark!" Conner finally burst out. Luan held onto her gut as she laughed so hard, her face turned red and tears started to form in her eyes, while Conner chortled almost uncontrollably as he gently slammed his good hand on the table. As before, the three families groaned in annoyance.
"Somebody, please, put me out of my misery," Cassy grunted to herself through gritted teeth, pulling her black watch cap down to cover her entire head. Even Lily, sitting in her highchair, found herself rolling her eyes for the umpteenth time.
"Get off the stage, you hacks!" Lana called out from one part of the table next to Lola and Dr. Wagner's five-year-old son, who tried to cover his own ears from the jokes. But Luan and Conner ignored her as they both continued to yuck it up until they eventually began to calm down again, breathing heavily as if they had just got done running a marathon.
"Oh man," Conner breathed, relaxing against his chair. "I don't think I've ever laughed this hard in quite a long time." Lincoln smiled at him.
"Glad to know that you're having fun at least," Lincoln commented.
Leslie could not agree any more with that statement. Nothing made her happier than seeing her little boy back into his jovial self again, to see him finally back out there in the world and take in the air of life once more. Conner, Lincoln, and Clyde continued to chat it up while the adults and teens socialized amongst themselves. It was also here that Conner had learned something a little more about Lincoln than he had thought before.
"So, let me get this straight," he said, with a curious smile. "You and your family are of Scottish royalty?" Lincoln nodded his head.
"Yep," the Loud boy confirmed. "Dating all the way back to the seventeenth century, in the Scottish kingdom of Loch Loud. When we traveled there, we had no idea at the time. When we got there, we were all quite surprised to find out that everyone in the town kind of knew who we were because of our last name."
"Wow, that's incredible, dude," Conner said.
Lincoln then grabbed his phone from his right-side pocket, and he pulled up a taken photograph of a painted picture of the Loud royal family themselves for Conner and Clyde to see. Conner looked at the picture, completely astonished. Each and every member of the Loud royal family from that time looked exactly like Lincoln and his family. The resemblance of each one was scarily uncanny. He then looked up at Lincoln with a suspicious look.
"Are you sure this wasn't photoshopped?" he asked.
"No, Conner," Lincoln giggled. "I promise you; this is the real deal."
The next photo Lincoln showed him was an aerial pic of the town of Loch Loud itself as well as the castle that bore their name. Lincoln then told him about Angus, the castle's groundskeeper, who now acted as the town's duke, despite the fact that the man was not at all a blood relative of the Louds themselves. They still talked with him from time to time on webchat whenever he was free.
Although, it did kind of take Angus a while to learn how to properly use a laptop, given the fact that the former groundskeeper-turned-Duke had not been around that much modern technology in his entire life.
After awhile, the three boys began to talk more about other things, like reading comics in their underwear, much to Conner's perturbances, though Lincoln insisted that it was a very physically comfortable thing to do. There was also a point where Lincoln had accidently let slip that he still slept with an old stuffed rabbit doll. Conner could not help but chuckle a little bit, causing Lincoln to blush embarrassed.
"That's alright, Lincoln," Conner understood. He then beckoned Lincoln to get closer so that he could whisper in his ear. "Between you guys and me..., I use to sleep with a turtle plushie until I turned eleven."
"You serious?" Clyde asked.
"Yep," Conner confirmed. "Shelby was his name. He's been by my side ever since Carol gave him to me when I was five. Although, I guess now would be a good time to bring him out, with what has happened and all." To add to his point, Conner gestured to his splinted foot and bandaged hand. Clyde and Lincoln nodded in understanding. It was then that they finally got around to talking about what had happened in the last week, all the while Conner was staying in the hospital.
Somehow, word had quickly gotten out about Conner's mugging as well as of Lincoln's heroic actions. Everybody in the three boys' middle school were talking about it, and almost every single student and teacher, heck even Mr. Bolhofner, gave Lincoln their praises, with the Loud boy having to repeat the same phrase over and over again, that he was no hero and that he only did what anybody else would have done.
But that still did not stop them from giving him plenty of the attention. Even a few girls around his school asked him if he wanted to go out on a date with one of them. Sounded like it was quite a week. Soon after a while, Lincoln began to fall silent, and he lightly hung his head as he became deep in thought. Clyde and Conner noticed this and became concerned.
"You okay, Lincoln?" Clyde asked. Lincoln looked up at his best friend and lightly smiled.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he murmured. Lincoln frowned. No he wasn't. "Well, the truth is that... I couldn't help but think about... well... On the day when we first visited Conner in the hospital." He turned his blue-eyed gaze to the aforementioned Pingrey boy.
"When you were saying those things, Conner," he said. "About when you were doubting yourself as well as doubting your place in your family... I have to confess... That kind of thing... happened to me too." Conner's eyebrows furrowed together from hearing that.
"Really?" he asked. The middle Loud boy nodded his white-haired head.
"Yeah," he murmured. "I-It was around the last year that... I began to feel like I was living in my sisters' shadow. Like, they were being recognized for their specialties while I got nothing in return for helping them. I started to wonder if maybe I would have had it easy if I were an only kid instead of having a large number of siblings that make you feel like nothing but a spare..."
"Ouch," Conner said, feeling bad for the Loud boy. "That sounds rough."
"Trust me, you don't know the half of it," Lincoln answered. "In fact, that was kind of the entire reason why I got our family to take that trip to Scotland. My hope was to try and find something over there that would make me feel special like my sisters, maybe even stand out amongst them. When we found out that we were royalty, I took that opportunity to try and make myself the new Duke of Loch Loud."
"But then," Lincoln went on, "I soon realized that I was so focused on what being a Duke could do for me that I didn't think about what I could do for the people, so I decided to abdicate the crown and pass it on to Angus. The other reason was because... well... turns out that I actually was special after all. I was just so focused on the negative that I didn't see the positive that was right in front of me the entire time."
Conner smiled and placed a hand on Lincoln's back, and then he said, "Well, I'm very glad it worked out in the end for you guys." Lincoln smiled back at him.
"Thanks, Conner. I'm glad it did too," he said. But then he realized something as gently facepalmed and chuckled to himself. "Oh my gosh, what am I doing? I'm sorry, dude. I didn't mean to make this all about me. This is supposed to be about you."
"No, no, it's alright, Lincoln," Conner assured. "I actually enjoyed listening. And let me tell you something; that whole thing about me feeling like I don't belong in my family? Believe me when I say that is a dark place I have no intention of going back to."
"I second that," Lincoln said. The three boys talked some more before going back to finish their meals, and it was here that Conner began to go silent himself. Clyde and Lincoln noticed this, looked at each other wondering mentally and turned their gazes back over at Conner.
"Is there something you want to get off your chest too, dude?" Clyde asked. Connor slowly looked up the African American boy and smiled a bit.
"Oh, sorry," he said. "It's just that... Well, too you, Clyde, I just want to say... thank you so much, for the first aid kit that is."
"Hey, don't thank me," Clyde spoke. "Thank Lincoln. He was the one who used it to save your life."
"Yeah, but you were the one who gave it to him in the first place," Conner kindly retorted. "If you hadn't have done that, I don't know what would have happened. Although, I guess that I would probably still have been in such excruciating pain."
"Yeah, that's true," Lincoln added. "But I think regardless of Clyde giving me the kit or not, I still would have figured out a way to help you out." Conner looked at Lincoln, feeling his heart a bit touched from such kind words.
"Y-You truly mean that?" Lincoln nodded his head, smiling brightly.
"Absolutely," he verified. "After all, they don't call me the Man with the Plan for nothing."
"And how!" Clyde agreed.
"I am so glad to hear that, dude," Conner stated. "And Lincoln?... Look, I know you've heard me say this nearly a dozen times already by now. But I mean it when I say that I can't thank you enough for what you did for me. Unlike the others, you were the one person who actually stopped and tried to save my life. And because of that, I'm eternally grateful and I will never forget it."
Lincoln and Clyde looked at Conner a bit and then they both furrowed their brows in confusion from what he had said just earlier.
"Wait, did you just say 'others'?" Lincoln asked, confused. "What do you mean by 'others' exactly?" Conner frowned; a little bit surprised that the two boys had caught on to that little word he had just used. Guess there was no turning back now. Lincoln and Clyde watched him in concern as Conner closed his eyes and then slowly took in a deep lung-filled breath. He gazed back at them with a now crestfallen look on his face.
"You were not the first person to have found me in that alley," the Pingrey boy confessed.
"What...?" said a surprised Lincoln and Clyde. Even Leslie, who had quickly caught on to what her son had just said, looked at him with a look of disbelief written on her face. Same thing with the rest of the Pingrey family, the Louds, and even Dr. Wagner and his family. With everyone now silently watching him, Conner now had no other choice but to finally come clean with the details.
"... The truth is...," Conner continued after gulping down a lump in his throat, "before you came along, there were two other people. The first one was... well, he was some kind of preacher. I know that because he was holding a Bible in his hand when I saw him. I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to help me, he truly did. But there was nothing he could have done, well, except pray that I get help. He was crying, guys. He was actually crying and he hung his head ashamed of himself when he walked away. Wherever he is right now, I just hope he finds out that his prayer had been answered."
Lincoln blinked a few times as he stared at Conner; a bit stunned to hear such a revelation.
"The next one that came after was a businessman," the Pingrey boy went on. "Well, at least he looked like one, judging from the snappy-looking suit he wore at the time. He wanted to help me too, but he was too afraid for his own life. And so, just like the preacher, there was nothing he could do, and he left me there all alone in that alley." All of the families stared at Conner, completely taken aback by this new information that had escaped from his lips. They all just could not believe their ears.
"That was where I had stopped trying," he said. "That was where I had completely given up..., until you came along, Lincoln. If it weren't for you, I just... "
"Oh, Conner," Leslie muttered, putting a hand on her son's shoulder. "Why didn't you say anything about that?" The blond boy shrugged.
"I-I don't know," was his response to his mother. "I guess I didn't think the details were that important until now. But the thing is, I don't fault them for what they did. Sure, I was upset then. But thinking about it now, I don't feel that way towards them anymore. Yes, it's true they could have done something, but they didn't know that. I understand that people aren't ready for when life unexpectedly throws a curveball their way. So, if ever in the future that I come across those two again, I just want them both to know that despite what had happened, despite them not helping me..., I still forgive them."
Leslie looked down at her little boy, a small yet very proud smile on her face to hear him say that. She lovingly wrapped her arm around him and planted a kiss on the top of his head. He smiled up at his mom and hugged her tightly. All of the other Louds watched from around the table, with proud and happy smiles of their own. Leni oh so badly wanted to jump up and join in on the hug. Dr. Wagner and his wife looked on from their seats smiling as well.
"You know what something, Conner?" the good doctor finally spoke up, catching the boy's attention, as well as everyone else in the table. "That is possibly the most mature and grown-up thing a twelve-year-old boy your age has ever said. I must day, I am very much impressed and also proud of you."
"Thanks, Dr. Wagner," Conner answered, nodding his head appreciatively at the man. Dr. Wagner thought for a moment, rubbing his chin for moment. And that was when an idea popped into his head.
"You know," he began, as he got up from his seat, making his way around and kneeling close between Conner and Lincoln. "This whole situation that had gone down in the last week; the mugging, the two people, and Lincoln here coming to the rescue... I gotta tell you, boys. I cannot help but think that whole situation strongly reminds me of a certain story that my own parents use to read to me when I was little. A story that I still hold near and dear to my heart to this day. And it's quite something that I read to my own son as well." The two boys, including the two families around the table, looked up at the good doctor curiously.
Dr. Wagner cleared his throat and began his tale.
"Once upon a time, in an age dating back thousands of years," he narrated, "there was a Jewish man who was traveling down a lonesome road from his home of Jerusalem to the city of Jericho. But then, from out of nowhere, he was ambushed by a gang of bandits. They did exactly to the man what had been done to you, Conner; they stripped him of his clothes, stole all of his money, and then they proceeded to beat him up and left him lying there all alone to die beside the road."
Conner looked away for a moment, memories of his terrible mugging from last week flashing through his brain.
"Now, it just so happened that a single priest was traveling down the same road as well," Dr. Wagner resumed. "He came across the dying man, but he dared not see if he was either still alive or not."
"Why didn't he?" Conner asked confusingly, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, because he believed that it was wrong to touch a dead body," the good doctor explained.
"But the man wasn't dead yet." Lincoln countered. Dr. Wagner nodded his head.
"That is true, Lincoln," he agreed. "But the priest did not know that. So, not wanting to risk the possibility, the priest went about his own way, leaving the poor man all alone where he was. And then, coming along down the road was a wealthy and powerful temple assistant. He came upon the injured man, and out of fear for his own life that he would be robbed as well, he too crossed over to the other side of the road."
It was at this part of the story that Conner could not help but be reminded again of both the Preacher and the Yuppie.
"And then finally," Dr. Wagner continued, "there came along another man, who was traveling from his homeland of Samaria. You see, it was around that time period the Israelites and the Samaritans hated each other greatly. The people of these two nations were the bitterest of enemies. When the Samaritan saw the poor man dying beside the road, his heart felt deep compassion for him."
"Wait, you mean he...?" Lincoln asked.
"That's right, Lincoln," Dr. Wagner nodded with a smile. "Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan bandaged him up as best he could and he gave the man some first aid to help treat his wounds." Upon hearing that part, Lincoln could not help but be reminded of that same day when he had done the exact same thing when he had come across Conner in that alleyway.
"And then, he placed the man on his donkey," the good doctor resumed his story, "and he brought him over to a nearby inn, where he took care of him through the night. On the next day, the Samaritan paid the innkeeper some money, and he said to him, 'Please, look after this man. Whatever else it costs to take further care of him, I will pay for everything when I come back'." Dr. Wagner looked down at Lincoln with a coyishly-looking smile.
"Sound familiar?" he asked the Loud boy. Lincoln grinned bashfully, rubbing the back of his head, as did the rest of the Loud family, except for Lynn Sr. who looked at his own son very proudly as any father like him would be.
"So, which one of the three men in the story," Dr. Wagner asked, "do you boys think proved to be the man's neighbor? Was it the priest? The temple assistant? Or the despised Samaritan?" Once again, Lincoln and Conner looked at each other and then pondered on the question for a second.
"Well, it wasn't the first two people, that's for sure," Lincoln concluded. "They didn't even try to help him at all. The only thing they cared about were their own safety."
"So that would mean," Conner picked up, "the one who was the true neighbor... was the one who actually cared for him. It was the man's enemy; the Samaritan." Dr. Wagner smiled down at the boy, and he nodded his head.
"That's right, Conner," he said. "And just like what the Samaritan had done, we must all go and do the same for others." Lincoln and Conner looked at each other, somewhat confused by the phrase. Lynn Jr. raised an eyebrow, being just as confused as they were.
"Wait, so does that mean we have to go and find somebody dying in an alleyway and take care of them?" the sports fanatic asked. Lori chuckled a bit from such a question.
"No, Lynn," the eldest Loud sibling said. "What Dr. Wagner is actually trying to say is that we all should be good neighbors to everyone. No matter where they come from, what language they speak, or just how different they may appear when compared to you, me, or the rest of us, everybody is deserving of our love and kindness, even if it's somebody that we don't like or agree with. That is what it means to be a Good Samaritan; love your neighbor as you would love yourself."
"Took the words right out of my mouth, sweetheart," Rita complimented.
"I couldn't have said it any better myself, honey," Lynn Sr. added.
"I learn from the best." Lori added with a smile. Lincoln, Clyde, and Conner could not agree more with that statement, nodding their little heads in agreement. Lynn Sr. then grabbed for his glass cup of water and he stood up from his seat. Everyone around the table watched him attentively.
"If it's alright with you guys, I would like to make a toast!" he announced. "A toast to two of the most important people here tonight! To Conner Pingrey, for his speedy recovery from the hospital, and for being here to celebrate with us today! May he and his family be forever blessed!"
"To Conner!" Everyone around the table cheered, as the the entirety of the restaurant, raising their glasses.
"And also," Lynn Sr. continued on, "A toast to Lincoln, our Good Samaritan, for choosing to do the right thing and follow the compassion within his heart! May he continue to be a blessing to our family!"
"To Lincoln!" Everyone cheered, raising their glasses again. Clyde, Lincoln, and Conner grabbed their own glasses and held them up above their own heads.
"And a toast to our families, and to the beginning of a new friendship!" Lincoln declared.
"To friendship!" Clyde added.
"And also, to our neighbors!" Conner included.
And with that, everybody around the restaurant clapped, cheered, and whistled proudly, the Louds, Pingreys, and Wagners taking in the air of positivity that further surrounded them.
The night sky was blanketed in a sea of crimson red, not a single cloud was there in sight. Not even the moon could be seen as well. Conner ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, sweat forming on his brow, his lungs panting heavily. He had to get out of here. He just had to. He darted down passed the surrounding brick walls of the alley, wondering where in the world was the exit.
Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw right in front of him a tall brick wall. A dead end, just what he had feared. Cornered like a little rat in a trap. His blood ran cold when he heard the sound of faint ominous laughter that echoed around him. His legs felt like they had been turned into jelly, and his heart pounded inside his chest. Ghostly whispers began to echo around the desolate alley.
"Poor little Conner," a disembodied but familiar voice mocked.
"What's the matter, little man?" a girl's sadistic voice said. "Are you lost?"
A feeling of despair came about Conner as he slowly but hesitantly turned his head around and standing right before him were three looming figures made out of black and wispy fog. The figures stood straight up as if they were as if they were towering columns. Yellow dots glowed near the top of each one, acting as if they were eyes that threatened to pierce into Conner's soul.
Finally, the column-like mists dispersed, revealing there to be three human figures. Figures that were shown to be none other than Anderson, Taylor, and Pablo. The very people responsible for turning Conner's world around on its head and into a living nightmare. Black discolored veins covered up most of their sickly bodies, and their eyes, dear goodness those eyes, glowed a very demonic yellow. Psychotic-looking smiles were very present on each of their evil faces. Conner's eyes shrunk into small dots.
No. God in Heaven, please no. Not this again. Anything but them again.
"N-No...!" the boy began to whimper, as he backed up against the wall. "P-Please! You don't have to do this! You already proved your point!"
"Oh, I don't think so," Shadow-Anderson gleamed darkly.
"Did you honestly think we wouldn't pick up from where we left off?" Shadow-Taylor said, before she hungerly licked her lips.
With the snap of her fingers, Conner felt his entire body suddenly become cold. He looked down at himself and saw much to his horror that all of his clothes were gone, wearing nothing else but his white briefs and socks once more. Finally, his legs gave out and he slid down to the floor on his backside. Fear-ridden tears streamed down his face.
"W-What are you going to do?!" Conner exclaimed vulnerably, as he tried to cover up his now exposed body. The three bullies chuckled demonically under their breaths, flashing their razor-sharp teeth at him.
"What does it look like?" Shadow-Pablo growled. "We're here to finish the job! To put you out of your pathetic little misery!"
"Think about it, punk," Shadow-Taylor said, hatred and sadistic glee permeating her voice. "We're doing your family a huge favor in getting rid of your miserable little existence."
"In other words," Shadow-Anderson added, cracking his knuckles anticipatingly. "We're going to squish you like the annoying little bug that you are. And there is nothing in this forsaken universe that you can do about it." Shadow-Pablo got down on his hands and feet, snarling and gnashing his sharp cruel fangs hungerly, drops of spittle oozing down his jaws.
"Hope you've made your peace, kid!" he shrilled chillingly. "Because you're about to meet God Himself in a few seconds!"
Conner stared wide-eyed at the demonic-looking trio, his heart thumping even faster in his chest. This was finally it. This was where he would finally die, and no one would be around to save him this time. Shadow-Anderson, Pablo, and Taylor readied themselves, sharp claws growing out from their fingers. In that instant, feral demonic roars escaped from their mouths and into the air.
And with that, the three of them charged forward at Conner, murderous intent glistening from their madness-driven yellow eyes. Before Conner could get the chance to let out a terrible scream, a bright light suddenly flashed right in front of him. A light that glowed so bright until it was almost blinding. Shadows-Anderson, Taylor, and Pablo hissed painfully as they frightfully backed away from the dazzling thing in front of them.
"Stay away from him!" a mighty voice boomed.
When the light had slowly but surely died down, they all finally got a good look at the owner of the voice. Right where the bright light was, a tall figure now stood in its place, it's body glowed a soft yellow aura around it. There was not a single trace of hair on the figure's muscular-looking body or on its head and face, it's skin glistened a shimmering gold. The figure rose the palm of its hand up at the three shadow demons, a very stern and glowering expression very present on its face.
"Leave him alone, you filth!" it growled, baritone of his voice booming beyond the threshold of the dark space around them. "You will not lay your hands upon him again!"
In that instant, a huge beam of light shot forth from the figure's hand directly at the demonic trio. Shadows-Anderson, Taylor, and Pablo shrieked in terror, the skin on their sickly-colored bodies burned greatly until they turned into ashes falling off from the black bones.
Shadow-Taylor and Shadow-Pablo were the first to go, disintegrating into nothing of piles of ashes, leaving only Shadow-Anderson left. A terrible and near ear-splitting scream of pain and terror escaped from his throat, as his skin also turned into ashes until he was nothing more but a black skeleton and then into a pile of blown ashes themselves in the wind.
And then after that, the light died down once more, leaving only Conner and the figure itself. Conner watched everything unfold before him, his heart still pounding in his chest. The figure slowly turned around to face the poor boy, looking down at him with a kind and gentle smile.
"It's alright, Conner," the figure said in a loving, fatherly tone, as its body morphed in shape and size, now reaching to be about Conner's height. Some white hair grew on its head and its face became more recognizable, wearing an orange-colored polo shirt and blue jeans, taking the shape of...
"L-Lincoln...?" Conner muttered, blinking a couple of times.
Lincoln smiled down at him and nodded his head. He then held out his hand towards the frightened young boy. Conner carefully lifted his own hand and grabbed Lincoln's, feeling himself being gently pulled back up from the ground. In that very instant, Lincoln pulled him into a warm embrace, Conner returning the gesture, holding his friend tightly, his head resting on his shoulder and tears of joy and relief escaping from his eyes.
"Shhh, it's alright, Conner," Lincoln whispered, tenderly patting his back. "You have nothing to be afraid of anymore. The nightmare is over. You are free." Conner sniffled a little bit. Yes. Free. Finally. Free at last. No more would he be plagued by these terrible nightmares.
No more sorrow. No more fear. No more of this darkness. No more despair.
And no more pain...
Leslie looked at herself in the bathroom mirror dressed in her gray blue bathrobe as she blew at every single crevice of her blond hair with her hairdryer. After she was finished, she turned if off and set it aside on the counter of the sink. She then opened the mirror cabinet and pulled out her light purple hairbrush. She closed the mirror cabinet back up and she watched herself as she brushed her hair out for about a minute or so until it was now nice and straight.
Once after she was finished, she placed the brush back into the mirror cabinet. She took one last glance at her reflection and then she winked at it and clicked her tongue. Lookin' good as always, Leslie.
With that, she turned off the bathroom light and walked out into the hallway. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Conner's bedroom door that was partly open from the end. Her shoulders slumped and she made a light smile. She then quietly sighed from her mouth.
Leslie old girl, she thought to herself. You and your family have been through quite a lot this past week. It's so crazy how your own son has greatly changed since he had been viciously mugged that day. And all for the better surprisingly. Hard to believe that he has gone from being such a bratty kid to a becoming a mature one. He's not one-hundred percent perfect, then again, no family is, he is still my son. And like I said, I wouldn't dare trade it for the entire world...
"I should probably go check up on him." Leslie quietly snuck down the hallway towards Conner's bedroom door. After she had easily stuck her head inside, she saw much to her delight a beautiful scene before. Conner laid there quietly in his bed, the blankets covering him up nicely. He slept on his left side out in front of her, in his other arm was Shelby, his old turtle plushie.
A serene smile was on his face, not a single form of disturbance to be seen anywhere in sight. Leslie smiled happily as she watched him sleep in his bed so peacefully. She quietly walked up to him and bent down to delicately brush his blond hair from his brow. The boy began to softly stir a bit from the contact, and he held his turtle plushie even closer to his side.
As carefully as she could be, Mrs. Pingrey planted a soft kiss on the right side of his temple.
"Good night, Conner," she whispered softly.
And with that, she stood back up and exited out the bedroom door, at least not before taking another glance at her sleeping son, her smile filling up with pride and love, and then gently closing his bedroom door, allowing the surrounding darkness to cover the entirety of the room like his warm blanket.
"Good night, mom," he murmured in his sleep.
