Chapter 16 - "Vow" - Tweedle-Tay's Story
May 10th, 2000 - New York, New York
"Michaela!" Grubbery whined. "Get off! Get off the Playstation!"
"Shhhh..... Grubbery, I'm getting the new high score," she said absentmindedly, her eyes glued to the screen.
"Tay!" Grubbery turned to me. "Make her get off!"
"Michaela, you *have* been on for twenty minutes....." I said. "Give Grubbery a turn." Michaela had been playing Tetris on the Playstation for the past twenty minutes.
"I can't help it that I'm smarter than the two of you," Michaela replied, slotting yet another piece into it's place.
I rolled my eyes. "And you're so modest too....."
She turned to me and smiled. "Well, now that you mention it, I guess I am modest....." She turned back to the screen. "Fuck!" The pieces had piled up and the game was over.
"Great," Grubbery said, rubbing his hands together, "Now it's my turn." He changed the game to 'Tombraider'.
Michaela reluctantly handed him the controls. "It's getting stuffy in here," she said. "Anyone want to come down to Bloomingdales with me."
"I guess so," I said. "Grub?"
He snickered. "Are you kidding??? I just got on!"
"Okay then, I'll just get my bag," Michaela said, getting up.
The phone rang.
"I'll get it!" Michaela said, walking across the room. "Hello?.... Oh hi Louisa...... you're kidding! ...... Oh no, that's fine, we'll be down stairs in five minutes." Michaela hung up and turned to Grubbery and I. "Sorry Grub! You're going to have to get off. Louisa's going to pick us up in five minutes. The jury's come to a decision."
"A decision!" I said excitedly, jumping up from where I was seated. I ran over to Michaela to hug her.
"Oh my god!" Grubbery screamed, dropping the controls. "The parents are going to be punished!"
Michaela wriggled out of my embrace and smiled. "Calm down, we don't know what the decision is yet. They could decide to let our parents walk free."
"As if!" I scoffed, in the way Michaela used to. "It was easy to see who was in the wrong."
"Yeah," Michaela agreed, smiling. "I guess it was."
*******************
"The jury had come to a decision based on the evidence brought forward by the witnesses in the past four days," the judge said.
I looked at Michaela nervously. Our entire lives were going to depend on what a bunch of people we'd never met before in our lives thought. She clutched my hand and bit her lip. "It's okay Tay," she whispered unconvincingly.
One of the ladies from the jury stood up. "We have come to a conclusion. Skipper Manson and Fergie Manson are guilty of abusing their children Tweedle-Tay Manson and Michaela Louise Manson by locking them up in an attic for the period from October 11th 1997 to May 27th 1999, which is 594 days. Because of this, we believe that they should be sent to prison and serve a term of 20 years."
The lady paused. "We believe that the delinquent behaviour of Tweedle-Tay Manson and Michaela Louise Manson, which includes incest and vandalism, is due to their being locked in the attic. However, we rule that they must pay for the repairs to the house. On the subject of the younger children - Grubbery Skipper Manson, Elizabeth Anna Manson, Kestrel Reed Manson, Joshua MacArthy Manson and Mozzie Cleopatra Manson, we believe that they should be kept with family members but, due to his affiliation with Skipper Manson and Fergie Manson, I would not be preferable for them to stay with Kent Neuton Manson. If possible we would like the younger children to be kept in the custody of Tweedle-Tay Manson and Michaela Louise Manson and live in Tulsa."
Well, Elizabeth would be glad that they wouldn't be separated. And it would be nice to get to know my younger brother and sisters again. The lady from the jury sat down. I looked across the court at my parents. My mother was crying onto my father's shoulder. I felt kind of sorry for them, but I quickly sent those feelings away. They deserved everything they got, out parents. Liz, Kess and Mackie were crying too. Couldn't they comprehend what our parents had done? Didn't they understand that the parents would have gone on to do the same to them?
They probably didn't want to understand.
I turned to look at Neuton. He was glaring at me. Neuton, of all people, should have supported Michaela and I. He was my best friend before Michaela came along. Surely he knew we wouldn't have done this if it weren't utterly necessary?
The judge agreed with the jury's verdict. Michaela and Grubbery screamed with excitement and hugged each other. Grubbery then turned and hugged me. Then Michaela hugged me and we kissed. Only for a few seconds though.
When you thought about it, it was kind of weird, us getting so excited about our *parents* being locked up.
Louisa turned to us and smiled. "Guys, I can't tell you how grateful I am for your time. The less child abusers we have around, the better." When she saw my slightly distressed face she whispered in my ear, "Don't feel guilty Tweedle-Tay. Feel proud. If you didn't stop them, they'd have done the same thing to the others...."
"Thanks..." I said, tears welling in my eyes. I quickly blinked them away and turned to Michaela, who was tugging on my sleeve.
"C'mon Tay," she said. "We've got bags to pack and a party to throw!"
And now it's time for the final chapter. You have three choices.
a) If you'd like Tweedle-Tay and Michaela to have a chance at being truly happy, pick ENDING A, the one where Michaela takes responsibility for her future.
b) If you'd like the most realistic ending, the one we'd probably all do in real life, pick ENDING B, the one where Michaela takes responsibility for her past.
c) If you like Hollywood style endings with a sicko twist, pick ENDING C.
May 10th, 2000 - New York, New York
"Michaela!" Grubbery whined. "Get off! Get off the Playstation!"
"Shhhh..... Grubbery, I'm getting the new high score," she said absentmindedly, her eyes glued to the screen.
"Tay!" Grubbery turned to me. "Make her get off!"
"Michaela, you *have* been on for twenty minutes....." I said. "Give Grubbery a turn." Michaela had been playing Tetris on the Playstation for the past twenty minutes.
"I can't help it that I'm smarter than the two of you," Michaela replied, slotting yet another piece into it's place.
I rolled my eyes. "And you're so modest too....."
She turned to me and smiled. "Well, now that you mention it, I guess I am modest....." She turned back to the screen. "Fuck!" The pieces had piled up and the game was over.
"Great," Grubbery said, rubbing his hands together, "Now it's my turn." He changed the game to 'Tombraider'.
Michaela reluctantly handed him the controls. "It's getting stuffy in here," she said. "Anyone want to come down to Bloomingdales with me."
"I guess so," I said. "Grub?"
He snickered. "Are you kidding??? I just got on!"
"Okay then, I'll just get my bag," Michaela said, getting up.
The phone rang.
"I'll get it!" Michaela said, walking across the room. "Hello?.... Oh hi Louisa...... you're kidding! ...... Oh no, that's fine, we'll be down stairs in five minutes." Michaela hung up and turned to Grubbery and I. "Sorry Grub! You're going to have to get off. Louisa's going to pick us up in five minutes. The jury's come to a decision."
"A decision!" I said excitedly, jumping up from where I was seated. I ran over to Michaela to hug her.
"Oh my god!" Grubbery screamed, dropping the controls. "The parents are going to be punished!"
Michaela wriggled out of my embrace and smiled. "Calm down, we don't know what the decision is yet. They could decide to let our parents walk free."
"As if!" I scoffed, in the way Michaela used to. "It was easy to see who was in the wrong."
"Yeah," Michaela agreed, smiling. "I guess it was."
*******************
"The jury had come to a decision based on the evidence brought forward by the witnesses in the past four days," the judge said.
I looked at Michaela nervously. Our entire lives were going to depend on what a bunch of people we'd never met before in our lives thought. She clutched my hand and bit her lip. "It's okay Tay," she whispered unconvincingly.
One of the ladies from the jury stood up. "We have come to a conclusion. Skipper Manson and Fergie Manson are guilty of abusing their children Tweedle-Tay Manson and Michaela Louise Manson by locking them up in an attic for the period from October 11th 1997 to May 27th 1999, which is 594 days. Because of this, we believe that they should be sent to prison and serve a term of 20 years."
The lady paused. "We believe that the delinquent behaviour of Tweedle-Tay Manson and Michaela Louise Manson, which includes incest and vandalism, is due to their being locked in the attic. However, we rule that they must pay for the repairs to the house. On the subject of the younger children - Grubbery Skipper Manson, Elizabeth Anna Manson, Kestrel Reed Manson, Joshua MacArthy Manson and Mozzie Cleopatra Manson, we believe that they should be kept with family members but, due to his affiliation with Skipper Manson and Fergie Manson, I would not be preferable for them to stay with Kent Neuton Manson. If possible we would like the younger children to be kept in the custody of Tweedle-Tay Manson and Michaela Louise Manson and live in Tulsa."
Well, Elizabeth would be glad that they wouldn't be separated. And it would be nice to get to know my younger brother and sisters again. The lady from the jury sat down. I looked across the court at my parents. My mother was crying onto my father's shoulder. I felt kind of sorry for them, but I quickly sent those feelings away. They deserved everything they got, out parents. Liz, Kess and Mackie were crying too. Couldn't they comprehend what our parents had done? Didn't they understand that the parents would have gone on to do the same to them?
They probably didn't want to understand.
I turned to look at Neuton. He was glaring at me. Neuton, of all people, should have supported Michaela and I. He was my best friend before Michaela came along. Surely he knew we wouldn't have done this if it weren't utterly necessary?
The judge agreed with the jury's verdict. Michaela and Grubbery screamed with excitement and hugged each other. Grubbery then turned and hugged me. Then Michaela hugged me and we kissed. Only for a few seconds though.
When you thought about it, it was kind of weird, us getting so excited about our *parents* being locked up.
Louisa turned to us and smiled. "Guys, I can't tell you how grateful I am for your time. The less child abusers we have around, the better." When she saw my slightly distressed face she whispered in my ear, "Don't feel guilty Tweedle-Tay. Feel proud. If you didn't stop them, they'd have done the same thing to the others...."
"Thanks..." I said, tears welling in my eyes. I quickly blinked them away and turned to Michaela, who was tugging on my sleeve.
"C'mon Tay," she said. "We've got bags to pack and a party to throw!"
And now it's time for the final chapter. You have three choices.
a) If you'd like Tweedle-Tay and Michaela to have a chance at being truly happy, pick ENDING A, the one where Michaela takes responsibility for her future.
b) If you'd like the most realistic ending, the one we'd probably all do in real life, pick ENDING B, the one where Michaela takes responsibility for her past.
c) If you like Hollywood style endings with a sicko twist, pick ENDING C.
