"For my 10th birthday, my parents we're going to throw me a party. It was supposed to be a big party, with all our friends and family. The day before the big party, my dad got called away to work. He spent the night there at work too. The next day, we we're all wondering where he was. So, my mom and I ran to see him at work. When we got there, I saw my dad passed out on the floor."

He paused for a moment, which gave me time to slip in a comment.

"Oh, on your birthday? How sad!"

"I asked my mom what happened to him and she told me he had too much to drink the night before. She tried to wake him up but he wouldn't wake up. She told me he wouldn't be able to come to my birthday party. I was devastated."

"Oh you poor thing! I'm so sorry that happened."

"I cried the whole day. I locked myself in my room and didn't open any of my presents."

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Are you going to be all right?"

"Please, don't interrupt me."

His seriousness was beginning to concern me. The poor thing was scarred for life.

"After that, I tried to run away from home. I got pretty far actually, but then Miss Wormrick's dog came after me. That was a very mean dog, believe me! See this scar on my arm? That dog's teeth went right through me. I had to run for my life to escape."

"Really? Why didn't Miss Wormrick call him off?"

"She didn't like me. She thought the whole candy making thing was rather… off. She thought I was a twisted little boy."

"Is she still alive?"

"I'm not sure… I always used to say that she would live forever! Why do you ask?"

"Because we could prove her wrong…"

I gave him a sort of sly smile. In return, I got a wide-eyed stare.

"Not like that! We could show her our daughter! Man you are kinda twisted."

I started to feel an uplifting sort of feeling. I figured it was the tunnel again. He had told me in the past that it could make you feel almost any emotion.

"Do you feel that?"

"Feel what? I don't feel anything."

I started to giggle a little bit because the uplifting feeling was like bubbles in my stomach; it tickled when they popped.

"Ok, ok, what's going on?"

"Nothing! Nothings going on. You are accusing me of something? For shame."

"Stop it! I'm serious! What's going on?"

I put my head on his shoulder to try and silence the giggles. I heard him whisper under his breath as I did so.

"That's more like it."