Authors Note: This story would not have been possible without Fritz Buagh's
incredible timeline, the RGB episode "Look Homeward Ray", Sheila Paulson,
and Benjamin King for his input.
Dedicated to the memory of Jeramy Burnsed.
THE PRESENT. The water dripped down Ray's nose as he clutched his particle thrower tightly in both hands. His visor was hanging slightly askew from his head. Smoke was billowing from the thrower.
He was counting the seconds between the rushing water drain behind him, the dripping reverberating all around the alley. He was breathing heavily due to the broken ribs that he was suffering from.
All around him, he saw pain; his fellow Ghostbusters, defeated, in very much the same way Deathstroke the Terminator killed the Teen Titans. Egon, the smartest of them all, knocked out behind a garbage can, blood flowing from a wound he'd received to his head. Near Ray's boots, he could see the broken remains of Egon's glasses. He could see Peter struggling against his supernatural restraints, his eyes moving in horror as he saw the scene play out before him. And Ray did not want to look at Winston's smoking body. All he hoped was that, when this was over, he would take Winston up on that chess game. If it would be over.
"Are you quite done, Raymond?"
The voice from the other end of the alley brought Ray back to reality. He looked into his longtime enemy's eyes, and could see his own hatred staring back at him. If this was what it had to come to, Ray thought, then let it be.
"I'm just getting warmed up, pal", Ray said, charging his pack. Despite the darkness, he swore he could feel the shadow smiling at him.
"Good. I suppose this is, for one of us, where it all ends, at least."
"Shut up, Malvolio", Ray said gritting his teeth. "Either you disappear back into the nether world you came from, or prepare to be killed."
"Don't kid yourself with false hopes Raymond. You probably should have done that years ago, instead of letting this moment happen before you." Malvolio flew up in the air, the water splashing direction, as all around and made a great swoop down towards Ray's face became lighted by the fire of his proton pack.
THE PAST: MORRISVILLE, NEW YORK 1970
Ray could not run any farther. His little legs had carried him as far as he could go, and that was at Boo's Comics and Stories store. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Ray looked back and hoped Alan's gang was far behind him. There was no chance, but it was worth one anyway. He saw one of the taller kids in the gang searching for him down the street. Ray, as quietly as possible, opened the door to the store and slipped inside before the tall one looked down this way. "I take it Master Favish's engaging in his favorite sport, right Mister Stantz?" The proprietor, Henry Radley, nicknamed "Boo" because of his penchant for the bizarre by the kids in the neighborhood, did not even bother to look up from his newspaper, which startled Ray as he thought Boo was not paying attention to him.
"That's right Mr. Radley", Ray said breathlessly. Putting down his paper, Boo went over to the lemonade/tea setup he had behind the counter and poured Ray a cup and handed it to him. After four cups Ray sat down on a stool nearby.
"Why me? That's all I want to know. Why does Favish feel to pick on me? I mean, there's other kids out at the school he could bully, but."
"He finds you easy game", Boo said beginning to look back at his paper.
"But why?"
"Raymond, I have not been a child for a long time to answer that. Truly, have you thought about standing up to him? Maybe showing him that you are not just a butterball?"
"If I did, he'd pulverize me. You weren't there when he knocked out an eighth grader with only one punch! Imagine what he'd do to me!"
"I don't want to. All I want to say is that you better find a hiding spot as he is about to come here."
Sure enough, Alan Favish was poking his wolf face through the window with two members of his gang. He licked his lips hungrily and grinned as he saw Ray in there.
"There's a backdoor you can use", Boo said and went back to reading his newspaper.
"Thanks Mr. Radley", Ray called out as he ran to the back of the store (past the nudie magazines which he did not take the time to glance at) and saw the big black door. The doorknob felt cold in his hand as he turned it and heard the click. The next moment, he thought, he would be free and would only need about two more blocks before he was home.
Standing there, on the backstoop of the door, was the tall boy who had been looking for Ray moments earlier. He was grinning.
"Al told me you would try to take this way out", he said and grabbed Ray by his shirt and closed the door.
The boy's grip was rock hard, as Ray discovered. Every which way he struggled, he could feel the air beginning to be closed off. Behind him, he heard very slow footsteps. He didn't have to look behind him to know who they belonged to. In the next few moments, the voice would tell him that.
"You should try out for the track team Francine", Favish said, getting close enough to Ray's face where he could smell rotting onions on his breath. Ray heard the other boy, the shorter one, sniggering.
"L-listen Alan, if it's about Elaine, all we were doing was w-w-we were talking about the assignment Mrs. Reynolds gave us." The short boy began imitating Ray's blubbering.
"Shut up Stantz", Favish said and nodded to the tall boy to let Ray go. "You think that because you and my girlfriend are in the same class means you can go behind my back and try to flirt with her? Not gonna happen pal."
Ray knew what was going to happen next: Favish was going to beat him up. That was not unusual. Favish beat up a lot of kids in the fourth grade, just that Ray was always his favorite punching bag.
"So Francine, how do you want it? In the gut, eyes, the face, or do I split your nose right down the middle?"
Ray did what he'd seen done on a nature show his aunt had let him watch. Not answering Favish, Ray kicked him in the knee and pushed the taller boy to the ground. He did not get far. His shoelaces tripped him up and fell on the concrete hard. He could feel his palms and knew that by morning they would be as tenderized as meat.
Favish and the two boys looked down at Ray and all three of them were not smiling. "Now, you'll get twice the beating faggot", Favish said. And like three hungry hawks spotting their dying prey, all three boys swooped down upon Ray.
. . .
"Oh my goodness, Raymond! what happened?" Ray's mother nearly broke the George Washington plate that she had been washing and quickly went to Ray, who had just straggled inside the house. His shirt was all torn, the arm missing; he was bleeding from both nostrils, which went nicely with his two black eyes. He was not wearing his new sneakers that he had gotten for Christmas. There were remnants of garbage in his tussled hair. Blood was also trickling from his black and blue mouth.
Taking a wet napkin, Mrs. Stantz began wiping Ray's face of the blood and dirt.
"What happened?" she repeated again, taking Ray's shirt off him.
"Alan Favish and his gang of idiots happened mom", Ray said solemnly. Tears were streaming down his face, though he tried choking them back. His mother cooed and said:
"It'll be alright sweetie. I'll call Mrs. Favish and we'll see if we can get your shoes back. Okay?"
Ray didn't want to say it, but there was no way to get his shoes back. Favish, star of the school softball team, pitched them up to the highest telephone wire in the city, which they had wrapped themselves around.
"Now, you go up to your room and get changed and take your bath. Dinner will be ready when you finish." She hugged him tightly, as if making sure that Ray would disappear if she let go. Finally letting go of him, she laid Ray's ruined shirt on the table and went back to washing the dishes. As Ray was trumping up the stairs, she said, "Oh, the new issue of Captain Steel is on your bed."
That makes the whole thing worth it, Ray thought in his head. As he reached his bedroom door, he could hear the cawing of Theodore Roosevelt. He was hungry. He had to chuckle to himself as he remembered that his mother hated the pets that he would bring in. The last one, a stray cat, turned out to not be a cat at all, but really a large sewer rat that Ray had mistaken for one. He got the worst spanking of his life that day by his father.
He passed by his brother Carl's room. No use getting any moral support there, even if Carl bothered to look up from whatever the heck he was doing. He peeked inside and saw him jamming out on some Iron Maiden song he didn't know the words to.
Next he passed Jean's room, which was closed. Another typical occurrence in the house. Just to be sure, he put his ear against the door, and could swear that he heard Barney. He looked up at the clock that hung between the two rooms: It was about forty-five minutes past four, meaning that his father would be home soon. He could only think of the lecture he would get in the next fifteen minutes.
Getting into his room, Theodore Roosevelt jumped a little bit before ruffling its feathers, his way that he recognized Ray. Pulling out a drawer, Ray drew out some birdseed and stuck his hand inside the cage, letting Teddy eat out of his hand.
"Sorry, Ted", he said. "I'm just not in a good mood today." After feeding his bird, Ray flopped on his bed, dust shooting out from the bottom. Got to clean that later, he thought.
He pulled out the issue of Captain Steel that his mom had placed there and immediately opened it. Apparently, Cap was fighting off a brand new villain, the Eggmen, who were causing much chaos in his city.
Ray did not realize how much time had passed when he heard his father's key turn in the door. "Hey Stantz family! I'm home!"
Ray quickly changed his clothes and put on another pair of shoes. Going downstairs, he hoped that he could make it back up without having to look his father in the eye.
"Hey dad", he said but the words were barely out of his mouth when his father looked at his face.
"Gosh, Ray, what happened?" he asked, wearing the same expression as his wife but with a bit of amusement in his voice.
Ray, too, had chuckle to himself about it. "I got into a fight with Alan Favish today", he said.
"Favish?" Dr. Stantz looked at his wife. "As in 'Big Ed' Favish at the shoe store?"
"The same", Mrs. Stantz said looking down. Dr. Stantz and Ray could not help but laugh at this, which seemed to annoy Mrs. Stantz.
"I don't see what is funny about this David!" she said. "Our son's shoes were stolen by that Favish boy and all you can do is laugh about it!"
"Aw honey", Ray's father said, finally taking off his coat. "It gave Ray an experience here and he did not get his shoes stolen." Mrs. Stantz looked at her husband as if he had a monkey on his head.
"What do you mean?" From his coat pocket, Dr. Stantz pulled out a small pair of sneakers, the strings slightly stretched out and the tongue hanging lopsidedly, a relic of when Favish and his gang had a hard time pulling them off of Ray's feet.
Ray's eyes widened with disbelief. He couldn't say anything except a hearty "Thanks!"
"Saw them hanging when I stopped at the light downtown. Figured they'd be yours, as Boo Radley said you might've them taking. He was wondering why you were walking past his store barefoot."
As Ray was rushing back upstairs, Carl walked down fully dressed in a black hoodie and dark jeans.
"Hey pop", he said to his father, walked past him and was only able to grab the doorknob before his father grabbed his wrist.
"Just where do you think your going mister?"
"Over to Paulie's place. He's got a Dungeons and Dragons game going on and invited me to join in."
"Not after your last report card, kiddo", Dr. Stantz said. Carl looked at him as in utter disbelief.
"Dad, that was just a slow month, I was in a valley at that time. My grades'll be better next time."
"You're right about one thing", his father said. "Those grades will be better. But not next time, they will be this time."
"Your father's right, Carl", his mother said. "We're only looking out for your best interests." Carl's eyes literally shot daggers at his mother as they shifted.
"Not my interests", Carl said turning his back on his parents and marching towards the stairs. "Ray's interests."
About halfway in the upstairs hallway, Carl saw Ray standing in the dark, leaning against the wall. He didn't need to be told that Ray knew exactly what had just happened. To make things worse for him, he saw Jean quickly closing her room door, her head present for one brief moment.
Ray bit his lip. "Carl, I'm sorry if Mom and Dad won't let you go over to Paul's house if it'll make you feel better." Carl shot his brother a nasty look composed of both hatred and spite.
"I wasn't going over to Paul's house for some fruity Dungeons and Dragons", he said coldly. "And I'll thank you for not butting into my business you little snot."
Ray's eyes widened with shock. He said:
"I was just trying to help."
"You can help by not existing." With that, Carl slammed the door in his brother's face, leaving a bewildered Ray standing there scratching his head. At his left side, he noticed that Jean was again peeping out of her room, the television still on and illuminating her room with blue overtones.
"You know it's your fault that Carl's mad", she said. Ray looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"He thinks that Mommy and Daddy love you more than they do him, and he's the older brother. And, and I believe him!"
Ray looked absolutely shocked at this. "How can you say that? I don't do anything to have Mom and Pop love me more than you guys."
"Whenever you come home with a 'C' grade, they don't yell at you like they do Carl. And they listened to your Captain Steel movie idea than they did about me losing one of my teeth."
Ray thought for a few moments. "Let's face it Jeannie, your tooth wasn't all that interesting to begin with." Despite the darkness, Ray could see that Jean was on the verge of crying.
"I HATE YOU!" she screamed and slammed the door in the same way that Carl had done.
"Is everything all right?" Ray's mother called from downstairs. No, Ray thought, everything's not all right, but he answered heartily, "Yes ma'am", and then hung his head down and went to his room.
. . .
It was about a quarter past eight when Ray raised his window. He hoped his parents were busy watching WPIX News with some young reporter known as Cynthia Crawford. They should, he thought, as Rabbi Eschew was speaking that night with comedian Jeff Harding about ethnic humor. Ray didn't want to watch and told his parents he was going to finish compiling the ultimate Captain Steel fact list, which was a lie.
The window creaked eerily, making Ray wish these things would happen during the day. He hoped against hope that his parents, Jean, and Carl did not hear that. He looked down and hesitated for a few moments. It was not the five foot drop that bothered him so much; it was the fact his own conscience was tearing him apart. To do what he was planning to do, he would have to leave his bike behind. He expected he'd have to come up with a concrete excuse for bicycling this late at night.
Sucking it up, he stuck one foot out the window. Then the other. Taking his backpack up, he slung it upon his back (he swayed somewhat by the speed) and climbed down the rosebush fence his mother had planted years earlier. He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally touched ground and ducked somewhat underneath the living room window. He almost didn't want to run away, seeing his parents there, laughing at Harding's "mad rabbi" jokes and wanted to climb back up the rose fence. But then he saw Jean sitting there between, giggling so hard that she was exposing her two lost front teeth that she had wanted to tell their parents so much about. If he went back in there, he thought, he'd be proving her right about him being their favorite. He shook his head solemnly and walked down their driveway and into the darkness of their neighborhood.
(Where are you going to go?) Ray's conscience asked. It was perhaps a good question that he hadn't bothered to ask himself. Who could he possibly go to for a place to stay? He didn't have too many friends; Favish had seen to that with great evil pleasure. The only relative he could think of going to was his Uncle Andrew, whom he'd never seen but often wrote letters to every chance he got. Andrew Macmillan had offered Ray's family many chances to come visit him, but his brother-in-law's practice always got in the way. Ray's hopes were dashed when he realized that a plane ticket to Scotland would cost and continued walking the street like a homeless unfortunate.
He began thinking of his Aunt Lois, his father's sister, and her house in the city thirty miles away. He probably wouldn't get there until tomorrow afternoon by foot, and he didn't even have enough for cab fare. But, as that was the only option available, he knew that there was no one to stop him from pursuing it.
"Ray?"
Ray jumped for a second, and didn't know who had said his name. Flashing his light into the voice's direction, he said:
"Um, can you come into the light just a little bit?"
"Sure." Ray was relieved at whom it was and his heart kind of skipped a little. Elaine Fuhrman lived a little more than a few blocks from Ray and was surprised to see him walking this late at night. She had been in the process of seeing how he was, as she had heard from her father that he and Dr. Stantz had gotten a pair of Converse All-Star sneakers from the top of a telephone pole. Little doubt as to whom they belonged to.
In her sweet natured tone of voice, she said, "Can you watch it with the light a little? It's kind of blinding."
"Oh yeah", Ray said and quickly shut it off. They stood there grinning at each other for a little more than a minute, which to Ray seemed like an eternity. He glanced behind himself, hoping Favish wasn't strolling up and seeing him and Elaine staring at each other.
"Don't worry", she said smoothly. "Alan's grounded because of his report card and can't get out of his house. Plus you know how his dad is."
"Yeah."
"Hey, he really got you good this time, didn't he?"
"What? Oh, yeah", Ray said almost forgetting his black eyes, which were now turning a sort of purplish color. "You should've seen me earlier. I looked like I got into a fight with one of Clyde Beatty's animals and lost."
Elaine giggled, and then asked, "So, why are you out here this late?" Ray knew why he was out there, but with the moon out in full, the crickets chirping, and Elaine standing there wearing her blue parka, he said:
"I don't know." Elaine looked at him weirdly and said, "Okay" and was about to turn back into the house when Ray's senses finally kicked in.
"Hey", he said, "I'm just walking around."
"With a full backpack?"
"Helps the back my dad says. Anyway, I was just walking around and since you were on your way to my house anyway, do you want to walk with me."
Elaine thought for a second then smiled. "Sure", she said and zipped up her parka.
For a few minutes, the two did not say anything of interest. Ray started off by getting a small tutoring in the size of the African coast. Ray wasn't listening, as they rounded Boo's comic's store. He was concentrating on what he could say to her that won't seem as though he were a lobotomized chimp.
Finally, after hearing that the Ivory Coast was founded by Prince Henry the Navigator and explored numerous times by other explorers like Columbus and Ponce De Leon, Ray said:
"So why do you like Favish?"
If it hadn't been for the fact that there was music playing across from Mezzmer's, the silence could have killed Ray. For a moment, he noticed that the look on Elaine's face indicated that she was on the verge of tears. But, being her nature, she just smiled. To make the situation slightly less tense than it already was, Ray thought quickly.
"I mean, if you don't want to talk about it, it's alright. I was just wondering."
"No, it's alright", she said. Ray could see the tears shimmering on her face. He could feel the guilt welling up inside of him and prayed for lightening to strike at that same precise moment.
"Aw geez, I just feel so bad about asking you that."
"No, really, it's okay. I get asked that a lot and I." she couldn't finish off her sentence. For a moment, it sounded like crashing garbage cans were coming out of her throat.
"What was that?" Ray asked loudly and looked over to the alley behind Boo's. He could see four shadows dancing against the wall. The smaller one getting pushed around he recognized from many sunsets he spent here.
"Boo's in trouble," he told Elaine and the same thought also registered in her brain.
"What can we do?" she asked. Ray didn't answer. He didn't even know what they could do to help Boo.
He to the edge of the alley wall and watched in horror at what was happening. Boo Radley was not just getting pushed around. He was getting the spit knocked out of him by three figures dressed in black sweatshirts and jeans .They wore black masks with the mouth part cut out. They were shouting and laughing at Boo.
"All we asked old man was for a little money, just to help us youths out", one of them said, slamming his fist against Boo's jaw that should have broken it.
"Yeah, what about helping your fellow man", another said and swung the Louisville Slugger he had in his hand into Boo's stomach. When he was doubled over, the boy was raising the bat, getting ready to break it across Boo's back.
Ray didn't know why he did what he next. He could feel the blood boiling inside of him at the sight of these punks beating up on Boo, the neighborhood good guy. He couldn't stand it any longer.
Running from his safe position, Ray slammed into the guy with the raised bat with his shoulder, running the guy into the wall. The bat flew out of his hands.
"Why you little punk", the third one said and grabbed Ray by the collar and raised his left hand to smack him. Ray expected to see stars like he'd never seen before. But the guy's eyes suddenly rolled into his head at it snapped forward. He let go of Ray and fell to the ground with a thud.
"You can thank me later", Elaine said brushing off her ripped stocking. Ray was glad he wasn't the only one who cared. But he didn't have time to say it, as he felt a throbbing pain occurring on the side of his head. The one who had been punching Boo had now turned his attention towards Ray.
"Stay out of this, kid", the guy said. Still conscious, Ray could not believe whose voice it was.
"Carl?" he said. The boy in the mask sort of looked at Ray and again raised his fist. But it was caught by another hand. The boy turned in horror as another fist dug deep in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
"Beatin' up kids like you run the country, what's the matter with you?" Looking up, his head splitting, Ray noticed how frightening Boo looked standing over the boy. Behind Boo, Ray saw the one he'd slammed into the wall beginning to stir. Seeing his friends beaten, this one moved his hand slowly towards his weapon, so he could help even the odds just a little bit. He wavered a little getting up, needing the aid of the bat, but getting to his feet raised the bat and began moving towards Boo.
"Look out Mr. Radley!" Ray shouted. Boo turned around at the split second when the boy swung the bat at his head, missing him by several inches. Like he'd done with the boy's partners, Boo punched the boy in stomach, and then planted an uppercut on his chin, fully knocking the boy out.
Breathing heavily, Boo turned to Ray and Elaine. "Are you kids alright?" he asked.
Elaine helped Ray up. His head was throbbing. "Yeah", he said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Would you kids like some tea?" Elaine and Ray looked at him strangely. The man had nearly been killed, and then beat his attackers brutally, and now here he was playing things off like they never happened. Boo did show signs of his beating: he was bleeding from one side of his mouth and his neat powder blue shirt was filthy. But he was smiling, which was something Ray did not get.
"I guess", Ray said.
. . . .
"That's right dad", Elaine said over Boo's telephone. "Three boys in black masks and clothes. They seemed like they were going up Main Street. Okay? You'll be here in a minute? Alright. Bye."
She turned to Ray, who was nursing his headache with some of the ice Boo keeps in his cooler, and to Boo who was serving up some tea. "Dad said he'll put an APB on the guys who tried to rob you", she said. Looking at Ray, she also added:
"I also told them to look for your brother Ray." Ray looked up at her and for the second time that night wished he'd died.
"I only thought it sounded like Carl", he said. "I don't know if it was him for sure. I thought it sounded like him."
"But you don't know if it wasn't", she said. "I mean, he's always been a bit on the.bad apple side of things. Like Alan."
Ray could not help but grin toothily, as Boo replaced the icepack on his head with a fresh one. Outside, he heard a car's tires screech in the road and the familiar blue and red strobe lights of a police car. Captain Fuhrman had just arrived. Standing almost as tall as the door, Captain Fuhrman looked like your typical square-jawed cop who will tear you a new hole at the drop of a hat. Ray had met Fuhrman many times, as he was an old friend of his father's. On those occasions, he'd been pleasant, though had a quiet sense of menace about him. Now, all that menace seemed to be apparent.
Looking over in Elaine's direction first, he said, "Are you alright Elaine?"
"Yeah dad, I'm okay."
"They didn't try to touch you did they?"
"No dad." Captain Fuhrman went over to his daughter and inspected her to be sure. When he was satisfied that she was okay, he turned to Ray.
"Young Stantz, are okay?"
"Yes sir." Ray could see the cold steel reserve in his eyes. It kind of made him look like Slim Pickens.
"I know the question I may ask you is somewhat is embarrassing, but was your brother involved in this in anyway?"
Straight to the point, Ray thought. Just like Dick Tracy. Before Ray could answer, Boo put a hand on his shoulder.
"I think these kids have been through enough tonight, Captain," he said softly. "Let them rest." Captain Fuhrman shook his head.
"This can't wait, Radley, and you know that. You were almost killed tonight. The sooner we catch these punks, the better off we'll all sleep." Shaking his head again, he said to Elaine and Ray:
"Come kids, I'll take you both home." As Ray was beginning to walk out of the building, Boo stopped him.
"If you don't mind, Captain, I'd like to talk to Ray for a few moments. It won't take long." Eyeing him suspiciously, Captain Fuhrman nodded and walked outside. Boo closed the door behind him and turned to Ray.
"Raymond, what you did tonight was something I must congratulate you upon", he said. Ray looked at him weirdly.
"You not only put yourself at the greater risk by being there, but also by helping me."
"I just couldn't stand there and do nothing while they were trying to hurt you", Ray said, nearly crying. Boo smiled warmly and handed him a tissue.
"I understand all that. You certainly have a lot of heart Ray, something I have not had in a long time."
"What do you mean sir?" Boo looked beyond Ray for a few moments and had a distant look in his eyes.
"You'll understand what I mean when you grow as old as I am", he said. He turned his back on Ray and went to his desk. Ray noticed that he was beginning to pull out shelves and scatter papers. He exclaimed in joy when he'd found what he was looking for. Facing Ray again, he wore a half-smile on his face.
"I don't know if I what I am about to do is the right thing. I guess that's something for the Creator to decide for himself. But in any case, here." He handed Ray what looked like pen case. It was bright pink with a metal clasp. As Ray began to flip the clasp up, Boo screeched "NO!" which frightened Ray.
"Don't open it yet", he said taking a breath in. "Not here anyway. Choose a proper time."
"Proper time for what?" Ray asked. But before Boo could answer, Captain Fuhrman honked his car horn.
"You'll know when you most need it", Boo said and shuffled Ray out the door. As Ray climbed into the squad car, Boo looked as it grew distant into the night, then went back into his own store. He then replaced the OPEN with CLOSED.
Dedicated to the memory of Jeramy Burnsed.
THE PRESENT. The water dripped down Ray's nose as he clutched his particle thrower tightly in both hands. His visor was hanging slightly askew from his head. Smoke was billowing from the thrower.
He was counting the seconds between the rushing water drain behind him, the dripping reverberating all around the alley. He was breathing heavily due to the broken ribs that he was suffering from.
All around him, he saw pain; his fellow Ghostbusters, defeated, in very much the same way Deathstroke the Terminator killed the Teen Titans. Egon, the smartest of them all, knocked out behind a garbage can, blood flowing from a wound he'd received to his head. Near Ray's boots, he could see the broken remains of Egon's glasses. He could see Peter struggling against his supernatural restraints, his eyes moving in horror as he saw the scene play out before him. And Ray did not want to look at Winston's smoking body. All he hoped was that, when this was over, he would take Winston up on that chess game. If it would be over.
"Are you quite done, Raymond?"
The voice from the other end of the alley brought Ray back to reality. He looked into his longtime enemy's eyes, and could see his own hatred staring back at him. If this was what it had to come to, Ray thought, then let it be.
"I'm just getting warmed up, pal", Ray said, charging his pack. Despite the darkness, he swore he could feel the shadow smiling at him.
"Good. I suppose this is, for one of us, where it all ends, at least."
"Shut up, Malvolio", Ray said gritting his teeth. "Either you disappear back into the nether world you came from, or prepare to be killed."
"Don't kid yourself with false hopes Raymond. You probably should have done that years ago, instead of letting this moment happen before you." Malvolio flew up in the air, the water splashing direction, as all around and made a great swoop down towards Ray's face became lighted by the fire of his proton pack.
THE PAST: MORRISVILLE, NEW YORK 1970
Ray could not run any farther. His little legs had carried him as far as he could go, and that was at Boo's Comics and Stories store. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Ray looked back and hoped Alan's gang was far behind him. There was no chance, but it was worth one anyway. He saw one of the taller kids in the gang searching for him down the street. Ray, as quietly as possible, opened the door to the store and slipped inside before the tall one looked down this way. "I take it Master Favish's engaging in his favorite sport, right Mister Stantz?" The proprietor, Henry Radley, nicknamed "Boo" because of his penchant for the bizarre by the kids in the neighborhood, did not even bother to look up from his newspaper, which startled Ray as he thought Boo was not paying attention to him.
"That's right Mr. Radley", Ray said breathlessly. Putting down his paper, Boo went over to the lemonade/tea setup he had behind the counter and poured Ray a cup and handed it to him. After four cups Ray sat down on a stool nearby.
"Why me? That's all I want to know. Why does Favish feel to pick on me? I mean, there's other kids out at the school he could bully, but."
"He finds you easy game", Boo said beginning to look back at his paper.
"But why?"
"Raymond, I have not been a child for a long time to answer that. Truly, have you thought about standing up to him? Maybe showing him that you are not just a butterball?"
"If I did, he'd pulverize me. You weren't there when he knocked out an eighth grader with only one punch! Imagine what he'd do to me!"
"I don't want to. All I want to say is that you better find a hiding spot as he is about to come here."
Sure enough, Alan Favish was poking his wolf face through the window with two members of his gang. He licked his lips hungrily and grinned as he saw Ray in there.
"There's a backdoor you can use", Boo said and went back to reading his newspaper.
"Thanks Mr. Radley", Ray called out as he ran to the back of the store (past the nudie magazines which he did not take the time to glance at) and saw the big black door. The doorknob felt cold in his hand as he turned it and heard the click. The next moment, he thought, he would be free and would only need about two more blocks before he was home.
Standing there, on the backstoop of the door, was the tall boy who had been looking for Ray moments earlier. He was grinning.
"Al told me you would try to take this way out", he said and grabbed Ray by his shirt and closed the door.
The boy's grip was rock hard, as Ray discovered. Every which way he struggled, he could feel the air beginning to be closed off. Behind him, he heard very slow footsteps. He didn't have to look behind him to know who they belonged to. In the next few moments, the voice would tell him that.
"You should try out for the track team Francine", Favish said, getting close enough to Ray's face where he could smell rotting onions on his breath. Ray heard the other boy, the shorter one, sniggering.
"L-listen Alan, if it's about Elaine, all we were doing was w-w-we were talking about the assignment Mrs. Reynolds gave us." The short boy began imitating Ray's blubbering.
"Shut up Stantz", Favish said and nodded to the tall boy to let Ray go. "You think that because you and my girlfriend are in the same class means you can go behind my back and try to flirt with her? Not gonna happen pal."
Ray knew what was going to happen next: Favish was going to beat him up. That was not unusual. Favish beat up a lot of kids in the fourth grade, just that Ray was always his favorite punching bag.
"So Francine, how do you want it? In the gut, eyes, the face, or do I split your nose right down the middle?"
Ray did what he'd seen done on a nature show his aunt had let him watch. Not answering Favish, Ray kicked him in the knee and pushed the taller boy to the ground. He did not get far. His shoelaces tripped him up and fell on the concrete hard. He could feel his palms and knew that by morning they would be as tenderized as meat.
Favish and the two boys looked down at Ray and all three of them were not smiling. "Now, you'll get twice the beating faggot", Favish said. And like three hungry hawks spotting their dying prey, all three boys swooped down upon Ray.
. . .
"Oh my goodness, Raymond! what happened?" Ray's mother nearly broke the George Washington plate that she had been washing and quickly went to Ray, who had just straggled inside the house. His shirt was all torn, the arm missing; he was bleeding from both nostrils, which went nicely with his two black eyes. He was not wearing his new sneakers that he had gotten for Christmas. There were remnants of garbage in his tussled hair. Blood was also trickling from his black and blue mouth.
Taking a wet napkin, Mrs. Stantz began wiping Ray's face of the blood and dirt.
"What happened?" she repeated again, taking Ray's shirt off him.
"Alan Favish and his gang of idiots happened mom", Ray said solemnly. Tears were streaming down his face, though he tried choking them back. His mother cooed and said:
"It'll be alright sweetie. I'll call Mrs. Favish and we'll see if we can get your shoes back. Okay?"
Ray didn't want to say it, but there was no way to get his shoes back. Favish, star of the school softball team, pitched them up to the highest telephone wire in the city, which they had wrapped themselves around.
"Now, you go up to your room and get changed and take your bath. Dinner will be ready when you finish." She hugged him tightly, as if making sure that Ray would disappear if she let go. Finally letting go of him, she laid Ray's ruined shirt on the table and went back to washing the dishes. As Ray was trumping up the stairs, she said, "Oh, the new issue of Captain Steel is on your bed."
That makes the whole thing worth it, Ray thought in his head. As he reached his bedroom door, he could hear the cawing of Theodore Roosevelt. He was hungry. He had to chuckle to himself as he remembered that his mother hated the pets that he would bring in. The last one, a stray cat, turned out to not be a cat at all, but really a large sewer rat that Ray had mistaken for one. He got the worst spanking of his life that day by his father.
He passed by his brother Carl's room. No use getting any moral support there, even if Carl bothered to look up from whatever the heck he was doing. He peeked inside and saw him jamming out on some Iron Maiden song he didn't know the words to.
Next he passed Jean's room, which was closed. Another typical occurrence in the house. Just to be sure, he put his ear against the door, and could swear that he heard Barney. He looked up at the clock that hung between the two rooms: It was about forty-five minutes past four, meaning that his father would be home soon. He could only think of the lecture he would get in the next fifteen minutes.
Getting into his room, Theodore Roosevelt jumped a little bit before ruffling its feathers, his way that he recognized Ray. Pulling out a drawer, Ray drew out some birdseed and stuck his hand inside the cage, letting Teddy eat out of his hand.
"Sorry, Ted", he said. "I'm just not in a good mood today." After feeding his bird, Ray flopped on his bed, dust shooting out from the bottom. Got to clean that later, he thought.
He pulled out the issue of Captain Steel that his mom had placed there and immediately opened it. Apparently, Cap was fighting off a brand new villain, the Eggmen, who were causing much chaos in his city.
Ray did not realize how much time had passed when he heard his father's key turn in the door. "Hey Stantz family! I'm home!"
Ray quickly changed his clothes and put on another pair of shoes. Going downstairs, he hoped that he could make it back up without having to look his father in the eye.
"Hey dad", he said but the words were barely out of his mouth when his father looked at his face.
"Gosh, Ray, what happened?" he asked, wearing the same expression as his wife but with a bit of amusement in his voice.
Ray, too, had chuckle to himself about it. "I got into a fight with Alan Favish today", he said.
"Favish?" Dr. Stantz looked at his wife. "As in 'Big Ed' Favish at the shoe store?"
"The same", Mrs. Stantz said looking down. Dr. Stantz and Ray could not help but laugh at this, which seemed to annoy Mrs. Stantz.
"I don't see what is funny about this David!" she said. "Our son's shoes were stolen by that Favish boy and all you can do is laugh about it!"
"Aw honey", Ray's father said, finally taking off his coat. "It gave Ray an experience here and he did not get his shoes stolen." Mrs. Stantz looked at her husband as if he had a monkey on his head.
"What do you mean?" From his coat pocket, Dr. Stantz pulled out a small pair of sneakers, the strings slightly stretched out and the tongue hanging lopsidedly, a relic of when Favish and his gang had a hard time pulling them off of Ray's feet.
Ray's eyes widened with disbelief. He couldn't say anything except a hearty "Thanks!"
"Saw them hanging when I stopped at the light downtown. Figured they'd be yours, as Boo Radley said you might've them taking. He was wondering why you were walking past his store barefoot."
As Ray was rushing back upstairs, Carl walked down fully dressed in a black hoodie and dark jeans.
"Hey pop", he said to his father, walked past him and was only able to grab the doorknob before his father grabbed his wrist.
"Just where do you think your going mister?"
"Over to Paulie's place. He's got a Dungeons and Dragons game going on and invited me to join in."
"Not after your last report card, kiddo", Dr. Stantz said. Carl looked at him as in utter disbelief.
"Dad, that was just a slow month, I was in a valley at that time. My grades'll be better next time."
"You're right about one thing", his father said. "Those grades will be better. But not next time, they will be this time."
"Your father's right, Carl", his mother said. "We're only looking out for your best interests." Carl's eyes literally shot daggers at his mother as they shifted.
"Not my interests", Carl said turning his back on his parents and marching towards the stairs. "Ray's interests."
About halfway in the upstairs hallway, Carl saw Ray standing in the dark, leaning against the wall. He didn't need to be told that Ray knew exactly what had just happened. To make things worse for him, he saw Jean quickly closing her room door, her head present for one brief moment.
Ray bit his lip. "Carl, I'm sorry if Mom and Dad won't let you go over to Paul's house if it'll make you feel better." Carl shot his brother a nasty look composed of both hatred and spite.
"I wasn't going over to Paul's house for some fruity Dungeons and Dragons", he said coldly. "And I'll thank you for not butting into my business you little snot."
Ray's eyes widened with shock. He said:
"I was just trying to help."
"You can help by not existing." With that, Carl slammed the door in his brother's face, leaving a bewildered Ray standing there scratching his head. At his left side, he noticed that Jean was again peeping out of her room, the television still on and illuminating her room with blue overtones.
"You know it's your fault that Carl's mad", she said. Ray looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"He thinks that Mommy and Daddy love you more than they do him, and he's the older brother. And, and I believe him!"
Ray looked absolutely shocked at this. "How can you say that? I don't do anything to have Mom and Pop love me more than you guys."
"Whenever you come home with a 'C' grade, they don't yell at you like they do Carl. And they listened to your Captain Steel movie idea than they did about me losing one of my teeth."
Ray thought for a few moments. "Let's face it Jeannie, your tooth wasn't all that interesting to begin with." Despite the darkness, Ray could see that Jean was on the verge of crying.
"I HATE YOU!" she screamed and slammed the door in the same way that Carl had done.
"Is everything all right?" Ray's mother called from downstairs. No, Ray thought, everything's not all right, but he answered heartily, "Yes ma'am", and then hung his head down and went to his room.
. . .
It was about a quarter past eight when Ray raised his window. He hoped his parents were busy watching WPIX News with some young reporter known as Cynthia Crawford. They should, he thought, as Rabbi Eschew was speaking that night with comedian Jeff Harding about ethnic humor. Ray didn't want to watch and told his parents he was going to finish compiling the ultimate Captain Steel fact list, which was a lie.
The window creaked eerily, making Ray wish these things would happen during the day. He hoped against hope that his parents, Jean, and Carl did not hear that. He looked down and hesitated for a few moments. It was not the five foot drop that bothered him so much; it was the fact his own conscience was tearing him apart. To do what he was planning to do, he would have to leave his bike behind. He expected he'd have to come up with a concrete excuse for bicycling this late at night.
Sucking it up, he stuck one foot out the window. Then the other. Taking his backpack up, he slung it upon his back (he swayed somewhat by the speed) and climbed down the rosebush fence his mother had planted years earlier. He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally touched ground and ducked somewhat underneath the living room window. He almost didn't want to run away, seeing his parents there, laughing at Harding's "mad rabbi" jokes and wanted to climb back up the rose fence. But then he saw Jean sitting there between, giggling so hard that she was exposing her two lost front teeth that she had wanted to tell their parents so much about. If he went back in there, he thought, he'd be proving her right about him being their favorite. He shook his head solemnly and walked down their driveway and into the darkness of their neighborhood.
(Where are you going to go?) Ray's conscience asked. It was perhaps a good question that he hadn't bothered to ask himself. Who could he possibly go to for a place to stay? He didn't have too many friends; Favish had seen to that with great evil pleasure. The only relative he could think of going to was his Uncle Andrew, whom he'd never seen but often wrote letters to every chance he got. Andrew Macmillan had offered Ray's family many chances to come visit him, but his brother-in-law's practice always got in the way. Ray's hopes were dashed when he realized that a plane ticket to Scotland would cost and continued walking the street like a homeless unfortunate.
He began thinking of his Aunt Lois, his father's sister, and her house in the city thirty miles away. He probably wouldn't get there until tomorrow afternoon by foot, and he didn't even have enough for cab fare. But, as that was the only option available, he knew that there was no one to stop him from pursuing it.
"Ray?"
Ray jumped for a second, and didn't know who had said his name. Flashing his light into the voice's direction, he said:
"Um, can you come into the light just a little bit?"
"Sure." Ray was relieved at whom it was and his heart kind of skipped a little. Elaine Fuhrman lived a little more than a few blocks from Ray and was surprised to see him walking this late at night. She had been in the process of seeing how he was, as she had heard from her father that he and Dr. Stantz had gotten a pair of Converse All-Star sneakers from the top of a telephone pole. Little doubt as to whom they belonged to.
In her sweet natured tone of voice, she said, "Can you watch it with the light a little? It's kind of blinding."
"Oh yeah", Ray said and quickly shut it off. They stood there grinning at each other for a little more than a minute, which to Ray seemed like an eternity. He glanced behind himself, hoping Favish wasn't strolling up and seeing him and Elaine staring at each other.
"Don't worry", she said smoothly. "Alan's grounded because of his report card and can't get out of his house. Plus you know how his dad is."
"Yeah."
"Hey, he really got you good this time, didn't he?"
"What? Oh, yeah", Ray said almost forgetting his black eyes, which were now turning a sort of purplish color. "You should've seen me earlier. I looked like I got into a fight with one of Clyde Beatty's animals and lost."
Elaine giggled, and then asked, "So, why are you out here this late?" Ray knew why he was out there, but with the moon out in full, the crickets chirping, and Elaine standing there wearing her blue parka, he said:
"I don't know." Elaine looked at him weirdly and said, "Okay" and was about to turn back into the house when Ray's senses finally kicked in.
"Hey", he said, "I'm just walking around."
"With a full backpack?"
"Helps the back my dad says. Anyway, I was just walking around and since you were on your way to my house anyway, do you want to walk with me."
Elaine thought for a second then smiled. "Sure", she said and zipped up her parka.
For a few minutes, the two did not say anything of interest. Ray started off by getting a small tutoring in the size of the African coast. Ray wasn't listening, as they rounded Boo's comic's store. He was concentrating on what he could say to her that won't seem as though he were a lobotomized chimp.
Finally, after hearing that the Ivory Coast was founded by Prince Henry the Navigator and explored numerous times by other explorers like Columbus and Ponce De Leon, Ray said:
"So why do you like Favish?"
If it hadn't been for the fact that there was music playing across from Mezzmer's, the silence could have killed Ray. For a moment, he noticed that the look on Elaine's face indicated that she was on the verge of tears. But, being her nature, she just smiled. To make the situation slightly less tense than it already was, Ray thought quickly.
"I mean, if you don't want to talk about it, it's alright. I was just wondering."
"No, it's alright", she said. Ray could see the tears shimmering on her face. He could feel the guilt welling up inside of him and prayed for lightening to strike at that same precise moment.
"Aw geez, I just feel so bad about asking you that."
"No, really, it's okay. I get asked that a lot and I." she couldn't finish off her sentence. For a moment, it sounded like crashing garbage cans were coming out of her throat.
"What was that?" Ray asked loudly and looked over to the alley behind Boo's. He could see four shadows dancing against the wall. The smaller one getting pushed around he recognized from many sunsets he spent here.
"Boo's in trouble," he told Elaine and the same thought also registered in her brain.
"What can we do?" she asked. Ray didn't answer. He didn't even know what they could do to help Boo.
He to the edge of the alley wall and watched in horror at what was happening. Boo Radley was not just getting pushed around. He was getting the spit knocked out of him by three figures dressed in black sweatshirts and jeans .They wore black masks with the mouth part cut out. They were shouting and laughing at Boo.
"All we asked old man was for a little money, just to help us youths out", one of them said, slamming his fist against Boo's jaw that should have broken it.
"Yeah, what about helping your fellow man", another said and swung the Louisville Slugger he had in his hand into Boo's stomach. When he was doubled over, the boy was raising the bat, getting ready to break it across Boo's back.
Ray didn't know why he did what he next. He could feel the blood boiling inside of him at the sight of these punks beating up on Boo, the neighborhood good guy. He couldn't stand it any longer.
Running from his safe position, Ray slammed into the guy with the raised bat with his shoulder, running the guy into the wall. The bat flew out of his hands.
"Why you little punk", the third one said and grabbed Ray by the collar and raised his left hand to smack him. Ray expected to see stars like he'd never seen before. But the guy's eyes suddenly rolled into his head at it snapped forward. He let go of Ray and fell to the ground with a thud.
"You can thank me later", Elaine said brushing off her ripped stocking. Ray was glad he wasn't the only one who cared. But he didn't have time to say it, as he felt a throbbing pain occurring on the side of his head. The one who had been punching Boo had now turned his attention towards Ray.
"Stay out of this, kid", the guy said. Still conscious, Ray could not believe whose voice it was.
"Carl?" he said. The boy in the mask sort of looked at Ray and again raised his fist. But it was caught by another hand. The boy turned in horror as another fist dug deep in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
"Beatin' up kids like you run the country, what's the matter with you?" Looking up, his head splitting, Ray noticed how frightening Boo looked standing over the boy. Behind Boo, Ray saw the one he'd slammed into the wall beginning to stir. Seeing his friends beaten, this one moved his hand slowly towards his weapon, so he could help even the odds just a little bit. He wavered a little getting up, needing the aid of the bat, but getting to his feet raised the bat and began moving towards Boo.
"Look out Mr. Radley!" Ray shouted. Boo turned around at the split second when the boy swung the bat at his head, missing him by several inches. Like he'd done with the boy's partners, Boo punched the boy in stomach, and then planted an uppercut on his chin, fully knocking the boy out.
Breathing heavily, Boo turned to Ray and Elaine. "Are you kids alright?" he asked.
Elaine helped Ray up. His head was throbbing. "Yeah", he said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Would you kids like some tea?" Elaine and Ray looked at him strangely. The man had nearly been killed, and then beat his attackers brutally, and now here he was playing things off like they never happened. Boo did show signs of his beating: he was bleeding from one side of his mouth and his neat powder blue shirt was filthy. But he was smiling, which was something Ray did not get.
"I guess", Ray said.
. . . .
"That's right dad", Elaine said over Boo's telephone. "Three boys in black masks and clothes. They seemed like they were going up Main Street. Okay? You'll be here in a minute? Alright. Bye."
She turned to Ray, who was nursing his headache with some of the ice Boo keeps in his cooler, and to Boo who was serving up some tea. "Dad said he'll put an APB on the guys who tried to rob you", she said. Looking at Ray, she also added:
"I also told them to look for your brother Ray." Ray looked up at her and for the second time that night wished he'd died.
"I only thought it sounded like Carl", he said. "I don't know if it was him for sure. I thought it sounded like him."
"But you don't know if it wasn't", she said. "I mean, he's always been a bit on the.bad apple side of things. Like Alan."
Ray could not help but grin toothily, as Boo replaced the icepack on his head with a fresh one. Outside, he heard a car's tires screech in the road and the familiar blue and red strobe lights of a police car. Captain Fuhrman had just arrived. Standing almost as tall as the door, Captain Fuhrman looked like your typical square-jawed cop who will tear you a new hole at the drop of a hat. Ray had met Fuhrman many times, as he was an old friend of his father's. On those occasions, he'd been pleasant, though had a quiet sense of menace about him. Now, all that menace seemed to be apparent.
Looking over in Elaine's direction first, he said, "Are you alright Elaine?"
"Yeah dad, I'm okay."
"They didn't try to touch you did they?"
"No dad." Captain Fuhrman went over to his daughter and inspected her to be sure. When he was satisfied that she was okay, he turned to Ray.
"Young Stantz, are okay?"
"Yes sir." Ray could see the cold steel reserve in his eyes. It kind of made him look like Slim Pickens.
"I know the question I may ask you is somewhat is embarrassing, but was your brother involved in this in anyway?"
Straight to the point, Ray thought. Just like Dick Tracy. Before Ray could answer, Boo put a hand on his shoulder.
"I think these kids have been through enough tonight, Captain," he said softly. "Let them rest." Captain Fuhrman shook his head.
"This can't wait, Radley, and you know that. You were almost killed tonight. The sooner we catch these punks, the better off we'll all sleep." Shaking his head again, he said to Elaine and Ray:
"Come kids, I'll take you both home." As Ray was beginning to walk out of the building, Boo stopped him.
"If you don't mind, Captain, I'd like to talk to Ray for a few moments. It won't take long." Eyeing him suspiciously, Captain Fuhrman nodded and walked outside. Boo closed the door behind him and turned to Ray.
"Raymond, what you did tonight was something I must congratulate you upon", he said. Ray looked at him weirdly.
"You not only put yourself at the greater risk by being there, but also by helping me."
"I just couldn't stand there and do nothing while they were trying to hurt you", Ray said, nearly crying. Boo smiled warmly and handed him a tissue.
"I understand all that. You certainly have a lot of heart Ray, something I have not had in a long time."
"What do you mean sir?" Boo looked beyond Ray for a few moments and had a distant look in his eyes.
"You'll understand what I mean when you grow as old as I am", he said. He turned his back on Ray and went to his desk. Ray noticed that he was beginning to pull out shelves and scatter papers. He exclaimed in joy when he'd found what he was looking for. Facing Ray again, he wore a half-smile on his face.
"I don't know if I what I am about to do is the right thing. I guess that's something for the Creator to decide for himself. But in any case, here." He handed Ray what looked like pen case. It was bright pink with a metal clasp. As Ray began to flip the clasp up, Boo screeched "NO!" which frightened Ray.
"Don't open it yet", he said taking a breath in. "Not here anyway. Choose a proper time."
"Proper time for what?" Ray asked. But before Boo could answer, Captain Fuhrman honked his car horn.
"You'll know when you most need it", Boo said and shuffled Ray out the door. As Ray climbed into the squad car, Boo looked as it grew distant into the night, then went back into his own store. He then replaced the OPEN with CLOSED.