CHAPTER 13

Amanda leaned against the wall after Lee left for the store, waves of happiness flooding her senses. Thoughts of Lee swirled through her head as she tried to focus on making the sandwiches.

She had just opened a bag of bread when the front door crashed opened.

"Mom!" Jamie's voice boomed through the house. "We're home!"

Amanda gasped in surprise as Philip and Jamie surrounded her.

"Hey, boys!" Amanda exclaimed as she opened her arms to her sons. "What are you doing home? You aren't supposed to be home for a few more days!"

Dotty walked up to Amanda and gave her a hug. "Oh, Amanda! Aunt Edna has the most terrible cold. We stayed with her for only a few hours. She just couldn't breathe through her nose! The poor thing felt absolutely dreadful." Dotty's arms waved around as she spoke.

Letting out a sigh, Amanda thought about her lost evening with Lee. She felt happy to have her boys and Mother home, but disappointment gripped her heart.

"Mom, look at what Aunt Edna gave me!" Philip burst out. He shoved a big, black box in front of Amanda's face.

"She gave it to me, worm brain!" Jamie replied, grabbing the box out of Philip's hands.

"No, she didn't!" Philip exclaimed. He tried pulling the box out of Jamie's hands, but Jamie refused to let go.

"Hey, Fellas!" Amanda scolded. "Jamie, please don't call your brother worm brain. Philip, I want you to talk nicely to your brother." Looking at the box in Jamie's hands, she read, "Box of Boom. Dangerous."

"I was trying to figure it out myself, Amanda. It sounds like some kind of radio. Aunt Edna says that it's supposed to make some fun noises," Dotty replied. "She says that the boys are going to love it, but that they should open it outside."

"Mom, can I open it right now?" Jamie's eyes were wide with excitement. "Pleeease!"

Shaking her head, Amanda replied, "Jamie, if Aunt Edna says that we should open it outside, let's open it outside."

"But, Mom!" Jamie complained. "I want to see the Boom Box!"

"It's not Boom Box, dork head. It's Box of Boom!" Philip corrected.

"Sweetheart, we use nice words when we talk. Don't call your brother dork head." Amanda turned her attention to Jamie. "I know you're excited about opening Aunt Edna's gift, but we need to wait until we're outside. We can open it later today."

"Later today!" Jamie burst out excitedly. "What time?"

Amanda opened her mouth to reply when Philip's hands sprung forward and ripped open the box.

A shrill, high-pitch sound pierced the air. The noise quickly became louder and louder when suddenly, the black box began to shake.

"Mom?" Jamie asked, his eyes wide. His hands clutched the shaking object even tighter.

Amanda shook her head, completely dumbfounded by the turn of events.

"I bet you it's gonna explode!" yelled Philip. He leaned backwards as he prepared for the blast.

"No sweetheart, it's not going to explode," Amanda replied reassuringly.

Loud blasts instantly erupted from the shaking, black object. Bright lights burst out of the box as it sent a blaring screech into the air.

"It sounds like a war!" Dotty exclaimed, covering her ears.

Philip took a few steps backwards and repeated, "It's going to explode!"

"On second thought, it just might explode," Amanda anxiously said. "Give it here, Jamie." She reached out her hands to take the box from Jamie.

Before Amanda could get the box, a sudden heat rapidly spread throughout the black object. Jamie's eyes were wide with terror as it boomed out thunderous sounds.

"I'm too young to die!" Jamie screamed in horror, throwing the violently shaking box on the floor.

Smoke started spewing into the air, and the box flipped onto its side as more banging noises repeatedly burst out. Philip and Jamie wailed in terror.

Jamie yelled, "It's going to kill us all!"

"Help! Help!" cried Philip, shielding his face with his hands.

As the boys' screams filled the air, the back door blasted off its hinges. Dotty and the boys released more shrieks of horror when they saw a man somersault into the house!

"Hold it!" a deep, baritone voice commanded.

Dotty and the boys valiantly tried to escape out the front door. Falling over each other in the process, they came face-to-face with a man holding a gun in one hand and cocoa powder in the other.

TBC