...zzz...
...zzz...
...zz-
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-
(SLAM)
Josh opened his eyes, still feeling weak in his body. Another day. He shuffled around until his eyes rested on his bedside, where his clock and calender were. The date? March 27th, 20-
Wait. March 27th?
Ooooooh boy. He knew what today was. And it was not a good one. Thank god it was Saturday. He could convince his mother to take him out to the nearby mall or something. Groaning, he lifted the blanked off of him and stood up to stretch his back.
Josh looked like a typical teenage boy trying to get through life. He was average size for a 16-year-old, blond hair, blue eyes, slightly thin, typical stuff. He had a general interest in computer games, internet, history, mythology and astronomy. He got good grades in school, and overall had a decent lifestyle.
Unfortunately, his problem was his social life, which he was constantly reminded everyday by his mother. She was downstairs at the kitchen table having breakfast when Josh came down. Her mother also had blonde hair and blue eyes, but didn't have his thin physique. That belonged to his father, who lived in the city where his mother worked. She had a Job in IPT and helping people with their computer software, while his father was fluent in computer hardware, making and repairing computer cases, monitors, mice, keyboards, you name it. They were a match made in heaven and married at ages 24 and 26, 8 years before Josh was born, and 6 years before... (shutter)... his sister was born. It haunted Josh everytime he thought about her. And today was the day that... no, he couldn't think about it.
His mother, Cristie, noticed him enter the room and tried to smile. "Hey baby. How did you sleep?"
Josh shrugged. "Same old." He replied. She nodded and went back to her breakfast. Josh noticed her down attitude, but he didn't bring it up. He knew what today was, and he knew his mother grieved every year it came. So instead, he went into the kitchen to make some toast.
He sat down at the table next to his mother while he ate. Her eyes constantly shifted towards Josh, but everytime he looked at her, she turned away. After finishing his meal, Josh sighed and looked at his mother. "Hey mother?" She looked up. "Can we head down to the mall today and look around?"
She nodded. "Sure bubby. I could use the fresh air." She got up, grabbed her keys, and headed towards the car, out front of the double story house. Josh followed her.
While in the car, Josh continued to notice his mother looking rather solemn while she drove. He decided to address the elephant in the room.
"So... it's that day again. Isn't it?"
His mother's eyes looked at him. "Yes, i suppose it is." A moment of silence.
Josh broke it. "You know me and father don't blame you for what happened, right? Father moved into the city just because his workplace was their, yet you didn't follow even thought you knew it was easier, and you insisted to keep me here."
His mother stayed silent.
"Come on mom. Why can't you just let it go?"
His mother was still silent.
"Mom?"
She sighed. "I can't risk anything after what happened." She replied, still keeping her eyes strictly on the road. "I won't let you be another Jasmine. She was in trouble and i wasn't fast enough to help her."
"But you can't solve that by never letting me be with other people. Other people can HELP me when I'm in trouble."
"Can you say that to the person who CAUSED her to become in trouble? She gone by someone else's hand. I'm never letting that happen to you." She finally turned to Josh, having stopped at a stoplight. "Don't argue with me about being with others, Joshua."
"But mom, you can't-"
"I SAID NO!" She bellowed. Josh barely flinched. "Other people are trouble Josh. I don't want you near them, and that's final."
"Even in group projects at school?"
"Especially in group projects at school. They're all danger. Did anyone help you when you fell into that fountain?"
This time, Josh was silent. He simply turned back to face the road.
"Exactly. Other people don't care about anyone but themselves. They're not worth it." His mother turned back to the road to keep driving.
All Josh could do was stare at the car in front of them. "(Sigh) I wish i can prove mother wrong." He thought, a memory of yesterday coming back to him. "It's already bad enough that the other guys can't do anything with me."
-Yesterday, Lunch Time, Josh's High School-
Josh leaned on the nearby pole eating an apple which his mother had packed him. Which she had cut into tiny pieces by the way. Josh ate them with the plastic spoon also packed for him. He then noticed two of his classmates walking towards him, Carlos and James.
Carlos had black hair, hazel eyes, and thick glasses which he had to wear constantly. James had blond hair like Josh, but black eyes and a slightly more weighted body.
"Hey man. Your mother still being a chainlink fence?" Carlos asked. Josh nodded. His school was familiar with the fact that his mother was over-protective and he knew it.
"Too bad bro." James said, pityingly. "Frank said he was hosting a small party near the park."
"He invited the whole class." Added Carlos. "But he didn't ask you because... you know." Josh nodded again.
"Mother says that party's that involve strangers always results in at least one person being raped, and one being hospitalized." He said. Both Carlos and James went wide-eyed.
"Seriously?!" Carlos exclaimed. "Holy crap, dude... This party doesn't even have any alcohol!"
"Yeah, it's just a small dance party." James agreed. "You know, just a bunch of people hanging out. Why does your mother have such a wild claim?"
"She says she's been doing the research on it. And with the unpleasant results she's found, she says there's no way I'm going to a party that doesn't involve her."
"Geez man. Sorry to hear that." James said. "I'll pray that your thorn bush status with your mother gives you is resolved soon." At that point, the bell for 5th period went. "We gotta go. See you after the weekend?"
"Yeah. Sure. Hopefully." Josh simply said.
Carlos and James gave one last sorrowful look before walking away to their next class. Josh went the other direction towards his math class.
-Present Day and Time, In The Car Nearing The Mall-
Josh silently sighed. "That's all i am. A walking thorn bush. A walking thorn bush, that makes mother say 'You can't go near anyone else.' Fuck me."
At this point, Josh's mother was in the parking lot and was trying to find a parking space. Once found, she unlocked the car doors and the mother and son proceeded to go inside the mall.
The mall contained what you would usually find inside a mall. A sports shop, a food court, a flower shop, etc. Josh and his mother walked down the escalator to the 1st floor. There was a Cafe, some clothing shops, another restaurant, a fortune tellers shop, a joke shop, a musi-
Josh stopped in his tracks. "Hold up. What?" His mother didn't expect his stop and looked back in instant concern. She then followed Josh's gaze.
Sure enough, in one corner on the floor they were on, she and Josh saw a shop that used to be abandoned. It had been left behind by the previous owners, who were a jewelery shop, and sat there ready to be bought by another store owner. Now sitting at that corner was a shop. The neon sign above said "Madame's Paranormal and Mystical Treasure Trove". What was most suspicious and disturbing about the shop though was the floating sign just to the left of door. It read "Free Fortune Winner: Joshua Marsh".
Josh and his mother went white. How the hell did this shop know who Josh was? And what was his name doing being displayed to the public? This HAD to be investigated.
The two entered the creepy, purple-ish shop. On the many shelves were crystal balls, pendants, bracelets, vials of god know what, and many more. Behind the counter was empty. The counter itself had a cash register and a bell. A sign on the wall behind the counter said, "Ring The Bell and She Will Come to Serve You". So that's what Josh's mother did. She rang the bell once, and there was a call of "One second please!".
Soon, a woman, who looked about in her 70s, entered the shop through an archway draped by curtains. She had curly white hair, yellow eyes, bony hands and a slightly wrinkled face. "Hello to you both." She spoke in a strange German-like accent. "I am the owner of this shop. How may i assist you?"
Josh's mother put two fists down on the counter. "You can ASSIST me by telling me how the HELL you know my son's name, and WHY your displaying it on your sign!?" She yelled. The owner was not fazed.
"I do not know the name of any son you might have." She looked at Josh. "Unless he is the one i heard of."
Josh nodded "That is my name, but who are you?"
"My name is not important. Only your reason for being here."
Josh raised one of his eyebrows. "What does that mean?"
"I have heard about your troubles. Your a loner because of past events from your mother, right?"
Josh's mother went wide-eyed. "Wha... bu... bu..."
The owner turned to the mother. "And to answer your questions... One, being a fortune teller, i have to know about anyone who needs help. And Two, do not fret. You and your son are the only ones who see that message on the sign. Everyone else see's "For You Supernatural Needs" on it. So don't worry, no one else knows about your son's name but me."
Josh's mother stood up straight. "Ok, but why have you... uh... summoned us?"
"I'm here to help anyone who needs help. Follow me." The owner stepped towards the archway with the curtains. Josh and his mother followed.
Through the archway was a square room with no windows. Inside, there was one desk and one chair on each side. On the desk was a crystal ball and a stack of cards. "You go and sit on the chair." The owner pointed to Josh then the chair closest to them. "And you stand over there while i do my thing." She then pointed to the mother then the corner away from the door and the desk. The two complied, despite the mother still being skeptical about the whole thing, and the owner sat at the chair opposite the desk.
Once everyone was in place, the owner picked up the cards and shuffled them. She then placed three cards on the desk in front of Josh.
Flipping the first card revealed a tombstone with a woman beside it with a flower and her head hung low. "You lost your sister before you were born. Your mother blames herself for it." Josh looked at the card and nodded.
The second card was a woman and a little boy chained together. The woman on the card held a key. "She then kept you close to her, watching over you every moment she could." Again, Josh nodded.
The final card had a boy taped to the ceiling where shadowy people on the ground couldn't reach him. A calender hung on the wall nearby. "She kept you away from everyone else, so you never learned how to be around others or how to work with others." Josh nodded one final time. The owner then nodded herself.
"Truly a tale of woe. I can offer solutions. You must simply chose your option."
The room went darker. The crystal ball turned blue, illuminating the room with a blue aura and the owner turned the first card over again. This time, the card had a blue outline. On it showed a crystal ball on the left with a boy on the right walking away. There was also an outline of a woman that had nothing inside. There was a calender in the background with a cross through one week. "Your first option is that you live life as normal, but without your mother. She will be sent to another place that only i can reach. I will then give her advice on how to take care of you. If she doesn't use it, you will be compensated." The mother gasped at the idea, but kept quiet while the owner talked about the other options.
The crystal ball then turned green and the second card was turned over. Inside the green outline was a boy turned towards the front of the card. Around his neck was a strange diamond pendant. "Your second option is a pendant that i will give to you. It will turn different colors depending on who you should trust and who you should not, and also when you follow someone's advice and when you should not." Josh's mother looked at this option, half-interested, half-suspicious. Josh should trust HER, not a stupid pendant.
The crystal ball then turned red and the final card was turned. Inside the red outlines was a boy sitting up on a grey floor. Around him was nothing but white with question marks scattered anywhere. "Your third option is that i send you to another world. A world that deals with the same problems that you are. You will go here and i will watch over you. You can then learn with the other inhabitants of this world, and have the experience our world can't offer." At this, the mother looked completely doubtfully at the woman. There was NO WAY she could be serious.
The crystal ball then turned all three colors, each color shining where each respective card was, and the owner and Josh looked straight at each other. "Take a moment to consider your options, then say the color of your decision. I will wait." The owner leaned back, still looking at Josh.
Josh continued to look at the cards as he thought. "This... this is happening. This is actually happening. Hmm... The blue option would give me time to myself and others, but would mother actually listen? I don't think so. Besides, how can i do anything alone? It would be terrifying. The green option could be useful, but others would ask about the pendant and mother would try to disagree with it. So much attention, and that's not what i want while mother is trying to protect me. The red option? I could finally learn about what i need, without mother, but another world? Really? How the hell could i survive? Then again, this woman would be watching me, and i she looks genuine about helping me. Hmm..."
His mother was getting antsy about all this and tried to step towards them. "This is ridiculous. Cmon Josh, we're lea- woah!" She found out she couldn't step towards him. A strange force kept her in her corner. Josh heard her and looked back. The owner turned to her.
"This is not YOUR decision." She said firmly. "Josh will make HIS decision. Let him do it." She turned back towards Josh.
Josh himself watched his mother trying to move towards him and failing. "Please Josh! Don't do this! Let's get out of here!" Josh said nothing and turned back to the cards. He had to admit, as absurd as it sounded, the red option actually sounded pretty interesting. He took one last brainstorm thought. Let mother learn and be temporarily free? Follow the advice of an inanimate object and become possibly famous? Or escape mother and learn what he's always wanted to learn with the help of this woman and possible new friends.
Curiosity won him over, and he spoke one word. He hoped that he wouldn't regret saying this word.
"Red."
His mother gasped. The crystal ball glowed red. The blue and green cards vanished in smoke while the red card floated in front of him. The owner leaned forward and looked him right in the face. "Very well." She said. The room around him started to shake. And just like that, the chair under Josh disappeared and the floor turned white. The last thing Josh heard was the scream of his mother before he fell backwards, his eyes were covered in white, and he passed out.
In the room, the mother could only watch as she saw her son fall into a white light that appeared in the floor. And as fast as the light came, the light dissipated, and her son was gone. She stared horror-stricken where her son had been then at the owner. "Y... y... you... ca... y..." The owner looked at the mother and tapped the crystal ball. An image appeared in the ball. A strange robot was laying on the ground with tree around it.
"That, right there, is your son. Do not worry. I will watch over him."
"N... n... no. NO!" She screamed. "That's CAN'T be him! I don't know what you've done to my son, but your going to tell me where he is right NOW!"
"I assure you my dear, that is him. Somewhere where you can't reach him, and only i can contact him. All i wish is that you sit down with me as we observe him."
"NO! I'm getting my son back! I'll report you to police!" She attempted to run for the door, but the mysterious force kept her from going.
"Do not attempt to run away or scream. My power allows me to stop you from going anywhere, and it is sound proof. I tell you, sit in the chair, and your son will be fine." The mother looked at the solemn woman. She had no choice but to submit to the woman. She sat in the chair, still glaring at the woman.
"You PROMISE he will be fine?" The owner looked up at her and gave her a grin.
"I promise my dear. I only wish to help others."
Hello peoples of the internet! That was the first chapter of my story for dinotrux. I know your saying that you saw no dinotrux in this chapter, but i PROMISE, the next chapter will START with dinotrux.
I also find it a bit strange that the stories I'm working on are in categories that were help made by me (Dinotrux and Viscera Cleanup Detail). Huh.
In any case, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and have a good rest of the day.