I HOPE YOU DO LIKE IT. and that you KNOW I GIVE A CRAP..no I GIVE A LOT OF CRAP FOR THIS PIECE. It's a part of me.
--that was weird. sorry i get all hysterical [pardon] with all the style critiques. LOL. anyhoooo, R&R if you may. THANKS! Peace!
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“There are no monsters under your bed, Johnny.” Her red, dry lips curved into a soft smile as she lied down beside him and stroked his raven hair lovingly. “But mom!” A tear slid across Johnny’s beet red cheeks and died in his mother’s fingers. “Hush now. As long as I am here, no one could harm you. I won’t let it.”
It dawned to him that the diabolical implication of the shadow’s existence could separate his love from his mother’s love. He just was sure that he was right. So sure that it hurts him every night. “Mom, they’re at it again!” Johnny growled at the sight of that despicable image of blackness as he sat upright.
He grabbed his pillow and threw it against his wooden closet. “Mom!” He turned his blanket over his face, feeling intense as ever. “Mom, where are you? I’m scared!”
He peeked from under his covers and tried to make out a light coming from outside his door. He did not want to stand up but somehow his wobbly feet were dragged to the floor. He picked up his pillow, pushed the door open and walked gently to the hall.
The lime curtains hanging from the wall blended well with the freshly-picked red roses nicely placed in perfectly aligned gold China vases. It was as heavenly as the night sky yet sunlit as the dazzling morning. The thought of it almost cleared Johnny’s head from all the qualms and fears but the monster got a firm hold of him.
He silently trotted across the hall and stopped at the big lavender door. “Mom, are you here?” he quivered under the monster’s stare as he looked near the lampshade.
He ran to the light and reached his clammy hands to the bed, trying to feel an angel happening to lie down. He flinched when the light turned brighter and so held out his arms to embrace the angel. “Mom, I thought,” An impassive voice of emptiness rose to the dawn and haunted his heart. “My boy, are you all right?” A woman with mannequin-like skin, perfect pink glassy lips, endless baby blue eyes, and a perfectly anchored nose was caressing his soft face.
“AHHH!” His eyes bulged wide open and he screamed at the top of his voice. “Who are you? Where’s my mom?” He rose to his feet and held on tightly to his pillow. “Get out! Who are you? Mom!” He detached his gaze from this scandalous figure and ran out the door. “Mom,” Johnny hid in his closet and sat on jadedly. A tear threatened to fall again but he fought it back. “Please wake me up.” He closed his eyes and slapped himself hard, “Ouch!” Just then the closet door swung open and a smiling face was before him. He met the woman’s gaze and the room was filled with stillness. His eyes were like glued on to her eyes just as his whole face was. “Don’t worry, they are gone.” She held out her hand and smiled some more. Johnny went out from the closet and gently stood up. He could not fight back the tears anymore.
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“Come on I have prepared some buttered toast and bacon.” The woman said with her eyes fixed solemnly on the boy.
Johnny reluctantly sat on his chair. “I’ll be calm about this. Where’s my mother?” He beamed at her, trying to ease the mood. “Maybe she ran errands for her work and a friend of hers stayed here to look after me.” He suggested vacantly. He could not help but look away from this simulated being flashing him sweet, pitiful smiles.
“I am your mother, Johnny.” Johnny did not know what to say or do anymore. He bit his chapped lips and shoved a forkful of bacon into his mouth. They ate in silence although all kinds of noise came barging Johnny’s innocent little mind. He was only seven years old. What could he possibly make out of this situation? He looked at his half-drained bottle of milk and took a swig of it. “You’re not real.” He declared with utmost certainty.
“I’m a viper android 3000 and I’m designed to be Johnny Hausen’s mother. You are Johnny, right? Well I am your mother, boy. Shall you go take a bath now?” She broke into a derisive smile.
It was 7:00 in the morning and Johnny was all ready for school. Well, not so ready now. His shoes cackled ignorantly as he trudged down the stairs. “Vipa!” He called out to the woman. She seemed to appreciate her new name.
“Yeah that’s right.” He reluctantly spoke, “From now on, I’m going to call you Vipa.”
As he made his way down the stairs, all he could see from her is a pure smile beaming at him and he hated it. It almost choked him. “Hey Johnny,” She moved closer to him and added, “Your laces.” She knelt down and tried to do something about Johnny’s shoe laces. Johnny saw she was clueless on how to tie it and so he bent down and took the laces. “Watch.” When he came down, he smelled her pungent cotton candy scent and it made him feel good. He tied his shoe laces and finally succeeded. “There you go! See, it’s really just like that.” He threw her a sincere smile. Johnny was more baffled than ever. He felt his heart beating hard. He got up stiffly and whispered almost to himself, “I’ll see you later, Vipa.” With that, he dashed out the house and ran his way to the school.
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“Are you okay, Johnny?” Erin would not stop bugging Johnny. It’s just her nature to talk and talk and talk incessantly. “Johnny, what happened? You missed out on Spongebob, didn’t you?” She heaved a sigh and sat on his desk. “Okay, since I am your friend, I’d tell you what happen. Patrick’s parents came to visit.” She shot him a smoldering look and a sinister smile crept up her white face. “I know, right?” She threw her hands up in the air and chortled. “Whatever happened to you? You like going whereabouts and you like talking to me.” She let her eyes wide open and leaned towards Johnny. “You are dying. Oh I knew it!” She smacked her palms against her forehead.
Johnny primped himself up and took her hand. “Erin shut up. Come on, I’ll show you.” They scampered back to his house.
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“Oh my god.” Erin almost fainted at the sight of Vipa. “This is way much cooler than SpongeBob!” She drew closer and held out her hand, “I’m Erin. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Vipa.”
Johnny wasn’t amused at all. He pulled her hand away and said, “She’s not even married. She’s just my artificial mother.”
Erin was taken aback, “Now I don’t understand. Where’s your real mom?”
They fell into a pool of silence. Johnny thought silence could lighten it up, but it only made him feel worse. “I don’t know but I’m going to find her.”
This just drowned them in silence.
Erin thought this was the opportunity he was looking for. “And we will! Let’s go to her building. Come on guys! We have a mission to accomplish!” She hopped away with her backpack. Johnny turned to the woman, “Vipa,” Vipa tenderly grasped Johnny’s hand and muttered enigmatically, “We’ll find her.” He found himself smiling. With that, he ran to catch up with Erin, hand in hand with Vipa.
“Hausen, Joana Hausen.” The receptionist held her files in shock. “You mean Dr. Hausen from the Forensic Psychology department?” She stopped flipping the pages of the coffee-stained folder and tucked a stray hair behind her ear nervously. “Are you kidding me?”
Vipa and Johnny were silently standing. “What do you mean? Why would we be joking? Where’s my mother?” He grew impatient and screamed. Vipa comforted him and talked to the receptionist once more.
“It’s a simple question. Where’s Dr. Hausen?” A bead of sweat fell from the receptionist’s chin. She sighed then said, “Dr. Hausen is dead.” The shadows that hurt him in his sleep suddenly vanished from his world. The hurt he felt seemed to have died down. Johnny couldn’t feel his body. His eyes were burning.
“Everyone mourned. Everyone liked her. She was a great person. It’s just sad that she’s gone now. The building seems incomplete.” The receptionist remained motionless, her eyes threatening to give out. She turned to look at Johnny.
“You have her green eyes.” Johnny couldn’t keep it cool anymore. He screamed once more then he scurried out the hall with tears streaming down his sad face.
He felt his eyes were burning with hot tears. He plopped down against the trunk of the tree and buried his face in his hands.
“Here,” a soft voice erupted, “I heard you love vanilla.” Johnny looked bewildered at Vipa as she sat beside him and handed him the vanilla ice cream.
“I never had a mother. I was just made out of scraps of metal and a bit of skin. I didn’t even know my creator. To have thought of it, I think it’s sad to lose one. Even though I never really owned one, I don’t know but I feel like I’ve lost something too.” She dropped her perfect head down and tilted to the side. “So don’t cry anymore okay? I might do the impossible and cry my artificial eyes out.”
Johnny let out a soft laugh.“You’re too mushy,” he looked at her, “can we do something about that?”
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Johnny did not want to share his life with a machine but the weeks they were together and the bonding they made seeped into his heart and made it possible for him to give it a shot. They would eat out in a restaurant although the whole night would just be Vipa watching Johnny eat and intermittent chats in between. Every Saturday, Vipa would drop Johnny off for soccer practice at the Meds Field then fetch him just in time for lunch. Basically, Johnny learned to live with someone very much unlike him. He learned to live without his angel. He slept soundly at night. He was able to do just that until one murky night.
“Monsters!” He thought they were all gone but it came back haunting him again. The shadows kept on laughing at him.
“Vipa! Vipa!” In their first week, Vipa would come dashing from her room to his room and carry him back to bed. He never had to call out several times for Vipa would always be in time to rescue him and pat his back softly. But tonight’s different; Vipa did not come to his rescue. Where was this woman who suddenly introduced herself as mother? Where was this woman he came to live with? Is it possible that history repeated itself and that she has also gone to leave him?
“Vipa! Where are you?” He made a flippant wave just to see whether someone would hold his hand and take him somewhere safe. “Why aren’t you hearing me out?” He could not take it any longer. His back was drowning in sweat, as his lips were trembling in fear. The shadows lurked around his room and peeked at him every second. He felt a clutch of fright in his shoulder and it pierced him like glass. He ran regardless of knowing that he could collapse any second due to his shaking legs. He did not know what got into him but he felt a bit relieved when he reached that lavender door. He knew a robot angel would be there and that he would feel better all over again.
He mustered his courage to open the door. As the door shrieked open, he poked his head inside to look for the lampshade but all he saw was more darkness. Johnny could feel his heart beating fast, his sweat uncontrollably falling from his face, his sweaty hands wiping them away.
He took slow, careful steps then called out in a soft whisper, “Vipa, I’m scared. Hold my hand if you hear me.” He breathed in and exhaled slowly, extending his hand towards the dim light. It took him a minute to absorb the truth. His breathing got faster and he was feeling heavy. He ran down the stairs, tumbled at the 7th step but quickly got up. He felt numb again. He pushed open the door and continued to dart his way to the park.
There were brightly lit candles along the sidewalk, like some funeral walk took place. It made him feel more alone and frightened. As he walked past the bushes, he saw more shadows with eyes fixed strangely at him. He tried to chant some words but the silence that the shadows make bashed his sensitive ears. He could feel the baleful touch of anonymity. He could feel abandonment upon him. He could feel he is leaving the world. Johnny let the cool breeze soothingly waft him. A thought that maybe he’d be swept off by the cold burn of emptiness hurled inside his head.
A light flickered before him but disappeared the moment he narrowed his eyes to see clearly. The world whirled around him, as blurry shadows replaced the angelic form. A horde of black figures came heaving groans like hungry wolves, surrounding him with a dark and warped aura. It was as if hell came sauntering towards him, craving for his re-engagement with his past. The gloomy night blinded him and he screamed out of terror. He ran with all his energy and might, he ran and ran until he could run no more.
He cried out miserably, “Vipa! Vipa! I can’t take it anymore! You must hear me out! You must take my hand! You must smile at me! You must be here! You must take care of me! You must tie my shoe laces! You must be with me for my birthday! You must be with me! You must be with me!” He plunked himself onto the ground like a thud of a boot.
His eyes darted all over the splendid heavens, thinking that maybe if he stares at it long enough, some of its beauty will soak into him even for just a while and that when he drowns in bliss, he would forget he is alone. He closed his eyes and gathered his energy once more so he could run again and look for her. He hastily got up, half-limping his way out the park and then ordered his legs not to fail him. He dragged his legs towards the tunnel and he ran and ran until a strong bang smacked his whole body down the concrete. He felt dead.
He did not know it but he hit a wall as he dashed his way into the tunnel. “Vipa, You must be with me. Vipa, you must be with me.” His breath was sluggish this time, like it was failing. His heart was beating slower like it does not want to function anymore. “Vipa.”
A chilly breeze blew against Johnny’s frail body as a warm finger tapped his forehead caringly.
He awoke to the warmth of breath tickling his cold cheeks and he knew right away that he has found what he was looking for. He broke into a dry smile and opened his eyes to see the usually perfect face smiling in front of him.
“My boy, what happened?” Vipa kissed Johnny’s forehead and carried him. “Why are you out, Johnny?” she asked sullenly.
Johnny felt too weak to answer but he spoke gently, “Monsters. I was looking for you. You weren’t there when I called out. You weren’t beside me. You were gone.” For the first time, Johnny placed his arms around Vipa’s neck and embraced her tightly. “I thought you were gone.” Vipa felt a warm sensation creep up her artificial spine, she can’t figure out what her body felt but it made her smile a different kind of smile. “Happy birthday, my boy.” It was exactly 12 midnight. It was his birthday.
She leaned his feeble body on the sofa as she plopped beside him. She washed him with a white towel then stroked his hair lovingly. “I’m sorry, Johnny. I went out to buy the perfect gift for you. Will you cry if i tell you i failed to?”
Johnny remained motionless, his eyes erupting in tears. “I have the perfect gift right here.”
The moonlight reflected on his eyes beautifully as he took her hand and entwined his fingers with her own. Vipa stared in shock and amazement. “Don’t cry.” She felt different again.
“Don’t cry,” she pleaded softly as her other hand wiped Johnny’s tears away. “Not out of any self ideations that weeping is weak or anything but I just don’t have it in me, my boy.” She added on amusingly.
For a moment, they were silently gazing at each other.
“Really now,” Johnny added, “mom?”
The room was still.
The time seemed to have stopped.
A silent, innocent artificial tear slid across the woman’s perfectly carved cheek. It was magical. It was love.
“Really,” She responded in awe, “son.”
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A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, "Where mother is." ~Keith L. Brooks
All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother. ~Abraham Lincoln
