The Orphans in the Woods

After Rohan filled the bag with all the batteries, flashlights, and candles he could find he zipped it closed. Then he walked around the house again feeling a combination of tired, stressed, and worried. His thoughts were racing. He peeked from behind the curtain out of the living room window and saw the darkness of the night. Mom's 65 Mustang was parked in the driveway. He hadn't even noticed that the car was there when he and Gertrude got home from school. He saw the full moon and the light beam glaring from it. He remembered his mother talking about the names of faces of the moon. He remembered his sister talking about werewolves who go crazy when the moon is full. Then he started thinking about the money they had put together so far. He sat back down on the couch and re-counted.

He had found $300 in Dad's stash in the basement. He had his $50 plus the $35 that Gertrude had found so they almost had $400. Rohan knew that there was a town a few miles away from the cabin and he also knew that there might be times when they would need the money for something. He was terrified of running out. Even when he turned 10, who would hire him? He might pass for 13 or 14 with his height, but he figured his chances for a job anywhere were pretty low. He started thinking about things that people might find valuable so that he could trade if the money ran out. He wasn't exactly sure what they would need the money for, but he really didn't want to find out and not have any. He started sweating, nervous, as if he was having a panic attack.

Then it was like he could hear his mother's voice from the dead.

....."Rohan sweetie..." he heard his mom beckon...."you need to slow down and think about this.... are you sure you want to bring your little sister to the woods? What if bears or wolves attack? What if strangers show up? Is your little sister really safe out there with you?......" His mother's voice faded out, but had created more worry and fear within him. He began to doubt himself and wondered if he should call Aunt Velma.

He looked at the wall on the clock. It was 3:45 a.m. She was probably sleeping. No one called anyone in the middle of the night or before sunrise unless someone had died or there was a catastrophe. Well, his parents were murdered. Maybe Gertrude and his mother were right. Maybe he should call Aunt Velma.

He went to the kitchen and found the big phone book in the bread cabinet along with his mother's personal phone book. He flipped open the little black phone book and right there on the first page was Aunt Velma's phone number. He was panicking and paranoid, so he went to the phone and picked up the receiver holding it up to his ear. He heard the dial tone. He dialed Aunt Velma's number. It rang once, twice, three times, then Rohan panicked again and hung up. Then he pulled the phone line out of the jack so Gertrude wouldn't hear the phone ring if anyone called.

Rohan went back into the living room and stuffed most of the money $350 in cash plus the $50 C.O.D. into a small bible that he taped shut with duct tape. He stuffed the Bible into his clothing suitcase. He kept the $35 that his sister had found separated wanting her to keep it and put it back into her piggy bank.

He wanted to go to sleep like his sister had, but his thoughts were still racing. He turned on the television at a low volume hoping that would help calm him down. He began thinking about food and what and how they would eat once at the cabin. He knew he could hunt the deer, pheasant, squirrel, and go fishing, but his father had not shown him how to prepare the various meats for eating. He had only seen his father filet the fish and roast a squirrel. He started gazing at the television screen and a commercial for 25 cent hamburgers was being advertised. He sighed and tried to relax and stop worrying.

Then he started thinking about his mother and father and their dead bodies in the bedroom. How was he going to deal with that? If he called the police, Gertrude and him would be sent away, held up in custody, maybe lost to each other forever. Or even worse! What if the police blamed him and his sister for the murders? What if he and his sister were thrown into some dirty jail cell and left there to rot for the rest of their lives? What if Aunt Velma thought that also? She wouldn't want us. She'd want us to rot in jail forever.

Finally, Rohan started crying again. He curled up into a ball with his head down and just let the sobs and tears fall out until he couldn't cry anymore. Then he started to fall asleep on the couch listening to another commercial about 25 cent hamburgers.