Famous Last Words (Part 2)

Note: This is Part 2 of the series. If you have not read Part 1, you can find it here

Earlier that afternoon, Jocelyn and Julian found a wounded lizard in the backyard. It’s well known that small lizards in Florida will not only lose their tails in order to get away from a predator but also will grow back a new one as time goes on.

Julian had seen his share of lizards with their missing appendage, however, this one had been trying to hobble away off the patio but its wounded hind legs prevented it from running off to safety.

The brother and sister scooped it up and kept it in a tiny glass aquarium that had been home to Jocelyn’s goldfish. Goldy lasted about 2 weeks before receiving the royal flush down the toilet. The aquarium had sat lonely in the corner of the garage, collecting dust by the rear window since then.

“I hate to say it guys, but he may be better outside with his friends than inside with us,” Suzanne Couglan said to her two small children.

“But, but...we can try to help him. His leg is broken I think. He’ll die out there if we don’t help him.”

It only took a few sweet tears of her six-year-old to change her mind and allow the children to nurse the small lizard back to health.

“OK, you can try to help him, but don’t take him out. He stays in there at all times. Is that clear?”

“Clear Mom. Thanks. C’mon Joss, let’s see if we can find some crickets for him to eat.”

The kids ran back outside, finding sticks and debris to make a small home for him inside the aquarium.

Suzanne watched her children from the kitchen window in delight, everyone unaware that just a few miles away, Joseph Gilmanson was squeezing and contorting his way to his eventual escape.

That night Jocelyn and Julian Couglan, who previously, and with much satisfaction to Suzanne, had been so happy and friendly with each other began to waver.

“But I found him Joss, it’s my responsibility.”

“No. It’s my tank. He’s going to sleep in my room.”

After several minutes of the two children arguing, Suzanne cut in. It was finally decided that Jocelyn would sleep with the lizard in her room tonight...covered and sealed, I should add. Julian would be able to keep it in his room the following night.

This ultimately was the decision that changed the course of their lives that night.

Under the moon and stars that night, Joseph Gilmanson wandered aimlessly, only the faint lights in the distance guided him through the acres of Orange trees.

Only two thoughts continued to swell in the mind of Gilmanson, where do I go, where can I hide?

He trudged through the fields of trees, ducking every once in a while thinking he saw movements or heard dogs barking. He assumed it was his own paranoia after several times dodging behind a tree, holding his breath to listen. Each time, the only sounds he heard were the same crickets and tree frogs sounding their nightly chorus. He cursed and continued his silent march to the lights glowing several hundred yards from where he stood.

As Gilmanson approached the dirt path that was used to travel to and from the orange grove, he hesitated. He was sure that as soon as he stood up to jog across the path, dozens of spotlights and guards would be waiting to seize him and bring him back to the prison.

Lying prone in the weeds at the edge of the grove he stayed. The damn crickets, like nails on a chalkboard in his ears. Finally, he pushed himself up on one knee. His weight made it settle into the damp grass below him. He felt the coolness on his knee through the thin orange jumpsuit.

No lights, no dogs barking. He began to feel as though he had been successful in his escape. He rose to his feet and began to jog across the path. He had spotted a large bunch of scrubby shrubs on the opposite side. That was where he would run and dip behind before his next move.

A moment later he was hidden, shadows of the trees above him, shielded by the shrubs he laid there still and silent. A moment later, as he laid on his back he glanced over to his right, taking a look at the several houses from the edges of their back yard.

Most had lights on still, some had the faint silver-blue glow of a TV on through thin curtains. The house furthest down, the one with the swingset had the least amount of lights. This would be the house he would use to hide. He’d steal the car, and do what he would need to do to get away. He hoped it would be easy, hoped he would experience little to no issues. All he knew at this point was that he wasn’t going back, no matter what the cost.

Gilmanson approached the swingset of the yard. It was located in the far back corner. He stood twenty or so feet from it. He looked carefully at the house. He scanned each window until he spotted a single window that from his vantage point, appeared to be open. A square box, roughly the size of a toaster oven was perched in the left corner. Behind that, the room was dark.

Inside the room, little Jocelyn Cauglin lay in bed sleeping soundly. “Spots,” as she called her newly attained but injured pet lied above her in the small aquarium. Julian had suggested she put the lizard on her windowsill so he could see the outside. He said it would probably make Spots feel more like he was safe at home.

Jocelyn agreed and the two of them spent a good half hour getting the aquarium set up just right on the sill. The aquarium had a base that was several inches wider than the sill. This concerned Julian. All he could imagine in his young mind was the teetering aquarium to tip over and come crashing down on his sister’s bed. Of course, Spots would either be hurt or will have run away and they’d never see him again. The other concern was for the tank to land on his sister and hurt her, but he was more concerned about the already wounded lizard.

The only way for them to prop the aquarium on the sill correctly was to open Jocelyn’s window and screen. This would allow them to slide the thin board they found in the garage on the sill. This would be wide enough now, to fit the base of the aquarium safely.

On most nights, the window was closed. Although the A/C unit in the living room didn’t supply enough cold air to the bedrooms situated in the rear of the house, if they slept with a large fan and their bedroom door open, enough cool air would wind its way to their side of the house. This is what kept them comfortable enough during the sweltering Florida summer nights.

Tonight, little Jocelyn lay in bed with her window only slightly cracked open, but the door to her bedroom shut.

As Gilmanson approached the window silently from the back yard of the Cauglin home, Julian stirred again in his bedroom across the hall.

Every time Julian would begin to feel the warm familiar hands of sleep, his mind would switch suddenly to the lizard in his sister’s bedroom.

Finally he had had enough with all the worrying. He grabbed the pillow from his bed and his sleeping bag from the closet. He decided he would eventually be able to sleep if he camped out on the floor of Jocelyn’s room. This would also allow him to monitor how Spots was doing.

As soon as he opened her bedroom door, he knew something was wrong.

To Be Continued...

This is part 2 of the Three-Part Series titled - Famous Last Words - if you have not read part 1, you can read it here.

If you're enjoying this short horror story, please let me know. Thanks so much for reading, I truly appreciate it.

CONTINUE TO PART 3