Sharlana Turner

Period 4^th

12/8/07

          A mother’s nightmare

Ahhh! No, no, no please! Somebody help me. Mommie No!

Maple gasped for air as she popped out of a deep sleep. She glanced over the room and sat at the edge of the bed in pitch-black darkness.  She looked at the clock blinking three am. She stood up and headed to the bathroom to throw water on her face. She took a deep wind of air in her nose, out through her mouth and noticed the smell of bleach. As she looked up to check her reflection in the mirror she saw the back of her head. Suddenly, Maple awoke again in a cold sweat.        

 She realized that it was all a dream. She rubbed her hands across her face and glanced at the time that read eight am. She went across the hall to see if Imani was awake but she was left to discover a bed with mangled covers. She then peaked in the living room to see if she was watching Curious George the cartoon. Imani was nowhere to be found; Maple began to panic.

“Imani?” she whispered, “Imani where are you?”

She opened her closet door and found Imani hiding behind some clothes.

“Boo! I scared you, huh mommy?” Imani giggled.

“Oh you crazy child don’t you be doing that, you know you scared me half to death!” Maple began.

“Tee Hee Hee. Okay mommy,” Imani sang.

“It’s time to get ready for school. Do you want some breakfast?” Maple asked.

“Yea. I want some eggs, bacon, waffles, bananas, chicken, tacos…”

“Wow you think you can eat all that?”

“Mmm, I think.”

They walked to the kitchen where Imani turned on the TV. “Breaking news the two daughters of the Smith family that were reported missing for a week now where found suffocated to death in their beds. The parents of the two Smiths...” Maple then changed the channel to Curious George.

“All right Mamas you all done?”

“Uh huh”

“Well time to get those clothes on and get out of here.”

“Kay.” Imani responds with milk dripping down her chin.

Maple goes to her room and checks the time, which says 8:30 am. She picks out clothes, gathers her suitcase and heads to Imani’s room. The door was locked.

“You ready?”

“Yep. You ready to see my outfit?” She says.

“Sure, surprise me.”

“Tada!” screams Imani as she swings open the door with a purple cap, a skirt over black tights, a white shirt, and purple and white snow boots.

“Wow, how beautiful! You’re growing up so well.” Said maple.

“Yeah, I know. And you should let me drive you to work.”

“Yeah right in your dreams. Maple says jokingly.

They stepped outside into thick fog that you could see for miles.

They climbed inside the silver Nissan. Maple strapped Imani the car seat and turned on the radio.

“The father of the Smith family found in the closet trembling moments after they found the bodies of the daughters. What a tragic time it is for our children. Please kiss and hugs your kids because you never know when they will leave you.”

     Maple changed the station to radio Disney. Soon enough they were in front of Jefferson Elementary.

“Okay Mamas, have a good day. And Daddy’s going to be here to pick you up.”

“All right, love you.”

“I love you to Imani.” She gave her a kiss on the forehead, and watched her disappear into the crowd of kids who were awaiting her. She drove off to highway 150. She arrived 30 minutes later in front of John George.

“Good morning Ms. Jones.” Says the security guard.

“Hey good morning Doncey.”

     She walked through the double doors where white walls and the smell of bleach met her. Maple hated the smell of bleach it burned her nostrils. She made her way to the elevators and began to search for her keys. She entered her office. Maple took a deep breath and sat in her rolly chair. She checked her voice messages as her secretary walked in.

     “Hey Ms Jones I got a packet for you from Mr. Barahona and he wants you to get on this task ASAP.” Said the secretary.

     “Alright.”

     “You need anything?”

     “Nope I’m fine thanks for askin’”

     “Oh yeah anytime”.

     The secretary exits the room. Maple scanned over the paper work.

     “Larry Smith… bipolar… schizophrenic.” Urgent! It read in red ink.

     She tied her hair up, gathered the file, and was on her way to introduce her self to Mr. Smith. She went through three security gates and an elevator to get to the patients.

     “Can you show me where Mr. Larry Smith might be?”

     “Oh yeah his decided to stay in his room today.” The nurse said.

     She led her to his room and unlocked the door. She walked in on him naked masturbating on the cement floor. They rushed and got the men security to get him dressed and ready for his appointment with Maple.

     “I knew you were coming” Larry said settled in a chair facing the window.

     “Really. So you know why I’m here”

     “Yeah. Cause it’s your job duh.”

     “Yeah. Well not just that but I wanna help you get through this. I wanna ask you some questions”

     Larry signs, “Yeah don’t they all”

     “What exactly do you remember from that night when your kids were missing?”

     He closed his eyes.

     “I was standing by the sink with bubbles all around me… then I heard a loud Bang Bang Bang at the door.” he paused for a long time.

     “I went to the door and a man with a glass eye and scar real, real deep in his face.”

     “Who was he?” Map-le asked.

     “I don’t know but he tried to choke me but I shut the door,” he paused “he kept banging on the door… but then he stopped. I looked threw the peep hole and he was gone.”

     “Do you have any idea why he was there?’

     “Nope. No clue. Never seen the guy in my life.”

     “Who took the girls to school?” Maple asked.

     “School bus and it bring ‘em back too,” he paused then continued “but one day the bus didn’t bring ‘em back and I didn’t notice it ‘till next morning when I went to go wake ‘em up.” He look surprised like he just realized they were gone.

     “So you didn’t in any kind of way hurt your children Mr. Smith?”

     “No no no way and call me Larry.”

     “Okay well I’m going to check on you every now and then, are you okay with that Larry?”

     “Yeah what ever it’s your job.”

     Maple went back to her office and pondered the answers she was given. The conversation was recorded so she rewinded it a few times to really get a feel for Larry. She got a sharp pain in her head so she took a break. Soon enough it was time for her to get Imani from school. The teacher told her that her dad had come to pick her up. Maple returned to her car.

     “Damn I forgot! I should’ve never done that,” she mumbled to herself. Maples hole world revolved around Imani ever since her terrible break up with Imani’s dad. Her main focus was to give Imani the attention she needed and she believed she could do it on her own. Once at home Maple noticed how silent it was so she turned on the TV and radio like Imani would’ve done if she were there. She felt a sudden loneliness because Maple has never been away from Imani all of the eight years of her life. She decided to give Imani a call.

     “I’m not in so leave a message after the tone…”

     “Hey hey hey call me once you get this it’s mommy, I miss you Mama’s. Please have her can me.”

     Forty-five minutes later.

     “Yo. Its mommy call me” Click…

     The sun went down and the night soon fell over the entire house. Maple tossed and turned all through the night. She woke up and glanced at the clock that read three am. The windows were icy and she could see her breath. She stepped into the bathroom and threw water on her face. Maple looked up and seen her x-husband and he began strangle and smother her.

     “AHH!” Maple cried as she woke up out of another nightmare. She was drenched in sweat. She looked around the room like she was in search of something. She looked in the closet, under the bed, and in Imani’s room.

     “I need to calm down” she whispered to herself. She got dressed and left out the door. She felt like she was forgetting something. She got to work and checked her voice messages as she was doing so she got another call on her other line.

     “Good morning Ms. Jones this is Ms.Price from Jefferson Elementary” said the secretary.

     “Mornin’” Maple replied.

     “Will Imani be coming to school today?”

     “No. What do you mean she should’ve been there!?” Maple began to gather her belongs.

     “Oh she hasn’t gotten here yet.”

          Click.

     As Maple was going out the door her secretary said she was instructed to see about Larry before she left. She went along as she was told. As she got closer to Larry’s door she go flashbacks of the nightmare she had that night. She had seen a man with a glass eye and a deep scar from his mouth to the glass eye. It looked like her x-husband but he didn’t have a glass eye or a scar. The security guard opened his door and Larry was lying there eyes wide open.

     “Hey Larry… you okay?” Maple stared at him in shock. “ Larry?” Maple studied his eyes, which were pitch black she knew he was dead. Maple ran out the room and left the nurses to discover his cold dead body. Speeding to Jefferson Elementary School she kept calling to get a hold of Imani. She got to the main office.

     “Who picked Imani Jones up yesterday?” Maple asked.

     “First calm down. Have a sit. A man in a green truck came and got her around two fifty directly after school.” The woman replied.

     “ Her father doesn’t have a green truck. What did he look like?”

     “ Dark skin, short hair cut, had a real deep nasty scar from his mouth to a eye… it looked fake or glass like.”

     “Oh my god! How could you guys let my daughter go with some stranger? What the fuck!” Within five minutes Maple pulled up to her x-husbands house. She busted threw the window when no one came to the door.

     “Hi mommy!” Imani screamed, “ What are you doing coming threw the window? Do you like my pretty new clothes that daddy buy me?” Imani was wearing high heels with a short skirt and a see through shirt. 

     “Come on right now and get your stuff! Now!” Maple was pissed.

     “Okay I’m sorry mommy. What’s wrong? What’s going on mommy?” Imani cried.

     “What are you doing Maple? Why are you in such a hurry?” he said.

     “No! You stay the fuck away from me and my daughter.”

     “She’s mine too.”

     “No I’m getting’ all custody over her.”

     “You can’t do that I wanna be able to see my little angel.”

     “No you can’t even bring her to school.”

     “Because she didn’t feel well.”

     “No way am I buying’ that.”

He walked closer.

“I’m warning you stay the fuck away.” Imani came out the room with her bags.

“I know what you did… I know why your face is like that. I know what you did to those girls!” She yelled in disgust.

“Really…” he said.

“Go to the car now Imani.”

“But mommy… I’m scared I don’t wanna live you” she whined. He stepped closer.

“I’m telling you I will kill you if you test me again.”

“And if you don’t… I will do the same to you.”

“Mommy…mommy lets go” Imani grabbed at Maples pants. They backed up backwards to the door. She tried to open it and keep an eye on him but noticed it had chains and locks. She knew then it was really time to go. Her tried to take the razor but Maple sliced his fingers off.

“AHH!” he screamed, “That feels good!”

Maple threw Imani out the window on to the porch.

“Ahh! No no no please. Somebody help me. Mommy. No! Come on. Somebody please help me!”

Maple stuck him in the neck and managed to get away. They raced off in the car. They arrived at home.

“Stay here and lock the doors,” Maple instructed. She packed their things and soon enough she was on her way out of town.

One year later.

“Breaking news: The bodies of nine year old Imani Jones and mother Maple Jones were found dead in their beds after been reported missing for two weeks. Police have no leading suspects at this time…”