Stephen Oracle Salis

This story implies death of many kinds and abuse. Discretion advised. 

“It’s mine, and you can’t have it!” May screeched, pulling the toy away from me. Her grubby hands yanked the stuffed dog back into her clutch. 

“It used to be mine! I don’t want you to get it dirty!” I protested. I had fond memories of that dog. His name was Rusty, and he protected me from my nightmares as a child. Mom says I don’t need to sleep with a toy now that I’m ten. I still have nightmares, but I’ve learned not to scream and cry. I don’t mind letting May have it now that I can’t use it. But I don’t want her Cheeto hands all over my favorite toy! 

“I’m gonna tell mom you’re not sharing!” she screamed, stomping her feet as her face burned. Tears rolled down her face. I plugged up my ears as fast as I could. I know what’s going to happen, but I'm hopeless. 

Our mother stormed in. “What in the world is going on here?!” Her lips pursed

Before I can say anything, May butted in. “Stephen’s not sharing!”

“Stephen Oracle Salis, you apologize to your sister this instant!” 

“But mom! Her hands are dirty! She’s gonna get Cheeto dust on Rusty! Make her wash her hands!” I know saying that is a mistake, but I can’t stand the thought of Rusty! It’s not fair!

“Stephen,” she said. I was already running away. “Run any further and see how many timeouts you get.” Now I was bawling.

“She’s the poopy head, not me!”

She taunted, “It takes one to know one!” 

“May! Both of you cut it out!” She snatched Rusty out of May’s hands. “Go to time out! Opposite sides of the room.” We both went wide-eyed as she put Rusty high up in the cabinet where neither of us could reach. “Nobody gets Rusty tonight. If you can’t behave with him, he might have to go away.”

We both cried in timeout. This was the worst. Rusty was dirty and nobody got him. I know May needs Rusty as much as I do, but this is my dog. Mine.

Statement from Avery Salis, from Wisconsin State Press 2021

“What happened to my kids was horrible. I cannot think about anything else since it happened. It weighs on my heart like a damn boulder. I don’t know how I could have prevented it. I don’t know how to make amends now. All I know is that it wasn’t my fault. Something in the air is toxic and sickening. Tragedy strikes when you least expect. This life is cruel, and if I may be honest, I can’t wait for mine to end.”

The next morning I was calmer. I had to remind myself that the nightmares were just dreams once again, but that was nothing new. Mom washed off Rusty and made May promise to always wash her hands after eating messy food. 

I avoided May as much as I could. I played with my action figures alone. Mom wants me to take my bike out. She bought one for me last Christmas. I know how to ride, but I don’t like going out into the neighborhood. The alleys smell like trash, and whoever I see looks at me funny.

That night we had a TVdinner. Mom said she was sorry that she couldn’t cook us “a real dinner” (it didn’t seem imaginary to me). But I was perfectly happy with it. It came with a brownie, what more could I ask for? Mom works a lot, so it makes sense. May plays with her stuffies and I have my superheroes. We don’t mind playing by ourselves now and then. We keep eachother company. The nightmares don’t bother us anymore. Not really. 

Interview from Avery Salis, from Wisconsin State Press 2021

Q: Ma’am, were you aware of your children's nightmares?

A: Not quite. I knew that Stephen had some bad dreams when he was a young child, around six or seven. He could never bring himself to tell me what they were about because he was sobbing so hard words were impossible to conjure. I would ask him after and he’d only tell me he didn’t want to talk about it.

Q: And what about your daughter?

A: I-I-I don’t remember anything about it. I’m sorry, it’s still a fresh wound to me. I can’t seem to remember anything but her smile.

Q: That’s quite okay ma’am. I wouldn’t want to upset you even more. We can continue this tomorrow if-

A: Wait! I remember something. 

Q: Ma’am, you’re trembling, you don’t have to-

A: When I would comfort her after a bad dream, she’d always ask “where’s daddy?”

Q: Did she ever know her father?

I hate Mondays. Everyone does. I’d rather stay home all day reading comic books, or playing with May in the creek behind our apartment. I don’t like playing with May unless it’s in the creek. As long as you don’t go too far into the woods, it’s loads of fun. Mom says not to go too far in because there are ticks. I’m not scared of any ticks, but I am scared of spiders. Don’t tell anyone. 

I hate going to school. The other kids like to stare at me, I’ve never been sure why. But I do have one friend, Ericka. She’s always been extra nice to me. I feel grateful to have her. Ericka always gives me her extra food at lunch. Today she gave me her leftover fries. To be honest I was embarrassed to take them, I felt like one of those people pretending to be homeless for money. Still, free fries are free fries. 

I overheard some kids talking about me. You would have thought they would try to be nicer, or at least more secret. But they didn’t. 

“I heard he doesn’t have a dad!” One kid said.

Another asked, “well then who takes care of him then?”

“His mom I guess.”

“That must be rough.”

“Yeah,” someone else agreed “but that’s not the crazy part.” 

Another kid gawked “well then what is the crazy part?”

“Is the dad in prison?”

“Worse.” He paused for dramatic effect.”He’s dead.”

Interview from Avery Salis, from Wisconsin State Press 2021

Q: Did she ever know her father?

A: No, he went missing when I was pregnant with May. 

Q: And what about  Stephen? Did your boy know the father?

A: Yes, but I’ll be damned if he remembers any of it. He and May are only a couple apart, he was just a baby.

Q: Did either of your children know about how he passed?

A: Nobody knows how he passed, that’s the whole thing. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it? To provide some detail on the affairs?

Q: Let’s be honest, Mrs. Salis. Very honest.

A: I don’t like what you’re implying. 

It was hot when I came home, and mom was still at work. I could stay at the complex and watch TV until she gets home, but I have a better idea. I want to go deeper into the woods. We’re not supposed to leave the house when mom isn’t home, but I just have to go outside. I packed some extra bug spray (for the ticks), a sandwich, and some water in my backpack and headed out to the creek. 

“Where are you going?” May asked. I roll my eyes. 

I smirked. “Nunya.” 

“You’re sneaking out,” she stated, “I’m telling mom.”

“Don’t be a tattletale. I’m just going to the creek.” 

She whined, “I wanna go too!” 

“Not today,” I said, “but if you keep quiet I’ll give you my leftover Easter candy.” All the candy I had leftover was pretty trashy given that it was early summer, but she didn’t know that. 

“No, I want something better than that.” God, that couldn’t be good. 

I bribed “I’ll eat your veggies for you tonight?” She thought about it. 

“Tempting, but no.” I blinked at her.

Trying to sound grownup, I exclaimed “What else could you possibly want?!” 

“Easy.” She said, “I want Rusty.” 

I shrugged. “You already can have him, it’s been that way since my birthday.” 

“No, I mean you can NEVER sleep with him again.” The words had to register in my ears. I paused, waiting for them to sink into my brain, hoping that I misheard the sentence. 

“No way José,” I said “You know what it’s like. I still need him sometimes. Just for school nights before a big test when I need to be well-rested. I can’t deal with the nightmares every night. I just can’t.” 

“Alright. Then I’m telling mom that you’re sneaking off alone.” I hate having a sister so much. 

“Will you be quiet if I take you with me?” I asked. She smiled and nodded. “Now if you get ticks it’s not my fault.” I sprayed her down once we got outside and headed to the creek. The trees provided shade to the sweltering heat, which I’m grateful for. I’d normally go to splash the cold river water on my face to make the nauseating heat more bearable. Or sometimes me and May go and look for frogs along the bank. But today I took the stepping stones right over the water. 

“Where are we going?” She asked. 

“I don’t know. Further in.” I held her hand as she made her way over the slippery stones. I didn’t want her falling in. The current isn’t too strong, but it’s enough that if you were knocked out, you’d be swept away. 

The furthest I’d ever gotten into the woods is the old fallen ceder. The tree had fallen long before. It was an iconic landmark. But this time we had to go further. I gulped. The sweat rolling down my face felt warmer than it had before.

“This is really far in,” May fretted. “Should we head back?” 

“Not unless you wanna walk home yourself.” She clenched her dress and we went past the cedar. I was nervous, but I’d die before I’d admit that. As we walked on, the trees got closer to each other, which made it harder for us to wind in between them. I admit it was a pretty cool part of the woods. I could see all the squirrels chasing each other. It made me feel like I was an explorer, looking for new land. Maybe I could build a new fort here if I could find any space.

Up ahead I got a glimpse of an open field, surrounded by thick bushes.

"Stephen, those bushes look thorny. Maybe we should find another way around." She suggested. I smiled. The bushes were like enemies we had to get past!

"I'm not afraid of any bush!" I smiled. May still wasn’t convinced. “We can make a game out of it! I’ll go first.” I stood on a fallen branch for some extra height, and I leaped over the thorns. “It’s fun! Now you try. I’ll catch you if you fall.” I said to May from the other side. For the bush being half her size, she did pretty well. 

“Oof!” She said when I caught her stumbling,

“Are you ok?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” We both took a moment to look around us. It was a beautiful place with lots of open space to build a nice fort. 

“Let’s dig a hole for our buried treasure!” May suggested.

I agreed, “that sounds fun.” I noticed a patch in the dirt a little out of place from the rest. The patch of grass was uneven, and the dirt was weirdly lumped. We both grabbed some big sticks and started to dig. It was grimy, but I didn’t mind. After a few minutes, my stick made a CLUNK.

“I think I found something,” I said. 

“Is it someone else's treasure?” 

“Maybe.” With some effort, we dug the object out. It was a small gray box. I messed with the handle until it opened. Inside was a neatly folded piece of paper. “Cool! It’s a treasure map!” I opened the letter. My jaw dropped. This was no treasure map. 

“Let me see!” May demanded. 

“No, let’s just go home.” I put the paper back into the box and started to speed walk away. May went back to find the letter. “May, no!” I boomed. But it was too late. She had read the note. Before I knew it, she ran. “Wait!” I yelled after her. She ran through the bushes, her legs became bloodied by thorns. I speeded after her, even though it hurt to run through the bushes. “Stop! You’ll get hurt!” She didn't listen. I started to cry. After about half a mile I caught up to her. I could hear the creek from here. I grabbed May by the collar. “May listen to me! We can ask mom about everything, it will all be ok!” I comforted. She stared me dead in the eye. She wanted to believe me. But she couldn’t. She broke free from my grip and ran to the creek. “Stop!” I demanded. I tried to catch up to her but I was too winded. She tried to run across the stones along the creek, but as I watched in slow motion, she slipped. I watched her head hit the edge of a rock, and blood fell down her forehead. I ran for the bank for all I was worth. But as my hand reached for hers, the current swept her away. “May!” I screamed. She couldn’t hear me. I saw blood dripping from her forehead. There was nothing I could do. I was alone. Nothing could save me from this. 

Wisconsin state newspaper May 24, 2021

The mystery of the town-famous Salis family had some light shed on a dark situation. William Salis, who was pronounced dead in 2011 after having gone missing for months, his cause of death has remained a mystery for some time. But on May 18, his children revealed that the cause of death was suicide, and not murder as many townies suspected it was his wife's doing. Alas, the children discovered his suicide note in a small box hidden beneath the earth, about a mile away from the family's apartment complex. But as one mystery is solved, another arises. Sadly, William’s young eight-year-old daughter was found dead in the creek the kids had played in for years. Some speculate that ten-year-old Stephen might be responsible. While others doubt that such a young boy could never do anything of the sort, officers have reason to believe it could have been intentional. After all, the boy never did well in school, and according to his teachers, “the only ones who spared any kindness to the boy did it solely out of pity. I don’t remember a time when he was treated normally by his peers. I don’t think anyone would say he would do anything on purpose if it weren’t for the slender man stabbing in 2014. It pains me to say, but there’s a chance this could be a murder.” Once Stephen had found out the true reason for his father's disappearance, some don’t doubt that he could have lashed out. 

Of course, Avery Salis disagrees. “Stephen is a child,” she says “it’s ridiculous to even think that he is capable of crime.” But later, Avery admitted that she knew that her husband had killed himself. She said she made this decision because “his note clearly stated that he didn’t want the world to miss him. He wanted to go without a commotion. I hid the note in the woods just as his note requested. I never would have thought my kids would have gotten to it.” Some also blame Avery, as she shouldn’t have left her kids alone. Stephen admits in an interview “Sometimes I wondered if mom knew if I still had nightmares. I hid them pretty well because they made mom worried. Every night I was suffocating myself. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t have a choice. May have them too. I don’t know if mom knew that.” The topic of the Salis family has once again divided the town. The suicide note is printed below. 

This is the suicide note of William Salis. I don’t want anybody to care about me when I’m gone. By the time anyone gets to read this my body will be hanging from the cedar tree behind our place. I never wanted any kids. We were so young when you were pregnant, we were practically still kids. But you wanted a family, so we kept the child. All we could afford was a small apartment in a sketchy neighborhood. I don’t know what we would do if we ever lost it. I love Stephen. That's why I had to go. I don’t trust myself not to hurt him. I can’t stand the thought of being like my dad. It’s better for Stephen to not have a dad than to have one that can’t be trusted. I don’t want him to grow up drunk for a dad. I’m sorry that my other child won’t know their father either. I’ve been depressed for a while now. I don't know if you noticed, but I chose Stephens's first and middle names with a purpose. Avery, do me a favor and name them Blake if it’s a boy, or May if it’s a girl. Cremate my body as soon as you find it, and bury this letter in the woods behind our apartment. That way the kids won’t find it but you could still find it if you need it again. And don’t be too strict with the kids. Let them go where they want. They will be safe without me around. I love you. Goodbye.