Breaking All the Rules

“Today’s the day I change,” Leaf thought as he laid on the gurney. His entire life for that matter would be changing. He also knew in that moment it would be changing for the bad and not the good. He had to come up with a plan to get out of that attic and away from the Slices. He wanted to survive whatever they had planned for him. He had no one to blame but himself. He read the one house rule and he broke it. He chose this path, but who knew. He wanted to know from Sawn, why him and where are the Slices two daughters.

    At another round of questioning from Leaf, Sawn finally relented and allowed Mr. Slices to answer the question concerning their two daughters. “Mr. Slices would you be so kind to indulge Mr. Cole?” Sawn asked.

Mr. Slices walked closer to Leaf to allow him to hear clearly. He looked down, directly into Leaf’s face. “Mr. Cole my daughters, Rebecca and Rita are not gone off to school as in the traditional sense.” “What the hell does that mean?” Leaf protested. “Mr. Leaf”, Sawn interrupted Mr. Slices before he could continue, “that is the kind of talk and or behavior we will not tolerate.” “If you want an answer to your question, we, no I must insist that you reframe from such language as it disrupts the ambience.

“Thank you, Sam.” Mr. Slices acknowledging Sawn’s curtailing of Leaf’s outburst. “You’re most welcome Bryan.” “You see the two caskets Mr. Leaf?” Bryan continues, as he lifts himself from Leaf’s face and walked back and forth down the length of the gurney. “Therein lies my two daughters, Rita and Rebecca.” Leaf automatically assumed the worse, but he didn’t ask how nor why. He had no other choice but to assume Bryan had killed them. What else could it be? Here he was, tied up on a gurney smack dab in the middle of what looks like a ritual. Well, hell’s bells Leaf thought, a ritual of sorts is exactly what it looked like because that’s exactly what it was. Bryan turns to Sam, “dear brother would you like to continue. “Sure.” “Leaf my boy Bryan and I are brothers. I know we look nothing alike, but it is what it is. We’re brothers from different mothers., as the kids say.” “We don’t have the same last name because we have our mothers’ last name.” Leaf could hold it no longer, “what in johnny apple seed does that have to do with why I’m here on this gurney and why there are two dead girls in caskets?”. Mr. Slices found himself tickled at the johnny apple seed thing and laughed out loud. He looked over at Sawn, who didn’t find it amusing at all. Leaf, saw the disconnect between the two brothers and explained, “Oh I wanted to use more favorable words, but I remember what happened last time.” “I want someone to tell me what’s going on without my having to be taken down memory lane.” Leaf exclaimed.

    Leaf could not believe Sam and Bryan were brothers. He never would have put the two together, they looked nothing alike at all. Sam was a tall man, dressed well while Bryan on the other hand looked like a version of Al Bundy, just shorter. Both brothers were clean shaven. They didn’t sound alike at all. They didn’t walk alike. This contrast made Leaf wonder so many things, one what in the world did their father and mothers look like. Leaf quickly changed his mind on that question and decided he really did not want to know. It would serve no purpose.

    Bryan continued, “Rita & Rebecca were both born with a rare disease, that’s all you need to know about that except,” he stopped. “Except what Mr. Slices?” Leaf asked. “It killed them both at different stages of the disease and at different ages. Rebecca is the oldest and she dies at 15. Rita was 14 when she died.” Leaf anxiously asked, “Was there no cure at all?” “If there was a cure they would be here, now, wouldn’t there?” A soft voice climbed up the stairs into the attic, it was Mrs. Slices. For a split-second Leaf forgot he was tied up and his heart skipped a beat. She was indeed a beautiful woman. How in the name of pig knuckles did Bryan ever get her? Leaf came back to himself; “did the doctors say there was no cure or was that your assumption?” Mrs. Slices took over and begin to explain that each girl starting with the oldest had been to several doctors starting at the age of five. The Slices were assured that none of their other children would be affected by the disease, boy were they wrong. After Rebecca had died the couple decided to have another child believing the second child would be good.

Leaf replied, “Mrs. Slices I am sorry for your loss but what does that have to do with me Ma’am?” “Well Sam was kind enough to find you for this exact day my boy. You will be needed to help transcend our girls back to this world again. All they will need is half of your heart. Rebecca needs the right and Rita needs the left.” Leaf begins to squirm about, using all his strength to get free of his restrained. He only found himself tired. “My boy no need in that, please reserve your strength.” Sam encouraged him.

This cannot be happening Leaf thought. What have I done to deserve this, he asked himself? Leaf went back n the recesses of his mind and truly tried to figure out what bad thing had he done to have been

found so worthy. Worthy? He thought more like so unlucky. He knew he had done some bad. He recalled in church the scripture whatsoever a man sows that he should also reap. Leaf could not recall ever sacrificing someone. What goes around comes around and the saying karma is a “B”? He again thought I have not been bad enough for this. What surprised Leaf is that the whole time though John, the Slices only son was there in the attic he had said nothing, not one word. Leaf thought that was strange, could this young man be prepared to take another’s life? The Slices and Sam for that matter appeared to be sane. The word in operation however as Leaf thought, was appeared. Everybody appears to be a certain way until. Leaf was pushed into the middle of the room. Sam positioned the two caskets on either side of him. Sam announced that it was time and they had wasted more time than they should have. Sam stepped in between Rebecca’s casket and Leaf. He faced the casket and slowly open the top, where the upper body would be seen. Leaf turned to look and there was nothing there. Sam came around and did the same to Rita’s casket and again, it too was empty. Leaf could not believe his eyes. “What in the Popeye the sailor man was going on?” he asked.

    Leaf was so confused, which made his anxiety even worse. You see son. “We’re going to cut your heart out and place the right side in Rebecca’s coffin and the left in Rita’s.” Sam told Leaf.  “NO!!!!! Leaf yelled at the top of his lungs as sweat poured from his face. “You cannot do that.” “Someone back home is going to miss me.” “Someone is going to miss you too Mr. Sawn.” “No son, no one will miss me because I’m going back home.” Sam replied. “New York is a big place who will miss you?” Sawn asked leaf so self-assured of himself. “My family you scum ball!” Leaf angrily shouted.

Bryan went to the closet and pulled out a face cloth and a bottle of chloroform. He soaked the towel in the chemical. He then turned and walked toward Leaf. “Wait!!!! John yelled; I can’t let you do this.” “Do what son? his mother asked. “Mother please”, John turned and looked into her eyes, “We can’t do this.” 

John knew even when he first met Leaf what could potentially happen. All Leaf had to do is not open the attic door. It was that small act of doing what he was told of him, that would have saved his life thought John. It had been talked about for years. His parents and uncle firmly believed that the sacrifice of another would bring his sisters back to them. John did not. This ritual had been passed down for generations. It was like a curse, but it wasn’t. Any family could perform the ritual, you just had to believe. A boy for girl and vice versa. Leaf was chosen one because he was a boy. But what really got him on that gurney is that he broke the house rules. The ritual required a hardheaded soul and Leaf had that. John could not let it happen. The reason it had taken so long for the ritual to take place was because unlike Leaf all others that had come to rent out the room, they had not broken the house rules. John knew that his parents’ major problem is that had not grieved, and they just couldn’t let go. Uncle Sam’s only job was to get Leaf there and he did. John knew he had to do something because Leaf did not deserve to be sacrifice and doing se would not bring Rebecca nor Rita back. It would essentially be murder. “Mom, Dad, Uncle Sam he doesn’t deserve this,” as he placed his hand on Leaf’s shoulder. Leaf laid on the gurney motionless taking everything in. “Let him go and let the girls rest in peace.” John pleaded with them. He knew he had to say that last part just so they would believe that he believed.

“NO, we’ve waited so long, Bryan, said. “So long for what, to try and raised the dead?” “You’ve been so busy trying to get someone to open this darn attic door that you forgot you had a live son just waiting for the love and attention you’ve given two dead daughters.” Lucy Slices walked over and slapped John across the face. John regrouped and maintained his stance, “You’re not going to hurt Leaf.” “You need a man take me but not him.” “You know we can’t use you, it has to be a non-relative,” Bryan replied.

“Bryan, John is right”, Sam spoke up. “The girls are gone and there is nothing we can do about it.” “Leaf just happens to be a nosey young man.” “He’s nosey at work and I knew he would be no different here.” He could not control himself.” “His being nosey makes him a good reporter” When Sam finished, he walked across the room and stood by John. “I can’t, we can’t let you hurt this young man, banking on a curse that may or may not be true.” “The girl’s misfortune is just that misfortune.” “But harming another won’t bring them back, we can’t do this.” It’s time to give yourselves to the one child that’s here.” “He didn’t leave, and he needs you too.” “He needs you both more then the girls ever will.” Sam continued with tears in his eyes. “Lucy Bryan let’s let him go.”

    Leaf can only recall that it was like time stood still before either of them spoke a word.

    Leaf had one drink two many and the worse of it was mixing it with Chantix. He was warned that it makes you have vivid dreams. He was trying to stop smoking and his doctor prescribed this drug. Man, he thought as he woke up and gathered himself wiping the sleep from his eyes. He knew he had a shot or two or three or four of Tequila last night but didn’t think much about it. This morning he had to move and quick. He needed to get to the office, like in an hour in a half. He had to kick butt. The good thing he had semi packed before he went out last night. His Mustang Shelby got him to the office in record time. He also had to thank decent weather and traffic was not bad either. He made it to the office and Mr. Sawn was there ready for him to go, ticket ready, hotel reservations made, camera equipment, ready. Leaf took off to Believe, PA, when he got there at, 7124 Maple Wood Cove, Mr. Bernard & Lauren Slices greeted him.