Cartoon Smile

You know that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach? Well yours may churn slowly after hearing about a story so odd. You will do anything to toss those thoughts from that day far out of mind. Let’s take you back to that morning, the sun shining brightly down with blue cloudless skies. The breeze blew in a way that made a summer day mock spring, hitting your skin enough to keep you slightly cooled down. 

That morning I woke up from a nightmare like I often did. Yawning, I grabbed orange juice and fed Gabbers, my five year old rescue dog. Though he is my best friend, I was excited to meet my friends in the park. Saturdays were always the day for a friendly game of hoops. I’m not too bad at my shot.

Arriving first to the park, I decided to shoot around as I waited on the guys. As I nonchalantly dribbled the ball I began to take in my surroundings. I saw a couple walking with their toddler and a group of young people throwing a football nearby. I barely nicked the rim on my next shot when the ball rolled over towards a woman on a blanket. She did not make a movement to grab the ball and toss it back so lazily I headed towards her. 

As I gravitated towards her it was as though an energy pulled me towards her just so. As I inched closer to the woman I stopped in front of her because her posture was so still. She was sitting cross legged and silently on her pink leafy blanket. For a quick second I watched the sunset as the colors splashed together so beautifully. Watching the sun melt into the skyline has been an experience that never dulls. Though I have never met this woman before I found myself still standing next to her. I wondered what made time pass so quickly, realizing the day had escaped me. The browns and yellows began swirling together in the sky behind her. As her hair blew in the wind, it brought me back to the moment. Trying to say hello a few times she ignored them. 

From afar I heard the rustling of the trees which broke me from my gaze. “Squirrels in the bushes,” I thought. Glancing back into her perplexed eyes my heart jolted. Her look quickly turned into uncontrollable laughter. Frozen into place for a moment, my entire head started to spin. In the silence her smile turned wide as if a cartoon character took over her body. I jumped back, confused.

Fear forced my gaze to divert for a split second, my eyes squeezing shut then back

open again. My jaw clenched tightly and that sickening feeling churned inside of me as I witnessed this nightmare.. Those same swirling colors in the sky were now in the eyes of the woman with that wide, eerie smile.

Quickly I gasped, “No, this is not real.” The colors kept swirling, yellows and browns twisting together covering the whites of her eyes. My heart pounded quickly as I stood up, slightly off balance, head feeling dizzy. In the moment, I heard familiar voices behind me. 

“Ah yes my friends are here!” I thought. 

“Hey Scotty, come play man!” said Derrick. 

Exhaling deeply, I hustled towards Derrick, Troy and Brendon.

“How bizarre,” I thought. “I must have made this all up in my mind.” 

As I moved towards them, relief flooded away the tension in my body. Their eyes appeared normal. I told myself that my mind plays tricks on me. I looked over at the woman and noticed she hadn’t moved. 

My friends and I teamed up, and with hoop after hoop, the tricks of my mind faded away. The evening started setting in and decided to call it night. From behind I heard Derrick shout to Troy, “Get out of town with your lame game, man!” The three of them started laughing uncontrollably.

Then, just as the woman had done earlier, their laughter turned to more eerie silence. It was the kind of eerie that could send a shiver up the bravest spine. As the hairs on my back stood up, I slowly turned around. I gasped when I saw three wide smiles staring back at me grinning ear to ear. Their eyes started to swirl in a familiar way. “Come on, guys!” I pleaded. Not a flinch out of any of them. My body broke out in sweat. Shaking with my stomach in knots, I started backing away into a full on sprint.

Sprinting home the blood pounded in my ear until I reached my road. My yard was in view while my hands shook. Before my head became too dizzy. I jammed the key into the door. Throwing myself into the foyer of my house, I slammed and locked the door beyond me. Running up the stairs, I hear Gabbers following closely behind me. At the end of my hallway I dart a quick left into my bedroom. Once in, the door closed again behind us. Gabbers jumped into my bed and scurried under the blankets. The darkness under the blankets brought back memories of me as a child, hiding from the monsters of the world.

Nightfall dissipates as the skies begin to morph into morning. My eyes shoot open, my senses feel depleted. “My brain must have powered down last night” I thought. My thoughts felt distant, my turmoil of emotions, far reaching. Standing up, I glance up into the mirror. I see myself begin to laugh uncontrollably. The laugh was sudden and strong. It was powerful in a way that it absorbed all senses. The panic set in my mind until the laughter consumed it. As strongly as it began, it stopped. Standing up fully once more, my body faced towards the mirror. I felt nothing left of my psyche. All I could see were the swirling sunset eyes and that wide cartoon smile staring back at me.