Powerless

"Mom!" Those words droned through her head as they do most days. However, this groan seemed to be a little more annoying than usual.

"What? What do you

want?" That was too harsh. We are all

irritated. I don't need to take it out on her. She is too young to know what is

going on. "Yes Jackie?"

"Mom?! Why are we out

here? Why can't I go in the house?" She looked at her husband who seemed

to ignore all questions.

"Well princess,"

her father said as he lifted her up into his lap, "you see the reason we

cannot go inside is because it is not safe." His wife playfully hit his

knee as if to say Really. Why would you tell

her that?

"What I mean is..."

he took a pause to collect his thoughts. "What I mean is that our house

needs some rest. It works so hard for us every day and tonight it just needs a

little rest. You know how you get so tired and mommy and daddy have to let you

sleep?" She shook her head as she was entranced in her father’s story.

"Well while you sleep the house watches over us. So tonight, instead of

the house watching over us, we are going to watch over the house."

"Oh. I get it. We need

to protect the house while it sleeps!" She smiled up at her father, then

her face was washed over with a sadness. "Daddy, how can the house sleep

without Mr. Tinkles? I know I can't sleep without him. How will the house

sleep?"

"You know what, I don't

know." He looked at his wife and shrugged his shoulders. She looked as

lost as he was.

"Can I give the house

Mr. Tinkles?"

"Don't you need

him?"

"Not tonight. I have to

watch the house. It needs it more than me tonight. He looks extra tired."

Her mother placed her hand on

her back."Okay sweetie. But hurry back and just place it by the back

door." As the last word sprang from her mouth as did their daughter from

his lap.

"That was wonderful

sweetheart." She looked at her husband with the love of a thousand years.

"Well," he scoffed

as he breathed on his knuckles and wiped them on his chest. "I do what I

can."

She laughed. He was always

doing wonderful things such as that for their daughter. "How are we going

to handle this? This is the 5th time this month. Thank goodness the other

times, she was asleep." Her eyes grew with the concern in her voice.

"What happens when-" just then her daughter walked back in. She was

just short enough to the entrance of the olive tent that she did not have to

duck to walk in. She looked to her father who was smiling as her mother moved

to a straighter seated position.

"Well, is the house all

tucked in?" Her father asked.

"Yup! I even told him

not to worry because we were right outside in the tent. I told him not to be

scared in the dark. The moon light would keep the bad people away.” Her mother’s

stare darted from the playful words of her daughter to the concerned face of

her husband.

“What do you mean, ‘bad people,’ sweetie? Like monsters?”

“No mommy. In my dreams. Sometimes when I dream, the bad people are in my room. They look mean so I make sure to keep my eyes closed super tight and have Mr. Tickles in my arms. As soon as I do that, the bad people leave.”

“Do they say anything to you, or do they just look mean?”

“Sometimes I hear naughty words but most of the time, they just stand there.” Her mother’s eyes swelled with tears as her daughter recalled the “bad people” from her dreams. Jackie looked over to her mother. “Mommy? Why are you crying?” Jackie crawled over to her mother, wiped the tear from her eye and hugged her. “Mommy. You don’t have to cry. It will be okay. They house is fine. Look!” She grabbed her mothers’ hand and pulled her to the opening of the tent. There stood the two-story house where they had spent so many days laughing and living life. Now it stood as a reminder of what was and what could have been. They were going to fill the house with more children to fill the hallways with laughter and joy. Her and her husband spent so many nights discussing having more children, but the time never felt right. Now she only wishes they had just had one more kid. One more so Jackie would know what it was like to have a sibling before this. One more so she could have been a kid for that much longer.

“You are right sweetie. The house is fine. And you want to know why? Because you tucked in the house. Now the house can sleep so good tonight and dream such sweet dreams. All because of you!” She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, smiled the biggest smile she would and hugged her daughter so tight. Her daughter yawned and rested her head on her mother’s shoulders. “Why don’t you go to sleep, and daddy and I will watch over the house. The bad people will not come tonight. The house protects us.”

“Okay mommy. I love you.” She wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck tightly. Jackie let go of her mother and crawled over to her father who had a pillow and blanket ready to tuck her in. She reached for her fathers’ neck and hugged him in a similar fashion. “I love you daddy.”

“We love you to sweetie.” Her father scooped her up into his arms and gently laid her down on the floor. It was not as soft as her bed but it was late and before her head even hit the pillow she was asleep. Her mother came to her side and pulled the blanket up to her neck. Her mother kissed her forehead as another tear fell on Jackie’s cheek. Her father wiped the tears from his wife’s face before following suite. He kissed her forehead and brushed her hair out of her face. His wife left the tent and stood just outside the entrance. He joined her and stood alongside her as he had done so many days before.

“Honey, I know. But we must be strong if not for ourselves but for our daughter.” He grabbed her and pulled her close to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his abdomen and his back to hugged him tightly. Her tears flowed out of her eyes and created a spot on his shirt. She pulled back. He grabbed her face and used his thumb to wipe the flowing tears out of her eyes.

“Ted, it is just so hard. How do we explain this to her? How do we explain what is happening? I want her to be able to live her childhood. Not live like,” she pointed to the tent, “this.”

“I know Kris. I don’t want that either. But what choice do we have. Like you said, this is the fifth one this month. We know what happens after this one. We have to go.”

“But why us? Why did it have to be us? Our friends live here. Our lives are here. Why do we have to leave?”

“You know why. They will keep us safe. I can’t help that we have been marked. So many would see this as an opportunity to grow and be apart of something so much bigger. We can’t just tell them ‘sorry I don’t want to.’ We will be thrown in prison or killed. Then what will happen to Jackie? We can’t do that to her.” Anger filled him faster than he had expected. He was already feeling like he was letting his family down. There was nothing they could do, and he felt useless in this situation.

“You are right. I know it is the best thing for us.” She paused for a moment. “Why would they go into her room? What is the point of that?”

“They needed to make sure that she was fine. They have the right to do as they please.” Concern was becoming their new normal facial expressions They looked at each other. Kris saw something in Ted’s eyes that was not there before. He was hiding something. She knew that with his job he could not say much, but there was something that he knew that he would not tell her. Something about Jackie. She could feel it. In their 10 years of marriage, they had never kept anything from each other. Not a single thing. Yet she could feel there was something of about him.

She pushed herself away from his loving embrace. “What are you not telling me?”

“Kris? What do you mean? I have told you everything.”

“No, you have not. There is something else. Something about Jackie, or the reason we were chosen.”

         He tried to get closer to his wife but with every step he made towards her, she moved back twice as far.

         “Kris, you are being delusional. You are just acting out because of the situation. I don’t blame you but come on. When was the last time I lied to you?” he waited for an answer. “That’s right, never. I have never lied to you!” He ran to her and looked her in the eyes. “Now, listen to me. I am not hiding anything. I do not know why we were chosen.” He paused. “I did lie about one thing. I honestly have no idea why they were in her room those other nights. I really do not. Do you really think they would tell me those things?”

         Her tears streamed from her blue eyes once more as the rush of emotion flooded her body. “Ted. I’m so-” He stopped her from apologizing.

         “You don’t have to apologize. I know this is hard. Its hard for me too. But we will get through this. We have made it this far.”

         “You’re right.” She hugged her husband once more. “I love you.”

         “I love you, too.” She tilted her head up and pouted her lips upwards towards her husband. He dropped his head and completed the lovers kiss. They walked back towards the tent where their daughter was fast asleep.

“Get up!” They kicked the tent. Their flashlights lit the once dark night. The barrel of one of their weapons entered the zippered entrance. The flashlight was on the end of the barrel. The light lit the bewildered family as they woke up in a daze. “I said GET UP!”

         “Ted what is happening?” Her eyes were still trying to adjust to the bright lights shinning in their faces.

         “Kris, just do as they say.”

         “DADDY!” Jackie cries for her father. Tears start to come down her face.

         “It’s okay baby. Just hold on to daddy and everything will be okay. Come here sweetie.” With tears running onto her legs, she leapt for her father’s neck and was wrapped safely in his arms. “We are coming out. We are coming.”

         They all crawled to the entrance as the men in black backed up. Lights from what seemed like 30 flashlights made their once dark backyard into the show of the season. Neighbors closed their curtains and turned their lights off. They knew the punishment if they tried to interfere.

         One man came close to the family. Ted stepped in front of Kris. He turned around, handing his daughter off to her. Kris grabbed Jackie and cradled her in her arms. Both were crying. Ted whispered to Kris, “everything will be okay.” She nodded. He turned around to face the men.

         “Are you Ted Jackson?”

         “Yes I am.”

         “You and your family need to come with us.”

         “I thought we had more time. We were supposed to have more time. Who authorized this truncated timetable?”

         “Sir, that is above my pay grade. However, if you resist, I do have the authority to use lethal force. Now, it is time to go!”

         “Ted?” Kris grabbed his shoulder. Another man in black was standing 6 inches away from the frightened mother and child. “Ted? Let’s go! Remember, we need to be strong for Jackie.” The man next to her stared at her. Her daughter was screaming into her shoulder.

         “Now for the final time, lets go!” The leader of the team used the butt of his weapon to force Ted to move. Kris cried out, but Ted placed his hand in the air as if to say, I am okay. Kris and Jackie followed suit.

         In their front yard was parked two large vans. Ted followed the team to the first one. The man who was following Kris and Jackie ripped Jackie from her arms.

         “MOMMY!!!” She screamed and Kris reached for her. Ted grabbed her by her waist screaming for her child. “Jackie! What are you doing with my baby?” Jackie's cries could be heard throughout the neighborhood. It echoed off the houses. “Mommy!!!” Screams bellowed from the 4 year old’s mouth. Kris tried pushing off Ted. Kris broke free from his grip. She lunged for her child. Just before the man in black jumped in the back of the van with her child, she grabbed onto his leg. He kicked her off. The second man who closed the doors that muffled the screams of the child kicked Kris in the face. Kris fell to the floor. She came to only long enough to see her child pounding on the window of the van. Her screams, although muffled could still be heard.

         Kris dragged herself off the grass. Blood was dripping from her nose and mouth. “You monster! Why would you take my daughter!? Why?” She reached for the man who had kicked her earlier. She placed on hand on his vest before… bang. The man standing in front of Ted had his weapon drawn and smoke bellowed from the barrel. Ted was startled by the shot. He rushed to the aid of his wife. The man who fired contacted an outside person using the radio on his shoulder.

         “Sir we have the child. The wife has been shot. What shall we do about the husband?” A muffled response could be heard but no words could be made out for the grieving father and husband. He picked up his wife’s head and laid it in his lap as she cried out in pain. His tears fell from his eyes onto her cheeks, as hers once did on her daughters. He bent down to kiss her one last time then… darkness. A shot had been fired from the same gun. Blood dripped from the bullet hole on her cheek replacing the tears that were there before. The couple laid there, together, one last time.

         “To think, this all started with a couple power outages.” The men in black chuckled. Two people dragged the bodies and tossed them in the van. The men in black jumped in the back of the van and took their seats. They left tire tracks as they drove away. The house remained dark in the night. The houses around them remained quiet. Nobody would dare make a sound or they too would find a similar fate. For a power outage in that neighborhood could mean the end of your life.