3. Jonathan, Little Man

“No! No big brother.” Says the toddler to his father, stopping in the middle of the hallway.   

“C’mon, little man, being a big brother means you’re a big boy now.” 

“I’m a big boy!” 

“I know you are, and now you’re a big brother too, so I’m going to need your help since we’ll have two ladies in the house now.”

“Help you?”

“Yes, of course, be my big boy helper. Little man.”   

The toddler begins to walk again, slowly, not saying a word. Thinking, trying to figure out what he should do. You can see it written all over his cute little face. 

“Here, little man, you’re going to need my camera if you’re going in. I need you to help me take pictures of your mum and little sis after you meet her.” 

The toddler stops. Looking downward, he doesn’t move for the longest moment. 

“Here you go, big boy, you’re gonna need this. But remember, be careful with it,” says the dad as he walks up to the little boy and puts the camera strap around his neck, handing the camera over. 

The toddler looks up with a sense of pride on his face as he holds the camera with both hands… being very, very careful. 

“That’s my little man,” says the dad as they walk into the hospital room together. 

“Mummy! Look!” holding up the camera a bit. “I take the pictures!” he says, loud and excited. 

“Oh, my big boy. And, are you ready to meet your little sister?” Mummy responds.

 

#

 

“I hear you’ve been messing with Samantha even though she’s asked you to leave her alone,” says Jonathan, walking up to a kid sitting alone on the bleachers after school. 

The kid looks up from his notebook, surprised.

“I’m not doing nothing to her. I don’t even know who you are. I don’t have to listen to you.”

“No, you don’t have to listen to me,” then Jonathan mocks, “I’m not doing nothing to her.” 

Silence. 

Jonathan stares at the kid for a moment, to make him uncomfortable, then says, “If you don’t leave her alone, she’s gonna beat you up. And if she has to beat you up because you didn’t leave her alone, then I’m gonna beat you up.”

“Pfft. Her? Beat me up?” The kid laughs. “She can’t even stop me from taking the milk off her tray every day.”  

Jonathan slowly shakes his head. “So you are bothering her.”

Realizing that he’s busted, the kid tries to backpedal his confession. “Naw, that-that’s not what I meant.” Seriously. I’m not bothering her.”

“Uh-huh,” says Jonatha.

“And, if she’s so tough, why’d she go crying to you?”

“Oh, no. She didn’t. I just overheard her plotting her revenge on you and figured I’d give you a chance to save yourself.”

“What?” Surprised again.  

“Listen, bro. I’m only gonna tell you this one time, okay.” Jonathan says a bit more seriously. “I will kick your ass if you keep messing with my little sister.” 

He begins to walk away, then adds, “And guess what? She doesn’t even like milk, so if it was something she cared about or really wanted to stop you from taking, she would. All on her own. But that’s not the point. Just leave her alone.”

And with that warning issued, Jonathan walks away mumbling, “That’s not even how you show a girl you like her anyways. Doofus.” 

 

#

 

“Alright, what game should we play after dinner tonight?” asks Dad, as he comes in with the traditional Friday night pizza. 

“Pictionary,” says Jonathan, as he grabs the juice from the fridge. 

“Pictionary? Since when do you like that game?” asks Mum as she finishes mixing the salad. 

“I don’t know. But I want to play kids versus parents this time,” adds Jonathan. 

Laughing, “Oh, I get it. You want to play with Samantha because you think she draws the best,” says Mum. 

“I do draw the best,” chimes in Samantha matter-of-factly, not looking up from setting the table. 

“Hold on now, I draw pretty good too,” says Dad, defending himself. 

Jonathan and Samatha both stop in their tracks, at the same time, to look at their dad. 

He looks back and forth between them as Mum laughs again. 

“What?” Dad asks, then says defiantly, “I can draw.”

“No, Dad, you can’t. That’s why you take pictures because you. can’t. draw. No one ever knows what the heck you mean when it’s your turn. And since Mum married you, I mean, it only makes sense that she be your pictionary partner tonight, too, right?” asks Jonathan. 

“Heeyyy.” Mum protests. 

“Well, all I know is, Jonathan hates losing when he’s with you guys,” adds Samantha, sitting down.

“Unbelievable. I know I can draw. You two don’t know what you’re talking about. Mean ass tweens. That’s just some bullshit, that I do know.” Dad mumbles to himself as he sits at the table. 

“Babe, come on, language,” Mum says. 

“Your ass can’t draw either, my man. You need to know too,” says Dad, and suddenly, he pulls his camera out of nowhere, snapping pictures of Jonathan. 

Jonathan has his camera on the ready and starts taking pictures right back. 

Click. Click. Click. 

“Oh my God, can we ever just eat like normal people?” complains Samantha. 

Instantly, both Dad and Jonathan turn their attention to taking pictures of her. 

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. 

“Ridiculous,” she complains as she ducks down under the table as much as she can. 

You hear Mum laughing at her boys’  antics. “Nutters,” she says, and suddenly, all attention is now on her.

Click. Click. Click. Click.

Samantha sits back up, hearing that she’s no longer the target. 

“You two are mad!” Mum says in protest. “Alright, alright, enough is enough.” 

The clicks stop, and just as Mum takes her first bite, Dad hits her with one last click of his camera. 

She rolls her eyes, and the kids just laugh. 

Directed towards Jonathan, “Alright, hotshot, parents against kids, then, it is. And, if you lose, not only do you two have to do your regular chores for the week, but you have to make our bed every morning and cook dinner every night, too.” 

Jonathan looks at Samantha for confirmation before he agrees and says, “Okay, bet. But when we win.” Dad laughs. “Every time you say one of our names, you and Mum have to stand up, bow to us and say that we are the most magical, marvelous, awesomest children anyone could ever have.”

“Nope. That’s crazy,” says Dad, shaking his head no. 

“Oh, I’m here for it,” Samantha says, as she laughs. 

“Too scared your drawing’s gonna make you lose?” Taunts Jonathan. 

“Alright, big mouth, you’re on,” responds Dad. 

“Alright then. All sorted,” says Mum as they focus more on the meal. 

 

#

 

Coming into the kitchen to check on the party snacks, Jonathan worries that his sister isn’t ready for the party yet.

 “You’re not changing? What, are you not wearing a costume for tonight?” Jonathan, dressed as a vampire, asks Samantha. 

“No, why would I?” 

“Because it’s a Halloween party. Dufus.” 

“So, I’ll just wear something black.”

“Oh, yeah, ’cause you never wear black,” he says, walking away.

Lizzie walks in the back door dressed as a good witch. “Ohhh, the decorations look awesome in here. And I like all of the jack-o-lanterns and candles outside, too. So cool.” 

Samantha turns around and laughs. “What are you? A fairy?” 

“Ha ha ha.” mocks Lizzie. “No. I’m Glinda the Good Witch,” she says proudly. 

“Oh, okay, Glinda. It’s cute, but you look like a fairy.” 

Just then, Jonathan walks back into the kitchen, “Aye yo, Tinkerbell, how’s it going?”

“See, I told you. Fairy,” says Samantha.

“What do you two know?” says Lizzie, eating a witchy finger-styled pretzel.

After a moment, Gabe comes in dressed like a rebel biker teen, in his Doc Martens and dark jeans, hair slicked back, t-shirt sleeves rolled up with a fake box of cigarettes, carrying his leather jacket. 

“Oh, cool, Gabe, I like the costume, you look good,” says Samantha, and you can tell he blushes a little at her compliment. 

Gabe and Lizzie say their hellos.

“Why do you have a wand?” asks Gabe, looking at Lizzie confused. 

“Because I’m a good witch, duh,” she says. 

“Oh, I thought you were a princess or something.” 

“Oh my God, Gabe, you’re such a boy, I swear,” says Lizzie, a little frustrated.

Gabe turns to Jonathan and asks, “And what’s wrong with that?” 

Jonathan just shrugs, and both boys laugh at Lizzie’s comment. 

Mum walks in with a bowl of popcorn balls stuffed in jack-o-lantern decorated cellophane bags and says, “lovely ballerina Elizabeth.”

Lizzie throws her hands in the air, and Samantha loses it as she starts cracking up. 

“I’ve lost the plot, what’d I say wrong?” Asks Mum, very confused, and this makes Samantha laugh harder.  

Dad pops his head in the kitchen, announcing that the grill’s ready for the dogs and burgers, so Samantha helps him gather the things needed for grilling. 

A lot of kids start to show up. Too many to fit in the house. So, a bunch of kids hang out outside. Jonathan puts a speaker in the window. Gabe pulls the cooler outside with the sodas, juice boxes, and water. Mum, Samantha, and Lizzie pull around a few small outdoor tables with some of the snacks, making this party a great little indoor/outdoor affair. 

While everyone mingles, Jonathan walks around snapping a few pics here and there as he interacts. 

It’s a small town, so it was no secret that Jonathan was having this Halloween party. Half the high school showed up, everyone in costume… except Samantha. 

Jonathan, with camera in hand, announces that hanging here is only a part of what he had planned for the night. He pauses and lets the excitement and curiosity build before saying, “I thought we’d take a walk through the cemetery tonight.” 

“I’m not doing that,” you hear Samantha say just as she turns and walks into the house. 

Some partygoers give a little cheer as Jonathan and Gabe begin to give out some mini colorful flashlights. Once they’re all handed out, the kids begin to group up to walk together. Most of the kids seem to really like the idea of exploring, so they head off walking down the drive and up the street in the direction of the old cemetery around the corner.  

Lizzie goes inside and drags Samantha along. 

“I bet if anyone is looking out their window, they wouldn’t know what the heck was happening,” laughs Lizzie, gesturing at all the costumed teens in front of her. 

“Yeah, we look pretty weird, I guess,” laughing a little. “You do know, I’m not going into that cemetery, though, right?” says Samantha. 

“I figured, but at least you’re not hiding in the house while we’re out here having fun.”

“Oh, this is the fun part, is it?” asks Samantha, and Lizzie giggles in response. 

When the group reaches the cemetery, everyone goes in without hesitation, chatting and laughing like it’s not Halloween at night, with a full moon, and they’re not going where dead people are. Samantha stops and walks towards the house directly across the street. 

“I’ll just wait right here,” she says, standing near the stoop. 

“Okay, suit yourself, chicken shit,” laughs Lizzie as she trots a little to catch up with the last group. 

Standing there alone. Samantha sees something coming up the road out of the corner of her eye, so she steps back a little more into the shadow of the doorway. She squints in the darkness to make out what she sees moving, and she realizes that it’s five people walking up the road in long, black, hooded robes. Each carrying a small candle lantern. Oh, hell no, Samantha thinks to herself, and she tries to stand as still as possible so she’s not seen there all by herself. 

You can hear the group from the party farther inside the cemetery still laughing and having fun, otherwise it’s eerily quiet where she’s standing. She thinks she hears a click from a camera here and there, but thinks it must be her imagination because Jonathan has to be in the cemetery with everyone else, so she keeps still. She doesn’t want to move, looking around, giving herself away. 

Then, the five head directly into the cemetery and Samantha wishes there was a way she could signal everyone to warn them who’s coming. 

Standing there waiting and worried about what could happen, feeling like time’s standing still. 

Taking forever. 

She’s about to lose her mind. Then out of nowhere, there’s a loud shriek, and then suddenly, the air is filled with all types of little screams of horror, followed by what sounds like a stampede. 

You hear them before you see them. 

Almost out of thin air, about 30 teens start barreling out of the cemetery, with looks of terror on their faces, running for their lives. 

She hears the clicks again. Samantha looks over and sees Jonathan cracking up, taking pictures of his schoolmates as they come pouring out of the cemetery. He looks over at her and takes her picture before he turns and slowly follows the crowd back to their house. 

 

 

*Image: Analog Camera on White Textile by Letícia Gurgel