Pranking the Padmore's: Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3: HUMAN FIREFLIES
After only a few minutes of sleep, Parker was suddenly awakened by loud sounds of laughter coming from the backyard of his aunt and uncle’s house. He rubbed his eyes to get better vision and looked from his bed out the window. Along with hearing sounds of laughter, Parker saw flashes of light shoot up into the night sky like the premiere of a Hollywood production. He knew that it was too late for him to still be awake and that if Uncle Eugene or Aunt Betty heard him awake the punishment would be severe. Fully aware of the ramifications, Parker was far too inquisitive at this point, overlooking the consequences and getting up from his bed.
He walked to his window, as slow as a sloth and as quiet as a mouse, doing his best to make as little noise as possible. Other than the occasional creak of the old wooden floorboards and tip tap of Parker’s feet against it, he made it to the window as quickly as possible with relative ease. As Parker looked out of his window he saw three young kids which seemed from a distance to be close to his age. The rays of light which shot up into the air were from flashlights. Parker grew quite envious of their apparent friendship and ability to stay out after dark, or even leave their houses in the first place. After a few minutes, the children dispersed deep into the woods, their flashlights making them look like nothing more than flickering fireflies.
It seemed like nothing could pry Parker away from the window as if he were a moth attracted to a lightbulb. Parker continued to think about his evil aunt and lazy uncle and how they have sucked out his youth like a vampire to it’s victim. It was at that moment when Parker took a stand. He would no longer live under the tyranny of an empire established by online poker and daytime soap operas. George Washington made his stand against the British in the American Revolution. Martin Luther King, Jr. refused to allow people to be treated differently based on race, religion, or ethnicity. Now it was Parker’s turn to rise from the depths of captivity and stray from the only life he has ever known. Parker then climbed out his window, made the small but climactic jump to the ground below, and with his chin held high, headed into the dark unfamiliar woods toward the lights. Of course he didn’t feel like any mention of this to his Aunt and Uncle was going to be necessary.
Parker began walking through the woods. He was refreshed by the crisp, cool, natural air he had never known but his lungs seemingly longed for. The woods weren’t very dense with only a few thorn bushes and mushrooms scattered around. He had never been in the forest so he had never stood under the trees before. He was amazed at the epic size of the monstrous trees which stood motionless, seemingly immovable even by a massive hurricane. A weak breeze began to blow and as Parker got deeper and deeper into the woods, the darker and darker it got. The only light which was being given off was from the flashlights which were close approaching, and a half-crescent moon high in the starlit sky.
Parker began slowing down, moving as quietly as possible, his heart beating like a tambourine drum. Parker crouched behind a bush peering his gigantic owl-like eyes through thorns and leaves. He couldn’t see any faces, and he couldn’t see bodies. All he could see was rays of light dispersing from the children’s flashlights. Then all of a sudden there was no lights, no sound, and fear ran through the veins of Parker quickly and viciously.
Parker didn’t know what to do. He began to think about whether or not to run, but his legs didn’t have the courage to do anything but back up slowly. As he continued to back up, he failed to notice a stone planted deep into the ground. Parker fell flat and hard onto the ground, laying motionless on his back. He looked up to the stars and before he new it, he had three bright lights directly in his face.
