Christmas Giving…and Oyster Stuffing

As Christmas gets closer and closer, I am reminded about how much our priorities change as we age. We go from thinking only of ourselves to thinking of others. We go from a more selfish point-of-view to a point of view where we are considering the thoughts and feelings of the people around us. As we grow and change, we realize that we are not center of the universe and that others matter as well.

When I was a child, Christmas was all about the presents. I loved Christmas because it was a time that I was able to get new toys and lots of candy, fruit, and other good things to eat. My mom always made the best turkey and oyster stuffing. We only got turkey and oyster stuffing on Christmas, so it was something that was a real treat. I remember waking up early on Christmas morning and having the house smell so good from all the celery and onions that were already being chopped up in preparation for the Christmas feast.

As I got older and moved out of the house, Christmas was a time to come home from college and have a much needed break from my studies. I treasured this time with my mom and dad because I didn't get to see them very much. I was too busy with classes and friends at that time. However, Christmas was always a time when things slowed down and I could come home to spend time with my parents. As an only child, we didn't have those big family Christmases that you see on television. It was a simple matter. However, we had (and still have) as much love as a family of 1000! It was so nice to get to come home for a while. You don't appreciate your mom's home-cooking until you have been eating food at college for a while!

After I married Lisa and we moved away, Christmas grew for me. Up until that time, Christmas was just about me and my parents. When Lisa and I got married, the Christmas holidays also included my lovely wife and her family. It was cool to see new traditions and celebrate the holidays with new people as well. I loved Lisa's family and their Christmas celebrations because they were now my family as well. This started our tradition of spending time with Lisa's family on Christmas Eve and my family on Christmas day. I still had to get home to that famous turkey with oyster stuffing!

After 19 years of marriage (going on a lovely 20!), Lisa and I find ourselves in a new role. We are now Mommy and Daddy to a lively 2 year (going on 3 year!) old little boy. Now Christmas has taken on a new meaning for us. My greatest Christmas gift this year has been making this holiday season as magical as I can make it for my son, Jacob. We have been reading Christmas stories, watching Christmas DVD's, and visiting the stores to see what Santa can bring him on Christmas morning.

This past weekend, we traveled around to various places.....and wouldn't you know it.....we ended up seeing Santa THREE different times! First, we saw Santa at True Value right here in Jackson. Of course, Jacob had to sit on Santa's lap and have his picture taken while he told Santa not to forget his guitar on Christmas morning. After that, we saw Santa again in Meijer's at Hamburg in Lexington. Jacob ran up to the old man with all the toys and once again had his picture made with him. He told Santa to bring him a guitar. He just wanted to make sure that he didn't forget.

Finally, we enjoyed the Southern Lights display at the Kentucky Horse Park. For those of you who have never been, this is a wonderful Christmas display of lights and music. You drive through the Horse Park and enjoy scenes such as the 12 Days of Christmas, Winter Villages, and even a dragon! Afterwards, you go to the Visitor's Center to see holiday crafts, shows, and...you guessed it...Santa! We had to see Santa one last time. And of course....Jacob once again told Santa to bring him a guitar. I guess that Jacob thought that Santa really traveled around on that day! LOL!

So as we get closer to the holiday, I just want to say that for me, Christmas is all about bringing joy to my little boy and to my family. I just want them to have the happiest holiday of all. For me....it isn't about the gifts and the "trappings" of the season. It is about the giving.

Of course, I am still looking forward to Mom's turkey and oyster stuffing!

Until next week....class dismissed!

Christmas is Alive and Well!

Christmas time is almost here! You will be happy to know that Christmas is alive at the Fugate household...and so is Santa Claus! Jacob has been learning all about the holiday and how Santa Claus comes to visit all the good boys and girls on Christmas Eve. He is all excited to know that Santa will leave toys and candy for all the good children in their stockings and under the Christmas tree. Now...if he can just get the "good" part down...LOL! Bless his heart, he really is trying.

 

So far, we have decorated the Christmas tree and hung up the stockings. Of course, we had to decorate the tree in the child-friendly fashion this year. This means that the decorations only come down to a certain line....Jacob's reach. He is so excited about the tree that he just has to grab decoration off of it. He wants to help with the decorating. But his idea of decorating is taking ornaments off of the tree and flinging them down the basement stairs! Maybe he is just trying to spread the Christmas spirit around a little bit more. Who knows?!?

This past weekend, we traveled to Grayson, Kentucky. This is where my wife Lisa spent her childhood so we try to get back there every now and then just to see how things have changed. While we were there, we went shopping at K-Mart. Well wouldn't you know it....they had a huge sale on toys! We just had to make sure that "Santa" was able to get some good bargains on the Christmas bonanza that will soon hit. LOL! Of course, I had to distract him while the toys were loaded into the van. HA!

We also hit several other stores on our way to Ashland and Huntington. In Wal-Mart, we even got to see the old man with all the toys himself....Santa Claus! We quietly informed Santa that this was the first time Jacob had ever seen Santa in person and that he might be a little bit frightened. Old Santa was really calm and kind with Jacob and didn't let out with any loud "HO HO HO's." Instead, we gently placed Jacob in his lap. Santa asked Jacob what he wanted for Christmas. Jacob was really shy and quiet, but he didn't cry or try to get down. I was afraid that he would shout "NOT REAL" and try to jerk Santa's beard off! Instead, he bashfully told Santa that he wanted a guitar and some drums for Christmas. Add a couple more items to the list! LOL! Luckily, his Mamaw Janet has already gotten him a guitar...so that just left a drum set for us to get for him. Check!

After a long day of shopping and playing with the toys in the toy aisles, we hit Central Park in Ashland, Kentucky. They have a fantastic Christmas light display. The best thing about it is that you can drive all the way around it and see everything. You don't even have to get out of the car. Now, it isn't as big as the Southern Lights at the Horse Park...but it is a really nice display. Jacob's eyes got really big as he gawked out of the window so that he could see everything. He kept saying "Again...see it again!" So we made a couple trips around the park so that he could enjoy it.

It was a long day...but it was a good day. I think that "Santa" is all ready to go now. The toys are snuggled away in a secret location....ready to make their grand appearance on Christmas day. I still need to see which ones come in multiple parts. I will get to take on the role of Head Elf....putting all of this stuff together. I certainly don't want to be stumbling around all bleary-eyed on Christmas morning trying to fit Tab A into Slot A....or trying to find batteries! What would Santa do? LOL!

This will be our first Christmas as a family....and Lisa and I couldn't be happier. We spent so many years waiting to be parents. And now that moment is here. Our first Christmas. We just want to make it a magical moment for our little boy. I know that each Christmas is a special, magical time. But there will never be a "first" Christmas ever again. We plan to make this year the best one in the books.

So as we count down the days until old Santa arrives, I hope that each and every one of you will find the Christmas spirit alive and well at your house as well. Christmas is a time full of love and giving. And Christmas through the eyes of a child is something that is worth more than all of the silver and gold in the world. God Bless! Merry Christmas!

Until next week....class dismissed!

Thankful Times!

As the time of Thanksgiving approaches, I have to sit and wonder about how much has changed in my life this past year. In fact, it was one year ago this week that my wife and I traveled to Russia for the very first time to see our son, Jacob Eduard Bryson Fugate. We went out to eat tonight. While we were driving to Hazard, we were talking about how that first trip to Russia went for us.

We said that it was just amazing that we could hop on a plane and just fly to Russia. We started out in Cincinnati and flew to JFK in New York. That place was a circus! There were tons of people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and nationalities rushing about everywhere. Soon, Lisa and I were in our little section of people who were all traveling to Russia. I don't know what I expected, but I remember being amazed that most of the people flying with us were Russian. LOL!

That first flight was something that I will always remember. Lisa and I found our way to our seats and got ready for the 10 hour flight to Moscow. Like most Americans, we calmly found our way to our seats and put our carry-on bag neatly in the overhead bin. Soon, the plane was swarmed with Russians who were cramming bags into overhead compartments like crazy. There were arms and legs everywhere. Lisa and I just looked at each other with wide-eyed amazement...but we didn't say anything. We were able to warn others on the next two flights to Russia though!

We flew into Moscow and met Olga....our translator and tour guide. She was an amazing woman and made us feel welcome in a land that I thought we would never be able to visit. She was literally with us every step of the way. She got a driver for us, made our hotel reservations, ordered food for us in the restaurants, and even stayed in the hotel with us right next door in case we needed anything. She went with us to all the meetings and made sure that we signed all the right papers. Without her, we would never have been able to get our son.

Jacob. He is such an amazing little boy. I love to see him growing and learning more each day. I remember sitting in the orphanage at this time last year when they first brought him in to meet us. He was a shy, little thing. He didn't want to look at us.....much less, play with any of the toys we brought. He didn't say anything. He just looked at the floor and at the orphanage director. But like Lisa said later on that night....it was love at first sight.

Slowly, we built up a friendship with him. We offered him lots of brightly colored toys and some great snacks.....Teddy Grahams and cookies! That warmed him up to us a bit faster! We knew right away that we were going to adopt this sweet little boy no matter what our doctor advised us to do. Luckily, our doctor had no reservations. We were working with an international adoption doctor through the University of Kentucky. She examined photos we sent to her and all of his medical background. She could see no reason why we shouldn't adopt Jacob.

Two more trips to Russia.....and he was ours! I still remember that unreal feeling when they placed him in Lisa's arms and said, "Dress him." It was amazing! Suddenly.....we were parents!

Now, a year later, we can look back at all of the photos and see just how much he has grown and changed. Our lives have changed so much....for the better. He is a typical, American boy now. He loves to go to daycare and is getting ready to enter preschool in a few more months. He loves his Mommy and Daddy. He loves his Mamaw Becky and Papaw Lonzo and Mamaw Janet. And he absolutely LOVES to eat at Wendy's and go to Wal-Mart for toys!

 

As we are getting ready to enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, I can reflect on this past year and firmly state that I have so much to be thankful for. We have been blessed with this wonderful little boy. We have been given a gift more precious than all of the money in the world. We have been entrusted with the care and upbringing of this amazing child....and I could not be any happier. Being a parent is the best thing that I could ever imagine. Lisa and I both agree that everything happened just like it was meant to be.

So, as we prepare Jacob for Christmas and Santa....we close out our first year together and get ready for another. Nobody knows what the future will hold. But if it is anything like this last year, it will be full of life, love, and happiness. We have nowhere to go but forward. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Until next week....class dismissed!

The Arm…Part 7

Dillon let out a screech and jerked his leg backwards. The arm continued its death grip on his leg. Raising his other leg, Dillon prepared to crush it.

"Hold on....hold on," a voice called out from under the car. Suddenly a young man who appeared to be in his early 20's came crawling out from under the car. He let go of Dillon's leg and smiled uneasily. Dillon could see with some alarm that the man had a tire iron in his other hand.

"I just had....just had to make sure, you know," the man said, glancing around nervously, "I had to make sure that you weren't one of....them."

Dillon shuddered and nodded. It was an unspoken word between them, but they both knew what he was talking about. Zombies. It seemed that things that were once dead....weren't so dead anymore. Dillon could still see the images of the two zombies he had left back at his house. Were they following him even now?

"Hey, I hope I didn't scare you too much," the man looked at the car and shook his head in disgust.

"Just a bit," Dillon lied, "Is this your car?"

"Yep," the man said, "It sure is."

"Ummmm....then why did you run off the road?" Dillon asked, "Why are you in the ditch?"

"Come over here and see for yourself," the man said leading Dillon to the ditch. Dillon suddenly didn't want to know...but he went anyway.

Underneath the front tires, Dillon could see the twitching remains of a zombie. It was pinned underneath the car...but it was still moving. The tires had crushed its ribcage.....and yet it continued to look at both of them, chomping its teeth and trying to get at them. A low moan escaped from its lips which were peeled back in a sneer of blood and pain.

Dillon turned and walked three steps before he threw up. Hot vomit splattered on his shoes. He felt a hand on his shoulder and jerked away. He didn't want to be comforted....not now.

"Hey....hey," the man said, "It's okay. It's going to be......okay."

Dillon closed his eyes. He could tell from the sound of the man's voice....the way that his voice trailed off at the end....that even he didn't believe it. Would things ever be alright again?

Dillon turned around, wiping his mouth, "What's going on? Why is this happening?"

"I don't know," the man said, walking back over to his car, "I was listening to the radio when the news cut in that there were reports of people....being attacked. I still don't think that they know what is going on....actually. They just kept saying it was people attacking other people....but this is....really messed up."

"The head," Dillon said, pointing to the front of the car.

"What?" the man asked.

"I think you have to destroy the head," Dillon said, "At least, that is how they always do it in the movies."

"Yeah....right," the man said blankly. He walked slowly to the front of the car. Dillon looked away. He didn't want to see.....but he still heard. The thwack of the tire iron sinking into soft flesh...through bone...and into the dark, warm tissues inside. He heard the man choke back some vomit of his own.

"You're right," he heard the man say, "It stopped moving."

Dillon turned around and saw the man looking down at the ground. He started to walk toward the man.....he just had to see for himself.

"Don't look at it," the man said, holding Dillon back, "Let's just get out of here. I think that if you steer the wheel that I can push this thing out of the ditch. Wanna' get out of this place?"

"Yes," Dillon said....and that was all. He felt numb. He didn't really know what he felt right now. He just wanted to get as far away from this place as he could.

As he slipped into the car and started turning the wheel to the left just like the man had told him to, he heard him say, "By the way, my name is Jeremy."

"Nice to meet you Jeremy," Dillon croaked, his throat still burning from the vomit.

Soon, with a little pushing and a lot of sweat, the car was back on the road. Dillon slid over and Jeremy took control of the wheel. At first, the car just grinded and screeched. It didn't want to start again. But finally, just like the zombies, it came back to life.

Without a word, Jeremy took off down the road. In the rear view mirror, Dillon thought that he saw the shuffling figure of a man...a man without a throat....come around the curve to where they had just been. He reached out and turned the mirror. He didn't want to see.....or think.

The Arm…Part 6

With a yell, Dillon pushed the old woman backwards. Fueled by his fear, he was able to send her reeling backwards into the wall where she crashed and sank to the floor. But her eyes, dead and dark, never left him. And her teeth......kept gnashing....trying to bite. Behind them, he could hear Mr. Miller's groans as the zombie slowly got back to his feet.

In a panic, Dillon raced past the old woman and down the stairs. So far, it seemed that both of the zombies were easy to push out of the way....and they were slow. But he didn't want to chance it. He had seen too many movies. It only took one careless mistake. Then, it was all over. So instead, he just wanted to get as much distance between himself and the two creatures as possible. He had to get help!

Downstairs, he could see that the zombies had totally wrecked the house. Knick-knacks were lying broken all over the place. Chairs were turned over. The kitchen door was completely destroyed. The only thing that went through his mind was that his mom was going to be completely ticked off! That image in his mind made him snort with a crazy little laugh. He thought about trying the phone again to call his parents, but inside he knew that it was no good. The lines were dead. As dead as Mr. Miller and the old woman upstairs.

Racing out the door, he made his way down the road just as fast as he could. His breath was hot and burning in his lungs as he ran over dirt and gravel. He knew that if he could just make it to the highway that he would be able to flag someone down.....get help....or a ride into town. Living up in a hollar in Breathitt County, a person didn't see too many people out and about most of the day. However, the highway was a different story. So, he only had to go about 2 miles and he would find help....hopefully.

The day was already starting to fade. The sunlight was sinking slowly behind the trees, casting strange shadows on the road in front of him. The hills around him seemed to be full of eyes....watching him. Hungry eyes that wanted to taste his flesh. Shuddering, he ran faster. He didn't want to look up in the hills because he might see something that he didn't want to see.

Racing around a sharp curve in the road, he suddenly came to a dead stop. There was a car in the road. Well, it wasn't quite in the road as across the road. It looked like someone had wrecked their car and had run it into the ditch. The motor wasn't running, and Dillon couldn't see anyone around.

His heart racing, he walked slowly up to the car. Taking a deep breath, he peered into the window. He didn't see anything or anyone. There wasn't anyone in the front or back seat. Dillon looked around. He didn't see anyone around. He wondered what had happened.

"Hello?" he yelled out, hoping that he wasn't attracting the wrong kind of attention...the zombie kind. But if someone was here, he didn't want to pass up help.

Nobody answered. All that he could hear was his own breath. It was so quiet. He had never known it to be this quiet. Not even in a hollar in Eastern Kentucky. It was as though someone had thrown a blanket over the world and muffled all the sounds.

Just then, something grabbed his ankle. With a screech, he looked down. There was an arm reaching out from under the car. It had grabbed hold of his ankle....and wouldn't let go!

The Arm…Part 5

Dillon awoke with a jolt. Panic set in once again as the image of Mr. Miller being eaten alive flooded back into his head like a deadly, poisonous tidal wave of terror. Hopping up he ran to the window. The old woman was still there. She was just rambling around in the yard. She didn't seem to know where she was going. She was just walking aimlessly. And now she had a companion.

Dillon's eyes grew wide as he saw that Mr. Miller was up on his feet once again. He was just standing there though, his back turned toward Dillon so that Dillon couldn't get a good look at the bite on his neck. He wasn't trying to get away. For a second, Dillon thought about opening the door and yelling at him to get back inside. But something stopped him. Something wasn't right. Mr. Miller took a couple of steps. He was walking with the same shuffle that the old woman was walking with at the moment. And then he turned toward the house.

Dillon hissed in a breath of air and quickly ducked down so as not to be seen. Mr. Miller's body was in the yard. But it wasn't Mr. Miller. In that brief second, Dillon had seen that most of Mr. Miller's throat was gone. In the large hole that remained, Dillon had seen cords and tendons hanging, raw meat that had already begun to attract flies. Mr. Miller was dead. The problem was....he was still walking around.

"Oh my god!" Dillon whispered to himself, "Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!"

He kept as quiet as he could, hoping again hope that he hadn't been seen. What in the world was going on? Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe Mr. Miller was just stunned. Dillon slowly slid his head back up to the window. Just one more peek wouldn't hurt. Maybe Mr. Miller was hurt really bad and was just in shock.

As he slid up, he suddenly found himself face to face with Mr. Miller who was staring at him with a blank look. Was he trying to say something? His mouth was working. A large blob of blood oozed out and fell to the ground. And then, he smashed one of his hands into the glass, shattering it.

"OH MY GOD!" Dillon cried out, pushing himself backwards, "Stay away from me!"

Mr. Miller showed no emotion. He only kept smashing away at the window. And then, he started reaching in through the window, reaching toward Dillon who was lying on the floor, staring in horror at the apparition before him. Behind him, he could see that the old woman had gained interest and was slowly making her way toward them. But the worst thing was....now Dillon could hear them.

Both of them were making low moaning sounds. The old woman let out a little cry like she was in pain when she caught sight of Dillon and started reaching in through the window as well. Mr. Miller was trying to make a moaning sound but his was garbled with the gurgling sound of blood.

Whipping up to his feet, Dillon ran out of the kitchen and into the living room. In here, there was no broken glass....no walking dead....and no horrible moaning sounds. It was almost like a normal day. Except that Dillon couldn't just imagine it away anymore. Something was going on and he was right in the middle of it.

He grabbed up the phone. But it was still dead. He couldn't call anyone for help. What was he going to do?

Just then, a loud crash came from the kitchen as the glass in the door exploded under the fists of the two zombies outside. Screeching with fright, Dillon raced upstairs and ran to his room. Locking the door, he ran into his closet and slammed the door shut. Hot tears of fear were streaming down his face and his breath was coming in ragged gasps.

Closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself down. A few seconds later, he heard the remains of the kitchen door slam open downstairs. They were in the house.

"Oh dear god," he whispered, "Please don't let them come up here. Please just let them go away."

He kept hearing loud knocks and bangs downstairs. Once he heard something shatter onto the floor. Was it a dish? Was it one of his mom's cat figurines that she kept on her knick-knack shelf? He just kept as still as he could.

For about ten minutes, he couldn't hear anything. It seemed that the house was empty once again. Maybe they had left. Maybe they had gone on to find other prey.

And then he heard it....the footsteps on the stairs. There was no mistaking it. He could hear the squeak of the third step that always sounded out when someone was coming upstairs. Sure enough...the steps got louder and louder. Someone....something....was coming up.

"No...no...no...no," Dillon said, his mind racing around like a rat in a maze, "No...no...no...."

And then his breath caught in his throat. The knob on his bedroom door rattled.....turned....and then opened. The door creaked slowly open. Dillon could hear it. Trying to keep as quiet as possible, he pushed himself as far back into the corner of his closet as he could.

A low garbled moan came from outside his closet door. It sounded like it was thick and full of liquid.....Mr. Miller! And then, the knob on his closet door turned!

As the door slowly opened, Dillon knew that he had to act now or that he was going to die.

"NOOOOOOOO!" he shrieked, pushing the door open with as much force as he could. He ran out, almost tripping over the body of Mr. Miller which was now lying on the floor. As he ran over him, he felt cold, dead fingers brush against his ankle, trying to grab at his foot. Luckily, Dillon had enough adrenaline pumping through his system that he was able to break free. Not looking back, Dillon ran out of the room.....and came face to face with the old woman.

With a low moan, she reached out toward him.

Until next week....class dismissed!

The Arm–Part 4

Dillon held his breath. He was sure that he had heard something raking its way across his roof just a few minutes before. For a second, his mind had gone to the dark side....thinking that it was the dead arm that had followed him home. But that couldn’t be...could it? He had kicked that twitching madness back into the river. He couldn’t hear anything now. Maybe it had been a branch...or a bird....or....

“Please God,” he whispered, “Anything but that....anything but that....anything but that....”

Just then he jumped as a loud knocking sound came from the front door. His heart went into his mouth as he suddenly had a weird visual image of the arm propped up at his door, knocking and waiting for him to answer. But he knew that it just couldn’t be. Still, he slowly and carefully made his way into the living room and peeked out the side window.

With a sigh of relief, he saw that it was his neighbor, Tom Miller. Mr. Miller lived just down the road from them in an old farm house that he had once shared with his wife before she had run off with another man last year. Dillon had heard his mom and dad whispering about it when they thought he wasn’t listening. Apparently, it was the talk of the town. Dillon had felt bad for Mr. Miller. He was a pretty nice guy...for an adult. He often went fishing with Dillon and his dad.

Unlocking the door, Dillon opened it up.

“Hey there!” Mr. Miller said, stepping into the house, “Didn’t your parents ever tell you not to open the door to just anyone.”

Dillon laughed, “Yeah, but I saw you through the window.”

Mr. Miller just chuckled and nodded his head. The truth was that Dillon was just so glad to have someone else around. He had been having such a weird day that it was nice to have an adult around. It made the world seem to make a little more sense....or at least not be as scary.

“Well, I just came over to check on you. Your mom called me. She and your dad are going to be a little bit later coming home from the hospital,” Tom said, “She wanted me to check on you and make sure that you are okay.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Dillon lied, trying not to jump at every little sound that the house made, “Thanks for coming over.”

“Well, I’m not going to stay....” Mr. Miller began.

“Can you though?” Dillon said, “Just until Mom and Dad get back? Mom said that I can microwave something for dinner. Want some spaghetti?”

Dillon hoped that he wasn’t sounding too needy. He just didn’t want to be alone in the house. What if it got dark and his mom and dad hadn’t made it back from the hospital yet? He didn’t want to be in the house alone after dark.

“Hey buddy,” Mr. Miller said, “It’s okay. I’ll stay here until your mom and dad get home. In fact, I’ll just use your phone and let them know. I’m sure they will feel better too! And that spaghetti sounds great....Boyardee?”

Dillon nodded and felt his blood pressure drop. Suddenly things didn’t seem like they were going to be so bad. He would just try to put the days events out of his head. The dead arm....the dead cat.....those things seemed like a dream now. He just wanted to forget them.

But they were there, his mind insisted. Still....there was something to be said about being home...and being safe.

He quickly made his way into the kitchen and popped open two cans of spaghetti. His mom wouldn’t let him actually use the stove while she was gone. But she didn’t mind him using the microwave. He carefully placed a sheet of paper towel over each bowl and set one of them into the microwave. They would be eating in a few minutes! And hopefully his mom and dad would be home sooner than they thought. He could hear Mr. Miller dialing the phone in the living room.

A few seconds later, he heard Mr. Miller jiggling the phone buttons.

“That’s strange,” Mr. Miller called out, “Your phone is dead. You are on the same line as me and mine was working just about 45 minutes ago. It’s not storming or anything. But it is dead as a doornail.”

The mention of the word dead left Dillon feeling cold and clammy. He tried to calm himself down.....it was probably nothing. Or maybe a druggie after a few feet of copper line. It had been done before. Still....he didn’t like not having a phone.

The buzzer sounded on the microwave and so he took out the first bowl that was now steaming hot and full of bubbling spaghetti. Placing the second one inside, he set the timer for 3 minutes and pressed start. The whirring of the microwave was comforting. It spoke of comfort....good food....and being safe.

Mr. Miller came into the kitchen, “I’m sure that the phone company is working on it. I just don’t know why it is dead.”

Dillon just shrugged.

“You know,” Tom continued, “Your mom might try to call here and won’t be able to get through. How about after we eat that we go back to my place and I can try to call your parents there. Or I can go by myself if you don’t want to come with me.”

“No, no!” Dillon said, “I don’t mind. I’ll go.”

Again he noticed the little bit of panic in his voice. But he didn’t want to be alone.

Dillon was setting the two bowls of spaghetti on the table while Mr. Miller washed his hands at the sink.

“That’s strange,” Tom said, “There’s someone walking around in your back yard. It’s some old woman!”

Dillon ran over to the window and peeked out. There was indeed some old woman in their back yard. She was shuffling around in what looked like an old house coat. Dillon saw that she didn’t have shoes on her feet. She had her back turned to then so he couldn’t see her face....but he started to feel uneasy. Something just wasn’t right.

“Stay here,” Mr. Miller said, “I’m going out there to see if she’s okay.”

Before Dillon could stop him....could say anything....Mr. Miller was out the door. Dillon watched as he marched across the back yard. He could hear him talking to the woman...asking her who she was and what she was doing here. The old woman didn’t act like she heard him. Finally, Mr. Miller reached the old woman’s side. He touched her arm.

Dillon wanted to scream out...NO! But nothing would come out of his mouth. Slowly the woman turned to face Mr. Miller.

She just stood there, staring at him like he was some creature from outer space with two heads. She didn’t say a thing. She just swayed from side to side.

Mr. Miller said something else, but Dillon couldn’t make it out. Finally, he turned back to the window from which Dillon was watching.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but she needs help,” Mr. Miller said, “Go and check the phones. See if they are working again. We need to call....”

But he never got another word out. Suddenly the old woman lunged at Mr. Miller and sank her teeth into his throat. He fell down on the grass as the weight of the woman knocked into him.

Dillon watched in horror as Mr. Miller tried to knock her off. But she must have been stronger than she looked because she grabbed his hands and held him down. Blood spurted up into the air as she bit a large chunk from his throat. Dillon could hear Mr. Miller’s gurgled screams. And then the old woman was on him again....biting and chewing. Dillon watched as one of Mr. Miller’s legs twitched. He heard a high pitched whine and then suddenly realized it was him.....he was trying to scream, but the sound wasn’t coming out.

Running on pure instinct, he made his way over to the door and locked it. Dark flowers began to bloom in front of his eyes. Just as his fingers turned the lock, the dark flowers spread across his vision....and then he knew nothing. The bliss of unconsciousness took him.

Until next week....class dismissed!