Mental Fiction Follows Me

“To challenge me you must be strong!” I yelled in a sing-song voice. I lifted my arms in the air to show off my biceps, and then about six little bodies ran into mine. I fell into the sand with the little kids on top of me, and I playfully (and gently) pushed them back. I rolled to my feet and saw that two kids were still holding onto me. They were about three and had a tight grip on my arms.

“So, that’s how you’re going to play it, huh?” I asked and smiled down at them. I’m not sure if they understood everything I said, but they understood enough. They looked up at me with wide smiles and shook their heads. I let out a small roar and lifted both kids in the air. They tightened their arms around mine and giggled, and I started spinning them around. The other little kids stood back and watched, and then they started jumping around me. I picked two more kids and gave them a few spins.

“You having fun, Syd?” Julie asked as she stepped outside.

“Tons,” I said and waited for the last two kids.

“They seem to really like you,” Julie said as I started spinning again. I stopped a few minutes later, and I wobbled on my feet a little.

“I think they’re using me,” I whispered. Julie smiled and then she motioned at the kids. I closed my eyes and held a hand to my slightly aching head. Maybe spinning wasn’t such a good idea. I opened my eyes and saw that all the kids were standing in front of me. Julie was standing behind them wide a wide smile on her face, and I knew that she had done something. All of the kids smiled up at me as I wobbled on my feet and stepped towards them, and then they started blowing towards me. I let out a fake gasp and fell backwards. I landed right on my ass, and all the kids rushed forward to jump on me.

After a few minutes of rolling around on the ground, Julie yelled something out and the kids scurried off. I watched as they ran off into the small village, and Julie held a hand out to me. I wrapped my hand around hers, and she helped pulled me up. I dusted off the back of my pants and then smiled over at her.

“Do you want to walk with me into the village?” Julie asked.

“Sure.” It wasn’t like I had anything better to do, and Julie could communicate with the people here. We started walking into the village, and I smiled at the people.

“So, who do you have waiting at home for you?” Julie asked as we continued walking.

“There’s my mom, for starters. I know she’s probably out of her mind right now, but she’s got a boyfriend to help her out. Then there’s my Uncle Brian and Aunt Jan, they should help her too. My cousin Brian is probably really worried too. Then there’s all my friends, and my…fiancée,” I said, whispering the last word. Was Jimmy still my fiancée, if everyone thought I was dead? What if he moved on while I was stuck here?

“Fiancée? Congratulations!” Julie yelled excitedly.

“It’s nothing to get happy about, he thinks I’m dead.”

“I’m sure he’s not going to move on before you get home.”

“I don’t know. We didn’t really know each other for that long, and we never really even dated. It all happened so fast. I know I love him, and I know that he loved me. It’s just…I don’t know,” I said and pushed at some of my hair. Julie grabbed one of my hands and smiled at me.

“You gotta have faith, Syd. Everything will be okay,” Julie said.

“She’s right, Syd.”

“For once, I agree.”

“Let’s hope so,” I said. Julie stopped to talk to someone, and I smiled at the young woman standing next to me. She held a small baby in her arms, and she was trying to put some food in a satchel that was wrapped around her. I held my hands forward, and the young woman smiled at me. She handed me the baby, and I held her close to my chest. Pale brown eyes looked up at me, and her little fingers held onto my pinky. I heard the woman say something, and I handed the baby over with a small smile. The woman said something, and I nodded my head. She walked away with a smile.

“You’re really good with children,” Julie said after we started walking again.

“They’re cute little things,” I said.

“Do you have any kids?”

“Who? Me? No, definitely not.”

“Do you want any?”

“Maybe…I’ve never given it much thought.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I think you’d make an excellent mother.”

“Thanks, Julie.”

“Anytime.”

Jimmy’s POV

I stood back and surveyed my kitchen, and then I lightly scratched the back of my head. Every cabinet in my kitchen was open, along with the refrigerator, and they were all empty. E-M-P-T-Y. Nothing was there. Well, I found some old bread and nasty cheese, and my milk wasn’t exactly milk anymore.

“I gotta go to the store,” I mumbled to myself. I took the stairs two at a time, and then I found some clothes to just throw on. My shoes were next to the door, so I just ran a brush through my hair and walked downstairs. I found my keys in the living room, and I made sure I locked the door before leaving. The ride to the grocery store didn’t take long, but it felt like forever. I don’t think I’ve even really driven since we got back. As for eating, I’m usually at someone else’s house or I’ll order something.

My phone rang as I was throwing stuff into the buggy, and I had to stop to dig it out of my pocket. After the phone was safely attached to my ear, I started walking again.

“Yeah?”

“Jimmy! Where are you?” Brian asked.

“The grocery store. Need anything while I’m here?”

“Yeah, can you get me some milk? Mine’s lumpy.”

“So was mine. Did you need anything?”

“Yeah. Can you watch Pinkly for me when we leave? I’d ask Dad, but he’s been really busy lately, and…”

“It’s no problem. When are you leaving?”

“On the tenth, so in three days.”

“What about Ichabod?”

“Zacky was going to ask his parents.”

“I can watch him. The more the merrier, right?”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“I’m sure, man. What time are you leaving?”

“Our flight to Florida leaves at eleven—”

“So I’ll be there at…how’s nine?”

“Sounds good. See you then.”

“Later.” I stuffed my phone back into my pocket, and then I turned to go back to the Dairy section. I stopped and opened the glass door, and I felt something crash against my legs as I grabbed the milk. I looked down to see a mop of black hair and little arms wrapped around my leg. I put the milk in the buggy and tried to think of what to do to the kid hanging on to me for dear life. I couldn’t just kick him off, but I didn’t really know what to do.

“Umm…do you need some help?” I asked. The little kid titled its head back and big brown eyes looked up at me. The little boy had been crying, and big tears continued to roll down his cheeks. His eyes were a pale brown, and his bottom lip trembled.

“I lost my mommy,” he said and started crying again. I knelt down next to him and tried to get him to stop crying.

“Hey, it’s okay. Let’s go find your mommy, okay?” I asked. He nodded his head, but he still looked ready to cry at any minute. I picked him up to put him in the buggy, but he clung to my neck and wouldn’t let me go. So I balanced him on my hip and started walking. His mom would recognize him, wouldn’t she?

“What’s your name?” I asked him.

“Devin. What’s your name?” His voice was still a little babyish, but it sounded adorable.

“My name’s Jimmy.”

“You’re tall. Are you a grown up?”

“Sometimes. How old are you?”

“This many.” He showed me four fingers, and I smiled at him. Ten minutes later, I still hadn’t found Devin’s mother. The grocery store was almost completely empty, but I still hadn’t found her. I pushed my buggy up to one of the cashier’s, and the young girl behind it smiled at me.

“Well, isn’t he a cute little feller?” she asked and smiled at the boy on my hip.

“Yep. Can I talk to your manager, please?” I asked.

“Yes, sir. I’ll be right back.” The girl quickly walked off, and Devin dropped his little head to my shoulder as we waited. A few minutes later the young girl came back with a much older man behind her. He smiled as he walked up to me and stuck his hand out.

“Bret Miller, manager. Can I help you?” the man asked.

“Yes, I was wondering if I could talk to you alone for a moment?” I asked and glanced at the boy on my shoulder.

“Yes, that’s fine. My office is right over here. Jessica can go ahead and start ringing up your groceries, if you like,” Bret said.

“Yeah, thanks. Devin, would you like to help Jessica?” I asked.

“Yeah!” the little boy said excitedly. He easily went into Jessica’s arms, and I followed Bret over to a small office.

“What seems to be the problem, sir?” Bret asked.

“Umm…this might sound a little strange, but that little boy just came up to me a few minutes ago saying he couldn’t find his mother. I looked around this whole store and couldn’t find her either. I was thinking, do you have security tapes?”

“Yeah, we keep them running all the time. You don’t think—”

“I don’t know.”

“Let’s see then.” Bret walked over to another part of the room, but I didn’t follow him. Instead, I walked over to the door and looked out of it. Devin was standing in the buggy and handing groceries over to Jessica, who was smiling and ringing everything up. For the first time, I took in Devin’s appearance. He was wearing a pair of old blue jeans, and they looked dirty. His tee shirt was thin and had a small rip in the collar, and I could see the toe of one of his socks through his tennis shoes.

“Oh my God.” I turned at Bret’s whispered words, and one of his hands was covering his mouth. I walked over to where he was.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“She…left him. She waited until he was looking at something, and then she ran out! You can even see her car as it’s leaving,” Bret said and pointed at the screen. I didn’t even bother looking at it.

“She left him? Just like that?”

“She left him. We have to call the cops.” Bret turned to look at me, and I nodded my head.

“Can I stay with him? Until they get here?”

“Of course. I’m sure they’ll want to talk to you.” I nodded my head, and then I looked back out at Devin and Jessica.

“Can I call some friends to come get my groceries?”

“Yeah, sure. You call them, and I’ll call the police and let them know what happened.” I walked out of Bret’s small office, but I didn’t go back to where Devin and Jessica were. I stepped close to the door, but I didn’t completely walk out. I tried calling Brian, but his phone went straight to voicemail. If Brian’s phone went straight to voicemail, then it was a sure bet that Zacky’s would too. Then I tried calling Matt and Johnny, but their phones just kept ringing. With a sigh and something similar to a prayer, I called Aiden’s phone. She picked up on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Aiden. It’s Jimmy.”

“Hi, Jimmy! How’re you?”

“I’m okay. Are you busy?”

“Not really. Matt kidnapped Johnny this morning to go fishing, so me and Nikki are just hanging around.”

“Okay. Can you and Nikki do me a favor?”

“Sure. Whatcha need?”

“Can you pick my groceries up and take them home for me?”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“I’ll tell you everything later, and I’ll owe you big time for this one.”

“Alright. We’ll be there soon.”

“Thank, Aiden.”

“Anytime, Jimmy.” I hung the phone up and stuffed it in my pocket. I could hear the police car outside now, so I walked over to Jessica. I explained who would be coming to get my groceries, and she nodded her head an smiled at Devin. I looked over at the little boy, and he turned to me with a wide grin. I smiled back and tried not to think of what was about to happen.