Every Part of Me
Give Me Thunder
Every eight-year-old has their problems. Every little kid owns every reason under the sun to hate being at home. Broken toys and leafy vegetables were just the start of the endless list of complaints.
Jessica Green didn’t know what her complaints were.
The only thing eight-year-old Jessica knew was that she wanted to take Molly with her when she left.
Molly, her doll, who did nothing but listen to her and never once complain or butt in. Molly, her doll, who was nothing like Skylar down the street or daddy after work. Molly, her doll, who never once muttered a cry as she was shoved in the pink fairy backpack that Jessica used for school.
Jessica Green didn’t know what her complaints were or which problem had driven her over the edge, but Jessica knew she wanted to leave. So her favorite yellow sandals, with their faux flowers and peeling plastic, hit the pavement on the road outside before her babysitter woke up.
The road in front of Jessica’s house stretched from the busy street her home sat next to, to the elementary school at the other end. With trees following on one side, and houses watching from the other, the road was quiet and disconnected from anyone except the neighbors you knew.
Jessica knew quite a few of the neighbors. She had lived here her entire life and her parents had never planned to move away. There was simply nowhere else to go. They had a house, a school, and a park just across the busy street. What other environment could be better for their daughter?
Jessica didn’t think it was enough. Jessica thought her old babysitter’s house would suit her just fine. Maybe the park or the public library. Whatever place took her interest, it most certainly would not be the one story house she had just left.
Jessica had made it two streets over by the time her parents returned from work. To begin with, the two weren’t happy about being called in on a Saturday, and their nerves weren’t soothed when they returned to a hysterical babysitter.
The explanation took several moments to coax from the teenager, but Michael and Jennifer were finally informed that the supposed experienced babysitter had fallen asleep only to wake up to an empty house.
Michael led the search outside. They scoured the backyard, the front, and finally went digging through the trees across the street. Nobody could spot Jessica’s fire red hair.
Jennifer was in a panic. She insisted they call the police. Michael was against it. He thought that they should search a little longer before getting any of the authorities involved. She was just a little girl. She couldn’t have gone far.
But in their moment of panic, Jessica had been walking still and had made it past another street. She now scuffled her yellow sandals on the sidewalk that ran alongside a busier road than the ones she had made her way past in the last half hour. Across the way was the parking lot of the public library, deserted as it usually was in the summer.
Jessica had two granola bars and a juice box in her bag when she entered the library. She didn’t like to read, but she loved the cushioned chairs placed in the back of the building and the librarians were kind women.
*
The house was thunderous.
“Call the police!” Jennifer shouted.
“She’ll come home.” Michael insisted, though he was just as panicked as his wife.
At least an hour had passed with the two doing nothing but worrying about their little girl. Michael continued to assure his wife that Jessica would be okay, that she would come back soon enough and they could sit her down with ice-cream and put this all behind them. He insisted there would be would be no need for any drastic measures upon their daughter’s return. She was just a child going through a phase, she had probably seen one too many movies, played a few too many adventure games with her friends. Jessica would come home and be over this. She would be home and their worry would be wasted.
“Call the police.” Jennifer commanded in a calmer voice than before.
Michael shook his head.
The doorbell stuttered before completing a ring.
Michael took one long look at his wife and decided he should answer the door. Jennifer was a mess inside and out.
He stood from his seat on the couch and made his way to the front door.
“Jessica!” Jennifer’s screech rang out before Michael could fall to his knees and hug his sobbing daughter.
Jessica stood in front of the open door, Molly in hand, letting the tears fall. She immediately fell into her father’s embrace and cried even harder.
Jennifer ran over to join the two. She covered Jessica with hastened kisses, her hands pulling back her hair and sleeves, checking for bruises or cuts of any kind.
Jessica sobbed out that she had run out of granola bars and lost Molly’s hat.
“See,” Michael told Jennifer as Jessica happily spooned chocolate ice-cream into her mouth at the local Dairy Queen. “I told you she would come home.”
Jessica Green didn’t know what her complaints were.
The only thing eight-year-old Jessica knew was that she wanted to take Molly with her when she left.
Molly, her doll, who did nothing but listen to her and never once complain or butt in. Molly, her doll, who was nothing like Skylar down the street or daddy after work. Molly, her doll, who never once muttered a cry as she was shoved in the pink fairy backpack that Jessica used for school.
Jessica Green didn’t know what her complaints were or which problem had driven her over the edge, but Jessica knew she wanted to leave. So her favorite yellow sandals, with their faux flowers and peeling plastic, hit the pavement on the road outside before her babysitter woke up.
The road in front of Jessica’s house stretched from the busy street her home sat next to, to the elementary school at the other end. With trees following on one side, and houses watching from the other, the road was quiet and disconnected from anyone except the neighbors you knew.
Jessica knew quite a few of the neighbors. She had lived here her entire life and her parents had never planned to move away. There was simply nowhere else to go. They had a house, a school, and a park just across the busy street. What other environment could be better for their daughter?
Jessica didn’t think it was enough. Jessica thought her old babysitter’s house would suit her just fine. Maybe the park or the public library. Whatever place took her interest, it most certainly would not be the one story house she had just left.
Jessica had made it two streets over by the time her parents returned from work. To begin with, the two weren’t happy about being called in on a Saturday, and their nerves weren’t soothed when they returned to a hysterical babysitter.
The explanation took several moments to coax from the teenager, but Michael and Jennifer were finally informed that the supposed experienced babysitter had fallen asleep only to wake up to an empty house.
Michael led the search outside. They scoured the backyard, the front, and finally went digging through the trees across the street. Nobody could spot Jessica’s fire red hair.
Jennifer was in a panic. She insisted they call the police. Michael was against it. He thought that they should search a little longer before getting any of the authorities involved. She was just a little girl. She couldn’t have gone far.
But in their moment of panic, Jessica had been walking still and had made it past another street. She now scuffled her yellow sandals on the sidewalk that ran alongside a busier road than the ones she had made her way past in the last half hour. Across the way was the parking lot of the public library, deserted as it usually was in the summer.
Jessica had two granola bars and a juice box in her bag when she entered the library. She didn’t like to read, but she loved the cushioned chairs placed in the back of the building and the librarians were kind women.
*
The house was thunderous.
“Call the police!” Jennifer shouted.
“She’ll come home.” Michael insisted, though he was just as panicked as his wife.
At least an hour had passed with the two doing nothing but worrying about their little girl. Michael continued to assure his wife that Jessica would be okay, that she would come back soon enough and they could sit her down with ice-cream and put this all behind them. He insisted there would be would be no need for any drastic measures upon their daughter’s return. She was just a child going through a phase, she had probably seen one too many movies, played a few too many adventure games with her friends. Jessica would come home and be over this. She would be home and their worry would be wasted.
“Call the police.” Jennifer commanded in a calmer voice than before.
Michael shook his head.
The doorbell stuttered before completing a ring.
Michael took one long look at his wife and decided he should answer the door. Jennifer was a mess inside and out.
He stood from his seat on the couch and made his way to the front door.
“Jessica!” Jennifer’s screech rang out before Michael could fall to his knees and hug his sobbing daughter.
Jessica stood in front of the open door, Molly in hand, letting the tears fall. She immediately fell into her father’s embrace and cried even harder.
Jennifer ran over to join the two. She covered Jessica with hastened kisses, her hands pulling back her hair and sleeves, checking for bruises or cuts of any kind.
Jessica sobbed out that she had run out of granola bars and lost Molly’s hat.
“See,” Michael told Jennifer as Jessica happily spooned chocolate ice-cream into her mouth at the local Dairy Queen. “I told you she would come home.”