Captain Kangaroo was conversing back and forth with both Mr. Green Jeans and Mr. Moose on the television while Isaac spoke in a low, overcast tone to his father over the phone.

Dressed in the same clothes from the night before, Isaac watched Isaiah crawl and romp about on the floor with his Fisher Price toy phone while he sipped away on his fourth cup of coffee for the morning. Isaac's mind was from the TV and drifting even further away from his son.

Every so often he would stare down at his scarred fingernails that felt as if someone had pierced each of them with sharp needles.

"Isaac, are you still there?" Mr. Mercer worriedly asked.

Shaking himself awake, Isaac replied, "I'm fine, dad. I just got a bad headache. Did the fuzz bring your car back yesterday?"

"Yeah, they brought it back last night. I think the carburetor needs replaced."

Just then, a long pause prevailed. The pause was soon followed by a moan from Isaac's father.

"Son...is everything alright with you? You sure don't sound fine."

Just judging by his father's stretched out gap in speech Isaac could sense that he was stressed over his grueling ordeal. All the young man could do was sit and shut his eyes in angst.

"Yeah, dad, I just need some time to...to work things out."

"Where's Lynn at?"

"She went out to get some more medicine for Isaiah. She said she'll be back before nine."

"Isaac, just relax and let the good Lord take care of everything. You've got a friend in him."

backwards into the couch where he was sitting and began

He flinched, trying with all his

get off from work at five, come down to the church and we can

said, sitting back and wiping

"I gotta go to work

"I will, dad," Isaac sniffed

he hadn't heard before; it startled Isaac enough to where he even lost track of where Isaiah was and

"Dah," the child squealed out as he

forced smile came across Isaac's battered face before taking the plastic receiver, holding it to his ear

mock conversations were customary; Isaiah would just sit and clap his tiny hands as though a parade were trolling right through the living room. The boy was happy to see someone enjoying his toys as

on the television re-ran reports of

of animal could have possibly killed all seven people in one night, and just

his arms Isaac's eyes were locked firmly on the TV as the screen scrolled through every little Sanders girl. Their angelic faces were alive with euphoric vitality

the screen. He

out, handing his father his red View-Master to

He remembered the generous man offering

"C'mon, man," Isaac struggled as he lifted his aching body from off the

Once he managed to limp his way into the warm bathroom Isaac promptly removed every item of clothing from off the child's body, cut on the

child actually enjoyed being wet; just splashing about in the water was all playtime for him. He knew that he should have been paying

'fingernails across the chalkboard', Isaac couldn't help but to drown in the hellacious notion that everything that

sorts, from that of adults to children, and yet, had it not been for the TV, not one person's face could materialize

sudden, sprinkles of soapy water splashed into Isaac's dead face, alerting him to find his son fiddling with his own

with that thing, boy, it'll turn into a habit." Isaac scolded, shoving the child's right hand away from his

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255