Read The Key to Everything Online

Authors: Alex Kimmell

The Key to Everything

 

Copyright 2012 Alex M. Kimmell

 

 
 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

 

Attribution
— You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

 

Noncommercial
— You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

 

No Derivative Works
— You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

 

Inquiries about additional permissions should be directed to:
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Cover Design by Greg Simanson

 

Edited by Janna Balthaser

 

ISBN 978-1-935961-28-4

 

DISCOUNTS OR CUSTOMIZED EDITIONS MAY BE AVAILABLE FOR EDUCATIONAL AND OTHER GROUPS BASED ON BULK PURCHASE.

 

For further information please contact
[email protected]
.

 

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012910423

 

Dedication

 

For Melissa

 

No matter what…

 

 
 

Contents

Other Boy

 

PART ONE

 

-1-: Moving In

 

-2-: Auden: The Key

 

-3-: Auden: You Turn

 

-4-: Auden: Not Safe

 

-5-: Auden: Paper Cuts

 

-6-: Auden: Let's Play For A Little While

 

-7-: Auden: Leaving

 

-8-: Emily: The Last Wind

 

-9-: Auden: The Flattening

 

-10-: Emily: The Ghosts of Bad Luck

 

-11-: Auden: The Flattening

 

PART TWO

 

Other Boy Two

 

-12-: Jabez: The Wall

 

-13-: Jabez: Entrance

 

-14-: Jabez: The Room

 

-15-: Jabez: Writing

 

-16-: Sgt. Harmon: Standing Stones

 

-17-: Sgt. Harmon: Night

 

-18-: Sgt. Harmon: The Hospital

 

-19-: Sgt. Harmon A Lovely Day Outside

 

-20-: Sgt. Harmon: A Beginning

 

-21-: Dedra: The Queen of Order

 

-21-: Dedra: Opening and Closing

 

-22-: Dedra: At the Bottom of the Stairs

 

-23-: The Tattooist

 

-24-: Dedra: Labyrinth

 

PART THREE

 

-25-: Dedra: Waiting

 

-26-: Dedra: Her Entire Life

 

-27-: The Nurse: Black Rubber Mat

 

-28-: The Nurse: There Are No Squirrels in Australia

 

-29-: Auden: A Prison of Words

 

-30-: Emily: Marionette

 

-31-: EmilyDedra: Comes the Flood

 

-32-: Auden: Boot Man

 

-33-: Auden: Unlock the Pages of Forever

 

-34-: Auden: Picasso Taste

 

-35-: Auden: Arrhythmic Wounds

 

-36-: Auden: Falling

 

-37-: Emily: Knock Knock

 

-38-: Emily: Who's There?

 

Other Boy Three

 

-39-: Auden: Panic

 

-40-: Emily: A Beautiful Day for a Neighbor

 

-41-: Emily: Very Rare

 

-42-: Auden: Opening

 

-43-: Sgt. Harmon: Resolute

 

-44-: Emily: Questions

 

-45-: Abram: Blueprinting

 

-46-: Abram: Man of His Words

 

-47-: Auden: White

 

-48-: Emily: Resolute

 

-49-: Emily: Tidal

 

-50-: Emily: Reunited

 

Other Boy Four

 

-51-: Family: A Show of Appreciation

 

-52-: Auden: Son

 

Other Boy Five

 

PART FOUR

 

A House

 

-54-: I Dare You

 

-55-: Hands

 

Acknowledgment

 

Other Boy

 

Other Boy sits in his room criss-cross applesauce, playing with a small plastic toy on the floor. 

Two voices come up through the crack at the bottom of his closed door. 

Hard Voice snaps a whip through the air, sharp with violence. 

Soft Voice wraps around the room a warm down blanket sewn with loving hands.

Other Boy looks down at the plastic toy.

Hard Voice shoots off again, followed by stomping feet cracking gunshots across the hardwood floor.

Soft Voice reaches out with long dulcet vowels.

Other Boy stands up and reaches for the doorknob.

Hard Voice barks, a caged dog prodded with a stick.

Softer and gentler than ever, Soft Voice reaches out to hug Hard Voice.

Other Boy wraps his fingers around but does not turn the frozen doorknob. He pushes his small ear against the flat and unforgiving wood.

Other Boy listens to the voices rising.

Other Boy doesn’t comprehend, but he hears 

ANGER

BLAME 

VIOLENCE.

Goose pimples rise on Other Boy’s arms.

Other Boy squeezes the plastic toy key

Hushed, melodic whispers reach through the thick oak, entering Other Boy’s ear.

Other Boy lifts the plastic toy to his mouth. 

Quiet melodies sing on and on, pleading through the door into Other Boy’s ear.

Other Boy chews on the edge of the plastic toy.

Other Boy pushes with his index finger at the toy too large for his small mouth.

Other Boy pushes too far.

The ragged, chewed-on edges of plastic scratch at the back of Other Boy’s throat.

Breathing stops.

Other Boy hears a clicking noise from the door.

Other Boy looks up from the floor and watches the doorknob slowly turn.

So slowly it might not be moving at all.

Other Boy is on the floor.

The doorknob moves too slow.

Whiteness searches around the edges of Other Boy’s green eyes.

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