Ducky

What Happened in Between

As soon as she saw Ducky with Joshua after school, Cassie was pissed. After talking with Joshua's teacher about it, she was even more pissed. How dare that teacher give him anything without asking us first, she thought. "Who does she think she is anyway?"

What was really pissing Cassie off, if she had actually been honest with herself about it, was that she recognized the gift as an expression of love for her son that she had rarely felt herself & took his attachment to it as evidence of his love for his teacher. Joshua had been little more than an annoyance since his conception and a disappointment since his birth. He was all the things she hated about herself and all the things she hated about his father. She knew Joshua didn't love her either and mostly feared and avoided her.

The love behind the gift was beautiful and she wanted to destroy it or at least rip it away from him. If he wouldn't love her, he would pay the price. Joshua sensed all of this and was not letting Ducky out of his sight. He needn't bother. Ducky could take care of herself and Joshua too.

When Joshua's father Aaron got home, she complained to him about it, but he didn't really see the problem. To be honest, he really didn't care- not about much of anything really. He hated coming home to the endless complaints and just wanted some peace and quiet. He knew the boy needed his time and love, but he just didn't feel it. He just couldn't make himself do it. He wished he had stayed single and childless.

It wouldn't have been so bad if Joshua had been different, more curious, more adventurous, like he had been at his age. Instead the boy was either crying or scared of something and was a complete embarrassment from Aaron's point of view. Aaron was ashamed of himself for hurting the boy, especially in front of his teacher. But it couldn't be undone and he really didn't know how to fix it. He was angry nearly every time he looked at the boy. Avoiding him as much as possible was, in his mind, the only solution.

By the time Joshua had put himself to sleep- as usual- his mom was still going on about the toy duck.

"If you don't want him to have the toy, just take it away from him and shut up about it," his father finally said.

So, having been given "permission," Cassie went to Joshua's room and touched the door knob. It felt strange beneath her hand, like how a steering wheel feels when you know that your car is out of control and are sure you are going to crash. Feeling that this was a really stupid reaction to have, she opened the door anyway. Joshua was sleeping peacefully, but she was unable to see him. All she could see was the enormous shadow shading him in its immense darkness. She dare not look up at what she knew was a living creature as tall as the ceiling. Trembling, she backed out and slammed the door.

Joshua did not hear it; he did not wake up from the noise like on most nights. He was safe and protected. Ducky was watching over him.

"Didn't you get rid of it?" Aaron immediately asked.

"No, I changed my mind," Cassie lied.

"Bullshit. You lost your nerve is all."

"No, I didn't... There's something in his room."

"Like what? A mouse or something?"

"No, no. Something big. Really big. Watching."

"For God's sake. Do you want me to go do it? I'll bet you it's nothing- you just got yourself all worked up."

So Joshua's dad went to the door and yanked it open. The room was pitch black, not at all like normal. There was a huge shadow blocking the light from the street lamp and a low growl emerging up from the center of it, near the 8 foot high ceiling. The growl sounded like something between an enormous grizzly bear and a demon from hell.