The Gromlin King

The Spectacular Mold

His Name is Mold Mildew.

Why anyone would name their kid Mold is beyond me.

But anyways Mold lived in a small town surrounded by swamps and marsh lands.

It was a nowhere town full of nobodies if you catch my drift.

Small suburban neighborhoods, and a tiny mall.

I would say Mold was a normal average teen. Except well, he's not.

He's sort of a loser. He wears bright Hawaiian shirts. Black eyeliner and dyed his hair bright green over his bathroom sink.

Not only that but he smokes cigarettes consistently, plays an electric guitar and tells people he'll be famous one day.

Nobody believes him.

And today was his last day of Summer vacation. He was going to be a junior this year.

He wasn't looking forward to it. Of course what kind of kid looks forward to school?

He sat at the kitchen table looking down at his cereal. Little brown pieces, and little colorful marshmallows shaped like rockets, UFOS and Aliens.

His father sat in the living room with his feet on the coffee table watching TV.

A stout man, he is tan like Mold is and wearing fake gold. A used cars salesman.

His mother stood in the kitchen gossiping on the phone. Fake blonde hair, and covered in chunky jewelry.

Their home which was decorated by his mother was gaudy, bright colors that hurt your eyes, and smelled of cigarette smoke.

They weren't bad parents. Well they were... His mother bought him cigarettes and his father was shady.

But they loved each other nonetheless.

"Mom, have you seen my lucky shirt?"

His mother shoots a glare and mouths 'I'm on the phone' to him.

He continues to eat his cereal in silence.

'maybe it's in the laundry.'

After eating his breakfast he gets up and walks past his father in the living room.

"Hey Mold, grab me a cold one will you?"

His father holds up an empty beer bottle and waves it in the air.

Mold sighs, "sure dad."

He turns around and goes back into the kitchen. His mother still on the phone.

He opens the fridge and takes out a beer bottle.

"What are you doing?"

His mother asks looking up at him.

"It's for dad."

His mother squints at him. But then turns around and resumes her conversation.

Mold walks into the living room and hands his father the beer.

"Thanks sport."

"No problem."

He leaves and heads to the laundry room.

'I haven't looked in here yet.'

He goes through the clean laundry that has yet to be folded.

Tomorrow was the first day of school. He needed his lucky shirt.

And soon things began looking up.

There it was. A bright yellow collared button up. With an embroidered toucan on the right of it.

His lucky shirt indeed. He wore the shirt many times and each time he seemed to have a spectacular day.

He folded it up and took it to his room.

This is what he was going to wear tomorrow.

He entered his room and placed it on top of his night stand.

'tomorrow I'm going to look pretty fly for sure.'

After that he put on his shoes and left the house.

"I'm leaving to meet Fenwick!"

The door slams behind him.

His father sitting on the couch sips his beer.

'Fenwick is an odd name.'

Forgetting he named his own son Mold.