Jarrell's Journey

Chapter 4: The Candle's Glow

As the night descended upon the rundown house, Jerrell sat alone in his dimly lit room, the flickering glow of a three-wick candle casting dancing shadows across the walls. He hunched over his spelling words, his brow furrowed in concentration as he struggled to memorize each one.

With a heavy sigh, Jerrell stood at the top of the stairs, torn between his desire for help with his homework and the unspoken rule that he needed permission to descend into the chaos below. Downstairs, his mother Dana and her boyfriend Chubb were immersed in their own world of crack smoke, alcohol, and loud music, surrounded by their friends.

"Mom!" Jerrell shouted, his voice barely audible over the thumping bass of the music.

But his cries went unanswered, swallowed up by the cacophony below. Determined, Jerrell continued to call out, his voice growing louder and more desperate with each passing moment.

Finally, one of Dana's friends heard him and relayed his message to her. With a reluctant sigh, Dana made her way to the bottom of the stairs, irritation evident in her voice as she asked Jerrell what he wanted.

"I need help with my spelling words, Mom," Jerrell replied, his voice tinged with frustration.

Dana's response was curt, a mere acknowledgment of his request before she disappeared back into the chaos below, leaving Jerrell to wait in solitude.

As he sat alone in his room, the minutes stretched into hours, and Jerrell grew restless. With nothing else to occupy his time, he began to entertain himself by making shadow figures on the walls, his fingers dancing in the flickering candlelight.

But soon even that lost its appeal, and Jerrell found himself catching roaches and dropping them into the melted wax of the candle, the sizzling sound of their demise a macabre symphony in the darkness.

Eventually, Jerrell changed out of his school clothes and into more comfortable attire, the sounds of music and laughter from downstairs serving as a constant reminder of the chaos that awaited him each night.

As he lay in bed, Jerrell couldn't shake the feeling of dread that settled over him like a heavy blanket. He knew that no matter how hard he tried to block out the noise and the chaos, he would never be able to escape the reality of his home life. And as sleep finally claimed him, he drifted off into a fitful slumber, haunted by the specter of what the night would inevitably bring.