"I love pasta!" James screamed into the gaping canyon.
"I love pasta!"
"I love pasta!"
"I love pasta!"
The canyon echoed in response. James snorted a little giggle before reaching up and grabbing his mommy's hand. His mommy's hand was wrinkled, but her eyes shone an energetic blue. She smiled down at James' upturned face and asked, "What is it?"
"Mommy, it's your turn," he smiled up at her.
She gave James a bright smile. "Alright," Jane replied playfully. "I love Daddy!" she shouted into the canyon, and the canyon played her voice back like a fading, broken record player. James laughed again and ran over to the railing beside the canyon to shout another sting of pointless words into the chasm.
Jane laughed at her son as he roared like a dinosaur into the canyon below. Waving his hands in front of him like little dinosaur claws. Suddenly, Jane heard the ringing of her cell phone from inside their parked car.
"Be careful James," Jane called out as she turned towards the car, "don't go under the railing, I'll just be a minute."
"Ok," James called back in between squawking like a chicken and saying something toilet related.
Jane ran over to the car and pulled open the driver's door of the beat up old truck. She picked the phone up out of the cup holder and flipped it open.
Jane grunted at the Private Number message and put the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she said.
"You're lame! You're lame! You're lame! You're lame!" A shockingly familiar voice shouted through the phone. "BWAAAAAAH LA LALA! BWAAAAAAH LA LALA! BWAAAAAAH LA LALA! BWAAAAAAH LA LALA!" screamed the phone speaker.
"James?" Jane whispered.
"Something's wrong... Something's wrong... Something's wrong... Something's wrong..."
Jane took the phone away from her ear, hung up and stared at the phone. Slowly she turned around and looked at James. He was standing next to the canyon, but his body had gone rigid. He took a step away from the canyon as an echo whispered "Mommy!"
James turned around with surprise written all over his face as another echo said "Mommy! Mommy!"
"Mommy!" James yelled.
Jane's phone began to ring again, but she had dropped it at her feet without noticing. Nevertheless, the phone answered the call on its own and a deep voice whispered "Got him. Got him. Got him."
"Got him!" James growled.
