Vacation of Hell

Drayton and Nubbins

Mindy looked in awe as she, Carrie and Thomas arrived at the Sawyer house. It was a really nice place. There was a porch swing in the yard a couple feet away from the house. The house itself looked nice. It was a lot smaller than their own house. It looked like a simple two-story house. They were in a very deserted area almost like their house was.

The front door opened as Mindy got Carrie out of the car. She turned to see Drayton's smiling face.

"Hey there, Tommy!" he said.

Thomas turned away shyly. He wasn't sure if they were going to like his mask or not. Mindy looked at him and gently patted his shoulder.

"Hi, Drayton", she said.

Drayton came walking down the porch steps and hugged Mindy.

"And who's this pretty little thing?" he asked looking at Carrie.

"This is our daughter, Carrie. Carrie, say hi to Drayton. Say hi Drayton!"

She stared at him wondering who he was. Drayton took her into his arms and raised her in the air over his head.

"Don't drop her", Mindy quickly said.

"I won't. Hey there, little missy! I'm your daddy's cousin which makes me your cousin too! You're beautiful, just like your mama."

Carrie giggled and clapped her hands. Thomas turned to watch her and Drayton. It made him smile to see his daughter get along with the rest of his family. Drayton turned to look at him.

"What's that on your face, boy?" he asked.

"It's a mask he made himself", Mindy said. "Do you like it?"

"It's something. What's it made out of? Leather?"

She looked at Thomas wondering if she should tell him the truth. He nodded. He would never lie about something like that.

"No", she said. "It's actually... made out of... human skin."

"Human skin, huh?" Drayton said. "That is something."

"Is Nubbins and Chop Top here?"

"No, I'm afraid not. Chop Top's actually been drafted into the army. He's been sent to Vietnam."

"Oh my!" Mindy said. "Vietnam? What about Nubbins?"

"Nah, he didn't get into the army. They said he wasn't right in the head. No, he's out somewhere in the fields. Come on in, you two. The heat's starting to get worse out here."

"Can you take the baby inside while me and Tommy get our bags?" Mindy asked.

Drayton turned and carried Carrie inside. Mindy unlocked the trunk of the car and helped Thomas get the bags.

"Think you'll be okay here?" she asked.

He shrugged. Thomas had never spent more than a day away from home before. He wasn't sure of how the summer was going to go. But he had to remember he was with family. He's been here lots of time when he was a kid. Hopefully the inside of the house was still the same.

"Well, we'll see how everything turns out", Mindy said.

She put her bag down and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Maybe later we can have Drayton or another one of your cousins watch the baby..."

She leaned in for a kiss.

"And I can make sure you're just as comfortable as you were at home."

"Who's there?" they heard.

Thomas and Mindy turned to see a young man with long black hair carrying a brown bag.

"Nubbins!" Mindy said smiling.

"Tommy? Mindy?"

They smiled nodding. Nubbins dropped his bag and rushed over to them for a hug.

"My cousins are here!" he laughed.

"That's right", Mindy said. "We're here for the whole summer!"