Tame Your Fears

Seekest Thou the Road

Agnes woke up to the sound of her alarm clock going crazy. She groaned, whacking her hand on the off button and dragging herself out of bed with minimal muttered complaint under her breath. She stifled a yawn, running a hand through the freshly formed knots in her hair and opened the door, shuffling down to the kitchen to make a start on breakfast. She paused to let Senor Scratchy out from his pen before beelining towards the coffee machine and flicking it on. It hissed as she moved around the island and rummaged through the cabinets for a bowl, grabbing a spoon from the drawer and placing it on the table.

She glanced at the oven clock, watching the green lights blink the time at her in a steady metronome. 7:23, if she moved quickly enough, there'd be enough time to stop by the little bakery around the corner from Westview Elementary before she had to drop Nicholas off for the day. Agnes poured some coffee into her mug and headed upstairs. She knocked on Nicholas' door twice, careful to avoid the 'Wicked' poster so she didn't wrinkle it, before pushing it open and flicking on the lights, "Nicky? Baby, it's time to get ready for school."

"Nuh uh." Nicholas grumbled, rolling over and pulling his pillow over his face, "There's no school today."

"There is, and you're going." Agnes snorted, "Get dressed, you have twenty minutes."

He stumbled downstairs ten minutes after she left the room, haphazardly running a comb through his hair, his favorite thin black windbreaker only half on. Agnes pushed the half gallon of milk and cereal bowl towards him and smiled, "Good morning Sleeping Beauty."

"Morning Mom." He picked up the rabbit and set him on his lap, rubbing gently at his ears, "Good morning Senor Scratchy."

"That rabbit gets a better greeting than I do." She laughed, taking a sip of her coffee, "You did your homework, right?"

"While you were making dinner, remember?" He grinned, "You wanted to burn my math homework."

"Because it is stupid and I stand by that, who needs long division nowadays?" Agnes finished her coffee in one gulp and clapped her hands together, "Okay, let's get this show on the road. I have work, you have work, I'm the only one getting paid here."

"You should really start to give me an allowance." Nicholas hopped off his stool and placed Senor Scratchy on the ground, "Then I could buy Scratchy his own stuff."

"With my money," Agnes ruffled his dark hair and kissed the top of his head, "So I'd still be buying everything, wouldn't I?"

"But you could pretend you weren't." He ducked away from her and grabbed his backpack, zipping it closed and swinging it over one shoulder. "And we'd both be very happy."

"That we would be, that we would be." Agnes chuckled, grabbing the spare house key and tucking it into the smallest pocket of his backpack, patting the bright purple fabric, "You're alright to walk home alone today? Or do I need to fetch you after school?"

"I can walk home alone Mom." Nicholas grinned back at her, skipping out the door, "I'm old enough to stay home alone. All my friends do."

"Well forgive me, Mister Independant, but as your mother I am allowed to baby you until you're old and gray." She shut and locked the door behind them, waving a quick hello to neighbors as she hurried them both down the street and towards the bakery. One abnormally large snickerdoodle cookie and a chocolate croissant later, Agnes watched Nicholas enter his classroom and changed route to head back home to get the car.

Agnes glanced at the empty woods surrounding her as she drove down the empty back roads. She hummed to herself, something she must have heard on the radio as she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, "Down, down, down the road. Down the witches' road."