Paranoid With a Polaroid

Dad, I Don't Have Friends

Casey checked his watch - 11:30. The mailman normally stopped by at 11:00. He looked around himself awkwardly and scrunched his shoulders up closer to his ears, then huffed out a short breath. It was windy and his golden brown hair was blowing across his pale gray eyes annoyingly.

The back of the post office literally faced the ocean, and he could feel the wind blowing around the corner he was standing at. Seriously, there's no way to get warm around Nome, no matter where you are - the wind always runs you out.

Casey lifted his head at the mail van's approach. "Oh, Casey, I do hope you haven't been waiting out here too long - you're looking a bit... blue."

Casey shook his head shortly. "Do you want me to help you carry the packages in? I'm not supposed to be home for another few hours."

"Oh, are you skipping school again? Well, I guess that's your problem. Come on, they're back here."

The mailman led Casey to the back of the van, and handed him some packages. He looked around some for his, but he couldn't see it. He looked up at the mailman only to see him waving it around mockingly.

"You said you'd help me, but if I gave it to you, you'd just take a run for it. I know kids like you better than that."

"Sure." Casey slipped into the post office and shoved the other packages into their boxes, putting on a smile for the mail sorters.

"There's more in the back, you know," The mailman said on Casey's way back out, "and I hid your package. Good luck finding it."

"I'm not a bad kid. I was still planning on helping you. I'm not that rude."

The mailman acted like he didn't hear Casey, but Casey knew he had. He saw it in his eyes. Casey just frowned in annoyance and went back to grab more packages.

As he approached the van, he noticed something - there were two smaller packages laying in the back of the trunk. He quickly grabbed the white one with the rainbow stripe on the box and took a run for it. He knew it just proved the mailman's point, but he wasn't going to care.

He decided it would be best to hang out around Dry Creek for the rest of the day. It was close enough to his home that it would be easy to get there in good time, but he could also go far enough down he wouldn't be visible. His dad was out fishing anyway - that's how he'd gotten the money for the precious white package.

Casey looked down at the package, then wandered over to a boulder and sat down on it. He pulled out his switch and cut through the tape, careful not to damage the box at all costs. What a precious box holding such a precious item.

After opening the box, he reached in and slid out the smooth, shining Polaroid he'd saved up $100 for over the course of two years.

He set the camera itself down onto his lap carefully, and reached back in for the paper. He pulled it out, and tried opening the back of the camera to put it in. He pushed the lock button up, and the back of the camera popped open. There were already a few sheets of paper inside, but he didn't want to waste them.

He slipped the camera and paper back into its box, and set it down carefully inside his backpack. Casey checked his watch - 13:42. he could go home in two hours.

After kicking pebbles and stones around angrily about the whole mailman ordeal, he sat back down on the boulder. He stayed there breathing heavily for a while before reaching for his lunchbox. He ripped out a cheese sandwich and started to eat it. He set the sandwich down next to him and examined the other contents of his lunchbox. A bag of Goldfish and an orange. Why was his lunch so orange today?