For The Love Of Oatmeal

Chapter 23~The Gruesome Confession

"I don't understand..what's happening?"

"Hey kiddo, how're you?" Her father sneered as he tried to punch her cheek. She violently pushed his hand aside.

"Get away from me! Where have you been?! What is all of this??!" She shrieked in a stereotypical whiny teenager voice.

"Sorry sweetheart, I got a little caught up in all of this. But it was for the best."

"What do you mean?" Toby interrupted. Tania's father shot him an evil eye.

"Shut up, boy! You of all people don't deserve to speak. Heck, you don't even deserve to be livin right now." Alex snapped.

"Dad..what are you talking about? And don't try to hide anything from me, I KNOW he's my twin. What have you done?!" She screamed once more.

"Fine. Yes, he's your stupid twin. He has no guilt in loving oatmeal the way he does, which is why I couldn't bear to keep him. Thought got rid of him a long time ago when I gave him up for adoption." Alex exclaimed with a look of insanity.

"You what??! I can't believe what I'm hearing. What kind of a father gives up their son for adoption?!? You are so messed up!!!" Toby shouted. Obviously, he should've thought about what he was saying before he shouted it.
"DONT YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT BEING MESSED UP!! YOU'RE THE MESSED UP ONE, OATMEAL BOY! YOU AND THAT STUPID GIRLFRIEND OF YOURS!" The father screamed.

"Wait..how do you know about her?! What did you do to her you freak?!" Toby clenched his teeth, getting ready to fight.

"Let's just say I took care of her." Alex said with a satisfied look. "I'd do anything in my power to make you as miserable as I was. Payback, Toby."

There was a moment of silence as they stood in shock. "The reason I couldn't keep you is because you have a strong guiltless love for oatmeal, which is what killed my wife, and now you deserve to die." Almost instantly, Alex grabbed a wooden plank sitting on the ground and struck his own daughter to the floor. Then suddenly, Toby heard a loud gunshot and shrieked as he felt an intense pain in his shoulder.Before Toby knew what was happening, he was struck in the head. Everything went black.

Outside the shed, a blinding light shone from the heavens...yet at the same time, thunder roared in the sky. There was sudden earthquake as the light came down upon the earth. Tobias Mormeal couldn't move. He heard a sweet familiar voice in the distance-a voice which reminded him of smooth, mushy oatmeal sweetened with brown sugar. Was this all a dream? Then suddenly he began to float in the air out the open door of the shed. At first, he was a little worried he would fall and hurt himself. Then he was freaked out and began screaming..but he soon realized his magical oat guardian Oatavious was carrying him. Toby floated down to a silently rushing river flowing through the trees..instantly realizing why Oatavious had brought him there. Toby almost began to cry as he saw her standing in the water. Her oat colored dress was dampened by the water. She had angelic wings and a familiar glowing face, which seemed to glow brighter as he came closer.

"River, River!" He now splashed across the water towards her, longing to kiss her. He longed for things to be the way they used to. River reached for his hand and strangely, they were able to touch. The angel smiled and touched his face, tipping her head to the side as tears glimmered in her eyes.

"We can finally be together, Toby. Just you and me, up in the sky."

He smiled, but soon that smile faded and he furrowed his brow in confusion. "What do you mean? Am I dead? Wait, what about my sister?" He began panicking,

"Well no, you're not quite dead. But if you don't wake up, the flames will eat you alive and we can all be together, Toby. It all depends on whether or not you wake up." She whispered. Toby collapsed on a mossy rock, not below being his ears. He was just moments away from being with River for the rest of eternity, yet he felt like he had to go back and finish what had been started.

"River, I'd give a lot of things to stay with you in paradise; but as much as I'd love to stay, my mission on earth is not yet finished. I need to wake up, I need to track down Tania's dad. My dad. Actually I'm not even sure if he is my dad."

There was a moment of silence as they lingered in one another's presence.
"if this is truly what you feel called to do, then go. Be strong Tobias, and may the oat guardians be with you." She said with a cracking voice. Toby squeezed her hard, but their hug didn't last long. Toby was already beginning to fade back to the real world.

"Wait! I never got to-" but it was too late. Toby's eyes flashed open as he felt the flames roar around him . Not only had they struck both of them, but they set the whole shed on fire! Toby panicked, looking around the room for his twin..and a way out. He finally found her unconscious under the desk. Toby knew what he had to do. He scooped her up in his arms as pain pierced through his shoulder. He used up what he had left of his strength to carry her through the flames. Of course all the exits were blocked with fire, but he knew he didn't have a choice. In that moment, he decided to just go for it and run through. The heat scored his skin and he began to lose his strength. He had lost too much blood, and as soon as he was out, he collapsed on the ground. He lay on the ground, breathing heavily, when he suddenly saw another flash in the trees.