A Keeper's Secret

Chapter 4

             I am wildly impressed by Mary's performance of providing my parents a distraction; I had watched her in previous plays at school and I admired her acting skills to keep real life out of the way, yet I call this the best act ever.

          "Bravo! Bravo!" I say,clapping my hands together after mom went to their room. "Impressive!"

         "Chaos is my middle name." Mary proudly chirps, stopping her cigarette.

         "Chaos?" I repeated, surprised at this claim.  "You told me your middle name is Briggs!"

            I see a silly smile on her face.

         "Mary Chaos Briggs,my family has a thing for chaos." She explains; rubbing her head with a her hand as a small small laugh escaped, then she turns her head to the couch. "Better wish its worthwhile of my time."

         A lightbulb goes off in my head.

         "Remember when we had the 'catch a snake contest'?" I remind Mary; During middle school, we were so bold that we went out into the zoo at night and had a daring contest to see who could catch a snake through the small holde under the exhibit.

        "Why does it mat--" Mary begins to say, but she stopped in mid-sentence. "Ooooh,you hands are shorter than regular."

         Sadly,my arms are the result of a Birth defect. My parents were informed about the defect after I was born ten to fifteen minutes prior, Dad told me it was strange because both families had a good-line of children and I am pretty much the first one to almost have clear blue eyes at birth.

          "Be my guard dog." Mary tells me, kneeling down to the couch.

      A Guard dog is what we often refer to each other to be on the look-out for people or rivals,possibly parents if we were doing a scheme. this idea was coined when I was nine and she was ten.

       "And I will be your owner." I jokingly parody 'Rent',standing up from the chair and watching warily for my mom.

        "Shut  'sup." Mary retorted,her hand probably meeting the dust bunnies and filth for the board.

        I get two pillows from both sides of the couch, I knew Mom would likely give me a harsh punishment if she saw the board in plain sight on the couch with me and Mary just getting ready to open the box.

          Plop~!

       I look down to see the box is on the couch, but strangely  heat is emitting off it as if we were in the Twilight Zone.

        "My hand! My hand!!"  Mary cried out holding her right hand. "It burns!"

          Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

        The scream from down the hallway  belongs to my mother, so I toss the pillows onto the board and put extra pillows ontop. No smoke. I thought to myself, sighing in relief.

        "D-d--d-d-d-d-d-did your mom just scream?"  Mary asks, her head turns to the hall at the right.

         "Never heard her scream this loud before." I say, scratching my head; Next thing I see is my Mom at the door, I see her face is completely white as if she has seen a ghost at the cemetery.

       "GHOST!" Mom shrieked;opening the door with wild hair due, then speeded out wearing a shirt and jeans.

           Mom is not wearing make-up. I concluded, rubbing my eyes in disbelief. She ALWAYS has her makeup and hair all good.