Tired Eyes

Chapter 3: Trying My Luck

As I neared the end of the hallway, I heard the voices of Yessie and my mom in the kitchen. "Feeling better, sweetie?" My mother said. A young, childish voice replied, supposedly sniffling. "Yeah, it doesn't hurt as much now... thank you mom."

Gaiste scoffed, seeming amused. "Well Noah, looks like you're gonna be in some deep trouble. I could only imagine the look on the face when you tell her that a leprechaun cut your sister and came into your house."
"No. I'm not telling her, she can't know." I whispered.
"Heh. Wise choice. But the door to the back yard is in that room. How do you plan to get past without them seeing me? Not to mention that you don't want to take your eyes off me cause you think I'll escape or whatever."
"Well, the front door is right there, I can just use that,"
"Oh really now? Take another look."

I was just about to turn my head when I realized that I had almost fallen for his trick. "Grr! Don't do that!" I whispered angrily.
"I was only tryin' to help. I wasn't lying you know. There really is a reason you can't use that door."
"And that is...?"
"I ain't tellin'. You want the gold, you figure it out,"

I smirked at the leprechaun confidently. "You're a cocky little man aren't you? You think you've got me cornered."
"Tch. What are you saying?"
"I'm saying, you don't know everything about me. Check this out,"

A talent I have that many people don't know is that, with enough focus, I can move my eyes independently from one another. I used to freak my teachers out with this trick all the time when I was younger, but I haven't had much use for it lately... well, aside from the occasional peek at other people's tests.

While keeping my left eye on Gaiste, I pointed my right eye at the living room where the front door is. The curtains of the room were closed. I could barely make out the shapes of the sofas and tables. There were too many dark shadows that I couldn't even see the floor, much less the exit. Mom must have turned off the lights to save energy or something. It's a useful habit for saving money, but it can get annoying at times. "It's too dark to see anything... and I can't reach the lightswitch without passing through the darkness. If I try to use that door, I'll lose sight of you..."
"Hmph. That's right, kid. Going that way is out of the question. Unless you use your phone's screen for a light or something, it's impossible to get by without passing through pitch blackness."
"Yessie and I aren't allowed to have phones. Mom says that we can't have them until we're adults because we're not 'mature enough' yet,"
Gaiste gave a sly grin. "I guess there's only one way through, Noah. Better come up with something quick,"
"I know, I know! Just let me think!"

I peeked past the door with one eye still locked on Gaiste. My mother was carefully wrapping a white bandage around Yessie's hand. A small red stain was visible on her palm, but I could tell that the bleeding had lessened significantly. I let out a sigh of relief. The leprechaun in my hand called out to me. "You know, it looks really gross when you do that with your eyes..."
"Hush!"
"I was just sayin'..."

I looked around at the kitchen. The back door was right there behind my mom. It was so close, yet so far away. There was a straight path to the door- absolutely nothing to hide behind. "Gaiste," I said. "I need you to stay completely still,"
"Huh? What're you plotting?"
"Just do it."

I straightened my hair and made it cover the eye that was watching Gaiste, obscuring it from anyone that looked at me from the front. I held the leprechaun even tighter and pushed my hand in my pocket, leaving only his head and shoulders visible. With everything in place, I headed into the kitchen.

"Hey, Yess," I greeted. "how's your hand doing?"
Her face lit up with joy. "Noah!" Yessie wiped here eyes and looked at me. "It's feeling a lot better! Did you ever catch the animal?"
"Nah, but I shooed it away... But it won't ever hurt you again, I promise."
"Thank you, Noah. You're the best big brother ever!"

My mother stood up from her chair and marched over to me. "You! What were you thinking letting Yessie play outside at night? She got hurt because of you!!! Shame on you!"
"I am very sorry, mother," I replied politely. "I read her a story about St. Patrick's Day and she wanted to go look for a pot of gold. I couldn't just let her down like that, my conscience just wouldn't allow it. I will accept any punishment necessary. For the damage I've caused, I probably deserve it,"

That's the trick to being in trouble. Adults really can't get mad at you if you take responsibility and feel guilty for it. Especially my super Christian mother. I usually go all out with my manners for her just in case I end up needing a pass, and today just might be it.

Mom looked at me as if she was trying to be angry but just couldn't. I could tell that I had won her over. "Oh, alright.... I know you didn't mean it... but no TV or video games for the rest of the day, got it, mister?"
"Yes ma'am. Thank you for your mercy."

Words like mercy always work. It makes it seem like you're helpess and regret what you've done. I walked past her and headed for the goal. The back door was within reach. My stress and worries had almost left me... until...

"Hey Noah," Yessie called out. "What's that in your pocket?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. I hesitated for a moment, probably too long to seem natural. "M-m-my hand..." I stuttered too much!
"Nuh-uh, you've got something else in there, I can see it!"
"It's nothing, Yess. Just mind your own business!"

My mom stepped up to me. "Noah, what are you hiding?" It was like an interrogation, and I was the suspect. "Mom, it is nothing. Please do not ask any further,"
"Noah. Show me. Now."

I had no choice. I slowly pulled my hand out of my pocket. I held Gaiste firmly in my hand, who stood still as a statue, just as I instructed. "It's just a toy, mom. I found it in the Lucky Charms box."
Yessie shouted from the back. "Heeeeey, no fair! You said I could have the toy!"
"Sorry, Yess! You can have the next one, okay?"

My mother stared directly into my eyes. "Aren't you a little old for toys?" she asked skeptically.
"Ah... well... I wanted something to decorate my shelf with. Right now it's just boring and full of books, so I wanted something to give it a little more color, you know...?"

She stayed silent, glaring at me intently. I was so caught up in her menacing look that I nearly looked away from Gaiste for a second. "You're a weird kid, Noah,"
"Yes ma'm,"
"You can go now,"
"Yes ma'am,"

I hurriedly pulled the doorknob and headed out the door, closing it behind me. "That was too close," Gaiste said. "that was a really stupid plan and it would never work again in a hundred years."
"Oh lighten up. You're just cranky because I actually made that work."
"Tch. And you were worried about me being a trickster..."