Torn from Heaven: Sophomore Sons

Chapter 38

Kit listened in horror to the muffled sounds of banging pans and Lee yelling from downstairs. She thought she felt herself shutter and was expecting to be attacked. She heard the rubbing of porcelain as the gnome turned towards the noise. The gnomes all simultaneously started to leave the room and go downstairs. Kit opened her eyes when she heard the gnomes tumble down the stairs. She lifted her head and looked at Will to get his attention. There was a solitary gnome standing at Will's face. And she made eye contact with it.

Lee was about halfway through the first chorus of the song when he saw the gnomes at the top of the stairs. They tumbled down and most of them broke, splinters of ceramic flying everywhere. The ones that didn't smash going down the stairs, were cracked or severely damaged.

"Shit," Lee said, watching the gnomes smash against the tile at the bottom of the stairs. Lee started sprinting towards the front door, dropping the pan and the spoon. He threw open the front door and looked behind him. The gnomes started piecing themselves back together again. Lee took a deep breath and did one of the worst things he could've done; Lee stood in the doorway and taunted the gnomes. He spoke gibberish and waved his hands about.

When all the gnomes reassembled themselves, they went after Lee. He waited in the doorway while the gnomes ran after him, watching as they closed in on him. Lee ran out into the street, looking behind him as he ran. Despite their size, gnomes kept up pace behind Lee. Lee's pant leg had snagged on something and he slipped in the slush. One of the gnomes grabbed Lee's ankle. He turned to see the gnome was climbing his leg. Lee swung his leg around to try to get the gnome off. He even hit it against the ground but because it kept climbing, it was getting closer, so Lee couldn't hit it against the ground as hard. Another one grabbed hold of Lee's foot as he scooched away from them.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Lee said to himself as he watched the sun peek over the top of the tall pine trees. As the warm glow of the morning sun shone on Lee the gnomes seemed to slow down. The second the sunlight moved onto the gnomes, it turned them to stone. The gnomes that weren't affected by the sun ran towards Lee in a hopeless effort to attack him. They all turned into stone and hit the sidewalk, falling over, some rolling on their sides. Lee was left cold, wet, and in shock. He laid on the concrete and after a minute, laughed as the sun shone in his eyes.

Lee stood up and wiped the wet snow from his clothes and counted the stone gnomes; only five. Lee's eyes widened and he ran back inside. He hurried upstairs into his parents' room and looked around to see Will, Kit and his parent's on the floor. Lee's heart sank and tears started to fill his eyes. The gnome that was left was standing close to Kit, circling her until it looked up at Lee. It ran at him but he picked it up and threw it out of the open window. Lee looked out the window and watched the gnome smash on the pavement as it turned to stone.

He walked over to his mother and knelt down next to her. He rested a hand on her back. He closed his eyes and felt her breathing. Karen lifted her head, looking at Lee and he smiled and laughed. He wrapped his arms around Karen and she rolled onto her back and hugged him back. Everyone heard Lee crying and looked up. Cain hurried over to embrace his son.

"Alright, kids, try to get some sleep before you have to get ready for school," Karen said, lightheartedly. Lee nodded, more than happy to get some sleep. He didn't hear the word 'school' because he was so burnt out.

"I have to go home or my parents will wonder where I am," Will said and Karen nodded once and Will left to go home. Lee and Kit tiredly walked back to Lee's room and Lee flopped onto his bed, face first. Kit laid down on the floor and pulled the blanket over her head. There was silence for a moment but then it went off. The one thing they didn't want to hear. Lee's alarm for school chimed. Kit groaned under her blanket and sat up, looking at Lee. Lee screamed into his pillow and sighed. He sat up and whined, looking into his closet, thinking about getting dressed.