A Town Called Nowhere

What Just Happened?

Niilo looks at Noah. Noah looks at Niilo. They both burst out laughing. 

"What just happened?" Niilo asks, gasping for breath. "He just snapped!"

"Twice!" Noah says, holding up fingers to reinforce his point. "He just went crazy or something!"

Noah and Niilo aren't bad kids, despite having a tendency to trample grouchy old mens' flowerbeds. Well, Noah, at the very least. Niilo's also a good kid. He just doesn't have mood swings quite as intense as Noah. 

Niilo and Noah are both in awe of the fact that Mr. Hendersson lived in the Big City, as locals like to call it. It's rare that someone from Nowhere meets someone from a metropolitan area while within the Nowhere city limits. The few people who make it out rarely return. Occasionally, they'll get missionaries who forget that no one cares, or a teacher who wants to "make a difference." Everyone always leaves. Noah figures Mr. Hendersson is an exception.

...

Mr. Hendersson massages his temples. Sighs for what seems like an impossible amount of time. Students don't care these days, that's the problem, he thinks as he ponders why he ever came back to Nowhere. Everyone knows the town is going down, and all the locals want to pretend everything is fine. They might be able to afford to bring the kids to a bigger school and shut this one down. Maybe then he can retire.

The problem is, he knows why he came back. His mother didn't want to, she was glad to have escaped, but he ignored her. He came back. 

His head hurts. He needs coffee. But first he takes out his cell phone. Dials an old number.  

A familiar voice picks up. "Hello?"