The Boy With The Melted Eyes Part 1

The Dinner Party

The entire first night I spent tossing and turning in bed with nightmares. I wake out of my sleep sweating heavily hair sticking to my face, Snowbell beside me curled up peacefully sleeping. I nudge him with my elbow, to wake him up, ''get up sleepy head, we have a dinner party to prepare for''. I hope out of bed and grab my towel and start to head down to the bathroom so I can get a shower.

Once in the bathroom I do my daily shower and brush my teeth, hoping not to see any ghost kids in the mirror after I spit in the sink. I get dressed and grab my keys, ''gotta get some wine and snacks for the guest tonight Snowbell, I'll be back soon,'' I yell out as I head out the door. I head down the road towards Mrs. Amdales store, I turn the music up and I let the window a little so my hair is blowing around in the wind. As I approach the store I see a horse tied up outside of the store. ''Wow'', I say as I turn the music down and cut the car off eager to get out and get a closer look. I'm from the city, I've seen horses in books before but never one up close and personal.

I get out of the car and stare at the horse for a minute and take in his beauty. I turn and walk into the store, as I walk I see Mrs. Amdale I smile and wave, she smiles and waves back. Standing next to her is a small child, a girl with long blonde pig tales with bows at the ends of them. She was wearing a pretty pink dress, with the rosiest cheeks I had ever seen. I walk over to the wine aisle and I grab three bottles of wine, I didn't need to get too much since it would only be my mother father and a couple of old friends, and my sister of course.

I grab a couple of boxes of crackers and some cheese, this should be good enough for a little house showing, I head over to the counter to pay for my things. I get to the counter and I speak to the little girl behind the counter she smiles and continues to play with her babydoll, whose hair was just like hers and their dresses were exactly as well.

I pay for my things say my goodbyes and I head out the door to my car. I get in my car and I start it, I turn my music on but I don't drive straight off I sit for a while and I just look around at all the little shops and the people walking around the kids giggling and walking with their mothers and fathers. I smile and put the car in drive and drive off. As I approach my house I see an unfamiliar car in my driveway, 'I've never seen that car before' I thought to myself, and it was a little too early for visitors to be here just yet. I wondered who it could be.

I pull in behind the car and I get out of the car and I approach the car slowly and cautiously. I walk over to the window and look inside and I see my baby sister Alice the last of all of my mother and father's children. I knock on the window and I startle her, she jumps in her seat and then gives the biggest smile when she realizes who's just knocked on her window. She jumps out of the car ''Sis oh how I've missed you,'' she says as she jumps into my arms but I've only been moved for a day and a half so what does she really want.

I hug her back and tell her to follow me into the house. Once again as I approach the house I notice Snowbell sitting in the window, but behind him, I catch what seems to be Jimmie standing in the window staring at me as well. I shake my head and continue to the door without saying a word to my sister, I didn't want to sound crazy. At least not until I confirm what I had been seeing.

We walk into the house and into the kitchen, I walk over to the refrigerator and start to put up the wine and snacks that I had bought for my little get together. I pull out two wine glasses and open up the wine I had been drinking the night before I pour me a glass and then I pour my sister a glass. I turn around to hand her the glass but she isn't behind me, 'hmm must be exploring the house', I think to myself. I wait for a couple of minutes before I walk out of the kitchen and start to look for her.

From the back of the house I can hear my sister talking, ''I wonder who she is talking, must be Snowbell'', as I approach the back of the house I can see my back door is open and my sister is standing on the back porch talking. ''Maybe she is talking to Mr. Harris,'' I say to myself he, he did say he would be there to finish the garden that he had started for me. I walk to the screen door, and just stand there for a while, puzzled.

I see my sister talking but I don't see who she's talking to, I don't see anyone out there with her. I walk out onto the back porch and my sister turns around, I ask ''Ally who are you talking to?'', she turns to me and says ''the boy I caught wandering through your backyard'', I think to myself 'boy in the back yard?'. I look concerned and say are you sure you have seen a boy? There isn't a neighbor for at least three miles, she looks at me confused and says, ''the one standing right he........''. She looks lost and confused she turns back to me and says ''he was right here I swear he must have run off when you came out''. I just shrug and nod and act unconcerned, but deep down I was concerned, were my fears realized? Had Jimmie the boy who was supposed to be dead, wondering my home, his ghost at that.

We walk back into the house and I start showing her all around my house, every room and every window in the house, and then I think to myself 'this would be a good time to check out the attic'. We walk over to the attic door and I give the handle a little twist but it's locked, ''Hmm, I wonder why this is the only door that's locked''. I try again and give it a little tug this time still nothing, I look over at my sister and we both chuckle a little, ''I guess this room is off-limits''.

I shrug it off and follow my sister back down the stairs, but a part of me wants to know what's up there, they would cause them to lock the door. We go down to the kitchen and I look at the clock, ''oh gosh I gotta get everything prepared for the party and get dressed''. I quickly put out the little finger foods and the wine, I run up the stairs and I quickly change into my only fancy dress and then I hear the doorbell chime signing my guest had arrived, I give myself a once over and I head down the stairs.

Ally had already opened the door for my parents and I could hear them in the kitchen pouring themself wine. I make my way into the kitchen and with a big smile I scream '' mom, dad!!'. I hug my mother and then my father, my mother looks around and says ''this is beautiful honey I am so proud of you''. I just smile and nod. We laugh and we talk I give them a walk around the house, I show them the back yard and the little shed in the back.