For this one: You must convince your mother to move out of her strange boyfriend's home.
DIFFERENT (any gender, mid to late teens)
Mom, there's just something strange about him. Ever since we moved in... and I know that moving in is one step away from you marrying him-- it IS --let's not kid ourselves. So I need to just say it: I think he's different from the rest of us. And not in a good way. There's something about him, like he's from another place, another world--
And I know what your'e thinking: If I'm kidding, it's a bad joke and if I'm serious, then I'm having another episode.
But mom, the condition I have, the doctors say it's under control. We've all worked so hard to tame it. You've been so patient with me-- my anxiety, my phobias, even what I did to myself that got me in the hospital... you've always just listened and tried to understand me. And we've just worked things out, right?
I'm still healthy, I promise.
But I've seen Greg doing things, mom. When you're not around. When he doesn't know I'm watching. He was getting supper ready one time, putting chicken legs in the frying pan but I saw him also eat two of them. And mom, I'm pretty sure they were raw. Before I went back to my room, I could hear him, it sounded like he was eating the bones, too.
When he has his friends over: They don't talk. They just sit there across the kitchen table looking at each other. Then the friend leaves and Greg has this grin on his face. But his eyes aren't smiling, mom. And his face stays like that for an hour.
Please don't tell him about this. Please, can we just move out of here? I'll get an extra job after school, I'll help with the cooking, I'll-- I can't take the place of a boyfriend, I know. Duh.
And I didn't want to ruin things, you've got to know that. Maybe hallucinations do happen to people like me. But, mom, whether I'm crazy or not, I promise you something very bad is going to happen if we stay.
Copyright 2016 by Matt Haynes.
If you would like to use this piece, please credit: "Courtesy of Matt Haynes and The Pulp Stage"
DIFFERENT (any gender, mid to late teens)
Mom, there's just something strange about him. Ever since we moved in... and I know that moving in is one step away from you marrying him-- it IS --let's not kid ourselves. So I need to just say it: I think he's different from the rest of us. And not in a good way. There's something about him, like he's from another place, another world--
And I know what your'e thinking: If I'm kidding, it's a bad joke and if I'm serious, then I'm having another episode.
But mom, the condition I have, the doctors say it's under control. We've all worked so hard to tame it. You've been so patient with me-- my anxiety, my phobias, even what I did to myself that got me in the hospital... you've always just listened and tried to understand me. And we've just worked things out, right?
I'm still healthy, I promise.
But I've seen Greg doing things, mom. When you're not around. When he doesn't know I'm watching. He was getting supper ready one time, putting chicken legs in the frying pan but I saw him also eat two of them. And mom, I'm pretty sure they were raw. Before I went back to my room, I could hear him, it sounded like he was eating the bones, too.
When he has his friends over: They don't talk. They just sit there across the kitchen table looking at each other. Then the friend leaves and Greg has this grin on his face. But his eyes aren't smiling, mom. And his face stays like that for an hour.
Please don't tell him about this. Please, can we just move out of here? I'll get an extra job after school, I'll help with the cooking, I'll-- I can't take the place of a boyfriend, I know. Duh.
And I didn't want to ruin things, you've got to know that. Maybe hallucinations do happen to people like me. But, mom, whether I'm crazy or not, I promise you something very bad is going to happen if we stay.
Copyright 2016 by Matt Haynes.
If you would like to use this piece, please credit: "Courtesy of Matt Haynes and The Pulp Stage"
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