I didn’t live much of a fairy tale life. However, my life was not anything to complain about. I had the everyday normal teenage boy routine: shower, go to school and eat. Then come home, eat, play soccer, eat, and then have some time with my mom. I never worried about anything unfortunate happening. This was until the accident. When my mom got into the car crash, it was a horrible day. I was right in the middle of the “going to school,” part of my morning when the principal and my counselor entered my room. “She’s dead,” they told me; those words continue to echo through my head.
The only recognizable trace of her body was the ring that she never took off. It was a sterling silver plated wedding band that my grandpa gave her as a little kid. The ring had a double infinity sign carved into it and “family first” tattooed underneath. Mom never talked about it, she never let me hold it, and she never even took it off. When her will was found, she told me to keep it, but why?
I tried to allow her to be buried with it, but my grandfather would not let that happen. He told me that the ring would become a family heirloom
I wouldn’t fight with my mom, or grandfather, so I accepted it and never took it off just like her.
That’s why they make fun of me; Joe and his band of bullies. I was always the kid with the dead mom and the hundred dollar ring on my hand. That’s what happened today, but they took it way too far.
Earlier today, he and his friends came up to me during lunch, squeezed my Capri-Sun in my lap, and grabbed my ring. I saw him put it in his pocket and run away. After school I saw him playing with it, took it from him, and started running. That is the situation now, but I am still a mile away from the house and I am starting to lose steam.
I ran as fast as I could down Sadre Street. I wasn’t much of a runner, but when three giant eighth graders chased after me, somehow I became Usain Bolt.
“Give us back the ring, Blake,” Joe screamed.
“No,” I yelled back as I was gasping for breath, “You had no right to take it from me to begin with!”
I felt inside of my jacket pocket: headphones, iPod, and my wallet; but where was the ring? I began to panic and looked down at my hands; nothing was there. I quickly turned the corner onto Atlantia Drive and then dashed into the alleyway behind a row of houses.
“Think, think,” I said to myself. I checked my pants pockets and the only thing there was my phone. I rechecked all of my pockets again; nothing.
“Think, think,” I repeated.
I looked at my hands and there now was the shiny glimmer of a ring sitting on my finger.
I was confused.
“Where did that ring come from?” It was like the ring had left my finger and then came back to me, but was I just hallucinating?
I looked to my left and I saw them approaching. I quickly dashed to my right back onto Muerte Street, but as I looked down, the ring had left my finger again. I stopped in my tracks and ran back to the alleyway where I was kneeling but the ring was not there. I continued running.
As I sprinted down Muerte Street, I looked ahead at a blonde haired, blue eyed girl standing in the middle of the road. I stopped; was that my mom?
“Blake, Blake; what did you do with my ring?” Her words echoed throughout my head. If this was really my mother and she was standing there, then was she disappointed in me? I closed my eyes for a second and when I looked back up, she was gone. I thought for a minute and the more that I thought, the more that I realized that nothing made sense. Why did the ring keep disappearing and why was my mom standing there?
“Where’s our ring,” I heard behind me. I turned around to see Joe and the other boys about six feet away. I froze out of fear.
“I said,” he repeated “Where’s our ring?”
“I don’t know,” I responded.
“What do you mean, you don’t know,” one of the boys asked.
“Should I tell the truth, or should I lie,” I thought to myself.
“Well, I had it in the alley, and now, it’s gone,” I explained.
I saw the boys scan my body. One of the boys whispered into Joe’s ear
The boys then laughed. “You’re such a liar, Blake.”
One of them nodded his head and looked at my hand.
I peered down at my finger and there it was sitting perfectly. Was my brain taunting me? Then I heard them, the words that I didn’t want to hear; the sentence that sent chills down
my spine.
“Give it to me.” Joe said.
When I told him no, a vengeful look ran over his face as my blood ran cold. He pushed me down and I hit my head. Joe grabbed my hand and forcefully took the ring from me. I felt the back of my head which had an unbearable ache. I looked at my hand and saw blood.
“Oh, what a turn of events,” the other boy chuckled.
I watched Joe admire the ring. He ran his nails over the infinity signs and read the words out loud. “Family first,” he said. Joe then gently placed the ring on his finger, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared. The ring fell to the concrete in front of me. I picked it up and held it in my hand. The other boys, stunned and frightened, took off running.
I got up, put the ring on my finger, and continued running home.
When I finally arrived at the front door of my house, I couldn’t move. I felt like my feet were super-glued to the concrete that was outside of the door. I looked at my ring; the double infinity sign glowed red. I tried to take it off, but it wouldn’t budge. I closed my eyes.
When I opened them, I was a thousand feet off of the ground. I looked at the ring which now glowed brighter. I continued rising towards the clouds and the higher I got, the more that I thought that I would never come down.
When I arrived in the clouds, I saw my childhood bedroom above me. The top of my head touched the hardwood floors, and the room began to separate. Pieces of wood, books, records and my furniture all floated aimlessly around me. After that debris, the rest of my house’s couches, chairs, and televisions passed.
I saw a light and floated up towards it. I saw patterns of blue and black in front of me, like the morning sky and the night sky were mixed. I finally reach the top of the cloud and my feet balanced gently on top of it. I looked down at the ring as it glowed yellow.
I looked up and saw the same woman from before standing in front of me now. Her face was clearer and I was shocked.
She opened her mouth, “Blake.” I was astonished.
“Blake, Son; I’ve been expecting you,” She said.
I noticed that my ring had stopped glowing. I glanced at it and it read, “Family: Reunited at Last”.
I looked back up and the word just slipped out of my mouth, “Mom.”
She smiled, hugged me, and we walked together towards the sun.
The only recognizable trace of her body was the ring that she never took off. It was a sterling silver plated wedding band that my grandpa gave her as a little kid. The ring had a double infinity sign carved into it and “family first” tattooed underneath. Mom never talked about it, she never let me hold it, and she never even took it off. When her will was found, she told me to keep it, but why?
I tried to allow her to be buried with it, but my grandfather would not let that happen. He told me that the ring would become a family heirloom
I wouldn’t fight with my mom, or grandfather, so I accepted it and never took it off just like her.
That’s why they make fun of me; Joe and his band of bullies. I was always the kid with the dead mom and the hundred dollar ring on my hand. That’s what happened today, but they took it way too far.
Earlier today, he and his friends came up to me during lunch, squeezed my Capri-Sun in my lap, and grabbed my ring. I saw him put it in his pocket and run away. After school I saw him playing with it, took it from him, and started running. That is the situation now, but I am still a mile away from the house and I am starting to lose steam.
I ran as fast as I could down Sadre Street. I wasn’t much of a runner, but when three giant eighth graders chased after me, somehow I became Usain Bolt.
“Give us back the ring, Blake,” Joe screamed.
“No,” I yelled back as I was gasping for breath, “You had no right to take it from me to begin with!”
I felt inside of my jacket pocket: headphones, iPod, and my wallet; but where was the ring? I began to panic and looked down at my hands; nothing was there. I quickly turned the corner onto Atlantia Drive and then dashed into the alleyway behind a row of houses.
“Think, think,” I said to myself. I checked my pants pockets and the only thing there was my phone. I rechecked all of my pockets again; nothing.
“Think, think,” I repeated.
I looked at my hands and there now was the shiny glimmer of a ring sitting on my finger.
I was confused.
“Where did that ring come from?” It was like the ring had left my finger and then came back to me, but was I just hallucinating?
I looked to my left and I saw them approaching. I quickly dashed to my right back onto Muerte Street, but as I looked down, the ring had left my finger again. I stopped in my tracks and ran back to the alleyway where I was kneeling but the ring was not there. I continued running.
As I sprinted down Muerte Street, I looked ahead at a blonde haired, blue eyed girl standing in the middle of the road. I stopped; was that my mom?
“Blake, Blake; what did you do with my ring?” Her words echoed throughout my head. If this was really my mother and she was standing there, then was she disappointed in me? I closed my eyes for a second and when I looked back up, she was gone. I thought for a minute and the more that I thought, the more that I realized that nothing made sense. Why did the ring keep disappearing and why was my mom standing there?
“Where’s our ring,” I heard behind me. I turned around to see Joe and the other boys about six feet away. I froze out of fear.
“I said,” he repeated “Where’s our ring?”
“I don’t know,” I responded.
“What do you mean, you don’t know,” one of the boys asked.
“Should I tell the truth, or should I lie,” I thought to myself.
“Well, I had it in the alley, and now, it’s gone,” I explained.
I saw the boys scan my body. One of the boys whispered into Joe’s ear
The boys then laughed. “You’re such a liar, Blake.”
One of them nodded his head and looked at my hand.
I peered down at my finger and there it was sitting perfectly. Was my brain taunting me? Then I heard them, the words that I didn’t want to hear; the sentence that sent chills down
my spine.
“Give it to me.” Joe said.
When I told him no, a vengeful look ran over his face as my blood ran cold. He pushed me down and I hit my head. Joe grabbed my hand and forcefully took the ring from me. I felt the back of my head which had an unbearable ache. I looked at my hand and saw blood.
“Oh, what a turn of events,” the other boy chuckled.
I watched Joe admire the ring. He ran his nails over the infinity signs and read the words out loud. “Family first,” he said. Joe then gently placed the ring on his finger, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared. The ring fell to the concrete in front of me. I picked it up and held it in my hand. The other boys, stunned and frightened, took off running.
I got up, put the ring on my finger, and continued running home.
When I finally arrived at the front door of my house, I couldn’t move. I felt like my feet were super-glued to the concrete that was outside of the door. I looked at my ring; the double infinity sign glowed red. I tried to take it off, but it wouldn’t budge. I closed my eyes.
When I opened them, I was a thousand feet off of the ground. I looked at the ring which now glowed brighter. I continued rising towards the clouds and the higher I got, the more that I thought that I would never come down.
When I arrived in the clouds, I saw my childhood bedroom above me. The top of my head touched the hardwood floors, and the room began to separate. Pieces of wood, books, records and my furniture all floated aimlessly around me. After that debris, the rest of my house’s couches, chairs, and televisions passed.
I saw a light and floated up towards it. I saw patterns of blue and black in front of me, like the morning sky and the night sky were mixed. I finally reach the top of the cloud and my feet balanced gently on top of it. I looked down at the ring as it glowed yellow.
I looked up and saw the same woman from before standing in front of me now. Her face was clearer and I was shocked.
She opened her mouth, “Blake.” I was astonished.
“Blake, Son; I’ve been expecting you,” She said.
I noticed that my ring had stopped glowing. I glanced at it and it read, “Family: Reunited at Last”.
I looked back up and the word just slipped out of my mouth, “Mom.”
She smiled, hugged me, and we walked together towards the sun.