Seth by Sandy Kline Page A

showering the sky, but instead
I see nothing. It takes only a split second for Seth to realize what is really
going on here and with one sweep of his arms, he takes both Molly and me to the
muddy earth. My first impulse is to start swearing as I struggle to my feet. I
get to my knees despite Seth’s efforts, then half way to my feet when I hear
another sharp report of a bullet by my ear and a hot spray of bright red blood
splatters across my mouth and eyes, then the bodies begin to fall and back into
the mud I go. I try to push with my hands, but the collective weight of the
fallen continues to push me back into the drenched soil. I can feel my face
getting closer and closer to the dark brownish red water. As the strength in my
arms fail my lips tough the cold bloody water, then my face sinks in deep. I
can’t believe this. I am going to drown on the day my brother is buried!
     
    Thankfully that’s the point I wake up. The memory of my
dream is so intense my first thought is to turn off the shower and call to make
sure my brother is actually alive. Problem is I just don’t know who to call. Seth’s
phone is on the roof of someone’s house and I don’t have my brother’s phone
number.
    I look around the bathroom. The whole area is full of hot
steam. I don’t know how long I was standing here lost in my dream but I think
I’d better get in before I run out of hot water. My priority for today; get
that damn phone! I have this idea to get Molly to come jogging with me and
we’ll take a Frisbee with us. When we get to the house we’ll start tossing it
around and I’ll toss it up on the roof. Last night of all things, I noticed
there was a ladder leaning up against the side of the house. I’m pretty sure
it’s tall enough to give me access to the roof from the front. I realize it’s
crazy to just climb onto someone’s rooftop but I don’t have anything else. I
really don’t care how crazy people will think I am as long as I get that phone.
Then I’ll apologize my way off the roof and into my car.
    Two hours later Molly and I are in place. The house in
question is up ahead about a half block away. Prior to us taking the jog we had
both driven by the house looking for signs of cops watching the place but neither
of us saw anybody. We’re both hoping that our little jogging/Frisbee act will
seem so normal that it won’t matter if the police see a crazy lady using a
ladder to retrieve a favorite toy. Things almost go as planned; almost. We get
in front of the house and like planned Molly hurls the plastic toy in the
direction of the roof. She has a strong arm and gets more than a little carried
away. The pink breast cancer support disc sales straight into the home’s front
living room window. I cringe holding my head in my hands as the window shatters
with a boom!We both freeze for about three seconds, before
simultaneously bolting for our car which is about five blocks down the street
and around the corner.
    I reach the car just ahead of Molly and unlock the door as
we both dive in. I slam my door and start the car. I peel out down the road
while laughing my head off. It takes a full minute before I can talk again.
    “Oh my god!” I howl. “What were you thinking, baseball?
Cause that looked like a pitch. Jeeze you exploded their window!”
    “I am so sorry!” She begins. “I guess I just got too
excited!”
    “Well don’t ever ask me to take you on another secret
illegal mission to trespass on someone else’s property and find evidence
against the police and the man I’m dating all for the benefit of an illegal
biker gang.”
    As we laugh reality slowly begins to set in again. How
can I go back to that house to retrieve that phone? I can’t use the Frisbee
ruse again. No one will believe that. And, if the police are watching they’ll
never believe any excuse I make if I get caught making a second attempt to gain
access to the house. In the end I decide to be sneaky about it and do it in the
middle