THE A-J SERIES - PASTTIMES

PASTTIMES

“A toast to you dear brother,” Jay stuttered as she slammed the metal toaster down on her thrashing younger brother. His little, eight year olds body shuddered and went silent. Jay slid her foot off of the bridge of his
back. She hovered in absolute stillness for a moment and then crumbled back
into the kitchen cupboards, sliding down to the ground. She shuffled across the
wooden floor into the corner of the kitchen, pulled her knees to her chest and
gripped them tightly. Her watery blue eyes shined as they sun streamed through
a window and onto her face. Her jaw jut out at the sides and her neck was
tensed as she gritted her teeth and bit down on her lip.

Jay closed her eyes, slammed her head back into the pantry door. She wanted to leave her body. Float away from the kitchen, the house, the street, the neighbourhood, the city, the country. She wanted to float away from
it all, up into space. “Buzz Lightyear, to the rescue, up, up and awayyy” Jay
said aloud, her voice crackly and her lower lip trembling.

What was that familiar voice he heard? He felt he had heard it before. Something told him that it had lifted heavy feelings off him before. And he felt so very heavy now, so very heavy. But that voice, more the owner of
that voice. She could help him, help him make the heavy feelings go away.

Jay could not hear the footsteps so much as she felt them, with each footstep the floor spoke to her. It told her that a heavy figure was stomping town the hallway, some things never changed. “You could never just
walk quietly could you?” Jay sighed, looking up to the doorway as her father
shambled into view. She took a deep breath and pushed herself up. He was
shambling towards her now, slow, arms out streached. hands clenching and
releasing. Jay, looking much more composed now walked to the kitchen bench.
She, in no hurry, without any sign of panic slid two large butchering knifes
from the knife rack. She clutched one in each hand, he was only steps away. Jay
held the knives above her head facing downwards, she took two steps forward so
she was feet from her father. She similtaneously bought both knives down into
either side of his head. He stopped dead and crumpled, taking the knives with
him. Jay breathed in and out, stepped over his body and walked out into the
hall.