Becoming Brother

I wrote this story for the WritersWeekly.com Fall 24 Hour Contest. Writers had 24 hours to write a story that doesn't exceed 900 words on the theme below.



Contest Theme:

He stood on his tiptoes at the small cabin's rear window, staring out at the deepening dusk, sensing the excitement in the town's air. The cold wind seeped through an old crack, tickling his chubby cheek, and a whirlwind of red and orange leaves made him laugh. The corn stalks rustled in the brisk breeze, waving to him. He waved back.



Behind him, Mommy was busy in the small kitchen and delicious smells wafted his way, making his tiny tummy grumble with glee. She was making lots of treats to tempt the town's children. After all, she'd promised him a new brother or sister...

Becoming Brother

Theme: He stood on his tiptoes at the small cabin's rear window, staring

out at the deepening dusk, sensing the excitement in the town's

air. The cold wind seeped through an old crack, tickling his

chubby cheek, and a whirlwind of red and orange leaves made him

laugh. The corn stalks rustled in the brisk breeze, waving to

him. He waved back.



Behind him, Mommy was busy in the small kitchen and delicious

smells wafted his way, making his tiny tummy grumble with glee.

She was making lots of treats to tempt the town's children. After

all, she'd promised him a new brother or sister...





Becoming Brother



Little Billy so wanted a sibling to share life’s trials and tribulations with. His heart longed for companionship and friendship. He wanted someone to run through the corn stalks with or to spend a day in the woods. Of course, at six years old, Billy could not elucidate these thoughts, but he felt them deep in his soul all the same.

“Billy, come in the kitchen dear.”

Climbing on the table where Mommy was cooking, he looked at her from the side, “what is it Mommy?”

“Billy, tomorrow is a very important day, do you understand”

“Yes, tomorrow I will get a brother or a sister,” the last part rising in volume and pitch.

“Yes dear, and a father”

A father! Billy never thought he’d be so lucky. Tomorrow would be the best day ever.

“Now I need you to help me. Mommy needs to prepare everything just right. Go past the corn field and bring me six weemer mushrooms. They are the ones with pink dots on top.

Watching little Billy skip out the door with giggling glee, mother continued her baking. There were cookies, and cakes, and candies, the likes of which few have ever tasted.

“Need to get these ones just right,” mother said absent mindedly as she turned her attention toward two particular cupcakes. These were brown and moist, with raisins and nuts mixed in. Mother picked up a little bowl and started mixing the special ingredients for the frosting. First she emptied powder from a small leather bag into a jar of water and drank it. The noxious smelling drink burned as it went down. Feeling light headed, she sat down, and then spat into a mixing bowl. To that she added sugar and various flavors of this and that.

“I got the mushrooms,” Billy called, bounding into the room with a dirty cloth wrapped bundle in his arms.

“Thank you dear,” mother said, her face pale and clammy.

“Are you all right, Mommy?”

“Yes dear, Mommy’s just tired. Bring those mushrooms here”

Handing the bundle to mother, Billy ran into the next room to play.

Mother took the mushrooms from the bundle and chopped them into little pieces. Taking a handful, she squashed them into her mouth. The taste was vile with dangerous poison. After a short time chewing, she spat the mushrooms into the bowl of frosting.

***

Billy’s face beamed as he pounded on Mother’s door. “Wake up, wake up! It’s festival day.”

Today was festival day, the one day of the year when the other kids didn’t call him names like Fat Toad, or Raker, or even worse, Outer. An Outer lived outside of town. Nobody played with an Outer. That’s what made festival day so special. All the kids and mothers wore costumes, so for one day Billy would be a ghost instead of an Outer. Yet, even a day as terrific as festival could be improved. Today, Billy would get a brother or a sister.

“Billy, come into the kitchen please.”

“Today is very important, you need to listen to Mommy real good,” she said, holding the boy’s shoulders to ensure his attention. Billy didn’t fully understand what Mommy wanted but he understood enough to know that he would play an important role in Mommy’s quest for a sibling. It was his job to find the right boy who had a pretty mother, and a strong father.

***

“When you find your new brother or sister, find the mom and bring them both to me.” That’s what Mommy told Billy to do. He’d been having so much fun with Harold that he had almost forgotten, but when Harold’s mom called him over for a drink of hot cider Billy knew it was time.

“My Mommy makes cupcakes. She said I can give two special ones to anyone I want,” Billy said to the boy and his mother.

“Can we mom? Can we,” Harold pleaded.

“Oh, all right, we can go.”

***

“Here you are, it’s my grandmother’s special recipe,” Billy’s mom handed a cupcake each to Harold and his mom.

Both mother and son gladly ate the delicious confections while Billy’s mom watched. Only Billy noticed the nervous tick when her eyelids blinked faster than normal, but there was something else. She was changing, her distinct features blurred, her face was still that of a woman, but was somehow unrecognizable.

Billy didn’t feel right either, his vision was strange. He could see Harold but he could also see himself. Disoriented by the experience, he stumbled.

“What are you doing? It’s witchcraft,” Harold’s mom shouted, but it wasn’t really Harold’s mom anymore, she looked like Mommy, and Mommy looked like Harold’s mom. Billy could still tell Mommy by the way she stood and the expressions on her face, even though she looked like Harold’s mom.

“She’s a witch!” the woman who looked like Mommy, continued screaming.

“Warden, Warden, these Outers are bothering us,” Mommy yelled, and two wardens came to take Harold’s mother away.

***

Mommy started calling him Harold after that and that was OK with Billy. He liked having a brother. It wasn’t Harold, like he wanted, but Harold’s younger brother was all right. Mommy looked so pretty now and she was so happy. And Father, he was great, so big and strong. That day at festival had been the best day ever.