The Visitor

The Visitor
Flash Fiction
Prompt: Something Boring into Something Exciting

His Mom spoke death.

Bobby’s hand froze on the doorknob. Through the front door window, he saw his friends on the sidewalk. One raised his arm at Bobby in question. With a wave, they started off on their bikes, ice-cream cones in hand. Bobby sighed, freedom was lost.

Bobby’s Mom let out an exasperated breath, “I only need you to watch her for twenty minutes. It won’t kill you!”

Bobby cocked back his head and closed his eyes. “Moooommm, I always have to watch-” He turned to find his mom standing with one hand pressing a laptop to her hip the other barely holding onto a large stack of papers. Her phone was clinging between her head and her shoulder. A look of panic on her face. He ran and grabbed at the papers just as they started escaping from his mom’s grip.

“Oh, I love you Bobby!” she allowed the papers to fall into his arms. She placed the laptop on the table and adjusted the phone to her ear. “Yes, hi Mr. Novich. Hi. Yes… yes, this is Stacy.” She turned and grabbed the little monster from the highchair. Bobby eyed the front door. “That’s right. Yes, I have only a few things left to go over with you. Can you give me just one minute?” she turned and towered over Bobby, the little monster slathering its filthy slop-covered hands on her shirt. “Yes thanks, I just need to get Maizey situated…”

———————————————————————————-

The little drool beast cooed as she sat and plucked grass from around her and tossed it in the air. One blade fell on her toy horse the others just stuck to her freshly lotioned head. Bobby sighed deeply and sank against the old Oaktree. A gust of wind blew through the backyard bringing the smells of a forbidden summer in the form of fresh-cut grass and Moose Tracks ice-cream. He moaned, “This suuuucks!”

Bobby paced around the yard. He kicked at a small rock. The rocked bounced against the plank fence but didn’t bounce back nearly as far as it should have. He punched the side of his leg with a grunt. He looked over and saw the little snot monster slobbering all over her dumb toy horse. Bobby’s lips drew to a line.

He stomped over and grabbed the small rock. With a yell, he launched it up into the giant oak tree. The rock flew straight and with a smack collided with a yellow birdhouse hanging far above his outdoor prison. Bobby took in a quick breath. The rock dropped and bounced at the little toy eater’s feet. Her eyes widened. With a crash, the yellow birdhouse smashed down on the other side of her, just missing her. Bobby gasped. The shocked little baby froze and then a frown formed out of her lower lip. Her face turned a deep red.

“Oh no no no.” Bobby jogged over, holding his hands to his head. His little monster kicked her legs out and took in a big breath. Bobby stretched back and thrust his hands into the sky. “Come on!”

A cooing noise cut into Bobby’s panic. He shot a glare down at the little noise machine and saw her face, still red, not crying but with a broad smile across her face. Bobby followed her gaze to the crushed birdhouse. It was mostly together but sagged to one side. At its entrance sat a rock with waving tiny hands sticking out of it and one eye in its center. The eye blinked.

Bobby reeled back almost tripping over himself. His little monster beamed.

The rock… creature… thing, using its many hands as legs, slowly moved towards bobby’s sister.

“Oh woah woah woah” Bobby said defensively and swiftly kicked the creature, sending it flying. It bounced off the far fence. Bobby shivered. That thing wasn’t really a rock. It was too smooth. Were those patterns of lines on it?

The thing sat lying close to the fence. Its tiny arms were twitching and flaying around itself. Bobby leaned down and saw intricate patterns etched across the creatures back surrounding a small circle. Bobby watched as the creature’s hands found the ground and picked itself up. Then it started to grow.

Bobby’s jaw dropped as the creature's arms stretched and its body grew thicker. At first, it seemed the size of a squirrel. Quickly its body grew larger than a dog. It’s thin arms lifted it higher in the air turning the body so it’s one eye, now the size of a small plate stared straight at him. The eye blinked again.

Bobby turned to run. His little sister, so small in the middle of their backyard, waved her hands up and down and giggled. He got one step before we felt two small hands grab his leg and arm. Panic filled him. The arms lifted him into the air as easily as if he had been that small rock. The arms reared him back and he braced for flight. Then he felt the smooth back of the creature on his legs as the hands released him carefully onto its back. Bobby gaped. The lines on the creature's arms burst with light. Running up its hands and then flowing into the circle on its back which filled with a brilliant blue light.

The creature, with Bobby still on his back, slowly starting moving towards his sister. His sister cackled with glee and clapped her hands. Bobby breathed out and ran his hand along the creature's back, feeling each line of texture running towards the central circle. When his hand met the edge of the glowing circle he noticed the circle was elevated above the rest of the creature’s back. He placed his hand on it and pushed down softly.

A sudden jolt went through the creature and blue light flashed out from the circle running down through its arms and blinked out. Bobby was bucked into the air and came down with a crash onto the ground. His sister squealed with joy.

“Bobby!” his mother’s voice called.

Bobby snapped up and frantically looked around. The creature was nowhere to be seen.

His mother was almost to the back door. “I got done with my call early so you’re done!”

Bobby ran and skidded down next to his sister, putting a hand on her head.

Bobby’s mother appeared from the back door smiling. “Did you hear me? Thank you for helping out.”

He swallowed and cleared his thought. He tried to calm his breathing. “Yeah… sure, Mom. Really. I… I don’t mind.” He ran a hand through his hair and peered around the backyard quickly. Nothing moved.

Bobby’s Mom turned to go back inside. “Well bring Maizey in. How about some ice-cream for my big man?”

He sat there speechless and breathed heavily. What was that?

“Coming?”

He picked up Maizey into his arms, a smile crossing his face. “Did you see that?” he gawked as he surveyed the backyard one last time. His pulse was still racing as he turned and headed back inside.

Maizey squeaked a joyful response and started sucking on a small smooth rock with glowing lines.