Samuel and his Mother's Necklace

Samuel and his Mother’s Necklace
Written by Alison Wykoff
*
Chapter one
Samuel, a fourteen-year-old boy now, living with his dad in the remote inn they planned to stay in on for vacation; placed in Dallas, Texas. It was only June and Sam was shivering in his bed, for not cold, but sad; heartbroken. His father, a fifty-four-year-old man, had just told him heartbroken news. He told him that his mother was brutally murdered by a man—they don’t know who—when Samuel was just three, and he, Sam, his father told him, was there to witness it. The news was told just now to him, around 7pm, it was now 10pm, so just three hours ago. His father left him alone to himself.
The remote inn, a tall, brown, brick two-story cabin, it reminded Samuel of Abraham Lincoln's cabin somehow. He and his father picked a good spot, trees, a forest, no neighbors---just them and the house. They moved into it two weeks ago, and Sam was loving it. But Samuel was the kind of kid who was sensitive, cried over everything mostly, and got mad easily. Maybe it was just puberty? Oh, and yes, he gets happy quickly. You'd think if you seen him for the first time, he has autism, but that's not the case. He was just a normal boy like everyone else was.
Samuel had always wondered what happened to his mother, or if he even had one. He’d always see other kids in his eighth grade run up to their mothers and parents, some even ignore them completely (typical teenage stuff). But when Sam would ask his dad where his mom was, his father always refused to tell him after fourteen years. And now, here he is… crying over his mother’s tragic death.
Sam asked if it was ever shown on the news, but Dad said no. His mother was only fifty-two when she was stabbed. Oh yeah, Sam’s mother was stabbed three times in the chest, blood spilled all over the kitchen floor. And he had to witness it alone, because his father was out at work. He then came back home to see the bloody mess then.
Sam had witnessed it all his father had said to him that night, but he couldn’t remember it. He was barely three, after all, so of course not, thankfully.
But why now would he tell me? Eh, better now… than… than never, Samuel thought. He had never heard such horrible news. He just thought those murderous things were to the movies. So as Sam thought and cried, his white-cased phone buzzed up a notification.
He grabbed the phone, sighing out of sadness, off the white-sheeted bed sheet and looked at the alert. It was from Alison, his childhood best friend. They’d been friends for some time, around six years now. Sam looked at the text message on Google Hangouts she texted him on.

Alison: Hey. Wanna go out to the park tomorrow??

Samuel wiped away his tears from his leaking blue eyes and smiled. He texted back, Sure. I’d like that.

Alison: Okay, Sam. See ya tomorrows!

Sam smiled again and swiped his blonde hair away from his pale, grimy face. He definitely needed a shower from the messy hair he was having today. His smile quickly faded away into a frown as his mind shifted to his poor dead mother again.
A knock on his bedroom door alerted him. He set down his phone and yelled, “C-Come in!” His voice was a little slow and stuttering from sobbing.
The door opened wide and in came his dad. The dad went over to him and set down a small box on the bed. He didn’t sit down, though, just stood.
“What’s this?” Samuel asked.
“Uh… look, Sammy, I’m sorry for not telling you sooner about the whole mother thing. I know it was sudden. But I think your mother wanted you to have this…”
Sam grabbed the box from the bed and opened it vertically. He gasped. “It’s… a necklace?” he questioned. He looked at the shiny, silver necklace in front of his eyes, in a white, blue seated box. It had a ruby gem, the rarest of them all in fact, engraved at the bottom of it. Sam thought of detaching it, because it looked it, but he hesitated and decided not to instead.
The dad nodded. “It’s um, a family heirloom. Your mom wanted me to give it to you after you turned fifteen, but uh”—he laughed—”I’ll just give it to ya now.” He ruffled his son’s short hair.
Sam sighed. “Uh, thanks Dad. I-I need to be alone now, if you don’t mind.”
Dad smiled and nodded. “Yes, yes, I understand. I didn’t tell you about this because I didn’t know the—”
“Just go, Dad, please.”
The father left and closed the door.
Sam sighed again and looked down at his striped pajamas. He didn’t know what to think, he just sat there in silence, hearing bird chirpings outside in the moonlight nighttime sky.
He slipped out of his slippers and got into bed, pulling the covers up over his head, and went to sleep.
Outside his forgetful opened window, there was a man spying on the kid. He smirked. He knew what he’d wanted, but the kid, no one but him knew what it was. He chuckled to himself.
Oh boy, that man was going to steal the necklace even if that meant killing someone that boy loved.
*

Chapter two
Samuel and Alison met at the park, they were sitting on the cool blue bench beside a tree. Sam was a little sad that he’d left his father all alone, without his knowing, but quickly forgot about the thought while the six-am morning sun blared in his eyes, making him squint.
Alison sighed. “So, what did you wanna say to me?”
Sam hesitated. “Um… so you know how.. uh,” He was a little hesitant about saying this to her. “Uh, you know that I told you I didn’t have a mom, or I’ve never seen her before?”
Alison nodded. “Did you find out she was sick?”
Samuel shook his head. He felt tears coming but fought them back into the sockets. He took a breath. “Um. No, I uh, I found out that… she got stabbed…”
Alison didn’t know what to say. “What? How- what?”
Sam sighed. He brushed the tears away from his eyes. “I found out that my mother got murdered when I was three by my dad. Dad told me. My dad said I was there to witness it.”
“Oh my god. That’s horrible! When did he tell you this?”
“L-Last night…”
Alison hugged her friend. She wasn’t the one to hug anybody, but she felt the need to now, while her hair was all messy from the wind.
After they hugged, Sam said thank you and wondered if he’d show the necklace to her now. He debated on it and decided not to yet.
Alison patted Sam’s back. “I uh, hope you’re okay,” She didn’t really know how to start up another conversation after that news. “Wanna go home?”
Sam nodded. “My dad’s expecting me I bet. I gotta go. Bye!” Samuel stood up and waved to Alison goodbye. He ran off back to his house.
Alison sighed and stood up too. But then something strange happened. A man walked up to her as she was about to walk away.
“Um, hello uh, sir?” Alison said, looking up at the man. She noticed his pale skin face, and his white tee-shirt he wore.
The man adjusted his black, short shorts. He coughed. He looked down at the girl, seeing her blonde hair and black glasses. She wore a yellow shirt with her favorite music artist’s logo on the front of it.
“Hello, miss. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with that friend of yours. Hm, what was it? His mother or something?”
Alison knew she shouldn’t be talking to this man but decided she didn’t have anywhere to be so she decided to just take a chance. Maybe he was nice and just wanted a friend. “Yeah! Yeah um, we were just talking about uh, his mother. And how she died and stuff, ya know? Kinda sad.”
The brown-haired man nodded. He liked this girl already. “Let me ask, do you have any desire to let me know what you wanna be when you grow up?”
Alison smiled. She likes questions about herself. “Yeah. I like writing stories. So I wanna be an author when I grow up! And sorry if I uh, uh, uh, kinda stutter. I think I have communication issues or something. Heheh..”
The man smiled. “That’s all right.” He laughed. “Well uh, stories, you say? What kind?”
“Um… horror I guess. I gotta get back to my home now. I’ll maybe see you around!” Alison hurried off down the sidewalk. Damn it, why did I talk to that man! He looked like an alcoholic or something. He probably is..
Alison kept on running to her house. Good thing I didn’t give him my name…
The man smiled and walked off, chuckling to himself.
*

Chapter three
Samuel sighed. He didn’t tell Alison about the necklace yet. He wondered why he didn’t tell her, the necklace was right there in—
The doorbell rang. He got up from his bed and Samuel went downstairs to the front door. Samuel knew it wasn’t the right time to answer the door, but he was eager to since his father wasn’t home.
Sam opened the door and found Alison crying on the steps. Tears flooded her face and hair that was in the way, getting the blonde strands wet. Sam asked what was wrong.
“I… I…” Alison had trouble speaking when she’d cry, which made her frustrated when people were worried and asked.
Samuel invited Alison in and they sat down on the couch. “What’s wrong? Why are there cuts on your face?”
Alison tried to speak but she couldn’t. She grabbed her yellow-cased phone and went to the “Notes” app and typed out what she was trying to say. At least she brought her phone.
When she was done, she showed Sam the message. I was attacked by this man when I was coming over here to check on you. He had a knife and a mean look. I think it was the same guy who tried talking to me yesterday.
“What do you mean he tried talking to you?”
Alison sniffled up boogers. She deleted the text and wrote a new one; A man while you were gone talked to me, asking me stuff. I think he heard our conversation we had, about your mom. I think he wants to get me. He sliced at my cheek a little while coming over here. Alison held up the phone to let her friend see the message. Then he ran away because someone was spying on him apparently.
Sam gasped. He saw the red mark on Alison’s left cheek. He cried a little. “So… so you talked to the man yesterday? While I left?”
Alison nodded. She took a deep breath. Her voice was shaking while she was trying to say her words. “I um, knew I wasn’t supposed to talk to strangers but I thought it was worth a try; but it went downhill apparently. He wasn’t nice. He… he… he tried to kill me, Sam!” Alison choked on her spit. She cried more.
Samuel hugged Alison while Alison sobbed in his blue shirt. He shushed her. “It’s… it’s all right, Al. I’m not gonna let you get hurt.”
Alison sniffled. She nodded. Her black glasses had fallen off her nose. Sam picked them up off the wooden floor and handed them to his friend.
Alison put them on.
“Wanna try going to the park again? I’ll stay with you and tell my dad too.”
Alison nodded. “Tomorrow?”
Samuel smiled and nodded. “I’ve got something to show you tomorrow too,”
Alison looked up at Sam’s blue eyes. He was rather handsome all around she must say. “What?”
Sam chuckled. “You’ll see,”
Alison took a deep breath again and sighed it out. “Can I uh, sleep over?”
Samuel nodded. “I’ll tell my dad everything that happened. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Alison nodded slowly. “L-Let’s go play something.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, a board game?”
“It’s 2018, no one plays board games anymore, Alison,”
Alison chuckled. “But I wanna play! Come on!”
Even though Alison was a year older than Sam, Sam couldn’t refuse that cute braced-smile she had. He gave in and played Candyland all afternoon.
Alison smiled as Sam got out a bandage for her cheek. She thanked him for being so kind.
“No problem. A friend’s gotta help each other, right?” He winked at her. Alison laughed. She was feeling much better. She asked Sam if he was better.
Sam said he was “eh.”
They played the kids’ board game until Samuel’s dad got home from work, right around 4pm. It was before 3pm.
*

Chapter four
Alison woke up with a bruise on her head. How did that happen? She thought as she rubbed her head. She sat up and looked at Samuel’s bed. Sam was still sleeping and it was only ten-o-clock in the morning.
She went over to him and sighed. She patted his back and whispered, “Time to get—”
There was a loud smash. Alison rushed down the stairs to see what was up, and to find Sam’s father picking up glass off the floor.
“Gosh, damn it. Another glass bottle broken? Oops.” His father finally noticed Alison standing on the step, watching him.
“Oh, honey. You’re awake. How was your rest?” Sam’s father told.
“Eh. It was okay,” She stepped off the step and into the kitchen. “I had a nightmare on that man, though.”
“What?” The father turned around and went over to the garbage can to put the glass that he scooped up with a broom.
“Uh, I think you’re supposed to put the glass in the recycling bin, Mr. Oats,”
”Well, too late,” Father smiled. “What about your nightmare?”
Alison sighed. “We should call the police.”
“Why?”
Alison rolled her eyes. “Duh, because a crazy psycho man just randomly popped up and assaulted me!”
The father nodded. He sighed. “How’s that cheek?”
Alison felt her cheek. It still had the bandage on it. She shrugged. “Feeling better, I guess,”
The dad nodded and then Samuel came down, yawning. He was in his clothes from yesterday. Gross.
His dad went over to him, and said they needed to talk to him in private. Samuel nodded and they went back upstairs to talk. Samuel sat on his bed. “What?” He jumbled with his mother’s necklace.
His father sighed. “Don’t gimme that attitude—”
Samuel interrupted. “Just tell me what it is you’re talking about, come on, I don’t wanna be late for breakfast with Ali,”
His father sighed again. “About Alison…”
Sam rolled his eyes. “Not this, Dad! Alison is a perfect girl and friend, okay? Why do you have to be so negative about her? She’s just a friend, a good friend.”
“It’s not about that. And she seems nice, I’ll tell you that—”
“Then what?”
“She’s in danger.”
Sam rolled his eyes again. “Yes, I know she is. She’s been chased down by a psycho killer!”
“B-But, son—”
“What more do I have to explain? Did you call the police like I asked you to last night?”
“No—”
“Are you seriously kidding me? You didn’t call the police at all?” Samuel stood up, now angry. “Alison just got assaulted by a man—cut her cheek—came to our house crying about it, cried all night about it, and when I ask, you didn’t even call the police!”
“I uh. It was late, okay?”
“It wasn’t late! It was fucking two-pm or something!”
“Don’t you use that language on me! Alison is in trouble, I can feel it, sense it—”
Samuel scoffed. “I know that, Dad!” he yelled.
“Alison told me she had damn nightmares about the man!”
“Well of course she—”
“You know what? You’re not going to that park today!”
“What?” Sam replied. He was mad now, with looking-like invisible fumes coming out his nostrils. “No, I have to, I promised Kayla and Al—”
“I’m trying to protect you, boy! You and Alison! I don’t want your friend getting hurt again, or something worse, you hear? You’re not going to that park, maybe tomorrow you can, but not today,”
Sam grunted. His father and him always had arguments like this. Dead mother situation perhaps?
He stomped downstairs and said to Alison, “Come on, we’re going to the park.”
“R-Right now? But I’m eating,” Alison put a spoonful of Lucky-Charms into her mouth.
“Come on, quickly before my dad sees. And we promised, right?”
Alison sighed. She really didn’t wanna go to the park after what just happened yesterday. But she did promise…
“Come on—”
“Samuel Richer Oats! Come back here—”
The door slammed as his father was coming down the stairs. He sighed and went back upstairs, forgetting to call the police again.
Samuel and Alison put on their shoes outside and walked to the park again.
*

Chapter five
“Sam, I really think we shouldn’t be walking to the park right now. I have a bad feeling just like your dad did,”
Samuel rolled his eyes. “Quit it, I don’t wanna hear another lecture. I, Kayla, and you promised that we’d meet up at the park today. We’re keeping that promise.”
Alison sighed. She walked along the sidewalk, it was only two hours away from Sam’s house.
“Besides, I got something to show you. Remember?”
“No.” Alison stopped walking.
“What?” Samuel said, stopping too. The sun was hitting on his back. Clouds rolled up above the light blue sky. “What is it now?”
“I’m going back,” she said.
“Al—”
“No. I’m going back, Sam, to your house. I’m not comfortable—”
Alison didn’t see a man come up behind her. He grabbed her waist and picked her up, carrying her away with her screaming.
“Alison!” Samuel screamed. He chased after the man, still hearing Alison’s screams from far away. “Stop!” he yelled at the man.
The man went around the corner and then he was gone. Sam panicked as he was out of breath. The man was too fast. He got his phone out of his pocket and dialed his father.
“Hello?” his father answered. “Hey, Sam, look—”
“Dad! Ali’s been kidnapped by this man! He rounded a corner down here by Southyept Street! I'm scared, Dad, I… I…” His voice trailed off with tears in his eyes.
“I told you not to go outside, and didn’t you listen? No. And damn it, that’s two hours away and my car’s in—”
“Father, this is not the time to be arguing right now! Just come on! Why do you have to be so passive-aggressive sometimes?”
“Fine. I’ll call the police!”
Sam hung up the phone and ran to the corner. He saw a staircase that led up to a building he hadn't seen before. It was red and white brick all over.
He braced himself and took a step in, hoping Alison was okay.
*

Chapter six
Alison breathed in and out while being held to the throat by a knife. She whimpered. “Let me go… P-Please, I’ll do any—” She had tears coming down as she struggled by the man’s grip.
“Shut up. I’m waiting for him to come,” he interrupted and slapped her in the face which made her cry more.
Then footsteps came into the building. “Alison?” The man recognized that voice; Samuel’s. He came into the building and gasped as he saw his poor friend being held in the worst place imaginable; a warehouse-looking metal room. He held his breath.
“Let my friend go, you idiot!” he yelled.
The man chuckled. “You finally come.”
“Let—”
“If you want your friend alive… then give me what I want and that you have.” He put on a smirk on his face.
“What are you talking about?” Samuel stepped forward, putting his phone in the back pocket of his pants again.
“The necklace. You have it. I want it.” The man in the white shirt stared at Sam with deadly eyes, saying he would kill his friend right now if he would.
Samuel exhaled. “L-Look just g-give me my friend—”
“Give me the necklace.”
Samuel sighed a nervous sigh.
“Don’t give him the necklace, Sam. Whatever it is—”
“Oh, shut the hell up,” The man hit the girl in the face once more.
Alison sobbed.
Samuel hesitated as he took the necklace out of his pocket. He still had it in from yesterday.
“Sam, please, just listen. He’s gonna kill me either way. Don’t give him—”
“I said shut up!” The man inched the knife closer. Alison whimpered.
“Just please let her go,” Samuel said, close to tears. His heart was tightened, feeling it wrapping around his lungs, making it so he couldn’t breathe.
The man gestured at the boy.
Sam sighed. “Who are you?”
“You don’t know?” The man sounded offended. “Your uncle.”
“What?”
“I’m your uncle. I killed your mother over her necklace. She was supposed to give it to me. Fifty years pass and I still don’t have it. She locked it up until I saw your father give it to you. It has a rare gem inside of it. Now give me it,”
Samuel hesitated again. “I… I can’t. This…” He looked down at the necklace he held. Should he give him the necklace? It was a piece of junk anyway; he wasn’t gonna wear it. He held out the necklace to the man.
“Samuel, no—”
“Yes, give it to me.” The uncle reached out his hand and took the necklace. He smirked as he looked at the silver chain around a ruby.
Sam gulped. “Now give me my friend.”
“With pleasure.” He then sliced Alison’s neck, making the blood come out of her throat and her screaming.
Samuel screamed too as his friend was dying, leapt to the floor, holding her neck.
The man chuckled.
Sam slided down to his knees, his hands shaking as he put them to his face. He watched Alison suffer a painful death, then her landing belly-down to the floor. Her hair was covering her tears in her eyes. She was choking, air escaping her lungs.
“How could you do this?” Samuel Oats screamed at the man that was his uncle. “You killed my friend for a shitty necklace? What is wrong with you?”
The man sighed. “Well,” He walked to the boy and crouched down, Sam smelling his awful breath. “You shouldn’t of gave me that necklace then—”
“Oh, shut up, you would’ve killed her even if I didn’t give you that stupid necklace! Even Alison said it!”
The uncle chuckled. “You’re right at that. I did the same to your fucking mother too, Sammy. She deserved it for not giving that necklace to me!”
Samuel shuddered.
“Now let’s see you survive this damn fire, huh? And I get the grand prize at the bank.” He lit a cigarette and put gasoline on the floor out of a little bottle he had. He stood up and threw the fiery cigarette on the floor. He chuckled once more.
“No, don’t do this—!”
“Goodbye, Samuel. Hope you have a wonderful death,” The building was flaming, all the alarm sirens went off, and Samuel was now trapped.
Sam sobbed, thinking his life was a mess, because it was technically. His whole life was now.
*

Chapter seven
Flames grew higher, and Samuel grew weaker; as in sobbing a lot. He didn’t care anymore, he just wanted it to be over now, like his friend was. He was just gonna die in this fire, so be it, he thought.
Two hours later, Samuel was coughing and crying and firefighters came in as the flames touched his skin with angry hands.
An hour later the building was demolished and Samuel sobbed still when the firefighter carried him out. He rushed to his father and hugged him. “Father, the man took the necklace and Al’s dead!”
His father patted him on the head. “What do you mean your friend is dead?”
“That man killed her! He said he was y-your uncle or something,”
“What? Oh, that son of—”
“Dad, I don’t have Ali anymore!” He sobbed and sobbed. “What am I gonna do?”
“Well, it’s—”
“I should’ve listened to her, D-Dad…” he whispered in his shirt. “I should…”
His father shushed him. “It’s gonna be all right, pal, I’ll catch that brother of mine.”
The paramedics came out, one woman carrying Alison out, her limp in their arms, and one man stood beside them.
Sam didn’t notice and said, “It wouldn’t matter, Ali’s gone, Dad!” Samuel cried and sniffled a big sniff of boogers up his nostrils.
“We tried to revive her, but it was no use for your friend. We’re gonna try to revive her at the hospital. But I don’t think it’s gonna work.”
Samuel gasped as they laid Alison down on the sidewalk outside the house for him to have “a better look”. “No!” His eyes widened. “No, no, no! Ali!” he screamed. He gripped his father’s shirt. He sobbed more, “Not Ali, not Ali, not Ali, not Ali…”
The firefighter looked at the father sympathetically.
The father sighed. “Can we climb into the ambulance?”
The firefighters nodded, and lifted Alison up off the ground, and into the back of the red and white ambulance. His father and Samuel got into the back with them.
A police officer came up to the heartbroken father and said, holding out his notepad, “We’ll find this criminal, Mr. Oats. Good luck to you guys,” He walked off.
Yeah, good luck. Yeah, right, Samuel thought, sighing as the ambulance doors shut and the sirens came on, blaring the alarming noise as it drove off, carrying Alison, Sam, and his dad to the hospital. Samuel sobbed again.
*

More coming soon