Katonga, the Man from Neptune

500 Word Count

Beginning on a cold, chilly, dismal night, all was dark, dreary, and full of mystery. Eerie to the point of confusion, Katonga thought about past family gatherings. His dysfunctional family, he remembered, was when his sister, Yidia, would pace the floors back and forth continuously. Nervous and afraid, like walking on eggshells, they didn't know what to make of it; they weren't sure what to do.

Flipping from one thought to another, Sophia Mickivilla was difficult to talk with. She forgot what was said after it was said. Breaking into a conversation was hard because she talked very fast. People were frustrated.

Marreesh Magdelin was energetic and demanding. Self-centered to the core, he thought only of himself, rather than anybody else. If he didn't make himself heard, he'd make sure that, regardless of what they thought, he'd make them agree with him anyway.

Karleesha Grafershe was quiet and very shy. She wasn't confident; she was a patsy in the eyes of the people. Being a target of blame, she let people run over her.

Katonga, the Man from Neptune, wanted to turn the dysfunctional part of his family around and make it functional. His work was cut out for him. To have so many personalities was challenging in many ways. The first person on his mind was Karleesha. He wanted her to break from her shyness by speaking up for herself; he didn't know where to begin.

Katonga witnessed Sophia and Marrleesha blaming Karrleesha for all the woes in their lives. Sophia said to her, "Why do you insist on me answering your questions when I can't recall anything that I've said to you?" Karrleesha was dumbfounded (her feelings were hurt and she became resentful. Karrleesha took it all in, not saying a word. Marreesh said to her, "Why are you so lazy?" "You need to be more active. No wonder you never say anything. You're someone to be cautious of."

On a cloudy day, Katonga was surprised when he heard Karrleesha talking to herself. She said, "I'm so tired of dealing with members of my family". "Why should I be blamed for everything that goes wrong?" "I'm going to have to settle this once and for all". Karrleesha came out of her shell and invited Sophia, Marreesh, and Katonga for a family gathering. They wondered what this was all about. Then, Karrleesha spoke up, saying, "What's wrong with you?" "What's going on in your lives that make you want to lash out at me and blame me for everything?" "Our family is very dysfunctional; we need to make it functional. Get off your butts and do something about that".

Katonga said to himself, "I'm glad that I didn't have to come up with a plan in motion". He said to Marreesha, "I'm so proud of you, you did it. I was worried about you".

Katonga, the Man from Neptune, was proud of his family when they agreed to be a functional family, rather than a dysfunctional one.

The End.


Written by Anna Marie Carlson
Preferred Author