Mommy insisted on staying back with me, so Uncle James and Aunt Natalie went home first.The sky went dark. I reached out to hug Mommy. I knew she could not feel me, but I still wanted to comfort her. "Don't be sad anymore, Mommy. You have to be happy even without me!""My poor Kenny... You have to sleep alone in the dark and cold ground, even though you're still so young... Even though you are afraid of the dark..."It was all my fault. I knew he didn't love me, so I shouldn't have insisted. If I had just gotten that divorce earlier, you wouldn't have died."Mommy seemed to have an endless amount of things to say.I sat next to her, leaning against her shoulder, just like all those nights when she told me bedtime stories.Just as I was about to doze off, I was awoken by a flurry of footsteps.Mommy had already gotten up, her senses alert.It was Daddy.His clothes were a mess, and his face was pale. When he saw my photo on the gravestone, I actually caught a flash of grief in
Mommy found a job arranging books and maintaining the cleanliness at a bookstore.She did not earn much, but it was enough to sustain her. The best part was work ended early, so she could visit me at the graveyard every day.Each time, Mommy would bring me some flowers and sit with me, chatting with me and telling me stories.Sometimes, she would even bring some interesting new toys and then teach me how to play with them.Half a month later, Uncle James' assistant found Mommy and told her he had fulfilled his promise.Uncle James had looked into every cranny of Jenny Varn's life. Not only had she been her professor's mistress, she had been sleeping with many other men at the same time.She did not even know who her daughter's father was, but she falsified a few DNA reports and blackmailed those men for child support money.Daddy was nothing more than her permanent meal ticket.She knew he thought of her as his long-lost love, and she knew Daddy and Mommy did not love each othe
When Mommy found me using the GPS on my smartwatch, I was sprawled on the floor, my exposed skin covered in red rashes.Daddy was still ranting incessantly. “You spoiled the boy! He has no manners to speak of. How could he spit all over the table? Couldn’t he have at least gone to the trashcan? He was so ungrateful, too. That part of him is just like you…”Mommy broke down, slapped Daddy across the face, and then picked me up in a mad dash to the hospital. I watched everything unfold from my vantage point in mid-air.I hated Daddy! He never cared about Mommy and me.Yes. I was dead.So this was what death felt like. Did our neighbor Old Man Cox hover like this in the air when he passed away last year?I had not seen him last year. Did that mean my parents could not see me now?I could see them, though.I saw Mommy crying her heart out, waiting for the ambulance by the roadside anxiously.I saw her beg the doctor to save me.The doctor stared at the three flat lines on the s
Daddy raised his voice when Mommy did not respond. “I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?“Do you have any idea how much you embarrassed me by slapping me in public that day?!“You’re the reason your son is so useless! He’s a boy, yet he’s weaker than Jenny’s daughter!”He then stood up and walked toward my room. “I’ll raise my son from now on. At this rate, you’ll ruin him for life!”Mommy stood in his way, her face twisted into a sarcastic smile. “So you do remember that Kenny is your son. You keep calling my son, my son. I was starting to think I was his only parent. But it doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s get divorced.”Daddy snorted at the divorce agreement she handed him. “Are you crazy? You begged me to marry you. And now you want to divorce me unilaterally too?”Mommy sighed, looking exhausted. “That’s right. You never loved me or Kenny, so let’s stop torturing each other. Once you sign this agreement, you can live happily ever after with your long-lost love. What are you waitin
I did not want Mommy to worry, so I put my clothes in the washing machine and mopped the floor, doing the chores the way she always did.When Mommy came home, she asked me why I had changed my clothes.I acted embarrassed and said that I had wet myself. Mommy laughed at me for days after that.Now, of course, Daddy could not find me in my room. "I" was already in that little box, and had been for days now.He looked at Mommy crossly. "You're smarter than I give you credit for, Tanya Donovan. To think you remembered to hide the boy before asking for a divorce."You don't have money, a job, or an influential family to support you. You knew there was no way you'd beat me in a custody battle!"Let me guess, you want to keep the kid so you can keep pestering me, don't you? You want to keep wringing me dry with child support checks! Why are you always so sly?"I'm telling you, I'll grant you that divorce, and I'll even give you a little money. But Kenny will come with me!"Mommy took
Mommy looked at him in disbelief. “Jonathan Miles, all Kenny did was spit out a cherry because he was allergic. Are you going to hold that against him to this extent? He’s your son!”Daddy waved her off. “He’s no son of mine. To think he would try to kill someone at such a young age! If I get my hands on him, I’ll kill him!”I shouted to defend myself, “I didn’t do anything like that!”I was young, but I knew that killing people was wrong. Only bad guys killed others, and I was not a bad guy!However, Daddy could not hear me.Mommy was so angry she almost hit him. "What the hell are you talking about? Kenny's just a little kid! Why would he try to kill anyone?"Her words seemed to remind Daddy. He pointed at her, growling, "You have a point. A kid Kenny's age couldn't have gotten his hands on acid, so you must have been the one who ordered him to splash acid at Jenny!"Mommy was so mad she picked up the decorative vase by the side. "He splashed acid at her? When? Where? Do you h
Mommy found a job arranging books and maintaining the cleanliness at a bookstore.She did not earn much, but it was enough to sustain her. The best part was work ended early, so she could visit me at the graveyard every day.Each time, Mommy would bring me some flowers and sit with me, chatting with me and telling me stories.Sometimes, she would even bring some interesting new toys and then teach me how to play with them.Half a month later, Uncle James' assistant found Mommy and told her he had fulfilled his promise.Uncle James had looked into every cranny of Jenny Varn's life. Not only had she been her professor's mistress, she had been sleeping with many other men at the same time.She did not even know who her daughter's father was, but she falsified a few DNA reports and blackmailed those men for child support money.Daddy was nothing more than her permanent meal ticket.She knew he thought of her as his long-lost love, and she knew Daddy and Mommy did not love each othe
Mommy insisted on staying back with me, so Uncle James and Aunt Natalie went home first.The sky went dark. I reached out to hug Mommy. I knew she could not feel me, but I still wanted to comfort her. "Don't be sad anymore, Mommy. You have to be happy even without me!""My poor Kenny... You have to sleep alone in the dark and cold ground, even though you're still so young... Even though you are afraid of the dark..."It was all my fault. I knew he didn't love me, so I shouldn't have insisted. If I had just gotten that divorce earlier, you wouldn't have died."Mommy seemed to have an endless amount of things to say.I sat next to her, leaning against her shoulder, just like all those nights when she told me bedtime stories.Just as I was about to doze off, I was awoken by a flurry of footsteps.Mommy had already gotten up, her senses alert.It was Daddy.His clothes were a mess, and his face was pale. When he saw my photo on the gravestone, I actually caught a flash of grief in
The police arrived in no time.After they heard the whole story, they turned to Mommy and asked her, "Can we see the boy, ma'am?"Daddy snorted from the side. "Hmph, you're the one who called them here. I have video evidence, and I'm his father. Would I frame my own son? Hand over that little bastard and make him apologize to Jenny!"A vengeful joy flashed through Mommy's eyes. "Come with me, officers!"She took away the black cloth over my little box, revealing the black-and-white picture of my dazzling smile. It was a photo from the first time Mommy took me to the amusement park."Um..." The cops exchanged a look, at a loss for words.There was nothing but hatred in Mommy's eyes. She looked into Daddy's eyes and said slowly, "My son died and was cremated three days ago. Here are his ashes; I have his death certificate and proof of cremation too. So... How do you propose my son splashed acid at Miss Jenny Varn yesterday, Mr. Miles?"This is clearly defamation! You falsely accus
Mommy looked at him in disbelief. “Jonathan Miles, all Kenny did was spit out a cherry because he was allergic. Are you going to hold that against him to this extent? He’s your son!”Daddy waved her off. “He’s no son of mine. To think he would try to kill someone at such a young age! If I get my hands on him, I’ll kill him!”I shouted to defend myself, “I didn’t do anything like that!”I was young, but I knew that killing people was wrong. Only bad guys killed others, and I was not a bad guy!However, Daddy could not hear me.Mommy was so angry she almost hit him. "What the hell are you talking about? Kenny's just a little kid! Why would he try to kill anyone?"Her words seemed to remind Daddy. He pointed at her, growling, "You have a point. A kid Kenny's age couldn't have gotten his hands on acid, so you must have been the one who ordered him to splash acid at Jenny!"Mommy was so mad she picked up the decorative vase by the side. "He splashed acid at her? When? Where? Do you h
I did not want Mommy to worry, so I put my clothes in the washing machine and mopped the floor, doing the chores the way she always did.When Mommy came home, she asked me why I had changed my clothes.I acted embarrassed and said that I had wet myself. Mommy laughed at me for days after that.Now, of course, Daddy could not find me in my room. "I" was already in that little box, and had been for days now.He looked at Mommy crossly. "You're smarter than I give you credit for, Tanya Donovan. To think you remembered to hide the boy before asking for a divorce."You don't have money, a job, or an influential family to support you. You knew there was no way you'd beat me in a custody battle!"Let me guess, you want to keep the kid so you can keep pestering me, don't you? You want to keep wringing me dry with child support checks! Why are you always so sly?"I'm telling you, I'll grant you that divorce, and I'll even give you a little money. But Kenny will come with me!"Mommy took
Daddy raised his voice when Mommy did not respond. “I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?“Do you have any idea how much you embarrassed me by slapping me in public that day?!“You’re the reason your son is so useless! He’s a boy, yet he’s weaker than Jenny’s daughter!”He then stood up and walked toward my room. “I’ll raise my son from now on. At this rate, you’ll ruin him for life!”Mommy stood in his way, her face twisted into a sarcastic smile. “So you do remember that Kenny is your son. You keep calling my son, my son. I was starting to think I was his only parent. But it doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s get divorced.”Daddy snorted at the divorce agreement she handed him. “Are you crazy? You begged me to marry you. And now you want to divorce me unilaterally too?”Mommy sighed, looking exhausted. “That’s right. You never loved me or Kenny, so let’s stop torturing each other. Once you sign this agreement, you can live happily ever after with your long-lost love. What are you waitin
When Mommy found me using the GPS on my smartwatch, I was sprawled on the floor, my exposed skin covered in red rashes.Daddy was still ranting incessantly. “You spoiled the boy! He has no manners to speak of. How could he spit all over the table? Couldn’t he have at least gone to the trashcan? He was so ungrateful, too. That part of him is just like you…”Mommy broke down, slapped Daddy across the face, and then picked me up in a mad dash to the hospital. I watched everything unfold from my vantage point in mid-air.I hated Daddy! He never cared about Mommy and me.Yes. I was dead.So this was what death felt like. Did our neighbor Old Man Cox hover like this in the air when he passed away last year?I had not seen him last year. Did that mean my parents could not see me now?I could see them, though.I saw Mommy crying her heart out, waiting for the ambulance by the roadside anxiously.I saw her beg the doctor to save me.The doctor stared at the three flat lines on the s