Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 70429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“I got it, Noah. It ain’t too bad.” Caspian cradled the sealed box in his arms and headed up the uneven steps. Once out of the basement, Noah split off into the kitchen, while he did his utmost to get away from the crowd before someone sucked him into a conversation he didn’t wish to have.
Once he got back to his room, he set the box down on the floor then locked the door. He sat on the bed and stared at the thing for a long while, then slipped out of his shoes, jacket, and shirt. Lying on the pink sheets, he looked up at the ceiling. It wasn’t long before the slightly muted sounds of jazz music and people chattering downstairs lulled him to sleep.
When he awoke, he was floating in a room covered in broken glass… He could see miniscule specks of him in the broken pieces. An eye here. His mouth there. He’d fallen into a dream, but he couldn’t wake himself.
Caspian, welcome home.
“Oh, God…” His eyes rolled and a throbbing pain pounded on the side of his face.
Yes, call His name. You’re gonna need Him. You haven’t prayed in years. Glad to see you got back in town. Let me explain something to you, and I promise to make this short as I realize you are dehydrated and severely sleep-deprived. First thang you’re going to do is talk with your friends. Next thang you’re going to do is accept the fact that you’ve been livin’ a lie.”
“Please go away, Mrs. Florence. My life is good. I’m all right.”
You ain’t been all right. You were never all right. Third thing you’re gonna do is TELL THE TRUTH. Open your mouth and speak, boy.
“Mrs. Florence, I used my writing to speak. My articles are my voice.” Perhaps she’d believe him and see the error of her ways. He was well adjusted now. He had a good payin’ job, a nice house, and an interesting life. He got to travel and see the world. He stayed busy and had company when he so chose. He didn’t need to keep his promise. He’d moved on.
Your articles can’t be your voice when you haven’t addressed the book of Caspian! You’ve done no research on yourself, but have researched everything and everyone else. You know what makes folks tick. But what makes you tick, Caspian? I know what that is…
He swallowed, his throat feeling suddenly dry and itchy.
This ain’t no article about the president, or some lady who disappeared in Mississippi from a college campus one fateful evenin’, or the latest celebrity gossip. This here is about YOU. Front page story! You finally have a captive audience, Caspian. Since you were a child, you preferred to stay out of the limelight. You worked behind the scenes doing your dirty work. You made yourself small and then would explode real big. It was frightening, upsetting—just as you wanted it. Legend is like a lion. He roars and growls but inside, he was a broken little cub. Axel is a warrior, wavin’ a sword and protecting the village, but ain’t nobody around to protect him, and he resented it.
You? You were the reaper. You were the jewels beneath the dirt. The gravestones covered in weeds. You were unseen. Unheard. No one knew your name. Sometimes, you were precious; other times, diabolical. You have a sharp mind. So keen, it’s scary. You know it, too.
Remember when I had them test your IQ? I always found the fact of you, Axel, and Legend bein’ so smart somewhat of a contradiction. It had other teachers baffled, too. You, however, used your intelligence for evil—to hurt people you felt had wronged you, even for the smallest of infractions. You wormed yourself into people’s minds and made them feel insignificant. You destroyed self-esteem and hope. You abused your power. You have an incredible scholarly gift, which has helped you with your career, but then you weaponized it to hurt people.
“I haven’t hurt anyone who wasn’t beggin’ for it…”
Nobody asked you to stomp out their light so you could dance in their darkness.
The room became suddenly drafty.
“Leave me alone. I mean it! You might be able to boss Axel around—he always wanted to please you anyway—and you may have been able to get Legend to do your bidding—you knew he had mama issues and you used that to get your way—but you won’t be able to manipulate me, Mrs. Florence. I don’t know why you aren’t resting in peace instead of fuckin’ with me! I WON’T COMPLY!”
Little boy, I ain’t afraid of you, Caspian. I can see through you! You had half the adults who worked in that school ’fraid to turn their back on you, lest you stab them in it! They hated how you’d look at them… you looked THROUGH them… called you a strange boy behind your back. One teacher, Mr. Griffith, even thought you were possessed. There was something devilish about you, and not in a cute sort of way. It was troublin’. I know what it is… you resented not being able to speak. Nobody was listening. But I did. I knew you weren’t the bad apple you pretended to be. There still was too much good! Too much hope! You’re God’s child!”