Nell of the Swamp

The Cold Night

My mother and her boyfriend were fighting as usual in the kitchen. The boyfriends name was Frances he was a childhood friend and they got together in the middle of last year. 

It was good at first. They went on dates and he bought her nice things. Didn’t take long before his true colors started to show. They tried to keep the fighting away from my line of sight, but I could still hear everything. 

Frances broke some glass in protest to my mother wanting to leave. “Oh no, you broke my good CHINA.” 

“Who bought you this fine CHINA, this is mine not yours. I can do what I want with it.” 

In a fit of rage my mother stormed out of the kitchen to her bedroom. He followed after, slamming the door behind him. 

“Hey, put that down. What do you think your doing?” 

“You broke something that I loved, I’m going to do the same to you.” Then I heard a shattering noise. 

“NNNOOOO”

“HaHaHa...you deserve it. After the way you’ve treated me this past week”

“I’m going to kill you!!”

Then I heard a loud blood curtailing scream. After that, nothing. I waited for a long while in the living room, to scared to move my body from the couch. It seemed like nothing else was going to happen. I got up and made my way to my bedroom. 

As I walked in, I thought “Did they go to sleep?” I walked over to my bed, feeling tired suddenly. Flopping stomach first, I waisted no time getting under the covers. In the midst of things I worked up myself to much that day, and I was thankful for a warm bed towards the end of it all. 

I awoke to a start, my mother was towering over me shaking my body. “Come on you, I’m getting out of here with or without you.” Mother was demanding most days, this was a bit to much today though. Was I ever going to get some rest. 

“Hurry up now!”, She yelled. 

“Wait! You’re leaving. Ma it’s night time, I’m tired.” 

“Shush!! You’re talking to loud. Stop arguing and just listen to me for once, will you.”

I got up out of the bed and put on a pair of slippers and a jacket. My mother packed a bag full of my things. I looked in the direction of my toys and then at mother. 

Mother saw what I was looking at and she said “Ohh no, we are not taking any of that junk with us, forget about it.” It dawned on me then, that we were really leaving Frances’s home that night. It was so cold out, all I wanted to do was stay in where it was warm. 

Mother grabbed my arm hard and pulled me fast out of my room and into the hallway. When she reached the hallway, she slowed up. Tip toeing past Frances’s room, he was oblivious to us sneaking past his room. 

We had made it down the hall and to the front door of the living room. My mother was trying to turn the door knob slow, making sure to not make any unnecessary noises. When the door opened she shoved me first out the door. 

“Hurry come on, start running.”

I ran hard with my mother pulling me along by my shirt. 

POW* POW* , I heard from behind us. My mother screamed, “Duck low, don’t stop running.” I looked behind and tears were beginning to fall down my face. 

We made it to the car when I heard behind us Frances’s voice. Screaming, “Y’all are dead, Angela don’t you dare set foot in my ride.” “Don’t think I wont protect what’s mine.”

“Die, you son of a B”, mother yelled back. 

We made it to the Ford pickup truck and mother ran to the drivers side, sliding in fast and Turning the key to the ignition. The engine rived to life, and she opened the passenger door for me to jump in. 

I couldn’t move, I could feel Frances behind me running to us. It felt like my legs were glued in place, like a tun of rocks were holding me down. 

“HEY...WAKE UP, i***t!” my mother held out her hand for me, that woke me up and I reached back for her. I managed to get a hold of her and she pulled me into the ride. 

Then I felt something grab my leg, I screamed. 

“Were do you think your going, little girl.” 

“Let me go!”  “Mama!” 

“Nell MOVE!”

My mother signaled for me to lay my head down. Then she swiveled her legs vertically and kicked Frances square in the face. He bounded back and falling on his butt. 

“Close the door!”

I moved quick to close the door, it was tough because of how small I was and the size of the door. We pulled off fast backwards and mother rev’d the engine when she saw the big metal fence. She was going to try and bust through it. 

Frances was running in front of us yelling “Noooo..My truck”. 

Little to no concern was given for the life inside, just to the truck itself.  We slammed into the fence then, and the glass at the back of the truck window shattered to bits. Mother didn’t stop, even though I think she got glass in her eyes. 

“Oh God, please!” 

We made it out onto the road and my mother still drove fast. I looked back again one more time. I don’t know what I was looking for, a sign maybe that we had escaped and everything was going to be ok. Tears began to fall again down my face, what I would have given for a warm bed then. 

Mother slowed the driving a bit once we were in the clear and she started to breath normal. When she gained some control over her emotions she said to me, “We’re going to your grandpa’s in Texas” 

“He is a good person, and will not turn you away, Nell.”

I didn’t know my grandfather from what I’ve heard he was a good person. I smiled then, what a nice thing to look forward to, a warm place and a nice grandpa. We were almost to the city and the glass was getting foggy on the trucks front window. 

Mother reached up to wipe away the fog. That’s when  she jack knifed the wheel to the right and screamed. 

I looked out the window then and saw a huge tree down in the middle of the road. We were heading right towards it. I didn’t even have time to scream, we fell into the forest below and I saw black after that. 

I saw grandpa then, a sweat little old man with a cane and all. he waved at me and I started to run to him. The air was warm and the flowers blossomed, the light shined on everything in complete tranquility. Then when I reached this grandpa he held out his arms and said “Welcome home Nell, give your grandpa a hug”

“I love you grandpa...OOWW”

I woke up then. Lifting my head I opened my eyes

I felt the side of my face and yelped, I was injured. I turned to look for mother, on the other side. She laid there directly looking at me with her head on the steering wheel. Eyes were open and staring blankly. It reminded me of the look you would get from a doll baby. 

I lifted my body up and over to where she was. I reached over to touch her face “Mother...Mother, what’s going on, where are we?” 

Nothing, she just continued staring on blankly. I looked around then “Don’t worry mom, I will get help for us. You just wait here for me.” I went back over to my side and looked out the window. The snow was settled and you could see everything now. 

I opened the door and stepped out. I walked forward and saw nothing but endless trees and snow. I yelled “HELP, HELP!”

“Please! My mother is hurt, someone, anyone!” 

I continued on deeper into the woods. I passed many empty woods before I fell in the snow. I was so tired I thought, “Why don’t i just sleep here.”. The snow looked so soft, I reached down to feel with my hands and came up with big clumps of ice. Tears began to roll down my face, and I screamed. 

Lifting my head up to the sky I begged, “Please, just take me home.” 

A strong wind hit me then, and I looked forward to see a large white light hidden in the trees. I heard branches breaking and wind whipping. I didn’t know what was coming, but then I thought it felt warm so I got up and started to walk toward it. The wind was pulling me towards it as well. The light was calling me, and I was starting to feel like it was my way home.