Through Brian's Eyes

  *****

  The judge’s young son sprinted over neighboring lawns, his screams slicing through the tranquility of the residential street. His energy waned, and he slowed down as tears gushed down his cheeks. However, his screams never ceased, and eventually caught the attention of some neighbors. Front doors opened and heads peeked out. As he stood on the lawn of a house down the street, a man left his stoop and jogged towards him. His screams became louder, making the man pause before approaching much more slowly.

  “Hey! Hey! What’s wrong?” the man asked as he realized the boy was not hurt.

  “He’s…he’s killing them,” the boy said, his voice trembling.

  “What? Who’s killing them?”

  “He is! He is! A man is at my house and he’s killing my dad!” the boy said as he pointed to his house.

  “Come with me. I’ll call 911. Hurry, come on!” the man said grasping the boys hand and leading him into his house to keep him safe.

  The image of his injured father was frozen in the boy’s mind, but it was the man’s voice who was hurting his father that scared him even more. It was nefarious, as if Lucifer himself spoke to him. The boy watched his neighbor through his tears, recognizing him from brief encounters from the past, but he didn’t know his name. He’d greeted him on occasion, but right now, he was grateful someone was helping him.

  His mind drifted back to his father. His stomach was tight and filled with knots. Even though the man was getting help, for him, time ticked away at a snail’s pace. The man finally hung up the phone and said,

  “The police are coming now. Come over here and sit down. Let me get you some water. Stay right here and I’ll be back.”

  He watched the man walk towards his kitchen and immediately felt overwhelming loneliness once he was out of sight. His tear flow softened as exhaustion from crying set in. He gazed around the room. It was very inviting with vertical blinds slanted open to allow the soft glow of the afternoon sun inside. Pictures of children sat on the end table next to him, and he wondered if they were the man’s children. He’d never seen children at this house before. The room was very clean, as though it was never used. Then he heard the man approaching once more. He wiped away the last remnants of his tears.

  The man was gentle and slowly handed the boy the glass of water. The boy felt safe when the man smiled. During the silence, while he drank, the boy’s thought turned to his mother. She was at home also. He choked down his last gulp of water and said,

  “My mom’s at home too! He’s gonna kill my mom, mister!”

  “Okay, the police will be here real soon. They’ll do what they can for your mom,” the man said trying to calm the boy down. Sirens sounded in the distance and were coming closer. He turned to the boy and said,

  “I hear the sirens now. Do you hear them? They’ll be here shortly. They’ll check on your mother and father.”

  The boy detected the faint sirens, and with some sense of relief, he drank deeply from his glass of water. He was very appreciative of the help the man had given him. The sirens drew his attention to the windows in the living room, and the man got up and peeked through the blinds.

  “I see them now. They’re just down the street. You stay inside. I’m going out to direct them to your house.”

  “But I want to see my mother and father,” the boy said excitedly.

  “I know you do, but the police have to make sure they are safe first. Stay in here and stay away from the windows. I’m going outside…Remember, stay in here.”

  “Alright, I will.”

  The boy watched him go outside then hurriedly jumped up to look out the window as soon as the door shut. He peeked outside to see what was happening. It was a madhouse. Five police units occupied the entire street, and the officers were out with their guns drawn, but down at their sides. He watched the man step quickly towards one of the officers with his hands partially raised. He started talking using hand gestures motioning at the boy’s house. The boy began tearing up once again as thoughts of this mother and father returned. His urge to dash outside tugged hard at him, but he kept it at bay. From the corner of his eye, he noticed another larger vehicle pulling near the other police cars. It was the local news van. He began breathing faster when he realized the events taking place outside may be shown on the news later today.