| Supernatural Fiction posted April 10, 2019 |
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1,000 words. A Hammie story titled: The Blank Stare.
Hammie & Sarabeth C~3
by papa55mike
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It's heartbreaking to see a five-year-old in this condition. Josiah sits alone in his wheelchair, staring out the window. The sunlight gently caresses his tiny brown face.
"Is there any change at all, Crystal?"
"No, Dr. Harris. I wish there were."
"The Mental Hospital will be here in a couple of days to take him away. Josiah has affected every nurse in this hospital."
"None of us has ever seen anything like it. What could have happened after Josiah's foster parents abandoned him in that house?"
"I don't know, Crystal. Whatever it was, seemed to lock him inside his mind. If nobody reaches Josiah soon, we may never." Dr. Harris catches a sigh then walks away.
"What's next, Crystal?" Shante saunters up to the desk.
"It's time to change and feed Josiah." I slowly raise my tired body out of this awful chair. "These twelve-hour shifts are killing me."
"Do you mean, ghost boy? Josiah freaks me out. How are we feeding him?"
"He has a Mic-Key button in his stomach. Nobody could get him to swallow." Shante and I start into Josiah's room. I left the door open. Both of us stop when we see Josiah smiling. While we slowly walk into the room, his face fades away into the blank stare again. "Did you see Josiah smiling, Shante?"
"Yeah, but what was he smiling at?" She walks over to the window and looks out. "There's nothing out here."
"I don't know. We'll check the cameras when we get back."
Ten minutes later, we both sit down and start running back the camera in Josiah's room. Suddenly, a brown face appears in the window. He smiles at Josiah then shows him something in his hands. A smile erupts on Josiah's face when a butterfly takes to the air. The little boy disappears before we walk into the room.
"Did you see that little boy in the window, Shante?"
"I'm not sure. There was a figure then a butterfly fluttered away. Where did the boy go?"
"I don't know, but I'll have security run the cameras tonight. We'll see in the morning."
~
The next morning, Shante and I are watching yesterday's video with Gary, the head of security. He saw it, too. The little boy appeared out of thin air, and let the butterfly go to get Josiah to smile, then disappeared.
Gary looks at us and asks, "Do you two want to tell me what's going on?"
I say, "We were hoping you could, Gary."
~
Shante and I hit the floor for our shift. I check Josiah's chart for last night. "Well, everything was okay through the night - no change at all. Let's see what the day holds."
Two hours later, we finish changing and feeding Josiah. I gently place him in his wheelchair by the window. There's a reaction in his eyes. Josiah is looking for the little boy. Nothing else after that.
We feed and change Josiah every two hours. After feeding the second time, two hours later, I pick him up to put him back in the wheelchair. But this time, Josiah looks me in the eye and slowly asks, "Go outside, please?"
"Yes, sweetie. In a few minutes." With tears in my eyes, I'm running down the hall to the nurse's station. "Where's Dr. Harris, Josiah asked me to go outside."
Everyone gasps at the station. Shante checks her schedule and says, "He's in the building. I'll page him!"
The phone rings, and I catch it before it finishes the first ring. "Dr. Harris, this is Crystal."
"Yes, Crystal. What's the emergency?"
"No, emergency, sir. Josiah asked me if he could go outside?"
"By all means, take that boy outside," Dr. Harris hollers over the phone. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes after I finish my rounds." He hangs up.
"Okay, we need a couple of blankets to keep Josiah warm."
Shante walks over to me. "Crystal, calm down."
"I can't, Shante. We may be seeing a miracle."
Word spreads quickly in a small hospital like Henderson County General. After we tuck in Josiah, Shante and I slowly roll him towards the exit. Every non-essential personnel in the building is waiting at the door. They quickly fall in line behind us.
Once we're outside, it seems like Josiah is looking for the little boy. We stop in the grass in front of Josiah's window, and I lock the wheelchair.
Josiah smiles when the breeze blows through the trees along the fence. Out of the reflection of the leaves on the ground steps, the little boy with a Daylily in his hand. He's dressed in a pair of dirty overalls, white teeshirt, and barefooted. He hands the flower to Josiah and says, "Dis here is a Lily, Josiah. Right pretty, ain't it?"
Josiah slowly takes the Lily with his right hand, and says, "Yes, Hammie, it is."
Hammie asks, "Today sure is nice. Ain't it, Miss Crystal?"
I look back at everybody standing behind us; they're stunned. Everyone sees Hammie, too.
"It's a beautiful day, Hammie. Where are you from, son?"
"I from all over, mostly around Pinson, though. I think Josiah be's all right now. He wuz powerfully 'fraid when that mean ol' family left him all alone. He's thought nobody love him anymore. But I told Josiah, I love him, y'all love him, en most of all, de Lord love him."
Josiah looks at me while carefully gripping his Lily, and says, "The Lord loves me, Miss Crystal."
I hear Shante catch a sob beside me and say, "Hammie, you're a miracle."
Hammie seems to blush. "Oh, I ain't nothing but uh Angel of de Lord. De Lord wanted me tuh say tuh yuh. He's right proud of all of yuh. It seems yuh heal uh right many people in dat building. Dat's a good thing."
I feel the tears creep down my face. "Will you come back and see us again, Hammie?"
"If de Lord wills it," Hammie's smile is breathtaking. "I'll be seeing yuh, Josiah."
Josiah smiles and says, "Goodbye, Hammie."
The breeze picks up, the sun brightens for a moment, and Hammie is gone.
I stand, look at everyone, and ask, "At this moment, how have our lives changed?"
It's heartbreaking to see a five-year-old in this condition. Josiah sits alone in his wheelchair, staring out the window. The sunlight gently caresses his tiny brown face.
"Is there any change at all, Crystal?"
"No, Dr. Harris. I wish there were."
"The Mental Hospital will be here in a couple of days to take him away. Josiah has affected every nurse in this hospital."
"None of us has ever seen anything like it. What could have happened after Josiah's foster parents abandoned him in that house?"
"I don't know, Crystal. Whatever it was, seemed to lock him inside his mind. If nobody reaches Josiah soon, we may never." Dr. Harris catches a sigh then walks away.
"What's next, Crystal?" Shante saunters up to the desk.
"It's time to change and feed Josiah." I slowly raise my tired body out of this awful chair. "These twelve-hour shifts are killing me."
"Do you mean, ghost boy? Josiah freaks me out. How are we feeding him?"
"He has a Mic-Key button in his stomach. Nobody could get him to swallow." Shante and I start into Josiah's room. I left the door open. Both of us stop when we see Josiah smiling. While we slowly walk into the room, his face fades away into the blank stare again. "Did you see Josiah smiling, Shante?"
"Yeah, but what was he smiling at?" She walks over to the window and looks out. "There's nothing out here."
"I don't know. We'll check the cameras when we get back."
Ten minutes later, we both sit down and start running back the camera in Josiah's room. Suddenly, a brown face appears in the window. He smiles at Josiah then shows him something in his hands. A smile erupts on Josiah's face when a butterfly takes to the air. The little boy disappears before we walk into the room.
"Yeah, but what was he smiling at?" She walks over to the window and looks out. "There's nothing out here."
"I don't know. We'll check the cameras when we get back."
Ten minutes later, we both sit down and start running back the camera in Josiah's room. Suddenly, a brown face appears in the window. He smiles at Josiah then shows him something in his hands. A smile erupts on Josiah's face when a butterfly takes to the air. The little boy disappears before we walk into the room.
"Did you see that little boy in the window, Shante?"
"I'm not sure. There was a figure then a butterfly fluttered away. Where did the boy go?"
"I don't know, but I'll have security run the cameras tonight. We'll see in the morning."
~
The next morning, Shante and I are watching yesterday's video with Gary, the head of security. He saw it, too. The little boy appeared out of thin air, and let the butterfly go to get Josiah to smile, then disappeared.
"I'm not sure. There was a figure then a butterfly fluttered away. Where did the boy go?"
"I don't know, but I'll have security run the cameras tonight. We'll see in the morning."
~
The next morning, Shante and I are watching yesterday's video with Gary, the head of security. He saw it, too. The little boy appeared out of thin air, and let the butterfly go to get Josiah to smile, then disappeared.
Gary looks at us and asks, "Do you two want to tell me what's going on?"
I say, "We were hoping you could, Gary."
~
Shante and I hit the floor for our shift. I check Josiah's chart for last night. "Well, everything was okay through the night - no change at all. Let's see what the day holds."
Two hours later, we finish changing and feeding Josiah. I gently place him in his wheelchair by the window. There's a reaction in his eyes. Josiah is looking for the little boy. Nothing else after that.
We feed and change Josiah every two hours. After feeding the second time, two hours later, I pick him up to put him back in the wheelchair. But this time, Josiah looks me in the eye and slowly asks, "Go outside, please?"
"Yes, sweetie. In a few minutes." With tears in my eyes, I'm running down the hall to the nurse's station. "Where's Dr. Harris, Josiah asked me to go outside."
Everyone gasps at the station. Shante checks her schedule and says, "He's in the building. I'll page him!"
The phone rings, and I catch it before it finishes the first ring. "Dr. Harris, this is Crystal."
"Yes, Crystal. What's the emergency?"
"No, emergency, sir. Josiah asked me if he could go outside?"
"By all means, take that boy outside," Dr. Harris hollers over the phone. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes after I finish my rounds." He hangs up.
"Okay, we need a couple of blankets to keep Josiah warm."
Shante walks over to me. "Crystal, calm down."
"I can't, Shante. We may be seeing a miracle."
Word spreads quickly in a small hospital like Henderson County General. After we tuck in Josiah, Shante and I slowly roll him towards the exit. Every non-essential personnel in the building is waiting at the door. They quickly fall in line behind us.
Once we're outside, it seems like Josiah is looking for the little boy. We stop in the grass in front of Josiah's window, and I lock the wheelchair.
Josiah smiles when the breeze blows through the trees along the fence. Out of the reflection of the leaves on the ground steps, the little boy with a Daylily in his hand. He's dressed in a pair of dirty overalls, white teeshirt, and barefooted. He hands the flower to Josiah and says, "Dis here is a Lily, Josiah. Right pretty, ain't it?"
Josiah slowly takes the Lily with his right hand, and says, "Yes, Hammie, it is."
Hammie asks, "Today sure is nice. Ain't it, Miss Crystal?"
I look back at everybody standing behind us; they're stunned. Everyone sees Hammie, too.
"It's a beautiful day, Hammie. Where are you from, son?"
"I from all over, mostly around Pinson, though. I think Josiah be's all right now. He wuz powerfully 'fraid when that mean ol' family left him all alone. He's thought nobody love him anymore. But I told Josiah, I love him, y'all love him, en most of all, de Lord love him."
Josiah looks at me while carefully gripping his Lily, and says, "The Lord loves me, Miss Crystal."
I hear Shante catch a sob beside me and say, "Hammie, you're a miracle."
Hammie seems to blush. "Oh, I ain't nothing but uh Angel of de Lord. De Lord wanted me tuh say tuh yuh. He's right proud of all of yuh. It seems yuh heal uh right many people in dat building. Dat's a good thing."
I feel the tears creep down my face. "Will you come back and see us again, Hammie?"
"If de Lord wills it," Hammie's smile is breathtaking. "I'll be seeing yuh, Josiah."
Josiah smiles and says, "Goodbye, Hammie."
The breeze picks up, the sun brightens for a moment, and Hammie is gone.
I stand, look at everyone, and ask, "At this moment, how have our lives changed?"
 Recognized |
I borrowed some of the dialogue for Hammie from the book; Their Eyes Were Watching God.
These stories are so much fun to write.
Many thanks for stopping by to read!
Have a great day, and God bless.
mike
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. These stories are so much fun to write.
Many thanks for stopping by to read!
Have a great day, and God bless.
mike
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