A boy and his coins...

“Tch tch… here birdie… over here.” The young boy tosses a slab of peanut butter at the tiny white birds. “It’s ok… I’m not going to hurt you…” The birds start to devour the peanut butter as the boy leans forward to try and pet them. He’s close now… merely inches away from the closest one, and it doesn’t seem like the bird is going to move. “It’s ok… I won’t hurt you.” The young boy makes contact and at the same time a fountain of coins spill out of his shirt pocket. The birds fly off in a hurry. The boy scrambles to collect his missing fortune, grabbing at everything that looks like a coin. He sits back down on the park bench and blinks away soft liquid. He blinks again and stares emptily at the wishing well in the center of the park. I’m never gonna see her… I don’t even know how much it’s gonna cost to get out to California. The woman on the T.V… the one that he sees every morning… the one that visits him every night in celestial darkness. He continues to stare emptily at the wishing well. A group of kids run up to the well with giant smiles. A mother follows reluctantly and sets her hand out to each child in turn. The children do their own little ritual that they believe will work the best in persuading the well to grant their wish and then there tiny little hands fly into the air. The coin spins around and the sun catches it and sends its rays to the boy on the bench. I need more money. I know it’s stealing, but… I need more money. I need to see her. The woman who stands on my dresser. The mother continues walking on her way and the children reluctantly follow. The boy on the bench stands up and begins walking towards the well. Thinking all the way about how he’s going to be able to see her. He begins jogging as the same birds from earlier snatch up the rest of the peanut butter. He arrives at the well in a pant and his face lights up with excitement. He doesn’t hesitate for a second and jumps right into the well. He takes his shirt off and sets it on the ledge… he fashions it into a sort of bowl where he can set his treasure. He dives in head first and opens his eyes to the unfamiliar world of muffled voices, distorted vision, and funny little creatures that stick to the bottom of the well. He picks up the tiny creatures and returns to Earth with another handful of the shiny coins. The pile starts to add up, so he takes his shoes off to use as bowls for more coins. He dives back into the water and into the world that is starting to take shape in his mind. Only this time it’s different. This time the bottom seems farther away and there is an over sized coin hiding in the very center of the well. He swims down to retrieve it. He gets there in time for him to want some air again… he grasps it with his right hand and pulls. But it doesn’t budge. He grabs it with two hands this time and begins pulling as hard as a young boy his age could ever pull. He soon gives up and starts swimming up to the surface. But he’s not moving an inch… the surface is just past the edge of his finger tips and he’s dying to get some air. He looks down and sees the giant coin holding down his pants. Ugh… I knew I should’ve taken them off. He starts struggling with everything that’s left over to find some oxygen. It’s too late for him to pick the coin up off his pants. He spins around wildly and flails his arms through the water trying to escape the coin. He continues to spin wildly around and he reaches down to pull himself out of his jeans. Now his air is really running low… and it’s starting to hurt his head. Instead of calming down he only speeds things up but still manages to slip halfway out of his pants. He reaches up again and gets his arms into the fresh air. I’m SO CLOSE!! He struggles even more but he just can’t spin out of his jeans. Danget danget danget danget… I’m gonna die. He screams with agony in the torrent of his struggle and only hears a faint cry. Something begins pulling at his arms. At first he recoils out of surprise but he accepts it and kicks with his legs again. Slowly… very slowly… he can feel his body start to come out of the water. He coughs violently as he feels a warm body against his. He feels a soft hand wipe away the drool and another hand hit him in the back. He coughs again and looks at his savior. His stomach clenches hard against his spine. “You’re…” It’s her… the woman from T.V. She smiles down at him and her eyes melt with a sadness that he knows he’s seen before. It’s her. “…Mom.” He whispers.