The Earthworm

            “What are you going to tell him?” I asked rushing after my husband as he approached the house. “You can’t just knock on someone’s door at this time of the night.”

            He didn’t listen and knocked on his boss’s door before I could catch up with him. Craig answered the door with a surprised look.

            “If you don’t sign my proposal, I’m going to go over to the other district and tell them everything,” my husband demanded of Craig.

            Craig shrugged, “Do what you need to do, Joaquin.” He turned to go back into his house, but did not close his door.

            I had the sinking feeling in my stomach that my husband had just gotten himself fired. I reached out to pull my husband back, but before my hand touched his arm, Craig turned around laughing. I was confused until I saw Joaquin laughing too. I could see it was a joke they had planned, but I was not laughing.

            Suddenly, they became serious as quickly as they had burst into laughter just moments earlier.

            “So how are you going to do it?” Craig asked Joaquin in a hushed voice. Joaquin shrugged his shoulders vaguely and looked around as if he expected to be overheard by someone other than the two of us.

            “Don’t worry,” was his only response. It was not comforting to hear.

            “Well, be careful. I know you’ll get the job done.” Craig’s response was not reassuring either.

            Joaquin ushered me back to the car. I bombarded him with questions about where we were going, what were going to do, was it dangerous, what was his plan. Joaquin just told me to trust him, which quieted my mouth, but not my mind. I was a nervous wreck and I didn’t even know what to be nervous about. Sensing my distress, Joaquin patted my leg as he drove to the unknown destination, “I just have to get this disk drive from these guys.”

            We pulled up to a building that was round, tunnel-like in shape, but it was still so dark, it was hard to make out any distinguishing features of the building. Two men greeted us and directed us inside. They motioned for us to enter silently and I followed full of apprehension. We crossed a hallway and entered a small room. All it contained was a bed and a computer desk. One of the men was getting us the disk drive when everything started to shake.

            “Earthquake,” I whispered.

            “No,” said one of the men, his voice full of panic, “Earthworm!” I turned to Joaquin speechless. “We’re in an earthworm. Close the window quick. It’s going down into the ground.”

            I looked out the window in disbelief. All I could see was dirt on the other side. Joaquin slammed it shut. I couldn’t quite register the imminent danger. The men could see that we didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation.

            “Earthworms eat dirt. As this earthworm goes further into the ground, its insides will fill up with dirt more and more. Pretty soon this whole room will be full of dirt, which means we’ll be buried alive in dirt and we’ll suffocate. When we try to breathe, we’ll breathe in dirt.” One man hurriedly explained.

            “Well, then we have to get out of here,” I shouted, no longer concerned about being quiet.

            “The disk drive isn’t finished downloading. We can’t leave yet,” the other man’s voice cracked as he gave us the news.

            Joaquin looked at the men, nodded, and then rushed me to the door. Despite my fear, I was beginning to feel relieved that we were getting out of this earthworm before it was too late. Next thing I knew, Joaquin was pushing me out the door and slamming it shut with him inside. I stood outside dazed and alone. I could only assume my husband was going back for the disk drive.

            I felt dizzy and sick. I knelt to the ground, my heart pounding in my head. I was helpless. The earthworm was completely submerged now. The “building” we had entered was no longer visible. I had no idea how or if Joaquin would make it out and I was overcome with grief. Tears streamed down my face and even though I felt my body overheating with emotion, I was shivering.

            I had to do something. I forced myself up from the ground and commanded my body into action. I ran to our car and drove back to Craig’s house. I found him sitting at his piano in the middle of a party. My grief turned to rage. How could he be having a party while my husband’s life was in danger? How could he sit there with a smile when my husband could be dying because he was getting a disk drive for him?

            Breathing heavily, my heart now pounding in my ears, I told Craig what had happened. His smile disappeared and the color drained from his face. Only when I finished did I realize I had been yelling and my fists had been clenched.

            My anger did not dissipate. “If anything happens to him, anything, it’s on you,” I hissed with contempt pointing my finger at Craig’s face.

            He could not answer, but I saw his eyes fill with tears.

Weekend at the Cabin

            We were all at the cabin. My dad and I were upstairs working out the sleeping arrangements for everyone, since so many people were staying at the cabin this time. Some people were going to get beds and some were going to have to sleep on the floor in sleeping bags. I was feeling frustrated because I did NOT want to sleep on the floor, which was part of the reason I agreed to come upstairs and help my dad figure out where everyone would sleep.

            Suddenly, there was a lot of commotion going on downstairs. I didn’t really think much of it, because we were having a party, after all. (Another reason I was annoyed at the moment: I was stuck upstairs while everyone was downstairs enjoying the party.) The commotion only made me feel more irritated.

            Joaquin came running upstairs, “We gotta get out of here!” My dad and I exchanged confused glances.

            “What are you talking about?” I questioned irritably. “The party just started and I haven’t even had the chance to go downstairs and join in the fun. Plus we’re staying the night here.”

            “No, there’s no more party,” Joaquin began to whisper and the look on his face was starting to make me worried. He was afraid. “Everyone already got out safely; it’s just us now and them.”

            My dad and I had no words. Either something was very wrong or Joaquin had lost his mind. We were speechless.

            “We have to sneak out past them. It’s the only way out. They’re blocking the door.” Joaquin continued to explain in a whisper despite our bewildered faces.

            The look on our faces must have been asking, “Who is ‘they’?” because before we could ask, Joaquin urgently whispered, “Zombies!” He whispered so the zombies wouldn’t hear us, but “ZOMBIES!” screamed through my mind.

            My heart was pounding so loudly, I was worried the zombies would hear the now rapid rhythm of my heartbeat. My mouth suddenly dry, my body in a sweat, my mind raced, “Zombies? Zombies! Zombies don’t exist! How can this be? How do we get away from zombies? I don’t know what to do! I’ve never had to deal with zombies before!”

            Joaquin seemed to read my mind, “Just act like them. Maybe they won’t know the difference and we can sneak out that way.”

            We walked downstairs slowly and deliberately, trying to avoid the squeaks in the steps. I peaked around the corner and saw the zombies milling around the living room. They were hideous! Their mouths hung open unnaturally wide. Their pale faces were full of scabs, gashes, and, of course, their lifeless but hungry eyes. Their movements were stiff and irregular. Their moaning shook my nerves and I felt like sprinting for the door. I knew I had to stay calm. Even though they seemed so slow, there were so many of them, I knew I couldn’t get through the crowd alive if I brought attention to myself with movements of the living.

            I anxiously moved slowly with jolting steps, mimicking their agape mouths and groans. I kept my face and limbs stiff and rolled my eyes in my head. Their rotted bodies brushed against mine and it took everything in my power to stop myself from screaming. I must have been holding my breath, because when I made it outside, I choked the air back into my lungs. I was crying as my dad, Joaquin, and I rushed down the driveway of the cabin into the neighborhood.

            We caught our breaths once we were down the street. I don’t know how much time had passed before we were able to speak.

            “We have to find the others,” I said.

            We began searching through the neighborhood and we saw some people up ahead. We ran up to them and realized they were zombies almost too late. We stopped in our tracks and dove into the bushes on the side of the road.

            “Can they see us?” I whispered.

            “If we don’t move, I don’t think they’ll be able to make us out,” Joaquin answered, suddenly an expert on zombies.

            My body was shaking. I didn’t know how I was supposed to remain still. Luckily, the zombies didn’t see us.

            “This is real serious,” I stated the obvious. “Now there are zombies everywhere. It’s going to make it a lot harder for us to find everyone.”

            We crept along in the shadows and the bushes. We found my mom and my sister hiding in the shrubbery. They were safe and I began to feel hopeful for the first time.

            And then I was alone. I don’t know how I lost my family or how they lost me. I was just alone and afraid. I wandered aimlessly and without caution. I saw a group of zombies approaching and ran to hide. I thought they were a just the doomed hunting for in the night. I didn’t see that they had a human in their clutches until they were right in front of my hideout. Before I could even gasp, the zombie bit the unknown girl on the arm. I knew it was too late for her. She was a zombie now. I turned to run and crashed right into an open mouthed zombie. The zombie grabbed my arm with surprising strength. As it was raising my arm to its mouth, I was paralyzed with fear. All I could do was scream over and over, “Jeanne, wake up! Jeanne, wake up!” Then, I did.

Don't Take the Pill

            My mom, sister, and I were sitting in what appeared to be a poorly lit waiting room. My sister began nodding off as she sat there.

            “The pill is beginning to have its effect on her,” I exclaimed to my mom. “We better sign the paperwork before we take our pills.”

            The medical assistant came from behind the counter and explained that although my mom and I could stay at this mental hospital, my sister would have to be transferred to the mental hospital in Minnesota.

            I didn’t want this to happen. I wanted us to stay together. I was worried my sister wouldn’t know what to say to get the right care if she were transferred away from us.

            I shook my sister, “Theresa! You have to focus!” She opened her eyes and nodded her head. She seemed lucid. “When you arrive in Minnesota, if you need anything, you have to tell them that Mom will pay for it. Don’t worry about money. Mom can just give her credit card information over the phone.”

            Theresa affirmed she understood with another nod. She didn’t seem panicked that she was being separated from us. I thought it must be whatever drug they had given her. It helped her calm down and relax, no matter what.

            My mom and I were given our medication and we took it without a thought. I wanted to feel as calm and relaxed as my sister. However, as soon as I took my pill, I realized my mom had not paid for Theresa’s accommodations at the Minnesota mental hospital.

            “Mom, you better give your credit card to this guy, now, before the pill begins to take effect,” I said as I turned to face my mom. I saw that it was too late. She was already dozing off. I shook my mom. She slowly lifted her eyes.

            I felt exasperated. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be in the same state. I had to make sure my sister was taken care of before it was too late. I yanked my mom’s purse from her and took out her credit card and handed it to the medical assistant behind the counter. He ran my mom’s card and gave her the receipt to sign. I looked at the receipt and saw that she had to write the amount in.

            “It’s $250, Mom,” I tried to explain patiently. “All you have to do is right $250 and sign your name. You can do it.” My mom just laughed absent-mindedly and wrote down $158. I sighed frustrated.

            “She wrote the wrong amount,” I showed the medical assistant the receipt.

            “It’s OK,” he reassured me. He corrected the amount and I finally began to feel calm. Although, the medication was beginning to work its magic, I couldn’t disregard the uneasy feeling of the upcoming separation from my sister. At the same time, I was relieved that I didn’t have to go to Minnesota.

            I thought, “Good thing this is the second time Mom and I checked ourselves in to this mental hospital.”

            I remembered that first time. I was dressed in a rabbit costume, the kind that covered your entire body and head, only my face was showing. It was hot in the rabbit suit and I was angry. As I was recalling this event, I was confused by the fact that I remembered myself with blonde hair and completely different facial features.

            I remembered the first time I had come to check myself in; I was pushing the other patients in the waiting room out of my way. When one male patient tried to talk to me, I took a swing at him. Needless to say, I was admitted without question. I couldn’t remember why my mom admitted herself, maybe she wanted to keep an eye on me.

            Soon the memory of my first visit to the mental hospital began to fade away. In fact, every thought that flitted through my mind felt blurry and heavy. I was warm all over and my limbs felt completely relaxed. I felt peaceful and carefree and oh-so-tired. I thought to myself, “I’m going to enjoy this sleep.”

The Mud Run that Led to the Strangest Stranger

            Melinda, my cousin, Christina, and I had just participated in a mud run. We had so much fun going through the obstacles and the mud. I was proud of myself, because I ran the whole course. Among the many other mud runners, Christina came in first. Melinda was second and I was third.

            My adrenaline had me on a high and Melinda and I were laughing and joking around as we cleaned up from the mud. Suddenly, we heard there was a prize for the first place winner. We exchanged shocked looks, because we thought it was just a “for fun” run.

            I looked over for my cousin to see if she had heard the news. She was warming down from the run and smiling as people came up to congratulate her. I thought to myself, “How great for Christina!” Then, we heard that the prize money was $100,000. As happy as I was for my cousin, my adrenaline high began to fade and I couldn’t help but feel bummed out. I began to think to myself, “Well, if we had known the mud run was for money, maybe I would have tried harder.”

            I looked over at Melinda and I could tell she was thinking the same thing. We made eye contact and laughed at ourselves. We packed up our stuff and started to head to the parking lot.

We saw some mutual friends. They asked us how we did. We told them how Christina won and Melinda had come in second. Before we had the chance to tell them I came in third, they said, “If Melinda came in third, Jeanne must have come in 6^th.” I was indignant.

Before I could defend myself, we saw Christina in the parking lot. I hugged her congratulating her.

            “$100,000! I can’t believe you won $100,000!” I exclaimed to her, trying my best to be happy for her.

            She chuckled, “No, Cousin. It’s just $5,000.”

            “Oh, well, you can still do a lot with $5,000.” I said as I thought of all I could do with $5,000.

            We parted ways and Melinda and I headed to our next destination together. We were headed to a building where friends of ours were having a procedure done. Once we arrived, we found our way to the waiting room. Our friends were just being called in and they beckoned us to follow them.

            We listened as the doctor explained the procedure. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I knew my friends wanted to have a baby and were having trouble getting pregnant, but I couldn’t believe it was possible to go about it this way. The doctor was explaining how they would impregnate the husband!

            The rest of the appointment was a blur. I think I was in shock from what I had heard. We got in the car and were driving down the street. (Interesting thing was that it was a street leading to where my parents actually live.) We saw a strange guy standing out on the sidewalk. My friends pulled over and got out of the car. Melinda and I looked at each other confused. We took the opportunity to whisper to each other our mutual disbelief over what was going on.

 As we were talking, however, our friends approached the car with the stranger. We stopped talking abruptly as we took notice of the stranger. He was an older man who looked like he needed to get his grey unruly hair cut desperately. He had a sweatband around his head and was unshaven. He was wearing a white tight tank top, yellow basketball shorts, with knee high socks and high top tennis shoes. Only, what was most unusual about him was not his clothing.

His stomach protruded out like a very firm beer belly. His tank top was cut in a circle, so that his bare stomach was exposed. His stomach, however, was not covered by skin. It was covered by kernels of corn.

Melinda and I were speechless. All we could do was listen to the conversation going on outside the car.

“It will work. I swear,” the stranger urged the wife. Her husband was standing a short distance away with his back to us.

“I just don’t know if it’s a good idea, “she replied hesitantly. “We already have an appointment with our doctor.”

“Can your doctor do it for the price I’m asking?” the stranger challenged.

She shook her head and looked toward her husband. I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. I didn’t want my friends near this corn stomach stranger.

The stranger took her silence as confirmation and walked toward her husband. He was chatting and it seemed like he was rubbing his stomach. He returned quickly to tell our friend that it already worked. I heard him say, “His cervix is already dilated.”

All I could think was, “Men don’t have a cervix!”

Suddenly a white van came screeching around the corner. It was the doctor’s office. They were furious my friends had allowed this stranger to impregnate the husband. My friends jumped in the car and drove away in a hurry. The stranger ran from van.

The van was following us. Somehow we knew they wouldn’t allow the husband to have this baby. They had just wanted to impregnate him, so they could experiment on a pregnant man. My heart was pounding. I couldn’t believe I got mixed up in this and I couldn’t erase the image of the corn stomach stranger from my mind.

The Party, the Gun, and the Spider

We were at my grandparents’ cabin in the mountains, only it didn’t look anything like their cabin. Damian, my cousin, was planning a surprise birthday party for Mike, my cousin-in-law. There were family and friends helping to set up the party and some people were keeping Mike occupied somewhere else.

I was helping Damian set up the bar for the party – a very important job. He was telling me about how excited he was to throw this party and how great it was going to be a blast for Mike. I was just smiling thinking about how we were all going to have such a good time hanging out together. Damian went off to organize the rest of the party and left me with my job at the bar.

During this time, a group of friends approached me and handed me my gun. They gathered around me and in hushed voices explained, “Now’s the time. We have to go over and shoot the neighbor.”

I tried to keep a calm composure, but I was panicked! I didn’t want to shoot anyone. I knew I couldn’t get out of it. They wouldn’t take no for an answer. I looked around to try to find Damian to help me get out of there.

I found Lupe, Damian’s mom, and asked her where I could find him. She directed me to him and I tried to explain to him that I had to go and I needed his help. He was so busy organizing everyone for the surprise, all he told me was that I couldn’t leave when the party was just about to get started.

I went sulking away not knowing what to do. I decided to hide my gun, which was pink, by the way. I tried to remain inconspicuous. However, when Mike arrived, he was so thrilled and pumped to party that he was cheering and hugging each person there, drawing plenty of attention to anyone around him. I couldn’t escape him, plus I felt bad to sneak away without wishing him a happy birthday.

He hugged me saying, “Thank you so much for coming! This means so much to me. Are you ready to party?”

I politely nodded and squirmed out of his arms to blend in with the background, but as I was trying to avoid my friends, I walked right into their plotting again. This time they didn’t see me. I just overheard them discussing the plan to use the trees and bushes for cover to sneak over to the neighbor’s house and the noise from the party to cover up the sound of the gunshot. They were waiting for me.

I knew I needed Damian’s help. I saw him from across the room and tried to discreetly get his attention, but he never looked my way. As I tried to make my way over to him, people just kept getting in my way. I was bumping into everyone and being forced to go around groups that by the time I searched for his face again, he was gone from sight. I felt so upset and desperate. I didn’t know how to get myself out of this situation.

I went outside to get some fresh air and quiet. I saw a spider spinning its web. I did a double take, because I had never seen a spider so huge. It looked like a tarantula with fury legs, only larger. I’d say it was about the size of a small dog. I was so mesmerized by the size of the spider that I didn’t notice it moving closer to me. Once I realized it was getting closer to me, I just assumed it was spinning its web and it wouldn’t pay any attention to me.

I was wrong.

The spider shot its web at my arm. The web wrapped around my forearm. I pulled and clawed at the web, trying to free myself, but I couldn’t break loose. I ran against the pull of the spider and its web. I could feel the web burning the skin on my arm. The spider was getting closer and closer to me, but I just kept running with all my might. I finally broke loose and I ran back inside the cabin.

I could feel tears forming in my eyes as I looked down and saw the red mark across my arm. Again, I searched for Damian to show him my injury and warn him about the monster spider lurking around outside. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I felt so sad and frustrated. I just knew if I could only find him, he could help me with all the problems I was having.

That’s when I woke up. I woke up still feeling so upset. I felt shaken from the dream I had had. My sister came into my room and I was telling her about my dream and how Damian couldn’t help me. She responded, “What a jerk. He should have helped you.”

I looked at her confused and tried to explain, “No, Theresa. It was a dream. He didn’t do anything on purpose.” As I finished my statement, I looked down at my arm and saw the red mark on my arm. I looked back at my sister and that’s when I realized I was still dreaming.

I don’t remember the rest. I just remember feeling panicked, like I still had to get away from these “friends” who were plotting to shoot the neighbor. I woke up feeling so upset and confused by all that went on in my dream that I felt nauseous.