Lost in the Penumbra

"Alastair honey, draw the bath so we can get you into bed soon."

"Ok mom."

Alastair was a very quiet boy, always doing as his sweet mother told him. His mother Chelsea loved him dearly and doted on the poor lad severely. Alastair clung to his mother at all times. The loss of his work obsessed father nearly two years ago merely exacerbated the child's intense shyness and social anxieties. Chelsea saw past this and only saw her model child. He was praised magnificently by his teachers for his incredible work ethic and behaviour. He never talked out of turn, was always prepared for class, and showed incredible potential in reading comprehension and the such.

Alastair was tucked into bed, and the lights were turned off after Chelsea planted a nice kiss upon his forehead. When he heard the click of the door, he immediately grabbed for the flashligh he left hidden between the mattress and headboard. Alastair reached under his bed, patted the ground until he found what he was looking for. It was his old, dear friend Huckleberry Finn. Together they went to go find poor Jim sleeping under the tree outside. They played a good trick on him and had a great laugh about it later.

Alastair could see, really see what Huck saw. He felt the power of Twain's words jump from the living page, and the resonant mode of the incident words sent his thoughts into an excited state. Floating down the Mississippi lulled him into a deeply relaxed state. His heart raced as the dauphine was nearly tarred and feathered. He teared up when he realized his best friend Jim was a free man.

The young boy could absolutely tear his way through a text. But he found himself hanging on at some points. He didn't want to leave that place, like when they tried to pass themselves off as girls or while amidst the great joy of finding each other reunited with Jim once again. These moments conspired to slow the movement of time down to an intolerably slow space, staving off the sunlight for what seemed like an eternity.

He dreaded the prospect of waking up to face his tormentors for the nth day in a row. Alastair felt abandoned, but he durst not say a single word.

...Some More

• Alastair Templeton


• Alastair