The Color of Life is Red

The Time was 4:04

"Lance, come get your ice cream!"

A chubby woman with bright cheeks called to her son from the kitchen, holding a blue ice cream bar. A young Lance trotted through the hallway, excited for his treat. When he reached her, he tugged on her shirt and jumped for it. She brought it down to his small hands, "Here you go, m'ijo."

Lance took a big lick, "Thank you, Mama!"

"Momma look! It's a kitty!"

She ruffled his hair, "Keep this a secret, Lance."

He turned to walk off, "Sí Mama!"

Lance often got secret treats from his mother. Being an only child had its perks. He lazily walked through the house, taking dramatic steps as he licked the ice cream. When he looked up, he found himself outside at the garage. A smile formed on his face as he saw his father. "Papa! Look what I got!"

"Papa look!"

Lance's father looked up from a table he was building. "Wow, you got a little treat!"

He skidded to a stop beside him, "Yeah." His eyes fell to the wood, "What are you doing?"

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, "I'm building this table for the neighbors."

"Hmm," Lance trailed off. He felt the warm air and beating sun. It was comforting to him. "Papa?"

He leaned back down to continue his work, "Yes, m'ijo?"

He stared out at the Cuban landscape. A small, black cat trotted around the dirt. "Do you like cats?"

"Papa loves cats, too."

"Well," he brushed off the table, "I don't hate them. But I don't like them either."

Lance watched the cat chase a leaf down the dirt road. He perked back up and turned back to his father. "Papa, can I help?"

One day, Keith was playing with a wooden car in the sand when Dirt trotted over to him.

Lance loved his life. His friends were fun to hang around with; one even had a dog. Through the week, his mother often taught him about cooking or other countries; she often told him stories of strange people in foreign lands. One day, he was wandering through the house and yard, kicking around rocks or snatching a couple snacks. He was on his old wooden swing when he heard his mother call for him.

Keith's mother watched from a chair as she sewed patches and buttons into their worn clothes.

"Coming Mama!" Lance jumped down from the swing, stumbling from the jump. He ran inside to find her. She was mixing something in a bowl. She turned to face him, "Would you like to help me?"

Lance flashed a wide smile and nodded his head, "Yeah!"

Keith giggled and threw his car to the side so he could pet him.

"Go to that step-stool and clean those green beans."

Lance happily stepped up and did as he was told. He loved when he got to help his mother. She always told him how to cook, but it was rare that he actually got to. After a few minutes, she came over to check on his progress.

Dirt reached up to sniff his face, rubbing their cheeks together. Keith's giggling continued.

"Great job, m'ijo!" She kissed his head and ruffled his hair.

He turned around and looked up to her with wide eyes, "Can I help with the other stuff?"

He carefully grabbed Dirt's cheeks and kissed the top of his head.

She gave him a warm smile and rubbed his chin, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "Of course you can."

Lance leaned into his mother's touch. After a second, it quickly left him.

It took Keith a moment to realize that Dirt wasn't touching him anymore. He opened his eyes and watched him curiously.

Lance opened his eyes to his mother clutching her throat. She gasped as her throat gurgled. Her other hand clutched the counter. Blood fell poured through her fingers, falling onto the counter and floor. She stumbled into the living room, reaching for the door.

Dirt had recoiled, slowly lowering his body to the ground, then falling on his side.

Lance watched her in stunned silence as she fell to the ground. With a few twitches, she stopped moving. Lance's father walked into the house after hearing dishes clatter and break.

"María!" He dropped down to her side, checking for any signs of life. As he scanned the room, he noticed Lance standing on the step-stool. "Lance!"

Lance jumped at the shout, coming out of his shock. His father ran up to him, "What happened?!" He grabbed Lance's face and shook him, "What did you do?!"

Keith's mother had watched the scene from her chair. "Keith!"

Lance didn't know what to do. He didn't have any time to react as his father jumped back and clutched his chest. Lance jumped off the stool and yanked his father's shirt. "Papa!"

"Momma?"

"Papa!" As much as Lance cried out, his father still struggled. He reached out to his wife. After a few moments of struggling, he fell back next to her.

"Momma?"

"Papa!" Lance shook his leg, but received no response. He turned to his mother's body, "Mama!"

She watched the cat with horror as it twitched and convulsed. Soon, Dirt stopped moving.

Blood soaked into the floor. Lance never received an answer to his screams. Tears spilled out of his eyes, "Mama! Papa!"

He crawled back and leaned against the counter, pulling his knees up to his chest and hiding his face. The air was filled with sniffles and cries. Lance rocked back and forth, unsure of what to do. He mumbled to himself for hours, "Mama. Papa."