Living With The Pain

Past Secrets

   Over time Sal, Larry and I all grew super close. We were the unstoppable trio. We told each other everything. Sal just got done telling Larry about the nightmares Sal and I would usually have when Larry told us to follow him. I had slipped on my navy blue hoodie and put on my fingerless gloves before the three of us stepped out into the snow. I wasn't really dressed for the cold and the snow. I was wearing a gray short sleeved shirt with black ripped jeans and my black sneakers.

I stopped for a moment to admire the snow while Sal and Larry kept walking. I watched it fall all around me and I took note of how I remembered all snowflakes are unique. So snowflakes are kinda like people. Every person is different and unique in ways. Then we all fall and clash in a certain area and interact with each other. "Scar! Hurry up!" I quickly discontinued my thinking session and ran to catch up with Larry and Sal who had stopped in front of a tree house.

"No way!" I smiled and climbed up the treehouse. "We've always wanted one of these as a kid," Sal explained as he climbed up the treehouse followed by Larry. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it. Anyway, this is where I go when I need to be alone. My dad built it for me before he disappeared," Larry explained. I raised an eyebrow as I looked around,"What do you mean, he disappeared?"

"One day he was there and the next day he was gone. No note. Nothing," Larry explained. "Do you think he left you guys?" Sal asked. "No way, he wouldn't. He loved me and my Mom!" Larry said angrily and then took a few breath to calm down,"anyway. I'm not the superstitious type but the day before my dad disappeared, I saw a ghost after I accidentally killed Mrs. Gibson's pet with a firecracker. It reached out and touched me. It must've cursed me because the day right after, my dad disappeared!"

Sal and I looked at each other with a scared look on our faces, then we both looked at Larry. "What did the ghost look like?" I asked. "It kinda looked like a person. All black with glowing red eyes," Larry told us and Sal and I started looking around for clues. "We saw that ghost,"Sal said. "Maybe if you're really cursed, there's clues around here that'll help us figure out what Happened," I said. "Hey I found a puzzle looking box thing," I said and showed it to Larry,"But it looks like there's a piece missing." "I never noticed that...We should head inside. Maybe you two can go talk to Todd about this whole thing,"
Larry said and the three of us walked inside.

"Hey Scar, I'll go talk to Todd if you stay here with Larry and try and figure out the puzzle box," Sal proposed the idea once we got back into Larry's room and I thought about it. "Yeah sure. Why not," I said as I sat down on Larry's floor and began inspecting the box. "Scar, I need the walkie talkie," Sal said and I sighed and threw it at him, thank god he actually caught something this time. "Now get lost. You're distracting me," I said and he scoffed. "Oh I'm distracting you? Ok Little Miss Attitude," Sal said and walked out to go talk to Todd.

Then realization dawned on me. I'm hanging out with Larry. Alone. This is the first time we've ever been alone together. It's always been me, him and Sal. Why is this bothering me so much? I've known him for a while now, it shouldn't be that big of a deal? God, I think I need to start taking my meds again. I stared at the puzzle box and then lifted it up to my ear, shaking it to see if anything's inside. Once I heard something inside I set it down. "I might be able to figure this out but it's gonna take a while," I said. "That's ok. I just wanna know what happened to my dad," Larry said and I looked over at him.

I haven't seen him like this before. He looks...so sad. Like his entire world has come crumbling down in a matter of seconds. What am I supposed to do now? I sighed and looked back at the puzzle box so I could figure out the puzzle. If there's one thing I can do, I can figure out the puzzle and help my friend.

Even if it takes a while...