Strange but Thrilling Stories from a Sophomore Writing Class

Question Thy Neighbor

"Here's what I know from last night. It was around midnight, the rest of my family was fast asleep and I, the insomniac of the family, read a good mystery book. But it was just after I finished a chapter in the book that I heard the door creak open. I heard footsteps come up to my bedroom and I shut my eyes and pretended I was asleep. The convict walked into my room and I heard him take something from the closet. He walked over to the nightstand next to me and I held my breath for so long I thought I was diving without a snorkel. I heard him take something from it and he left. Are you still with me Lieutenant..."

The man on the other line let out a long sigh and replied "What do you think he took when you opened your eyes again?" "Well, he took my secret stash of money on the nightstand and I'm still not sure what he took from the closet because nothing looked that different. Do you know much money I had? $50 worth of money! Of course, I put my other stashes in other secret spots, but still though, what could the robber have wanted with the money? Oh my goodness... what if he bought a gun."

"Listen kid, I'll be more than happy to come to your house again and search once more for the boogeyman in the closet or Yogi Bear in the bathroom, but you gotta understand, this is serious business. You can't make up stuff like that." I couldn't stand this guy, so I said "Listen, do you understand what's happening, my family is probably in danger and you can't sit there all and say-"

A woman's voice rang through the house, shouting "Michael! Get off the phone!" I sat there with silence on the other end of the line, and then I whispered "I gotta go, I'll call you later." I hung up the phone and hurried downstairs to see my mother waving some cash around, with the other hand on her hip. "I'm just as mad as you. Here's $50 and I'll make sure I'll tell your dad about this." I stopped and stared at my mom, until I got the will to say "You mean... Dad went to the 'big boy store' again?" My mom knelt down beside me and nodded, then she pointed across the street to a car speeding into their driveway, managing to miss the moving truck parked in there.

My dad came through the door with a six pack and a cigar in his mouth, and he stuck his arms out to give me a hug. "Hey Mikey! What's happening? Why are you looking at me like that?" My mom stood in the kitchen with her arms crossed and cleared her throat. "Michael called the police today, because he thought his money had been stolen by some thug." Then my dad put his large hands on my shoulders and said "Mikey, you can't do that OK? I thought I told you I was gonna pay you back?" I almost cried I was that embarrassed, but all that came out was a tear that my dad brushed away. "Listen to me, I would never let anyone hurt you or your mother OK? Or your sister or your brother, because I love them so much." His police badge shimmered in the light of our dining room and I felt safe knowing that he was a policeman, because I knew they protected the law and would never hurt anyone. He was the captain actually, and he always told me that he should never be disturbed at work. He says that because I do get to be a little paranoid at times, and he always tells me the story of 'Peter and the Wolf' when I have my 'volcano moments,' but he also told me 'never trust anyone you don't know." I didn't know who stole my cash at first, so in a way I was protecting him and my family.

No harm done, right?

It was toward the afternoon that we finished unpacking the moving truck, and it was at that moment that I looked around me and at the houses that surrounded my neighborhood, and I realized how many houses were occupied by so many people I didn't know. It kind of made me nervous when I thought of that, in my mother's arms looking over the countless houses stacked next to each other. It looked like you could crawl from the window of your house to the next and back with no hesitation at all. And no one will notice.

Then I looked at the house next to me, and I saw two men walk toward us from that house.

The first man was young and gentle-looking, and he led an older looking man who wore a Vietnam War cap on his head. He shook a little in his steps and the younger looking man shocked my mom's hand. "Hello there, my name's John and this is my father. You can call him Paul if you want. Come on Dad, shake that young boy's hand." Paul let out a limp hand and I stuck out mine, then we slowly shook hands. I looked at his eyes and saw some sort of fire in them. He had surely seen some things. Then he tensed a little and said "Are you... a friend?" John leaned in and replied "Yes Dad, don't be scared. He's a nice boy isn't he? Where'd you guys come from anyway?" My mother smiled and answered "Yes, we immigrated from South Vietnam before Michael was actually born. I gained my citizenship when I was six months pregnant with him. So in a way, he was born an American citizen don't you think?" The two of them giggled and Paul smiled "You are friend." John looked at my dad and said "And that's Mark, right? We're in the same presint. Good man you know. I'm pretty sure he's more on the Irish side though. Good guy though, we go to the pub every once and a while after cracking down on some crackhead and share a pint. Can I talk to him by the way?" My mom motioned John to my dad and John said "Look after Paul, will you?" And we stood there together in my lawn, and stared at each other for a very long time.