Child's Play

 

“It was an accident, why can't the Judge believe that. He is only a child, what kind of person can't see that it was child's play that went terribly wrong!” I stood in front of the television and shouted repeatedly, “It's unfair. He is just a kid that imitated wrestling moves. It should not be considered murder.”

I sat on the recliner to rest and stream of tears started to roll from my eyes, as I drifted into my childhood memories of being a nine-year-old living in a fifth-floor walk up apartment with my parents and siblings.

It snowed often when I was a little girl. My brother Dennis and sister Daisy and I sat in front of our black and white T.V. and watched the seven pm. news. Before the reporter had finished the current events, an emergency bulletin would interrupt the reporter and announce the moment of truth. ALL SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TOMORROW DUE TO THE WEATHER.

“Yeah, no school tomorrow!” My siblings and I would burst into a frenzy, and prance around the television like poison ivy was sprinkled onto our outfits.

The following day started by waking up to hot cocoa and unlimited television. Our favorite programs aired early, like Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers. Cartoons were “king,” and the endless list of animation was watched until the afternoon. A long hour of watching Mel Blanc's Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, and Daffy Duck was memorable. Our favorite cartoons were The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Ricochet Rabbit, and Mighty Mouse.

The afternoon became intermission because we had known that the adult Daytime Drama would kill the joy. Mom was impartial because All My Children and The Edge of Night was a ritual that helped her to prepare dinner for Dad and us. The afternoon also became the time when Dennis, Daisy, and I would become mischievous and wreck our parents' apartment.

Superheroes such as Spiderman, Superman, and Batman fascinated Dennis. Daisy's ultimate idol was Wonder Woman. She believed that she was immortal and had taken Wonder Woman's place when the show was cancelled. Dennis would often tease Daisy and insult Wonder Woman's character. He said that Wonder Woman was wack, simply because she was a woman. Daisy would become irritated by his insensitivity and defended her icon. She taunted Dennis to prove that his character was better. Dennis imitated Spiderman moves, as he climbed the walls of the apartment. When he had reached the ceiling, a towering height to us, he would balance himself to do his most daring stunt. His stunt was a double somersault flip, and if done correctly he would land on his feet. Dennis had never done two flips in the air before, but he had to prove that he was Spiderman, and not a wuss. Daisy and I watched patiently, both filled with the hope that he would fall on his oblong head, hitting the hard aluminum.

However, our luck vanished when the double flip and land was successful. We both listened to him boast and brag more than a Jimmie Dean's sausage commercial. Daisy would not stand for such showboating, so she ran into the bedroom, and left me to listen to the overbearing, want-to-be-Spiderman reject. She had returned, ready to take on one of the forces of evil, whose name was Dennis.

Daisy was geared up and ready to reclaim her title and send my brother to doom land. Wearing her red Christmas tights, pink shorts, and my mother's white bath towel tightly knotted around her neck, had given her super hero confidence.

I was proud of my sister and even chanted Wonder Woman's theme song to help her to victory. Dennis' squeaky laughter shattered the moment, but Daisy could not care less. She had an image to live up to. Dennis persuaded her to do the impossible and that was to swing from the seven-foot closet clothes rack. She hesitated for a moment, and then moved the dining chair to lift her petite body up to the bar. Dennis moved the chair, and now Daisy had to hold her own weight. Pushing her feet outward gave her swing movement. One swing, two swings and the final swing would have given her flight to soar over the large Posturepedic sofa my parents bought because of their rambunctious children.

Three! Daisy soared over the large couch. Her chair position stature was perfect for landing. Almost, almost, she… her tights hindered her landing and the right foot slipped from under her. The fall sounded more like a swift hand smack onto the hard tiles Daisy was knocked out and lay unconscious on the floor. My mother heard the noise and shouted, “What are you kids doing?” Her voice had a sound like a faded echo. Our dual symphony harmonized and answered, “nothing mom.” If my mother had walked into the living room then, we would have been in big trouble. I quietly told Dennis to go into the kitchen and get a glass of water with lots of ice. Frantic, I had run to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet to get the Vicks Vapo rub. My parents always called it Vicks Salve. Our timing was record breaking. I dug three fingers in, lifting out half of the contents of the tiny jar and rubbed it under her nose. A small movement occurred and then her mouth opened. Dennis poured the water onto her face. Her hand jumped. I lifted her body into a sitting position and shook her repeatedly with all the strength that my nine-year-old body could muster. Her eyes then opened. Our heartbeats slowed down, from the fast irregular thumps. Daisy was now back, and she looked at us and busted out with laughter. We all started to laugh, which gave Dennis the opportunity for a macho wise crack. “Wonder Woman never knocked herself out,” he said.

Two weeks later, light snow had fallen again. Our favorite evening show was the Untouchables, featuring Robert Stack as Elliot Ness. The snowflakes became larger and blew furiously. My mother changed the channel to the news. Special Report. I started to believe that God was a kid. The special report stated that, ALL SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED IN THE TRI-STATE AREA.

Yeah! A whole day to imitate Super Heroes and watch early daytime cartoons and destroy what was left of my parents' sturdy childproof furniture.

Dennis was the most daring and fearless. He had proven that to Daisy and I once before, when we had watched a Sci-Fi program, one early Saturday morning. We had just watched Space 1999, and Dennis vowed that the actor's stunts were frivolous. He decided to reenact the same stunt without a space shute and jumped through the glass window that separated the living room and bedroom area. He was uncut, and I believed that he was unbreakable.

The afternoon had crept in slowly, which only meant hyper energy had to be released. Dennis suggested that we play cops and robbers. Before I could even say Elli… Ness, my brother's quick tongue beat me out of the lead role. Being a criminal was not my highpoint, but someone had to do it. “Okay, let's play.” The robber began to run through the spacious apartment that was shaped with a curved hallway, and bedrooms that had entrances that led through one door, and exited from an opposite door. It seemed like a maze. The first grab was the light metal ashtrays that were on the coffee tables. Running faster into the bedroom through the hallway that connected to another bedroom, through the sharp curved short hallway that led to the living room. Almost home, free… faster… faster. “Freeze,” my brother said. “Put your hands up, now face me.” Slowly I turned with my hands up and faced my brother. His favorite line was “I take no prisoners.” I guessed he used that line because he did not know the Miranda. He would point out his puny index finger and cuff the remaining fingers so that his thumb would stick up. The click sound was his verbal imitation of the trigger. “POW.” I would fall onto the floor, dropping all my stolen goods.

After an hour, I was tired of the repeated chase scenes. My brother noticed the strained look on my face. Suddenly his voice became high and his eyes gleamed brighter than 34th Street Christmas lights. He said that he knew what would make the game fun and left the room. I was too tired to be impressed. Rest was my first option. Dennis walked into to the living room, with both hands behind his back. He revealed all his teeth, which made him, look like Chester Cheetos Cat. I thought very little of it, until both of his arms came to view, and I saw that he was holding my Dad's huge 45-caliber handgun. Dennis allowed me to touch it, and then placed the heavy metal in my hands. I knew that the gun was real, but I simply said, “Let's play.”

The chase had begun and I ran even faster, because the new toy added more excitement and more realism than before. The same chase had started from the living room, through the hallways that stretched along the maze-like apartment. The same ashtrays were the items that I stole. Out of breath, panting furiously, the living room was just seconds away, when I heard my brother yell, “Freeze.” His voice seemed louder than before and I turned to face him more slowly than before. This time I stared into a gun. The gun was so heavy that Dennis held the weapon with both hands. He was trembling because his skinny arms were not strong enough to hold the heavy object. He pointed the gun at my chest and boldly stated his famous lines that ended with, “I take no prisoners.” Then he pulled the trigger.

The sound that came from the cannon pierced the room and my ears were ringing like bells. I was no longer standing with my hands up. No, now I was miles away from my brother and his smoking gun, while lay on my back. I tried to lift my body, but I could not. It was almost like a refrigerator was on top of my chest. My body felt numb, as if I was buried under snow. I was able to turn my head to the huge spat of blood that began to drip from the adjacent curved wall. I then looked at my brother, who stood miles away from me, trembling as if he were standing naked in Alaska. My mother ran into the living room and her movement seemed like a slow motion film when she grabbed the gun from my brother's hands. Her movement seemed even more mechanical when she had left the room. Seconds seemed like minutes. Before she could press the towel on my chest, I was able to lift my head high enough to see a hole in my chest that was pouring out blood like a faucet turned on full blast. The tee shirt that I was wearing looked as if someone had painted it dark red. My mother pressed the towel on my chest and turned to my brother. Her face was frantic and her lips moved in strange shapes, but I could not hear what she had said.

The ambulance came, and so many uniformed people were bent over, pulling medical objects out of their bags. The men in blue were scattered around in the living room bending and searching for something that seemed lost. My eyelids started to feel heavy. A mask was placed over my mouth and my body was lifted up onto a hard mattress. The officer who was talking with my mother abruptly pulled out his handcuffs and placed them on my brother's bony wrists. I shouted No! We were just playing! We were just playing!Ê He did not mean it! Leave him alone! Why won't they listen to me? Why can't they hear me? Tears rolled down my face and I could no longer keep my eyes open, and I no longer wanted to.

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Dennis told me to face him. His voice seemed louder, with the new toy gun. I turned slowly with my hands above my head. He said, “I take no prisoners,” and pointed the large gun at my chest and then pulled the trigger. The loud noise that came from the gun left both my ears ringing. I looked up to see my brother holding the cannon, trembling as if he were standing naked in Alaska. My mother ran into the living room. Her movement was like a slow motion film as she grabbed the gun from my brother's hands.

I stood up and looked at my brother.

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He pointed the gun at my chest and pulled the triggerÉ I wanted to be Elliot Ness. The good guy. I ducked.

 

 

 

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