Isaiah

God.

Three sentences in, you know, maybe I know.

That is like, that is like a four year old thing to do where they grab drinks.

Like while they're drinking, they're afraid they'll never be able to breathe again.

Like,

the death has never tasted so good all right my evenings were uneventful around this time in summer it was 9 15 on a saturday in july school was out for the holidays my parents had gone to visit my aunt and uncle who lived by the coast it'd still be gone for two more weeks what

They left a child for like three weeks.

Can we at least say that?

I think that's the idea.

I think the idea is he doesn't have friends.

He's not like partying, hanging out.

Yeah.

Turn it off.

I declined the invitation to join them.

I didn't dislike the place or my relatives, but we usually stayed there so long that I'd miss out on most of summer break, and I'd truthfully rather spend it with my friends in town.

I was a good kid who knew how to wash clothes and use an oven, and generally not an idiot, so they let me stay at the house so long as I kept it clean.

As I sat, looking out into the garden to check for anything scary in the dark, it was empty and black.

I kind of wished we had a pet, a dog or a cat would be nice about now, but their hair always made me sneeze and my eyes go red and itchy.

With that in mind, my dad said no, even though I wouldn't mind it.

At 9.22pm, I put the rest of the juice carton back in the fridge door and went back over to the window.