The Prophecy

A bell tinkled above them as Luke followed Erin into the almost deserted grocery store. Inside, wooden shelves stretched like pillars to the back of the store. Signs hung above these shelves indicating what was on each one. Erin led him down the one marked ‘Cereal-Soups-Snacks’ and to the left. They were passing the meat counter now, and Luke could see freshly cut ham on display behind the counter.
“’Ello E’in,” the butcher said from his place next to the meat cutter.
“Hey Greff!” Erin said, smiling at the butcher. Erin and Luke continued walking. Finally, they reached the check-out lines. Erin led Luke down Line Twelve. A teenager waited at the end. His head was resting in his slightly hairy hands, and he was staring at the newspaper rack across from the conveyer belt. When he saw Erin approaching he perked up.
“ Hey Erin! How’s it goin’?” He said. Erin didn’t reply at first just threw the rubber snake at him, which hit his head and bounced to the floor. The teenager looked startled at first, but then a wide grin spread over his face.
“I gotcha good, didn’t I?” He said sneakily.
“ Ya’ got me, and this guy too,” Erin said, pointing her thumb back at Luke, “Jess, this is Luke, Luke this is Jess. He’s my brother.” She said.
“Hey bro. How’s it goin’ with ya’?” Jess said, giving Luke a goofy smile.
“I’m good,” Luke said, slightly intimidated by the older boy. Almost before Luke had finished, Jess started talking again, “Cool bro. You can call me Jess. That is, Jess short for Jessie. Not Jessica. That’s a girl’s name, bro.” Erin laughed at this.
“You always have to make that point, don’t ya’ Jess?” She said.
“Hey, these days ya’ gotta be specific!” Jess replied. Erin laughed again. When Erin had stopped laughing, she asked Jess a question, “Hey Jess, is Mr. Monroe back? I want him to meet Luke.”
“Naw,” Jess replied, “ he gets back today though!” All of a sudden the doors of the store burst open and an old looking man stumbled in. His face was covered in wrinkles. He wore a blue patient’s outfit from a hospital, but had clothes underneath. He had wonderfully round glasses that bounced up and down on his nose with very step he took. He half ran, half hobbled up Line Twelve.
“Mr. Monroe-” Erin started but stopped quickly as he walked past her. He came upon Luke like a hawk after its prey. He pulled Luke’s hand out, and pressed something onto his palm, then the man- Mr. Monroe? – tightly closed Luke’s hand so it made a fist.
“k-k-keeep-p-p it-t-t s-aaaaf-ff-e... ” Mr. Monroe's trailed off into a whisper. The words made no sense, but Luke had no time to think because at this point Mr. Monroe fell to the ground, His eyes closed.
“Mr. Monroe!” Erin and Jess shouted unanimously. They both ran over and knelt by his side. Luke peeked into his fist. A small key laid in Luke’s palm. A small key he was supposed to keep safe.

Mr. Monroe's Produce Corner and Convenience Store

Erin pressed the button to cross the street. She was standing next to Luke, a block away from the theatre, and had three more blocks to go before they reached the grocery store where Jess worked as a cashier. The light switched to the walking man, and Erin and Luke ran across the street, fighting the chill autumn air. Their jackets were pulled tight around them, but the cold still nipped at their skin. Erin didn’t say anything, and neither did Luke, but it was as if they were talking. It wasn’t an awkward silence. It was sort of like an unspoken conversation between friends. Friends. Was that what she and Luke were now? Erin didn’t know. She never had had friends before. She was the outcast at school. The oddball. Erin had always pretended she was just unique, just a little different, and all the other mean girls at school were just not as special as she. She now knew this wasn’t true. This was a downright lie. She was unique alright. But in a weird kind of way. ‘No.,’ Erin thought to herself, ‘I’m not weird. Weird people don’t have friends. I have a friend. I have Luke,’ she looked beside her and saw him staring at his feet, probably thinking the same thoughts as Erin was now. She turned her head the other way, to see Sweet Samantha’s Floral Shop pass them with its beautiful roses and violets out on display behind the glass window. They went on for a few more minutes before Erin broke the silence.
“Here we are,” she said. Erin pointed to a red brick building that was crumbling at the corners with a wooden sign that had obviously seen better days hanging above the dark green door frame. Mr. Monroe’s Produce Corner and Convenience Store it read. Erin checked behind her to make sure Luke was following and then entered the store.

Friends

Lucas stared at the scaly, unmoving creature on the metal mesh of the catwalk. All of a sudden, Erin burst out laughing, trying to get a sentence out. “Ha Ha- Jess p-Ha Ha Ha-Jess-Haa Ha-put th-Ha-” Eventually, Erin just held up a finger to show Luke to just wait a minute as she doubled over laughing. Then Luke realized what had happened, ‘She tricked me!’ Luke thought to himself, anger building up inside of him, ‘Erin befriended me just to scare me out of my wit and laugh about it!’ Anger bubbled like a hot tub inside of Luke. It obviously showed because Erin stopped laughing.
“Sorry. I know what you’re thinking. But I’m not trying to trick you. It was-” Erin burst out laughing again. Now Luke wasn’t angry. He was depressed. ‘This was the closet I’ve gotten to a friend,’ he thought, ‘probably the closest I’ll ever get,’ Luke started walking towards the ladder, his head drooping. Erin stopped laughing again and started explaining, “Luke, sorry, it wasn’t me. It was my brother, Jess. He’s always playing pranks on me. See. The snake’s rubber,” Erin bent down and picked the snake up off the ground. It hung limp in her hands. Luke looked over his shoulder. She was right. It was a fake. Luke started calming down.
“It’s fine,” he replied after a while.
“C’mon,” Erin said, her face brightening at Luke’s acceptance of her apology, “Once you’re pranked by Jess, ya’ gotta meet him,” Erin jogged to the ladder, with the rubber snake in hand, and Luke in spirited pursuit.
They reached the bottom of the ladder in half the time it took them to get up, and part of this feat belonged to Luke’s feeling of happiness. He had made a friend. He was sure of it. He hadn’t had a friend since he could remember. No one at the orphanage was his friend. Especially no one at school. ‘Especially not Jacob, Andy, or Dave,’ Luke thought bitterly. Jacob, Andy and Dave. Luke actually had to thank them in his mind. If it weren’t for them, he would never have met Erin. He would never have met a friend.

Something of a Studio

Erin scrambled up the ladder like a monkey, because she’d done it before, therefore, she knew how. Erin didn’t know if Luke was taking a long time because he’d never done this before, or because of his constant stopping to make sure his polo shirt wasn’t wrinkled, but either way, when she got to the top, it took about five minutes for Luke to get up. While she was waiting for Luke, Erin thought about this, ‘Do I really trust him? Am I really about to show him my studio? My private studio?’ Erin didn’t know why, but she had a nagging feeling about Luke. Fate had made him come to the theatre today. ‘Fate. That’s what mom would say. She’d say that it was just fate,’ Erin’s thoughts were interrupted as Luke fell, huffing and puffing onto the catwalk that the ladder had led him to. Erin helped him up rather roughly and said, “C’mon Luke! You’ll just love this! I know you will!” Luke made a small groan, which Erin ignored. Luke had just gotten to his feet, when Erin pulled him along, her shoes and his, slapping against the catwalk floor.
“Is this safe?” Luke asked, running to try and keep up with Erin. Erin ignored this question, because she didn’t know the answer. She had just found the catwalk one day, and decided it would make a perfect mini studio for her easel and bigger artist equipment. Erin stopped suddenly, and Luke slammed into her back.
“Ta Da!” Announced Erin playfully, “My studio!” Erin stepped away to let Luke admire it. The studio was carefully placed at a dead end on the catwalk, supported by metal railings. Erin was awfully proud of the workshop. She had spent half of the day she found the catwalk painstakingly hauling all the equipment she needed up the ladder. But it was worth it. Erin, and now Lucas, had a great view of the whole theatre. The springy, tarnished seats, the vast, wooden stage, and, Erin’s favorite, the red, soft, velvet curtains that swayed around magically.
“Wow. This is amazing,” Lucas said.
“I just knew you’d like it!” Erin replied, grinning ear to ear and practically jumping up and down.
“Can we get down now?” Luke asked, and for the first time, Erin noticed how nervous he was, his eyes darting back and forth anxiously.
“Sure,” Erin replied, laughing inside. She jogged back the way she came, when she noticed Luke wasn’t behind her. She turned around. Luke was staring wide-eyed at the space of floor between them. Erin looked down and saw what Luke was staring at. She jumped back, startled.
“S-S-Sn-Snake,” he whispered.

Behind the Curtain

Thoughts whizzed through Lucas’s mind. This girl-Erin?-had appeared out of nowhere. Where had she come from? Why was she here? Erin broke the silence, “Hey Lucas! How’s it goin’? I’ll just call you Luke,” Erin said, as if she was talking to a dog or a cat.
“Okay,” Lucas said timidly, “Who are you again”
“Erin. My mom owns the bakery on the corner. She has to work late all the time, so I come here after school to paint. Come on, I’ll show ya’,” Erin hopped off the stage and jogged down the middle aisle to the back row. Lucas had to run to keep up with her. When he got there though, Erin was producing a bunch of artist’s supplies from a small, ripped, gap in the back of the theatre seat. A set of paints, charcoal pencils, kneaded erasers, and pastels was only half of the list of things Erin was pulling out of the shredded seat.
“Amazing,” Lucas half whispered.
“Yeah,” Erin started, “mom says I’m a great artist. I love to paint. I come here because there’s so much inspiration. The curtains are my favorite. You can never get the same angle at them. They’re always changing,” Erin stared dreamily at the soft velvet. Then, without warning, she jumped up and ran to the stage.
“C’mon Luke! I’ve got to show you ‘round!” Erin jumped up onto the stage. It groaned at the new amount of weight. Lucas stood and walked casually towards it, making sure he didn’t trip and fall. As soon as he got there, Erin practically pulled him around back of the curtain into the dark backstage area.
Erin pulled a flashlight magically out of her pocket and shined it on a ladder that was off to the side of the main stage. Erin ran at it and started climbing up. ‘This girl is crazy,’ Lucas thought.
“C’mon Luke! I gotta show ya’ this!” Erin shouted from the fifth rung.
Lucas didn’t want to seem like a baby, but he also didn’t want to climb an old, possibly unstable, ladder into the dark unknown. ‘Lucas, you’ve never had a friend before,’ a voice inside him said, ‘Go ahead. Do it.’
“Coming,” Lucas said, and he stepped towards the ladder.

The Girl In The Theatre

Erin peeked out from behind the rotting theatre seat. She had seen the three older boys come in before, and hide behind the old, tattered stage curtain. She had even seen the younger looking boy (who actually looked Erin’s age) come in, jump onto the stage and loose his glasses. Then, the three other boys had come out and started hurting him and calling him names. Erin dared peek out from behind the seat farther than she already was before. The older boys had cornered the younger one and were kicking him, as the younger boy whimpered his head off. One of the older ones laughed.
“Ha! Wittle Wukie is scared, isn’t ‘e?” Said the oldest and toughest looking boy, as he kicked the younger one. His goons around him laughed at this and slapped him on his gigantic shoulders. Erin studied the younger boy. He had dark brown hair, glasses and was very lanky and lean. He looked like a classical nerd with a collared shirt buttoned to the top and a pair of tan, non-wrinkled, khaki pants. His face was buried into his hands. Erin wouldn’t have said he was crying, but he was definitely distressed. ‘They’re bullying him,’ Erin realized ‘I can’t let this happen,’ and it was with these thoughts that Erin stepped out from behind the seat.
“Hey! Pick on someone your own weight!” Erin yelled. Her insult echoed around the dimly light theatre. The three boys turned around frowning. They said something to the smaller boy, then turned around and jumped off the stage. They walked down the aisle, toughest guy in front, and the two not-so-tough ones following, like puppies after a bone. They pushed past Erin, and slammed the auditorium’s doors shut behind them. Their malicious laughter could be heard for a few seconds before it died down, and they had obviously left the theatre. Erin started walking down the rows of seats. The boy had stood up and was dusting off his pants.
“Hi. I’m Erin. Are you okay?” She asked the boy.
“Well I was okay till you showed up,” he replied nastily, without looking up.
“What, you think I ruined your life because now they’ll just pound you tomorrow? Cut the drama. Who were they anyway?” Erin inquired somewhat a little nosy.
“No one,” the boy said, he had now looked up from his pants and was fixing his glasses.
“Who are you?” Erin asked again, this time tried to make her voice sound less nosy than before.
“My name? Lucas.” The boy replied.

Not Too Fast, Not Too Slow

Lucas walked down the sidewalk, staring at his feet. To any passerby, it would have looked like Lucas was sad, but in truth, Lucas wasn't sad at all. He was nervous. He was positively dreading the moment he stepped through the theatre doors. Therefore, he was staring at his feet to make sure they didn't move too fast. The crisp autumn air whipped his cheeks and blew his dark brown hair everywhere. Lucas pulled his jacket hood farther over his face and pulled his hair away from his glasses which he also pushed farther onto his nose. The cold still stung, but not as much. Lucas looked up just for a moment, and saw the Piermount Theatre looming ahead. Lucas stopped and thought about his cornered position. He had no choice. If he went to the theatre, he would be pounded by Jacob, Andy, and Dave. If he didn't go, he'd be pounded harder. A lady passed Lucas on the right, pushing a stroller that was gently cradling a sleeping child. 'I wish I could just snuggle into that carriage and be taken away from here,' Lucas thought to himself. But that's what a coward would do. Lucas wasn't a coward. No. Lucas was a coward, and telling himself otherwise would just make him do something he could never do. Lucas looked up. Without knowing it, he had walked past the theatre. Lucas spun around and walked back to the doors. 'Here goes,' He thought, and stepped into the dim lobby of the Piermount. A bulb flickered above. Two dead ficus trees sat on either side of the entrance to the main room. Lucas pushed through these doors too. The stage stood in front of him. Lucas walked down the long aisle of seats, that were all empty. When Lucas got to the end of the row, he jumped up onto the stage, knocking off his glasses as he did so. He shoved them up onto the bridge of his nose. He stood up and turned around to face the audience.
"Hello, Lucas Pukeas."
Lucas stared into the three malicious faces of Jacob, Andy, and Dave.