Fantasy

It was the night before JR's fifth birthday when he discovered the hole in the wooden hallway floor. He had run down that hallway many times and never noticed the hole, he was intrigued, despite the fact that he needed to go wee.

A light seemed to glow from inside the hole, like it was another world. He half expected to see fairies drifting from it, dancing in the light. He placed his finger over the hole and a slight chill went through his body, his finger glowing from the light under it. It was a nice sensation, so he giggled.

He heard footsteps approaching and backed away. He noticed the glow flicker and wondered why for a second, but then his MOTHER entered the hallway.

She noticed him and immediately retorted, "We can't afford it. Don't ask me again." JR kept his head down as she turned the corner, then hurried to the hole, but the glow was gone. He sat and lamented, "She ruins everything".

A part of him wondered what life was like in the light, with all the fairies. He wanted to go. He was bigger than them and knew that they would make him their king, look after him. He rubbed at the ache in his chest, it was becoming more familiar. He knew that he could not afford to wait, he had to go that night, be happy again, just for a little while.

It was almost bedtime and he was running out of time. First, he used a knife, then the screwdriver, then a hammer, but they were not good enough, and the hammer made too much noise. He felt the urge to wee again, he was distracted by something he remembered; something his FATHER had said over the summer, that burning wood turned to ash.

Soon, JR lit a match and placed it next to the hole. It caught fire briefly and then the flame died. JR remembered how his FATHER had used gasoline to keep the summer barbeque wood burning.

JR found the half-empty can of gasoline behind his old mattress in the garage. He had always hated how the mattress smelt. It reminded him of nights he had been too scared to climb out of bed; shadows hiding behind every object, terrifying him. JR hurried out of the garage, spilling gasoline on his soft-shoes, his need to wee stronger than ever.

JR poured a little gasoline into the hole. He reached for the last match-stick and it fell into the can of gasoline. Angry at himself, JR hurried to get another matchbox from the kitchen. As he searched the kitchen, he crossed his legs, afraid he would wee on himself.

Under the hallway, in the basement, GRANDAD felt a drop on his forehead and woke from his light slumber. Just earlier, he had switched off the light of his living quarters to get some sleep. He touched his bald head and smelt the gasoline on his thin fingers. He sneezed as the fumes traveled up his hairy nostrils.

GRANDAD looked up at where the chunk of cracked ceiling had dropped off, next to the make-shift light fitting. He grunted with irritation and climbed out of his reclining chair, thinking to himself that he deserved to be treated better.

Upstairs, JR struck another match. He hoped to widen the hole enough to squeeze through. Suddenly, the hole glowed and he was distracted. He dropped the burning match-stick and it landed on his soft-shoes, setting them on fire. He jumped in fright and fell on the can of gasoline; as the flames erupted all over him.

JR woke with his hands on his willy. He jumped off his bed and dashed out of his bedroom. He barely managed to lift the toilet lid before urinating with a loud groan of relief.

Later, as JR climbed back under the covers, he felt proud that he had not wet his bed. As he closed his eyes to sleep, it occurred to him briefly, that his visit to the bathroom may have been a dream, it had happened before. His heart skipped a beat and he checked the bed, it was dry. He sighed with relief and felt proud once more.