Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-27755241-20160327023501

Bobby didn’t come down to eat his breakfast. After that big argument he hasn’t come out of his room once. Karen, of course, was worried sick, about him, but she tried to respect his boundaries – he always would get angry, if she would enter his room without permission. So she doesn’t try to bring him to eat dinner yesterday. She would even let him skip breakfast, but he still must go to school after that – so she was forced to go. “ I wish his father would be bothered to check on him…” she quietly said under her breath, sighed and open door. She was ready to hear scream “Mom, close the door!”, that she heard so many times before, but she heard only silence. She didn’t hear anything - not the scream or cry – not even a word. At first she even thought that he was still sleeping – but, as door opened, she saw, that Bobby was awake. He was just sitting on the edge of the bed and watched little TV. This was a little odd, since Bobby rarely watched it, after he got on the Internet. “Good morning, Bobby!” quietly said Karen. “Good morning.” replied Bobby in dry emotionless voice. His eyes hasn’t shifted from a screen. “Bobby, your father… He isn’t always means...“nervously started Karen, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “ Means what he says? I know” said Bobby, without tearing eyes from the screen “He works too much and constantly stressed out. He not that good at anger management, but it isn’t his fault.” Karen felt discouraged by that answer – it was just too good. She wanted him to understand, but she would never expect him to get that on his own, and especially be so calm about it. It just felt… wrong. As she thought what to say next, she glanced at the TV and just went quiet, dumbfounded by what she seen on the screen. It wasn’t shocking or appalling - it just showed kitchen, with two people sitting at the table, eating scrambled eggs and drinking orange juice, while having a nice chat – only problem is, who that people was. “Is that… us?” asked Karen. “Not exactly.” replied Bobby in the same emotionless voice. “ What do you mean “Not exactly?” asked Karen. It was starting to get scary – mainly because of the woman that looked like her. She looked… off. Karen wasn’t sure, what was so worrying about her, but something wasn’t right. “ They better.” said Bobby. “ What do you mean?” “They better, than us. Bobby has entire shelf for basketball trophies in his room…” “You play basketball?” “I wanted one time, but I wasn’t that good, so I decided to quit. I would drag me team down anyway…” drearily replied Bobby “Also right now he talks about Hanna’s birthday…” “Isn’t it girl that you like?” asked Karen, trying to remember his classmates names. “ Yes. She actually had birthday a week ago…” “Why you don’t tell me about it?” “ I wasn’t there. Why would she invite me? She doesn’t even know who I am. Everyone is much happier in this show. Derek got his promotion and now doesn’t get this tired and coming home earlier. And Karen doesn’t have a headaches.” “Headaches?” “Yea. Remember those pills you take, to cure your headaches? She doesn’t need them.” said Bobby. His emotionless tone made it even more hurtful. She was hooked on the antidepressants for a couple of years now, but never could ever admit that – even to herself. Only now Karen understand, what felt wrong about that woman. She looked almost exactly, as Karen, but much younger - she looked 25-ish, even thought, that actual Karen was well over thirty. “Probably, some high-class makeup, that actors use…” thought Karen to herself. At that time she was too shocked, to rationally process all that. While they were talking, TV- Bobby got up and went in his room, to pick up his textbooks. Camera followed him, leaving kitchen and TV-Karen behind. “Wait, what about me… I meant Karen!” frantically yelled Karen. “It follows Bobby as long, as I watched” replied Bobby – “I guess now he will go to school. Maybe, if you watch it on TV downstairs, it will follow Karen? I don’t know, how that works.” “On what channel it is?!” “Red fisher.” replied Bobby. “I meant number, not name…” “I said you number. Red fisher.” Suddenly Karen understand – so she immediately run downstairs, without saying a word to Bobby. Something still felt wrong – felt, like that answer shouldn’t make any sense – but Karen just brushed it off. “I just going to watch, if they show, what he uses to clean the kitchen” said Karen to herself, sitting on the couch and turning TV on “She somehow removed that nasty stain on the wall near the fridge. Just look at her cleaning products and that all – after all, I don’t want to be late for my job…” When Derek came home, nobody run to the door, to meet him. He wasn’t surprised – Karen probably was cooking something, and Bobby… He probably was still getting over Derek’s outburst. However, when he entered the house, he found his wife sitting on the couch. He was staring at the TV – so intently, that she isn’t even turned to Derek. She hasn’t even changed expression – like she hasn’t even noticed. He heard male voice from the screen – voice seemed eerily familiar. It sounded a lot, like his own, but much clearer and less raspier – like at the college, before he start smoking. “ Hello honey! How was job today?” asked Derek. “ No idea. I spend entire day here.” answered Karen in bleak, emotionless voice. “You skipped the job? What the matter, are you okay.” “ Completely – much better, than before. You should watch that too – it’s really nice show. And characters are so engaging…” Several hours after, Derek and Karen were still sitting at the couch and staring at the screen. From time to time they would quietly chat about something, which was happening with their counterparts, but most of the time they were quiet. On TV Derek and Karen were about to go to sleep. When TV-Karen entered the guest room, she suddenly stopped and looked directly at the sofa, which was in the exact same spot, as the real one, but looked much newer. For a moment her face looked disgusted by something on the sofa– like she seen giant roach on it. At this moment Karen suddenly felt very tired – her shoulders was stiff, stomach growled and eyes ached from looking at the screen. She started to realize, that she hasn’t ate or drank anything since the morning – she hasn’t even moved since then! She wanted to get up, go drink, eat, do something … but then TV-Karen changed her expression to usual cheery one and she almost instantly forget about everything, that wasn’t on the screen. She wasn’t even noticed sound of the footsteps behind the sofa – sound, that echoed one, coming from the TV. After several days Karen hasn’t moved an inch. Derek was nowhere to be seen – he went somewhere, saying something about buying another TV and she hasn’t seen him since. Not, that she would notice, even if he would come back. She completely forgot about him minutes after he left the couch. She hasn’t thought about Bobby either – of course, she was worried, whenever Bobby on TV was in trouble, but her real son stopped being one of her concerns – just like everything, outside the screen. Family from TV just finished eating dinner, as Karen opened the fridge and pulled out weird device. “Are you sure, honey?” asked Derek. It’s the first time in days, when he looked worried. “Well, first two already … finished. I doubt that she can hold on much longer.”  Said Karen, with a shrug and pressed the button. Screen suddenly went to static. At this instant Karen felt incredible pain through her whole body. Her eyes were hurting so much, that she wasn’t able to re-open them, every muscle in her body ached and felt stiff, and her throat felt, like it was filled with needles. She screamed, but all that came out, was pathetic whimper. Couch felt wet at mushy – by the stench around her, Karen realized, that she was sitting in her own filth. For how long she been sitting there? Why no one tried to help her? Where are her husband and son? All that questions were running through her mind. She tried to stand up, but her legs give out and she fell on the carpet in front on the TV. While she lay there, trying to get up, she heard sound of footsteps, getting closer to her. She tried to open her eyes, but they hurt too mush. “Oh my god, she still moving! Should I put the TV on again?” asked the voice, that sounded almost exactly like hers, only younger. “Don’t bother, honey” replied voice, that sounded almost, like it belonged to her husband “She won’t be able to do get up in that state. She probably die on her own in a couple of hours.” “ What if she calls for help?” asked woman’s voice. Karen tried to yell, but once again, was barely able to even utter a sound. “You see? She’s helpless. Just left her there and don’t worry about that darling. It’s our life now.” Answered man’s voice.  