Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-25418458-20141026004333

Matthew raked the leaves as pumpkin spice filled his nostrils. He could smell his mother's cooking even from yards away. It was almost 7:00 p.m. and the sun was already halfway set in the sky. The trees were nearly barren and the autumn leaves November was rolling around the corner without warning. He had finished surprisingly early with his chores and was ready to call it quits. They lived on a small acre plot with a chicken coop and a pig pen. Drooping eyes and tired limbs didn't help to ease his exhaustion. Matthews cheeks flushed red and burned against the frosty breeze. Matthew continued to rake through the fatigue, regardless of the pounding pain in his arms or legs. Matthew heard the crackle of leaves behind him. Then he heard nothing. A few seconds passed and he heard them again this time getting very close to him. His raking slowed as they got closer to him. His knees felt as if they lost all blood and became like stone. He felt the hair on his arms prick up and grow goose bumps. He felt something take a shallow breath ear his lower back. Matthews breath almost ceased up. The ones that squirmed out of his lips appeared as white powder that disappeared in an instant. Then something crawled up his back. He didn't look down at where it had crawled. His left shoulder. He let it rest there, hoping it would go away. It was only then he saw a slight movement. And then he felt most of its weight disappear. Matthew mustered up his courage and decided to move his head inch by inch to take a peek. As he did so the creature began to wear a silhouette he'd seen before. It was a cockroach with a shiny oak brown shell. Antennae twitching, its body moved just slightly towards his neck. Matthews eyes grew large and his throat held back a scream. It hoisted its body onto Matthews neck, its small legs coursed across his flesh stopped at the back of his head. Panicking he dropped the rake and grabbed at his body crazily, like a madman. Doing his best to get the roach off of him. He heard the footsteps move back a smidge and he hear an all too familiar laughter. Lily was laughing childishly. He hated when she did this. The sound of her laughter intensified as he finally grabbed hold of the bug and chucked it as far as he could. She grinned widely as Matthew frowned in anger. “Mom says dinner is ready Matthew. We got to go eat.” she giggled, and ran at full speed towards the house “ Race you” she called backwards. Matthew trudged slowly behind still recovering from the trauma he had just experienced. After making it to the house. It turned out that Matthews mother had made a wonderful meal. Ham and potato soup with Italian bread on the side and pumpkin spice cupcakes. His mother had laid some food aside for just for her husband got home. The family spent the evening talking about how their day went and how their last day of school went. Later on, they played Connect Four, Uno, and Perfection all while enjoying the quiet fire that illuminated the living room and brought smoke out the chimney.

That’s how it went. The way Matthew put it. It made no sense. My hands locked together as I listened. I Kelvin Johnson couldn’t make heads nor tails of the endeavor. The way it started shouldn’t have gone this way. Whatever cause it must have been under extraordinary circumstances. From what he told me earlier, I could tell puzzle pieces were missing  would have to weave them together through my head to find the  answer. As I stared back into the glasses of this dark haired kid. I knew he was serious. 