As the babysitter entered through the front door, we couldn’t help but notice a little friend she had located on neck. I think she noticed us staring as she immediately sent me to bed rather than waiting an hour, to put me to bed on my actual time like my parents gave her directions.
In my bedroom, as she told me about the details of why children should get more sleep, I couldn’t help but stare at the rather large mole located on her neck. It seemed to pulsate with every heart beat that sent blood flowing through her veins. My eyes seemed to suddenly gain a magical binocular power, I felt as if I was so closed to the brown skin tag, I could have touched it with my nose. A single hair grew from its center, the hair was a color darker than the floorboards. I wondered if all old people got moles. I would certainly have it removed, if it had taken residence on my neck. It was obviously very eye catching, every conversation this woman must have must revolve around the person’s lack of eye contact. Could she not see it? Did she not own any mirrors? Surely she couldn’t be married. So many questions I had for this woman, and yet I was stuck in bed, her second head staring me in the face.
After she finished her speech, and had returned to the living to watch the television, there was a knock on my door. Not just any knock, but the secret family knock. I jumped out of bed and tip toed to the door. It was Ben.
“Come to our room, we don’t want you falling asleep and ruining the entire plan.” He said putting his arm around my shoulders, and guiding me to his and John’s room. I lay down on the floor in front of the dresser and waited for my shining moment, it came quickly. I had already fallen asleep, when the time came that Ruth shook my shoulders to wake me.
“Alright it’s time.” John said looking at the watch on his wrist. “I’ll go get in place, Ruth you take her down stairs to the mole, and Ben you stay in here until you hear it.” John stood up, and went to my room. Ruth led me down the stairs to the living room, and quickly sprinted back up as soon as I had reached the mark. I shuffled over to the babysitter, rubbing my eyes for added effect.
“I’m scared.” I whispered.
“Scared of what? There ain’t nothing to be scared of. Except maybe this house.” She snapped. Her white curly hair shook with every consonant she spat at me, along with her extra chin.
“There is something in my closet.” I sniffled. She rolled her eyes, and groaned as she stood and pushed me towards my bedroom. I smiled when she could no longer see my face. Once at my bedroom, I stood in the doorway pointing to the closet at the end of my bed. When the mole turned to open the door and show me that there was nothing in my closet, I backed up and allowed Ben and Ruth to do their job. It all happened so fast. First, the mole opened the door, and inside John, wearing a Davey Crockett hat, through up his arms and began growling. Ben and Ruth shut the door, holding it shut, as screams erupted from inside my bedroom. All of us were laughing so hard in the hallway that we had no idea that we had a man down inside the room. The mole began banging on the door and shouting for us to let her out. We could no longer hear John growling, and jumping.
I shoved through Ben and Ruth and turned the door handle, the mole sprinted out of the room, down the hall, and out the front door. She wasn’t coming back. Inside my room, John was in the fetal position on the floor.
“John? Are you okay?” Ben asked. John ripped the ski mask from his face.
“She punched me in the eye!” He said laughing. “She actually punched me in the eye!” He laughed even harder.
My parents were not laughing when they arrived home but by then we had changed our expressions to that of extreme shame. John looked even more pitiful then the rest of us, with a bag of peas stuck to his eye. When they first arrived home we were all in our separate hiding places, trying to escape the punishment that we were sure would be coming soon enough. Ruth was the first to submit to their calls for us, she came from underneath the stairs, unaware of my secret hiding hole, and slowly walked to our parents with her head bowed. I could hear them asking their questions, gritting their teeth at yet another disgruntled babysitter. They eventually called us all out, promising our punishment would be less severe if we were to show ourselves now. I, of course, wanted to avoid as much punishment as possible so I ran quickly up the stairs.
“Don’t think this is getting you out of any punishment, because there will be punishment.” My father shook his finger in front of our faces. “But, your mother and I were talking at dinner, and we decided that we feel that you are old enough to watch yourselves now. But, Sydney cannot be left alone.” Ruth squeezed my shoulders in excitement that her status as a woman was coming into play. “We will be going to the out again tomorrow evening, and this will be the trial run for this no babysitter business. We will see how it goes then.”
John removed the peas from his eyes to share a high five of excitement with Ben.
“Now, back to the punishment…” My father repeated, getting back to the point.
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