Short Story

Franklin Chesterfield

By: Colin Jackson & Jared Courchene

 

  Once upon a time, in a small town not too far away, lived a young boy named Franklin Chesterfield. Franklin wasn’t a regular young man, while his peers were running around and playing tag and other things, Franklin would spend his days with his head in books and his mind slowly wandering off to far places he dreamed to see. Franklin was short with shaggy blond hair. He wore the same raggedy red sweater and torn jeans every day and was very soft spoken. When franklin was very young his parents got into a terrible accident which they did not survive so franklin was forced to live with his old aunt Helen. Helen was a mean woman. She only wore her hair in a tightly wrapped bun along with a withered long black dress. 

 

Not only was aunt Helen a mean woman in general but she was especially mean to Franklin. Everyday Franklin would sit in is room and try to drown out the constant screaming and nagging brought on by his forced legal guardian. But franklin was able to find joy in the smallest places. One of Franklin’s biggest obsessions was with toast. Nothing special, nothing unordinary, just regular buttered toast. Franklin loved toast so much he would dream about it. Unfortunately however franklin’s Aunt Helen rarely let him enjoy his favorite snack.

 “Franklin put down those tattered books and go wash those crummy dishes you’re always leaving everywhere!”  She would scream.

But Franklin never retaliated. He did as he was told and returned to his room to wait for his Aunts next demand. But Franklin’s life was not all misery, when franklin felt like getting away he had his own sanctuary, a place where he could go and experience the world through his eyes without being disturbed. And that’s where our story begins.

 

One day franklin was finishing washing the kitchen floor when his Aunt Helen walked slowly through the door way with her arms crossed. “Franklin?” She said.

Franklin looked up startled without saying anything while still holding the wet cloth in his hand.

 “Would you like some toast?” Helen continued.

Franklin looked up at his Aunt like a young Oliver Twist and said softly “Yes please.”

“Well you have a lot of chores to do before that, young boys need to learn discipline if they want to succeed.” Aunt Helen replied menacingly.

Franklin put his head down and continued his chores holding on to his built up aggression and bottling it up inside. Franklin finished his chores and went to bed still angry from the incident a few hours earlier. So angry he felt he needed to get away. So he slowly lifted up his bedroom window, climbed down the nearby storm drain and ran as quickly as he could towards the woods. Franklin’s special spot was a big boulder surrounded by low hanging trees in the forest circling his aunt’s house. It was a 5 minute walk to the spot and franklin could find it in his sleep. But on this particular night something amazing happened. He was making the same walk he always did, around the tall trees and through the long grass when he heard something strange in the bushes. “Hello?” said Franklin.

But there was no answer. “Is somebody there?” Franklin asked again.

But there was still no answer. As he crept slower and slower towards the grass he started to see the light. A florescent green light illuminating from the same small bush franklin had seen a thousand times before.  And as he crept slower and slower toward the light, he finally saw it. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Without talking or even moving franklin and the creature had an instant connection.  Franklin new he had to take it home. So he did. Franklin spent all night with his new friend, just thinking how lucky he had been finding such a magnificent thing in the most unlikely of places. Franklin knew he couldn’t let aunt Helen know about it. She would ruin everything like she always does. So Franklin hid it.  And it stayed hidden for months. It turned into Franklin’s obsession, like he was addicted to it. Every day he had to spend time with his friend or he would start get goose bumps all over his arms accompanied by cold chills that crawled up his spine. It was his everything.  But one day His aunt Helen got suspicious. “What do you do all day just sitting in your room?” she would shriek.

“Nothing.” Franklin would reply and slowly continue up the stairs.

Franklin new that the day where Aunt Helen and his friend would meet was coming soon but He had no idea when. Until one day Aunt Helens curiosity got the best of her. Franklin was in his room sitting crossed legged face towards his bed when Aunt Helen barged in. “what are you doing in her!” she yelled at him abruptly

“Nothing, leave me alone!” Franklin snapped back.

Aunt Helen was taken back. She had never heard her nephew speak to her in that tone.

“That’s It get down stairs and do the dishes this instant!” she replied, trying to take back control of the conversation.

“No I won’t!”  Franklin shouted back. Looking like all his emotions were about to explode through him in a very bad way.

“Do it now” Aunt Helen said quietly with her eye brows furrowed.

Franklin stood up walked past his Aunt Helen and closed the door behind him. Aunt Helen thought to herself and wondered why Franklin would be sitting alone facing the bed. And being her nosey self she just had to know. So she slowly fell to her knees to look under the bed. While this was happening Franklin was walking down the stairs towards the kitchen. But then he suddenly heard a big scream come from his room. He turned his head to see a bright green light fill his room and seep through the cracks of the closed door. Franklin turned around slowly, walked down the tall staircase, walked into the empty kitchen and treated himself to a couple pieces of freshly buttered toast. The End

 

 

 

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