"Austin, what you doing over there? Ma just got home, and she sent me to tell you that you better get your behind back foe she has to come looking for you."
Austin sat down on the ground, almost on top of the hole that buried his new prize. He tried to control his breathing so Tyson wouldn't suspect anything. He didn't know where these new thoughts were coming from that compelled him to hide what he was doing.
"Ty, what're you doing over here? There's no reason for you to come looking for me. I told you I would be right back and not to worry. What did you tell Ma anyway?" He said this as he nursed his torn and bleeding hand and rubbed it under his shirt.
"I didn't tell Ma nothing. She asked me where you had got to when she got home and I didn't know, cause you didn't tell me nuthin about you leaving." Tyson hopped from foot to foot trying to get as close to Austin as he could.
"Well, here I am, what do you want?"
"Nuthin, just that you better get back home."
"I'm coming, just taking a little break here under this old bush. It's nice and cool here. Austin got up from the ground and walked over to Tyson as if nothing was wrong. He even put his arm around his shoulder in a brotherly hug. "Come on let's go home. Maybe Ma has something good to eat cooking up."
Tyson looked at Austin as if something was not quite right. Austin did seem to shine a little bit. Or, was it just sweat on his skin that made him appear shiny? Tyson being just eight didn't give it too much thought before he was on to something else. "Why were you digging in the ground under that bush? What you trying to hide?"
Austin pretended not to hear his brother, and possibly would have gotten away with it, if not for the tell-tale dirt and blood that was all over his dark hands.
"Why you acting so funny?" Tyson said as he tried to look at Austin's hands.
"Let's just go home and see what's for dinner. I'm hungry. I bet Ma cooking some fried chicken and rice." Austin took off running down the street. All the while he wanted to go back and snatch his new prize from under the mound of dirt it buried itself in. He was too excited and was deviously plotting ways to come back after dinner and get it.
IT WAS 8:30PM AND AUSTIN pretended to be watching television. His favorite show was on; but it couldn't penetrate the layer of desire that filled his heart for his prize. He couldn't think of it any other way but his. The silly laugh track was distracting him from figuring out a way to get back to the deserted lot.
Austin looked over to where his mother was sitting in her favorite chair. She looked tired, and he noticed on several occasions she nodded off to sleep. She won't notice if I go back to the lot to get my prize. I just have to get away from Ty, he thought. Tyson was lying on the floor near his mother's feet, idly flipping from side to side.
I don't know why I put up with his silly ways. He don't do nothing but whine and act like a baby. I wish he'd just disappear. Austin didn't know where these thoughts were coming from. He really loved his brother. They were all each other had. He got up to go to the room he shared with his brother.
"Where ya going, I want to come too." Tyson leaped up from the floor as if to follow.
"Leave me alone, you don't need to follow me everywhere I go. Go sit down and shut up with your stupid self. I hate you."
Austin shocked himself. He had never talked to his brother like that before. He was breathing hard and just wanted to run out of the house and get back to the lot.
"Austin, what's wrong with you? You know better than to treat your brother like that. You’re supposed to be his big brother, not his tormentor." Austin's mother suddenly awake from her small nap said. "What are you doing anyway?"
Austin tried to think of something to appease his mother and get rid of his brother. "Ma, I got to go to the bathroom, my stomach is hurting real bad and besides Ty don't need to go everywhere with me. I need to go to the bathroom, that's all."
"Boy, you better remember whose house you're in. I don't want no games out of you. Go on to the bathroom and then get ready for bed. Y’all may not have school tomorrow, but I do have to get up and go to work and I don't want to be disturbed with all your foolishness. You understand? Tyson, leave your brother alone and you can get ready for bed after Austin comes out."
"Yes ma'am," both boys answered together.
Austin hurriedly ran into the bathroom, sat down on the side of the tub, and turned on the water. What to do now? He suddenly had a plan and it all depended on making Tyson go to sleep for a very long time.
To be continued
Year 2175
One Hundred Years After
01200 HOURS
“Who was that on the cell?”
Mom turned her motorized legs towards me. Usually it would turn her whole body around, but it had been malfunctioning lately. Her upper torso was still facing forward. I was standing to her right, while she continued to stare at the shuttered window in front of her.
It wasn’t a pleasant sight. The thing looked like something from the old west days. It resembled a saddle, except it covered her from her upper back down to
