August 8th, 1952. (770 hits)
Category: GeneralRating: 1.1 on 11 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by FearBenzene (View user info) at 2004-05-05 22:07:31 EDT
"Light is not recognized except through darkness."
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I was born with no name, no identity. I was brought into this world like any other, but abandoned before I had the gift of a name. If I had parents, I cannot remember anything about them. My family was the other children at the orphanage. I'd say that we took care of each other, but that would not do it justice. All of us forged a family, which made our bonds stronger than any blood. We spent our time at St. Vincent looking out for one another, trying to make a connection that is so natural for many.
I was given the name Tom Blume. I don't know who gave it to me, and I didn't care - this was not who I am. Some schmuck who didn't even know me gave me that name, and for all I care they can shove it, but I digress. This story isn't about the name, but my first adventure. It's interesting how time can freeze moments in the human mind...
The day was August 8th, 1952. I don't know why that always stuck with me, I've never been good with dates - I can't even remember the birthday they assigned me. It was a schorching day, to say the least, with the sun beating down onto the shithole that is Louisiana. It was only 8AM, which assured me that the day would get a hell of a lot hotter than this. Church was at 10, and that place was like an oven in the summer.
I had been up for a few hours, I can never sleep when the weather is like this anyways. Jake and Brett had been talking for weeks about this lake Jake had heard about while working at the meat shop, and today seemed like the perfect day to go check it out. We were all 12, and had finally gotten the freedom to get jobs instead of working at Vincents. Only things seperating us from the lake were church, authority, and transportation. Church and authority went hand in hand today, as we needed to devise a plan to escape. I sat on my bed, looking out the window, trying to develop one...
Jake was the first to wake up, and he knew what was on my mind. He came over to me, and asked if I had come up with anything yet. I shook my head in defeat, and continued brainstorming while I looked out the window. I knew that I couldn't rely on those two knuckleheads to come up with a plan, so I felt the overwhelming pressure mount as the clock ticked away. Brett woke shortly after Jake, and seemed clueless as to what we were doing staring out the window. Jake quietly clued him in as I continued my struggle.
It was about 9AM when I finally came up with a plan, and what a plan it was! After breakfast, we all would be escorted to the church that is part of Vincents, and be forced to sit through a 3 hour sermon. My plan of escape was to fake one of us being deathly sick, and having the other two take care of him for a few before coming to sermon a little late. Since we were older than most of the other kids, we were treated a bit less strict, and would be given this breif chance. From here, we would have to scale the side of Vincents two floors down and take off on foot. Of course we would have to get back there in three hours if we wanted this freedom intact, so we would have to hustle there and back.
The first part of the plan went flawlessly, as we were on the move less than three minutes after intitation. According to Jake, the lake was a two mile walk south of here, and we would have to hustle if we wanted to spend any time there. We jogged as long as we could, and reached our destination in about 25 minutes. I couldn't remember if I had ever seen a body of water, but if I did it could not compare to the paradise that was this place.
Jake was the first to throw himself in, with me and Brett quickly following. The water was better than I could have imagined, as we explored the area. We were so busy splashing around that it took us 10 minutes to realize there was a rope swing not 50 yards away. Brett made a quick dash for it and was the first to launch himself into the water, with myself second and Jake third. Jake far and away made the biggest splash, as he ended up hitting the water belly-first.
Now I believe in god, which still makes me wonder what we were thinking to this day. God chose Sunday as the holy day, and here we were splashing around like sinners while the rest of them were sweating themselves to death in church. We were getting ready to go back when Jake demanded one more swing off the rope. Brett and myself passed and waited for him to finish up. He took a huge running start, and must have gotten thirty feet into the air before letting go.
That was the last glimpse of Jake we ever saw.
We waited for one minute, then two. Then after five Brett jumped into the water, looking for him. Neither of us were good swimmers by any means, and Bretts efforts were in vain. We ran back to the orphanage for help and told them what we did and what happened. They didn't find Jake's body, and we were severely punished for what happened.
I carry this with me every day, as I do his name. I was born with nothing, now I am Jake.
User Reviews
Submitted by CunningVision (user info) at 2004-05-23 19:57:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This was good. I like how he carried on the lost kid's name.
Submitted by drink_DDT (user info) at 2004-05-23 19:47:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
August 8th is my birthday.
Submitted by BalloonKnot (user info) at 2004-05-23 19:36:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
poop
Submitted by kai070169 (user info) at 2004-05-14 12:49:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
crap is not recognized except through ubersite
Submitted by Scott_James (user info) at 2004-05-10 22:50:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by conrad (user info) at 2004-05-07 11:32:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Pretty good - a nice concept.
Submitted by Lucky (user info) at 2004-05-06 12:40:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I love people who can tell/write a good story.
Submitted by mystiamoon (user info) at 2004-05-06 02:45:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by FearBenzene (user info) at 2004-05-05 22:57:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Whoops. Forgot to mention that it's fiction.
Submitted by Spiral_Abraxis (user info) at 2004-05-05 22:55:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
...........What is someone supposed to say to this?
Submitted by youarsoghey (user info) at 2004-05-05 22:49:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This is fiction, correct?