Nightmare's Moral II

           It had been almost a year since Serena and her mother moved to New York City. She finished her senior year in high school and is now eighteen. It was the day after her graduation when her mother had something to tell her.

            “Serena,” Mrs. Brown said, “I’m afraid we’re gonna have to move again.”
            “How come?” asked Serena.

            “Have you been watching the news lately? Ever since the incident at Central Park last year, the murders around here have increased. A woman was stabbed to death while she was at an ATM machine. So you see it’s not safe for us here. We would have left a lot sooner, except I didn’t have the money. Now I do.”

            “Where are we moving?”

            “We’re moving back to Brigantine. And that’s not all. We may be living next door to Ricky and Cherie. The people in that house moved out last month, so now it’s vacant.”

            “How did you find out?”

            “I talked to the realtor. However, we’re gonna look at the house and make sure it’s good.”

            “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me since we’ve been here! I can’t believe we’re moving back!”

            “I’m glad you’re happy. I knew you would be. We’re leaving tomorrow so we can see the house.”

            Serena and her mother left New York and headed to Brigantine. When they arrived, they went to the realtor’s office.

            “Hi,” Mrs. Brown greeted the realtor, “I’m Esther Brown. I came to look at the house we talked about.”

            “How are you?” the realtor asked.

            “Fine. Oh, and this is my daughter, Serena.”

            “Hello, I’m Mr. Howard. How are you?”

            “Good,” Serena replied.

            After everyone exchanged greetings, they all went over to the house.

            “Wow!” Mrs. Brown exclaimed. “This house is beautiful! It’s much bigger than the house we have now.”

            Mr. Howard said, “There’s a nice backyard. There are also two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two showers. By the way, you won’t have to worry about getting too much for this house. You’re gonna have a washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, a microwave, heat, and air conditioning. Everything is already here and in good condition.”

            “Great. We’ll take it.”

            They continued to look at all the rooms in the house.

            “Thank you very much,” Mrs. Brown said.

            Mr. Howard replied, “You’re welcome.”

            Serena and her mother said good-bye to the realtor. Just as they were leaving, a car pulled up in the driveway next door. It was Mrs. Harris, Ricky and Cherie’s mother. Everybody greeted one another, and Mrs. Brown shared the good news.

            “You’re not gonna believe this,” she said, “but we were just looking at the house next door. I talked to the realtor and as soon as we finish packing and taking care of business, we’ll be moving in.”

            “Oh, that’s great!” exclaimed Mrs. Harris. “We’ll be closer than we were before, and the kids will be happy. You know, I was thinking. If you’re not heading back tonight, I thought we could all go out to eat. Then you guys could spend the night at my house. The kids will be here soon. How does that sound?”

            “That sounds great!”

            “So what brings you back here?”

            “I’ve been hearing about a lot of murders in our area lately, so I told Serena that we had to move again because it wasn’t safe.” Mrs. Brown went on to tell Mrs. Harris about the woman who had been stabbed to death at an ATM machine.

            “I’m glad you’re moving back here with us.”

            “Me too.”

            “I’ll say I’m glad,” Serena added, “because now I’ll have a lot more freedom just like old times.”

            Shortly after their conversation, Ricky and Cherie arrived. When everybody greeted each other, Mrs. Brown shared the story with the children.

            “Wow!” Cherie exclaimed. “Are you serious?”

            “I can’t believe it!” Ricky added. “Could I possibly be any happier?”

            Later on, they all went to Pizza Hut to eat. Then they went back to Mrs. Harris’ house. Serena and her mother spent the night. The next day, they headed back home.

            “Well,” said Mrs. Brown when they arrived at their house, “let’s start packing. Meanwhile, I’m gonna run down to my job and put in my notice. I’ll be right back, okay?”

            “Okay,” Serena replied.

            Mrs. Brown went to her job and let her boss know that she was resigning. After that was taken care of, she returned home. She and Serena continued packing. Two weeks later, everything was cleared out. Mrs. Brown had gotten a moving truck for the beds, furniture, and television. It was Friday on the day they moved out, and Mrs. Brown followed the truck all the way to their new house.

            When she and Serena arrived, they unpacked everything and brought it into the house. The moving men brought in their beds, furniture, and television. Serena and her mother were finally settled in. At the end of the night, they went to sleep.

            The next day, Mrs. Brown called Mrs. Harris to tell her that she moved into the new house. When Mrs. Harris heard the good news, she told Mrs. Brown that she would come by with Ricky and Cherie. After that, they said good-bye to each other and hung up.

            Later in the afternoon, she brought Ricky and Cherie over to Mrs. Brown’s house. They stayed at her house for a few hours. Before they left, Mrs. Harris invited Serena and her mother to the beach for the Fourth of July, which was a week away. Then everybody said good-bye to one another.

            When the Fourth of July finally came, they went to the beach within walking distance of their houses. It was two o’ clock in the afternoon. The beach was crowded because of the holiday. There were hardly any clouds in the sky. It was sunny out and the sky was blue. Everyone there was swimming in the water, sitting on the beach, eating, playing, and so on. The sounds of seagulls and waves crashing on the shore filled the air. The smell of salty sea water was so strong that one could almost taste it. While everybody was there, Serena hung out with Ricky and Cherie.

            “Let’s find some sand crabs,” Cherie said.

            Everyone agreed and got a bucket.

            Serena said, “All right, let’s start digging.”

            They were collecting sand crabs when a very attractive boy came over. “Hey, what are y’all doing?” he asked.

            Ricky replied, “We’re collecting sand crabs. Wanna join us?”

            “Yeah.”

            He started digging as well.

            “Who’s your friend?” he asked.

            “This is Serena,” Ricky answered.

            “Hey, Serena. I’m B.J.”

            “Hi,” she said in a shaky voice.

            Serena was swept away by B.J.’s appearance. He stayed with them for a while. As he was about to leave, he and Serena swapped numbers. After B.J. left, Serena was in a daze. “Who is he?” she asked. “Is he a friend?”

“Not really,” Cherie replied. “He’s just an acquaintance we met last year while you were in New York. I can tell by the look on your face that you’re in love with this guy.”

            “I don’t really know too much about him,” Ricky added. “I just see him around from time to time.”

            Serena said, “Well, I hope he’s as nice as he looks, because he’s the cutest guy I’ve ever seen.”

            The three of them decided to go swimming. After a few hours, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Harris met up with them.

            “We’re all going up on the boardwalk in Atlantic City to see the fireworks later on,” said Mrs. Brown.

            “We’ll be able to see them over the water,” Mrs. Harris added. “While we’re up there, we’re gonna have dinner.”

            Everyone was excited. Then they all left the beach and went home to change. After they got dressed, they left their houses. When they got to the boardwalk, they ate at the Rainforest Cafe. After dinner, it was a half hour before nine.

            “You know,” Mrs. Brown said, “we still have time before the fireworks start. Why don’t we pick up a few souvenirs while we’re waiting?”

            They spent the rest of the time going into the little stores, buying things. At nine, they watched the fireworks. After living in New York City on the last Fourth of July, Serena couldn’t have asked for a better Fourth of July holiday.

            “This Fourth of July is way better than the last one,” she said. “Last year, there was a party that wasn’t even safe for me to go to, so I had to stay home instead. But this year, I got to do everything. The beach, the boardwalk, the fireworks. What more could I ask for?”

            Cherie said, “You got that right. From what your mom told us, you wouldn’t have been able to have fun without having to worry about getting shot or something.”

            “That’s true,” Ricky added. “It’s a lot safer around here.”

            At the end of the night, everybody went home. Because the day was so busy, Serena hadn’t gotten a chance to tell her mother about B.J. The next day was when she talked about him. She showed her his phone number on a piece of paper.

            “Who’s B.J.?” Mrs. Brown asked.

            Serena replied, “Somebody that Ricky and Cherie knew since last year.”

            “When did you meet him?”

            “On the beach yesterday. Ricky introduced me to him. I hope we get to talk on the phone today. He is the cutest guy I’ve ever met.”

            “Well, that’s nice that you met someone new. Now, you make sure B.J. doesn’t turn out to be another Gary Moore. You hear me? Remember when you thought you absolutely had to be at that party at Central Park just because he was gonna be there? And he ended up getting arrested for selling drugs, didn’t he? All I’m saying is to be careful who you fall for.”

            “Okay.”

            Later that evening, the phone rang and it was B.J. Serena saw his name on the caller ID, and her heart skipped a beat. “Hello?” she said when she picked up the phone.

            “What’s up, Serena?” B.J. replied. “This is B.J.”

            “Hey, B.J., what are you doing right now?”

            “Nothin’. Just chillin’. You know, you didn’t really tell me too much about yourself yesterday. Where you from?”

            “I lived around here before, but we moved to New York City last year because my mom had gotten a new job there. Now did you hear about all the stuff that happened at Central Park that year?”

            “Yeah. There was a big story about it in the newspaper. A teenage boy was killed in a drive-by shooting after giving his girlfriend a ride home after their dinner date.”

            “Ever since the Central Park incident, there have been more murders in the area. My mom told me about a woman who was stabbed to death while she was at an ATM machine. We couldn’t afford to move at first. But the day after my graduation, she told me that we had to move again because it wasn’t safe. That’s why we’re back here in Brigantine.”

            “I’m glad you moved. This way I can spend time with you. And did I ever mention the fact that you’re hot?”

            “Oh, B.J., that is so sweet of you to say.”

            Serena and B.J. talked for about an hour. Then B.J. made plans for Serena to go out with him.

            “Hey, Serena,” he said, “why don’t we go out to dinner at Red Lobster on Saturday?”

            “That sounds great!” Serena exclaimed. “What time?”

            “I’ll pick you up at six thirty.”

“Okay.”  

Then they said good-bye to each other and hung up.

“Mom, guess what?” Serena said excitedly. “B.J. said he’s taking me to Red Lobster on Saturday!’

“Red Lobster?” Mrs. Brown repeated. “Don’t you think that’s a little extravagant for a first date with a guy you just met yesterday?”

            “Well, B.J. must really like me to be planning such a nice date.”

            “We’ll see.”

            Serena and B.J. talked on the phone everyday that week. When Saturday arrived, Serena was looking forward to the date. Time went by and B.J. still hadn’t called. Six thirty rolled around and the phone rang. Serena picked up the phone. “Hello?” she said.

            “Serena,” B.J. said in a weak voice, “I think I’m coming down with the flu, so I won’t be able to take you to Red Lobster tonight.” He coughed a few times.

            Serena said, “Oh, B.J., I’m sorry to hear that. Do you want me to come over?”

            “Actually, I really don’t feel up to any visitors tonight,” B.J. replied.

            “But I can take care of you.”

            “No offense, but if I really wanted you to come over, I would have asked you to,” B.J. said curtly.

            “Well, I hope you feel better.”

            Serena barely finished her sentence before B.J. hung up on her. He didn’t even say thank you. After she got off the phone with him, she was very sad and disappointed. When her mother saw her, she knew that things didn’t go very well with B.J.

            “What happened, dear?” she asked Serena.

            Serena replied, “B.J.’s not taking me to Red Lobster. He said he was coming down with the flu. I asked him if he wanted me to come over, and he said he didn’t feel up to any visitors. I told him that I could take care of him. And you know what he said? He said, ‘No offense, but if I really wanted you to come over, I would have asked you to.’ When I told him I hoped he felt better, he just hung up without even saying thank you.”

            “From what you told me, I really don’t think B.J.’s the guy for you.”

            “I don’t get it. He was so nice to me the day I met him and when we talked on the phone all week. And the day we’re supposed to go out, he treats me like dirt.”

            “I’ll tell you what I think. Either that flu has made him cranky or he just straight up lied to you. I’m gonna call his mother right now and get to the bottom of this. Can you give me his number?”

            Serena gave her mother the piece of paper with B.J.’s phone number on it. Mrs. Brown dialed the number and Mrs. Davis, B.J.’s mother, answered the phone.

            “Hello?” Mrs. Davis said.

            Mrs. Brown said, “Hi, this is Mrs. Brown. I’m Serena’s mother. B.J. made plans to take her out to Red Lobster tonight, but he cancelled on her. He told her he was sick. How is he?”

            “Oh, he’s fine. In fact, he’s not even here. He took his girlfriend to Red Lobster.”

            “Well, that explains his rude behavior.” Mrs. Brown went on to tell Mrs. Davis what B.J. had done to Serena and how he had hung up on her.

            “I’m sorry that happened,” said Mrs. Davis. “My son can be a real jerk when it comes to girls. I’m gonna have to have a long talk with him when he gets home. I hope your daughter will get through this.”

            “Thank you for your concern,” Mrs. Brown said.

            “No problem.”

            After that, they said good-bye to each other and hung up.

            “What did she say, Mom?” Serena asked.

            “Well, Serena,” replied Mrs. Brown, “let’s just say that your Prince Charming is a two-timing faker.”

            “What are you saying?”

            “B.J. promised you a date to Red Lobster. Then he pretended to be sick so he could take his girlfriend instead. That’s why he hung up on you. See, I knew that date sounded a little too good to be true. Red Lobster costs a good amount of money and is not an appropriate first date. Whenever a guy who just met you makes those kinds of plans, there’s a good chance he may be setting you up.”

            “B.J. never told me he had a girlfriend! I really liked him! How could he do this to me?”

            “Because he’s a creep. But why are you so hung up on him? I thought you liked Ricky. Remember what a great time you had at the movies with him?”

            “Yeah, but it’s not like that with Ricky.”

            “When I talked to Ricky and Cherie before they came up to visit us last year, I told them what had happened. That’s why Ricky took you to the movies.”

            “He’s very sweet, but it was more like being with a friend. It was strange the way I liked him in the dream scene where I was in the dragon’s lair.”

            “Since things didn’t work out with B.J., you could check and see if Ricky’s available. He’s better than Gary Moore and B.J.”

            “It seems like I can never like the right guys!” Serena cried, trying to hold back tears. “Gary Moore’s a drug dealer and B.J.’s a creep! Neither one of them liked me! This is the worst night of my life all thanks to B.J.!”

            With that, she ran upstairs to her room, crying. She laid down in her bed and got under the covers. An hour later, Mrs. Brown came to her door.

            “Honey,” she said, “dinner’s ready.”

            “I’m not very hungry tonight,” Serena replied.

            “Okay.”

            Mrs. Brown left the room, and Serena continued to cry. At one point, she stopped crying.

            “If only B.J. could be more like Ricky,” she thought.

            Suddenly, it was daylight outside. The sky was a midnight blue. Serena was still lying in bed, crying when she heard a tap on the window. She looked outside and saw that it was Ricky. He wasn’t sitting or standing on anything.

            “Ricky!” Serena exclaimed. “You’re floating!”

            “That’s because I can fly,” Ricky said. “Can I come in?”

            Serena opened the window and he flew in. She sat down on her bed, and Ricky saw the sad look on her face. “Have you been crying?” he asked.

            “Yeah,” Serena replied. “B.J. did something terrible to me.”

            “You mean the boy I introduced you to last week? What did he do?”

            “He was nice to me all week. Then he promised me a date to Red Lobster and cancelled on me. As it turned out, he already had a girlfriend. He pretended to be sick and took her to Red Lobster instead.” Serena also told Ricky about how rude B.J. was and how he hung up on her. “You said you didn’t know much about him. I’ll tell you one thing about him. He’s a creep.”

            “Don’t worry, Serena,” replied Ricky. “You’ll get through this.” He sat down next to her and put his arm around her. “You’ve been cooped up in your room for too long. Come with me and I’ll take you away from all this.”

            “Where are we going?” Serena asked.

            “We’re going flying in the sky.”

            “Really? This is better than any date, or should I say non-date with B.J. Wait a minute. You can fly, but how will I fly?”

            “Take my hand and you’ll be able to fly, even if you let go. Have faith.”

            Serena and Ricky flew out the window, holding hands. Then they started flying higher and higher. Suddenly, they came to a make-believe place in the sky. The sky was blue and was like a lagoon. The clouds were like islands, and there was a big rainbow. Serena and Ricky flew to the top of the rainbow and slid down together. Then they flew around all day until sunset. After that, they landed on a cloud and rested.

            “Ricky,” said Serena, “this is the best time I’ve ever had in my entire life.”

            “I’m so glad to see you happy again,” replied Ricky. “I couldn’t bear to see you so heartbroken over a guy who cares nothing about you. But you know something? I care about you.”

            “You do? You are so sweet. I had no idea you felt this way about me.”

            Serena and Ricky looked into each other’s eyes. Then they put their arms around each other. Suddenly, Ricky vanished into thin air. “Ricky!” Serena screamed. “Where’d you go?”

            The next thing she knew, she found herself in a dark dimension in outer space. She was floating in a pitch black sky. “Where am I?” she shouted. “Ricky, are you here?”

            “No, but I am,” came a sinister female voice.

            “Who said that?”

            The evil space being revealed herself with a blue glowing light surrounding her. She was in spirit form and wore a necklace with a black star on it. “Let me introduce myself,” she said. “I am Queen Deathstar, queen of the Black Star Dimension. Now let me guess. You must be looking for someone.”

            “If you mean Ricky, then I am!” Serena retorted. “What have you done with him?”

            Queen Deathstar took Serena to an area where there were blue lights. This area had a marble floor. “Look beneath you,” she said.

            Serena gasped as she looked down. Ricky was in a dream box, fast asleep. The dream box was transparent.

            “What did you do to him?” Serena demanded.

            “I injected him with a tranquilizer,” Queen Deathstar said. “He’s in a deep sleep. There’s only one way to wake him up. Someone will have to go to the Black Star Garden and get the cure from a blue flower. It is the only blue flower in the garden. In the center of it, there’s a sticky liquid. When it’s given to Ricky, he will wake up. But not just anybody can do this. It has to be the person he cares about.”

            “The person he cares about. Why, that’s me.”

            “That’s right. When you get the flower, take off the center bulb and put the liquid on your lips. When your lips touch his, he will wake up and you two will be free to go. But you must do it before sunrise. If you don’t, Ricky will be mine, and you will be thrown into the black hole. The garden has enough light for you to see, but there are lots of flowers surrounding the blue flower. I’ll open up the floor, and Ricky will be right here for you when you get back. Good luck.”

            Serena went off on the journey to the Black Star Garden.

            “Oops,” said Queen Deathstar in a dark tone of voice. “I forgot to mention that the garden causes people to hallucinate. If Serena is so distracted by images that aren’t there, she’ll be stalled for time long enough for sunrise to arrive. Then Ricky will be mine, and she will be sucked into the black hole.” She laughed an evil laugh.

            On the way to the Black Star Garden, Serena was flying through the dark sky with blue laser lights lighting the way. Because Queen Deathstar hadn’t given her directions, she didn’t know how to get there. She just kept flying until she came to a portal. Serena flew through and landed in the garden. The garden had more light than any other place in the Black Star Dimension and was full of flowers of all kinds. The sky was blue and it was sunny.

            Serena found herself amongst the flowers. She started walking around, looking for the blue flower. It took her a couple of hours to find it. She picked it up and started heading back to where Queen Deathstar was holding Ricky captive. Before she could find the portal, she heard a voice from behind. “Serena,” she heard the voice say.

            Serena looked back and saw B.J. “B.J.!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

            “I just wanted to apologize for the way I treated you,” said B.J. “If there’s any way I can make it up to you, just let me know.”

            “You know, that’s very nice of you, B.J., but I have to get this flower to Ricky.”

            “Well, before you go, there’s one thing I’d like to give you.”

            “What’s that?”

            “Close your eyes and pucker up.”

            Serena closed her eyes and got ready to kiss B.J. Seconds had passed and she hadn’t gotten her kiss. When she opened her eyes, she realized that B.J. had vanished. “B.J.!” she called out. “Where’d you go?”

            Suddenly, Serena heard Queen Deathstar’s voice say, “Before sunrise.”

            “Oh, no!” she gasped. “I have to get back to Ricky before sunrise!”

            Serena flew up into the sky until she reached the portal to leave the garden. When she got back to Ricky, his dream box was on the surface of the floor and it was open. Queen Deathstar was nowhere in sight. Serena took the center bulb off the flower and put the sticky liquid on her lips. She bent down to put her lips on Ricky’s.

            “Get away from him!” Queen Deathstar suddenly shouted.

            Serena turned around and saw that Queen Deathstar had returned. Then she bent back over towards Ricky. Her lips were less than an inch away from his when Queen Deathstar saw sunrise approaching down below. Serena’s lips were getting closer and closer to Ricky’s when Queen Deathstar closed his dream box.

            “You’re too late!” she shrieked. “You’re too late! Ha! Ha! Ricky’s mine now and you’re history!” She put Ricky’s dream box back under the floor. “It’s the black hole for you, girl!”

            “Let me go!” Serena screamed when Queen Deathstar seized her.

            She took Serena and threw her up towards the black hole. In mid-air, black, shadowy hands reached out and snatched her up. They looked like claws. Serena was screaming on the way in. As soon as she went inside, she woke up, screaming. She was in a cold sweat, gasping.

            It was ten thirty at night. Serena got out of bed and went downstairs. Mrs. Brown was sitting on the couch, reading a book. She saw the frightened look on Serena’s face.

            “Serena!” she gasped. “What happened to you? Did you have another nightmare like you did last summer?”

            “Yeah,” replied Serena. “It started out as a good dream, and then it became frightening.” She told her mother everything that had happened.

            “So after all this,” she continued, “I can contrast B.J. and Ricky. Before the dream became a nightmare, Ricky was very loving and told me that he cared about me. When I was in the Black Star Garden in Queen Deathstar’s dimension, B.J. promised me a kiss and disappeared. This dream has made me realize that Ricky cares more about me than B.J. ever will, even if we are just friends. It’s better to have a good male friend who treats you right than it is to date a guy who breaks your heart.”

            Mrs. Brown replied, “You’re right about that. By the way, I just got a call from B.J.’s mother to warn you about B.J. She told me that he and his girlfriend had gotten into a big fight on their date.”

            “What happened?”

            “B.J. wouldn’t let her look at the menu. He just snatched it from her. When she wouldn’t let him order for her, he slapped her across the face and left a handprint. He made such a scene that someone called the police. Within minutes, the police came and escorted him out of the restaurant. His girlfriend broke up with him, and he was arrested for disorderly conduct. B.J.’s in the system, you know. He has also abused previous girlfriends before this one.”

            “And to think I was gonna go to Red Lobster with him. So not only is B.J. a creep, but he’s also an abuser. Good thing he did cancel our date, otherwise that could have been me.”

            “That’s right. Now, you make sure you stay away from him. You hear me?”

            “Yes, Mom.”

            After the two of them had finished swapping stories, Serena heated up her dinner and ate. When she went back to bed, she thought about how kind Ricky had been to her in her dream. Suddenly, she started developing feelings for him. Then she fell asleep.

            The next day, Serena called Mrs. Harris’ house and asked to speak to Ricky. When Ricky answered the phone, she told him everything that had happened with B.J., including the dream she had the night before.

            “After everything you’ve told me,” Ricky said, “I’m glad you didn’t go on that date with B.J. or you might have gotten hurt. Now I know everything I need to know about him. I wish I would have known before.”

            Serena said, “You know, I’ve been thinking about you. Out of all the guys I’ve ever met in my entire life, you’re the best one. I really like you.”

            “To be honest, Serena, I feel the same way about you.

            “Ricky, you’re making my dream come to life.”

            “Who says dreams don’t come true? Here’s the good news for you. You won’t have to worry about any more guys like B.J. or Gary Moore. You know why? Because I know how to treat you right, honey. You wanna go out sometimes?”

            “Oh, Ricky, I will definitely go out with you.”

            When she told her mother about Ricky, she was very pleased and approved of the two of them going out. Serena and Ricky became the perfect couple.

 

END

Author's Note

This story was written in the summer of 2007. (8/21/07)