Chapter Seven

The Jack-in-a-box

A jack-in-the-box is a toy for children, the little tin brightly colored to appeal to young eyes. The handle, when turned, plays a melody, until the doll inside springs from the box to create innocent surprise in the child.

There is a box that doesn’t work as expected, however. The handle is never turned, the box painted not with bright colors, but khaki and green. Every so often it twitches and jumps, its prisoner growing impatient to be released. After a while of shaking the box the doll gives up, and retreats to a corner where it sits huddled like a desolate child, wondering if that time will ever come.

Once in a while, a crack of light shines into the box, the lid opened by curious fingers. Gentle eyes peer into the cold prison, catching maybe a glimpse of this little doll, its arm outstretched as it gazes with pleading eyes up at those gazing down on it.

“Help me, please,” it whimpers, tears welling at its eyes, “Get me out of here!”

The box is cruelly snatched from the clutches of whoever holds it, the lid closed. Its chance at freedom gone once more, the doll sobs into its knees, longing desperately for the light of the outside world, to see past the cold walls and experience love, warmth, respect… none of which can be found in this harsh place.

The doll is me. My prison is the empty shell my father has become, and what he aims to make of me. The eyes from outside belong to my brother, the only one in the house who can see the doll inside, the person I truly am and wish to be. My father plucks me from his grasp just as he manages to open the lid, snapping it shut on his fingers and causing him to wince in pain. Gone are the cries and the tears that pain used to trigger, they merely build inside my brother and I. Those cries from my inner self reverberate around the metal walls, distorting and becoming rage, hatred, aggression, electrifying the container and hurting all who touch it.

Only recently has the handle been turned. In the absence of our father, the momentarily unguarded box has been picked up, its harmful shielding neutralized by the loving hands of my brother as he plays patiently with the toy. The melody has never been heard, but now sounds so beautiful and serene, wiping the tears from my cheeks and bringing a smile to my face for the first time. The feeling is alien, but more than welcome as I finally spring forth from the metal tin keeping me captive. The light hurts my eyes, but is worth getting used to.

There is much to learn in this world, and I only hope the spring can be detached from my feet, to grant me the true freedom to try.

The English teacher hastily dried the tears from her cheeks as she placed her fingers in the pages, closing the exercise book on them to check the name upon the front cover. She made a mental note to keep the student behind after their next class for a quiet word, and made another to find out about the help this student so plainly needed.

“Seven days to the woooolves; where will we beeeeee wheeeen they coooooome…”

Ripp continued to sing and endeavoured to encourage Tank to join, aware of their father’s disapproving gaze but not caring. Tank just giggled as he watched, but Ripp’s mirth was infectious and before he could stop himself, he began to hum along as his hands tapped on his legs.

“Just take care out there, huh?” Buzz chipped in with concern, “Who’s taking you?”

Ripp’s smile slipped from his face as he addressed him.

“Friend of mine,” he replied stiffly.

“What friend is this?” Buzz challenged, growing suspicious.

“Just a friend,” came the evasive reply.

Moments later a familiar car pulled up, its horn honking beckoningly at the two teenagers, who eagerly left as Buzz peered out of the window to catch a better glimpse of the vehicle. His eyes narrowed as he recognised it, and started after them.

“You’re not going with the Smiths!?” he yelled at them, growing frustrated at their unresponsiveness. “Hey!!”

“Laters!” came Ripp’s cheery farewell as he boarded their mode of transport for the day.

Tank had decided, deliberately on seeing the passengers, to take the front seat, and had barely sat down before addressing the retired alien at the wheel.

“Go!” he commanded, looking back through the window at their advancing father. Peter had only to follow his gaze for a moment before obliging, leaving his foe in the dust as he stared angrily after the departing car.

“Phew,” Tank sighed as he gazed out of the window once more, “That was too close!”

Johnny gave a little titter as Ripp turned back round in his seat, having given a gleeful wave at his father as they left.

“He probably thinks we’ll get taken away to some spaceship or somethin’,” Ripp giggled, before turning the subject back to the now impending festival as he began to drum on his legs. The mood was catching, and Tank watched with an intrigued smile as his brother, Johnny and Ophelia began to sing, the two boys in the back playing invisible instruments as they did so.

“I’d love to see you on the real thing,” he remarked dryly.

“Hey, you’re welcome to join us next rehearsal if you like,” Johnny invited.

“I might just do that,” Tank agreed slowly, a fond smile taking hold of his lips, “When is it you practice, Tuesdays?”

“Yep,” Ripp replied, continuing to air-drum and catching Johnny with a stray swing of his arm.

“Hey!” Johnny nudged teasingly, “Do I look like a drum kit?!”

Ripp wore a cheeky grin at his complaint, responding by flicking his wrists in a drum roll as he turned to face him, bopping his blond mop with a pretend drumstick. Smiling knowingly, Johnny replied by clutching his fingers.

“Now whatcha gonna do?!”

Ripp laughed as he struggled softly against his grip, his other arm diving toward his waist in the hope of prodding his ribs. Johnny’s honed reflexes were faster, and his free arm moved swiftly to grab his hand.

“Hah, at my mercy now!” he proclaimed triumphantly.

Ripp chuckled at first, until he grew aware of a gentle squeezing of his hands. Johnny’s expression had changed too, and as Ripp studied him his heart skipped a beat, upon noting a sparkle in his green eyes.

“You make it sound like a bad thing,” he half-whispered in reply with a wistful smile. His hands twisted in his grip to return his caresses as he fanned the flames he’d struggled for so long to control.

Johnny didn’t respond with words, just an affectionate smile as he felt his heart begin to race, consumed by the inferno now raging within his heart. The smile faded as he moved closer, aware that Ripp was doing likewise, and gently tugged his arms towards him to bring him nearer still.

Their breathing became deeper as their noses brushed against each other, their eyelids slowly gliding shut at the feel of their breath on each other’s faces. Johnny’s head tilted to the side as he moved to place a lingering kiss on Ripp’s lips, releasing a hand to sweep the long brown hair from his face. Their arms slowly encircled one another before their lips parted for but a moment, the two boys manoeuvring themselves to get a better hold of each other as they once more tasted the flavour of each other’s mouths. Their grip tightened as their lips locked together, Johnny pulling him closer and onto his lap as their hands began to wander, with little moans of delight rising from their throats that drowned out even the loudest of sounds.

Ophelia watched with an ever-growing grin, silently pumping her fist as she did so. Tank gave a quiet little chuckle as he noticed her, guessing that she’d made plans for such a thing to happen, before he wore a fond smile of his own as he too watched them in their loving embrace. He felt an inward relief at learning that Ripp’s affections weren’t wasted, although in the way Johnny had hugged him back that day, he started to wonder if he too had maybe hinted at which boat he was really on.

In the slow-moving traffic, another car was inching its way along the road past theirs, its stereo blaring heavy metal from its speakers. The car carried a group of teenagers, two of them being Lilith Pleasant and her partner, Dirk Dreamer, who were also now enjoying a tender moment, before their friend in the front turned to face them. The couple broke away just in time to find him wearing a look of amazement and disgust, gesturing frantically behind them.

Frowning in bewilderment, they turned to follow his gaze, and their faces dropped at what they saw.

“Oh my God…!” Dirk remarked slowly.

Lilith opened her mouth about to agree, but something about one of the males in the back of the other car jumped out at her. For a start there was the unnatural tint to his skin…

“Johnny Smith??” she checked aloud.

“No way!!” her boyfriend exclaimed, taking a closer look. “Who’s that other guy?”

“Looks like… Ripp Grunt, I think,” she observed, “I know Angela said he was on the other tree, but then she comes out with some shit sometimes…”

“Not this time it seems,” their friend confirmed, scanning the other seats in the car. “Definitely Ripp, I see his big brother… who’s just sat there watchin’ it goin’ on!? I’m surprised he ain’t about to kill ‘im!”

“Whoops,” Dirk uttered, ushering their attentions back to the two in the front of their own car.

Ophelia’s smile slipped as she noticed they’d attracted an unwelcome audience, and prodded the half-alien’s ribs, causing him to flinch involuntarily and give a muffled shriek as he pulled away from Ripp’s grip.

“What?!” he complained, but as his head turned to face her, he caught sight of the other car, his face falling as he recognised the occupants.

“Oh…”

Ripp slid off his lap as he followed their gaze. As they gave them another passing glance, Ripp delivered the same cheery wave he did to Buzz. It seemed to work, as those in the other car hastily turned back round in their seats.

Tank didn’t see his brother’s antics however, preoccupied with the passengers of the passing vehicle. Still they turned back round occasionally, causing him to scoff a little before he opened the car window wide, muttering something to himself as he leaned out of the vehicle to give a piercing whistle.

Eventually it was answered, when Lilith leaned out of her window to face him, gesturing vaguely with one arm as she did so.

“You don’t like it, don’t watch!” Tank bellowed, partly to be heard above the music and partly to cover the now growing distance between the cars.

Johnny watched from the back with intrigue, now gripping the hand of his new love.

“Is this the same guy who tried to beat the shit outta me last week for bein’ green?!”

“No,” Ripp grinned as he leaned his head back to address him, propping his head on Johnny’s shoulder. “That’s the whole point.”

His message delivered, Tank ducked back into the car, noticing the impressed glance from their driver.

“True ain’t it?” he shrugged.

“Certainly is,” Peter agreed, before addressing the younger Grunt in the back. “I don’t know what magic you worked on this guy, but don’t suppose it’d work on you-know-who…?”

“That’s the plan,” Ripp agreed, his face falling into a frown, “Tank was just a warm-up compared to what I’m gonna face with Dad, but I have to try.”

The excitement was mounting as they made their way through the ticket booths and onto the festival grounds. Tank was quickly becoming discontent however, if only for a practical reason.

“Damn,” he complained, clutching his belly, “I’m hungry…”

Ripp merely sniggered in reply, before following with spoken words.

“What else is new?!” he teased.

Tank clipped the back of his head in reply, a knowing smile on his face.

“Hey, don’t start on me!” Ripp retaliated playfully, swiping with his arm.

Tank laughed as he easily dodged, before another voice joined the longing for sustenance.

“I’m getting kinda hungry myself,” Johnny frowned.

“Me too,” Ophelia agreed.

Ripp gave an exaggerated sigh as he looked about them, showing his mild annoyance at being outnumbered. That feeling didn’t last when a growl sounded from his own stomach.

“Damn,” Ripp surrendered, “Okay, where’s the nearest burger bar…?”

“That’s better,” Ripp grinned, before eyeing his brother, “Happy now?”

“Mm-hmm,” came the muted reply as Tank nodded, chomping happily on a mouthful of food.

“Oh hello,” Johnny acknowledged sullenly, the mood dropping as his eyes locked onto familiar faces.

Ripp’s face fell as the couple advanced, neither of them hiding their contempt for the two male lovers at the table.

“Howdy!” he greeted sarcastically, “Enjoy the show as you passed, did ya?!”

Johnny inched forwards with a more serious manner as he addressed them.

“Listen,” he told them, “You didn’t see us there, got it?!”

Lilith arched a disapproving eyebrow, but it was Dirk who replied.

“Shoulda thought about that before,” he told him, “I can think of better places to suck face with another guy, than crawling down a public highway.”

“I mean it!” he snapped, “I only found out about myself a coupla days back.”

“Thought it was odd,” Lilith mused, before looking across at Ripp, “What about you? Been a fag long have ya?”

“The term is gay,” Ripp corrected sourly, “or homosexual. Besides, I missed the part where that’s any of your business.”

Lilith curled her lip, before Dirk ushered them away. The others watched them go with the same scorn they’d been greeted with.

Johnny scowled as he propped himself up on the table they’d been sitting round, not convinced that his own secret would remain so for much longer.

“Hey,” Ripp soothed as he approached, “They ain’t worth it.”

Johnny glanced at him before back in the direction the other two had left. Sighing in resignation, he shrugged to himself as he straightened up, running his fingers through his fair hair.

“Guess not,” he remarked, before the sound of cheering and amplified speaking could be heard. Suddenly he burst from his spot, the others easily catching up in their own delight.

“Hey!” he cried happily, “Don’t start without us!”