Life Can Be A Terrible Thing

Please do not edit without permission from the author, Diamonddragon88.

All characters belong to her, as does the story.

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It was a dark, stormy night in the Summer of 1998. Two children were playing inside one of the many houses on Park St., a small quiet street in Strongmont, New Hampshire. One, a tall, lanky 13-year old boy with blonde hair, flipped through the channels on the television, giving up in a fit of rage. "Every stupid weather channel says the same thing. Rain, rain, and more rain. What are we gonna do 'till Mom and Dad gets home, Jasper?"

His younger brother, a small, 7 year-old boy with curly brown hair, looked out the window, watching the rain flow down the window. "I dunno Elliott. I hope it stops raining soon."

A few hours passed, with no sign of their parents. Finally, a tall firgure burst through the door. "Daddy!" Jasper cried as he sprang up from his spot by the window, firmly holding onto his father's leg. Elliott looked up. "Oh hey Dad." After a few minutes however, he could register something was wrong. "Dad..where's mom? SHouldn;t she be home too?"

Father grew pale, as if he had seen a ghost. "Uh..you see..uh..your mother is..uh......working late," he stuttered. "She didn't mention it when she left for work though.." Elliott said calmly. Something was definitely wrong. "Mind if I turn on the news?" Before his father could reply, Elliott switched on the news. But what greeted him was something he never expected.

''BREAKING NEWS: A WOMAN'S BODY HAS BEEN FOUND OUTSIDE A LOCAL GAS STATION. POLICE BELIEVE THIS SUSPECT IS THE KILLER. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON HIM, PLEASE CALL THE POLICE HOTLINE''

The police sketch shown was eerily similar to Elliott's father, as was the picture of the victim similar to his mother. "Oh my god..." Elliott stuttered. "TURN THE DAMN THING OFF," Elliott's father roared, throwing the nearest thing, which was a lamp, at the TV Set, effectively breaking it. "Dad..did you murder mom?!?!?!" Elliott cried,"Why would you do it?!?"

At that moment, police sirens screamed down the streets. "Oh my god! I have to go!" Their father shouted as he hurriedly ran out the back door, only to be arrested by the police.

Elliott and Jasper followed him out, speechless. Jasper was on the verge of tears, as was Elliott. Their father turned to them, his eyes full of regret. "I'm sorry for what I did boys. I..I don't know how to say this but...but life can be a terrible thing..." He was pushed into the police car, and the boys continued to stand at the door of their home, wondering what they would do.

Several months later

Elliott stood at the doorway of his aunt's house. Hopefully, the move from New Hampshire to Louisiana would clear his mind of everything that had happened that one fateful night. But first, he would need a job.

He grabbed the newspaper from the porch, and flipped it open, looking through the Job category, until one job caught his eye, the assistant detective job. "Hey Jasper?" He shouted down the hall to his brother's room. "Yes?" A voice shouted back. "I'm going to go get an interview for a job. I'll be back later," Elliott said as he grabbed his coat. This might just be a good day, the first in a long time.