#FridayFlash- Moon Rocks

This week's #fridayflash theme was outer space. My story is called Moon Rocks.

Dudley was sitting in his bedroom, staring at his newly acquired treasure, when his step-brother Ryan walked in. He knew that it would be about 3.5 seconds before Ryan found some way to begin irritating him.

“What have you got there DUD?” Ryan asked.

“Nothing you’d be interested in Ryan.”

“That’s probably true but I want to see it anyway,” Ryan snatched it from Dudley’s fingers. Dudley sighed.

 “It’s just a flippin rock!” Ryan said. “You’re sitting there staring at a rock. Geez, you are dumber than you look.”

Dudley ignored the insult because it was so ridiculous. In fact, Dudley’s IQ was higher than Ryan’s and Ryan’s father Jeb’s IQs put together. “It’s not just a rock, Ryan. It’s a moon rock. You know, from the moon,” he added for good measure.

“Don’t be stupid. I mean stupider than usual.” Ryan said. “There’s no such thing as moon rocks. How many times does my Dad have to tell you that men did not really go to the moon?! It’s just a bunch of government hooey. Just like global warming. They make all these things up and stupid people like you believe them.” Ryan threw the rock at Dudley.

“Right, Ryan. I forgot I was living with someone who knows everything.”

“Don’t you go making fun of my Dad or I’ll tell him and you’ll be sorry.” Ryan said.

Jeb would make him sorry if he thought Dudley was making fun of him. He was a paranoid conspiracy theorist that Dudley still could not believe his mother had married. But then again, he’d seemed rather normal at first. Right about the time his mother had gotten ill, Jeb had gone off the deep end. Ryan had always been a shit.

That night Dudley woke up to whispers. He lay quietly, trying to figure out where they were coming from. They were close, very close. He turned his head and saw the moon rocks on his night table. They were sitting in a shaft of moonlight and he could have sworn that they were pulsating slightly. The whispers seemed to be coming from them. He reached out and touched one and a little tingle of electricity shot up his arm.

They couldn’t be real moon rocks. Real moon rocks were in museums or private collections not crazy little antiques stores like Eccentricities where he’d picked these ones up. He’d known at the time that they were fakes, but he liked them anyway. He’d always liked anything to do with outer space. It made people think he was weird and nerdy but he didn’t care. He was going to work for NASA someday. But looking at the rocks, glowing slightly and pulsating, he could almost believe they were real.
The next day Dudley encountered Jeb on the stairs. Jeb purposely blocked Dudley’s way.

 “Where you going in such a rush DUD?” Jeb asked.

“I’m going to my room to put my bag down and then I’m going to see my mom.”

 "I heard you got some crazy idea about moon rocks.” Jeb said. “You best get rid of them ideas boy. Don’t want you helping to spread the government propaganda, do we? I’d hate to have to beat some sense into you.”

Dudley was pretty sure Jeb would enjoy any excuse to beat some sense into him.

“No.” Dudley answered.

“No what?”

“No sir.”

Jeb stepped to the side and continued on down the stairs. Dudley went up and as he passed the door to the bathroom, Ryan came out snickering.  Dudley glared at him.

He visited with his Mom for a quite awhile. He told her about his moon rocks and promised to put them away and not mention them to Jeb, ever. His mother cried and apologized again for bringing Jeb into their lives. But sick as she was, there was no getting away. Dudley did his best to reassure her.

That night, he woke to the whispers again. The moon shone into his room and onto the table where the moon rocks sat. He got out of bed and padded to the window. He stared up at the moon for a long time.

“I see the moon and the moon sees me,” he whispered. He woke up in the morning without remembering going back to bed. He had the vague sense that he’d figured out something vital, but couldn’t remember what it might have been. The day was much like the last except for Ryan tripping him in the cafeteria at school. His tray went flying and everyone laughed. And when he got home, his rocks were gone.

He confronted Jeb.

“Where are my moon rocks?”

“I told you they ain't from the moon.” Jeb said, glaring at him.

“They are from the moon.”

“No they ain’t boy.” Jeb punctuated his statement with a slap to Dudley’s face. Dudley continued to insist on the validity of the rocks and Jeb continued to hit. By the time Dudley went to bed that night, he was sporting a black eye, though not his first.

This time the moon shone in, but there were no rocks to gather its power. Dudley lay in bed and stared at it. Finally he got up; he walked to Ryan’s bed and shook him awake.

“Hey get off me!” Ryan hollered.

“Remember how you said men didn’t walk on the moon?” Dudley asked.

“Yeah. What of it?”

“Well if you don’t believe in the moon landing, then the moon doesn’t believe in you.”

“You’re off your rocker, dude.” Ryan rolled over on his side. Dudley remained there softly chanting.

“I see the moon and the moon sees me.” When Ryan disappeared, he went to his mother’s room and repeated the chant over Jeb. He woke the next morning feeling relaxed, better than he had in years. In fact, he whistled all the way to his mother’s room.

Sometimes a little belief is all you need,

♥Stacey