“Grandfather! grandfather Tom.” The children called as they ran out onto the porch of the old house, situated deep in the Indiana countryside.
“Is it true grandfather that you get claus…. Claustrophobic in small places?” asked the eldest of the trio.
“Yes my dear it is,” answered grandfather Tom.
“Why?” one of the girls enquired.
“You know my dear,” said Grandfather Tom, taking hold of the girl’s hand and drawing her closer to him, “there’s a story to the answer to that question.”
“A good story?” she asked excitedly.
Grandfather Tom smiled. “It has a happy ending.”
“Tell us grandfather please,” they all three pleaded together.
“Ok,” agreed grandfather Tom, “but only if you keep quiet until I’m finished.”
“We promise,” said the trio together, as they settled on the porch bench beside their grandfather.
I think I must have been about five, maybe only four and a half. It was a Sunday afternoon and my father, who had only just come home on leave the day before was in his office working. My mother and sister were in the living room, I’m not sure what they were doing but I could hear their voices drifting down the hall way.
I’d gone into the kitchen for something, I can’t remember what but that’s when I saw it, on the table. I could only just see over the edge to where it was, so I quietly pulled out one of the table’s wooden chairs and climbed up for a better view.
It was just like the replica I had in the box under my bed but I could tell it was real. When I touched it, it felt cold and something inside of me squirmed with excitement. I couldn’t resist wrapping my chubby little hand around it and carefully picking it up.
The Phaser was heavy but not so heavy that I couldn’t hold it and aim.
“Tom! Are you in the kitchen?”
It was my mother and for some reason I knew I wasn’t supposed to be in the kitchen. So I climbed down quickly off the chair and pushed it back into place so there was no evidence, then scuttled out the back door. Being sure to release the handle slowly so it didn’t make a noise. It was only then that I noticed I was still carrying my dads phaser but it was too late to put it back, I could hear my mother humming as she made tea in the kitchen beyond the blue backdoor.
“Woof! Woof!” barked Sally my dog.
“Shhhhhh!” I commanded and she obeyed. My dad’s office was at the back of the house and if she barked too much he would come out and shout, and then he would see the ‘phaser’.
“Come on girl.” I said, raising the phaser to hip level and sneaking ‘Captain Proton’ style around the side of the house.
The front garden was mostly lawn and ran right down to the sidewalk with just a low white picket fence between. But the street was wide and lined with trees allowing privacy from the neighbours. With this knowledge I crept around to the front of the house to where the garage was and taking Sally along as my sidekick, prepared to do battle with Dr Chaotica. (My evening shadow on the garage door)
As I crouched down so did my ‘arch enemy’, then aiming carefully I leaped into the air yelling, “Take that Chaotica,” and pretended to press the phaser's trigger.
“Missed me,” my shadow called back.
“I’ll get you next time,” I replied, rolling along the ground with Sally chasing after me. Reaching cover behind a small garden shrub I yelled out, “Give it up Chaotica, you can’t beat me I’m Captain Proton.”
At the same time I took aim again and moved my finger over the phaser’s controls. Everything would have been ok if Sally hadn’t decided at that moment to jump up on my back.
The instant my thumb pressed down on the trigger a beam of energy shot forth, slammed into the garage door, passed through and exploded against the back wall. I lay there in shock as Sally yelped and ran off back around the house. Within seconds the garage fire sensors went off and the sprinkler system activated. I knew any minute my dad would come charging out of the front door, his face bright red with anger, demanding to know what was going on. And I knew I didn’t want to be there when that happened, so dropping the phaser on the drive I fled.
As I ran passed my neighbours house I saw that their garage door had been left open and I ducked inside out of sight before I was spotted. Scanning the dim interior I couldn’t see anywhere suitable to hide at first, then as my eyes adjusted to the light I spotted the box right at the back. Its curved lid was propped open and it looked just big enough for me if I curled up.
“THOMAS EUGENE PARIS!”
That was my father’s voice.
“WHERE ARE YOU?"
Terrified I quickly stepped into the box and pulled the lid shut. I heard the click as it closed, however I was too busy at the time trying not to breath too loud, least my father should hear me, to pay any attention.
After I had calmed down I pulled my hands away from my ears and listened, but I couldn’t hear anything, not my fathers voice or the garage alarm, or anything. I also couldn’t see it was pitch black inside the box.
For a while I didn’t care I lay there imagining in my head what was probably going on outside. My father would be charging around calling out my name, throwing threats at me, my mother would be fretting while trying to calm my father down. As for my sister she would be dancing around in silly circles little, laughing gleefully because I was in trouble again. Sally, Sally would be barking.
I started to wish I could hear what was going on, I couldn’t judge time in the box, so I didn’t know how long it had been. Also it was getting hot and my legs were cramping up. I needed to take a peek.
Gathering my courage I pushed gently against the lid but it didn’t budge, so I pushed harder, still it didn’t move. Putting my shoulder against the lid I gave it a good shove, no joy, not even a crack of light. Then remembering the click as I had closed the box I felt around for a latch, button, pressure pad anything that would open the box from the inside. But there was nothing and that meant no way out. I freaked.
I began screaming at the top of my lungs, kicking my feet and thumping on the box walls. My hands started to hurt and hot tears rolled down my face as I fought to catch my breath between sobs. “Dad!” I yelled, “Dad help me?”
I didn’t know it at the time but I was running out of air and my father couldn’t hear me. Not only because was the box was sound proof, but because he was busy searching the street for me like everyone else. Everyone except my dog Sally, unknown to me Sally was sitting beside the box at the back of my neighbour’s garage barking like mad. She had heard the people calling my name and had joined in the hunt. Picking up my sent from where she had left me, she had tracked me to the storage box then lost my trail. She knew this wasn’t right, so she started barking as loud as she could to get help.
My dad heard the racket she was making and came back to shut her up, but as he approached the frantic animal he saw the box shake. Inside the box I was losing the battle and was preparing to give the lid one more try when I heard the latch click again and felt a rush of cool air over my hot cheek. Pushing upwards with every ounce of strength I had left the lid popped open all the way and I leaped out into my fathers waiting arms.
He looked at the box, a hermetically, self sealing chest, barely big enough for me to fit inside and realising what a close shave I had just had, hugged me so hard I felt like I was back in the box.
“And that’s why you don’t like enclosed places,” interrupted the eldest grandchild.
“Correct, but I’m not finished with my story yet Owen,” grandfather Tom admonished the young boy with a smile on his face. “Later that night my father came to my room and made me promise never to tell anyone else what had happened that day. You see if Starfleet had found out my father had left his phaser where his young son could get hold of it, he would have been in serious trouble. I kept that promise and to this day I’ve only ever told one other person this story.”
“Who?” asked the youngest girl?
“Your grandmother Kathryn, whom you were named after, my little Katie. Of course we weren’t married then, she was still my captain and I was her lieutenant.”
“Children, your suppers ready,” called grandmother Kathryn, coming out onto the porch. “ Come on your mothers waiting.”
The children scurried inside laughing and talking as they went and Kathryn joined Tom on the bench.
“I remember the day you told me that story,” said Kathryn, snuggling closer to Tom.
“That was a life time ago.”
“And another quadrant away,” reminded Kathryn. “But that was the day I realised I was in love with you.”
“I have always loved you and I always will.”
Kathryn and Tom shared a kiss then turned to face the setting sun.
