Wait Until Twilight by Sang Pak Read Free Book Online Page A

head is in my lap and there’s some drool on my chin that I wipe away with my sleeve. My body feels so heavy leaning there against the post of the porch. Then I notice someone in front of me. I look up, but the sun’s at his back, so all I can see is a giant shadow standing over me with blinding light coming from behind them. I still feel half asleep, so I wipe my eyes. Thenwithout a word he slowly, almost leisurely, puts his hands around my neck. At first I think it’s a joke and I giggle because I’m ticklish around the neck, but the grip tightens and tightens until I can’t breathe. Panic starts to set in. I want to see who it is, but his face is just shadow and with the light from behind it, it’s like looking at an eclipse. My hands can do nothing to the iron grip. Its strength makes me wonder if it’s even human—maybe it’s a statue come to life or a robot. It doesn’t seem real. So this is what it feels like to be choked to death , I think momentarily, in the midst of my panic. Slowly the dark shape starts to blur, and I can feel I’m losing consciousness, as if I’m just falling back to sleep. It feels too easy. Too easy to die like this. I’m going to die right now . Shit. God I hope this is a dream . Then it all fades to a pitch-black silence.
     
    “H EY, WAKE UP ! W AKE UP !” Someone’s shaking me. It’s Mrs. Greenan standing over me. I can see her clear as day. I’m lying on my side with my textbook sprawled in front of me next to a grocery bag. I sit up and put my hands around my neck. The sun has already sunk below the treetops beyond the neighborhood. I was out for a good half hour by the looks of it. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asks.
    “I thought someone was choking me.” I put my hand on my throat gently. Does it actually feel a little sore?
    “Choking you? It was just a dream. You were asleep.”
    “I could have sworn…”
    “Did you see anything?” she asks nervously. She looks around. “What did you see?”
    “Nothing. I was waiting for you, ma’am.” I keep rubbing my neck.
    “What for? You want another peek at a horror movie? That’s what you called it, didn’t you?”
    “I just wanted to say how sorry I was…”
    “Well, you’ve said it, now you can go.”
    “I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
    “I saw from the moment you saw them what was in your heart. I’ve seen it before. I don’t need that around here. They don’t need that, so take your apologies and be back home with you.”
    “Is there any way you’d give me another chance? No camera or anything, just me. I just want to see them.”
    “Get on out of here,” she says, and goes inside the house with groceries in hand. She slams the door.
    I go back to my car and sit down. My neck feels funny. A little sore. The power of dreams. Amazing. Mrs. Greenan’s already gone in the house. I think I can see her behind the darkness of the screen door, but I’m not sure. I just want to see them. I don’t know why. I just do. Probably to make me feel better about myself. She sure as hell hates me, though. I guess I can’t blame her. I check my messages while massaging my neck with the other hand. There’s one from David.
    “Hey, Samuel. I just got up. Had to work all night at the garage and blew off school today. Give me a call.”
    I don’t feel like going home so I start the car and drive on over to David’s neighborhood. He’s sitting on his front stoop drinking a beer with Cornelius.
    “You guys look like crap,” I say.
    “Cornelius helped me at the garage last night,” says David.
    “Worked on all the night through,” adds Cornelius. “Look at you, riding around like a free man.”
    “I should get suspended more often,” I tell him, and sit down beside him. There’s a shovel leaning against the steps. “I guess Yoshi’s all alone in lockdown.”
    “I don’t know. I’ll go to school tomorrow and see how he doin’,” says Cornelius.
    “Are you digging a hole?” I