Cutting the Cord

Dark Quote Prompt: “All the things one has forgotten scream for help in dreams” ~ Elias Canetti

Light Quote Prompt: “Things that were hard to bear are sweet to remember” ~ Seneca

1.5-2k words; Due 31Mar10

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Cutting the Cord

By Indelibleink

Seneca Wallace beamed with pride as Jason shook hands with the school board president and received his diploma. Finally: graduation night! What a wild ride it had been! The nearly seventeen years – as a diligent single parent - of raising Jason and his sister, Katie, was finally bearing some fruit. Lord only knew that it hadn’t been easy, but the kids had turned out to be two pretty damn good people, and Seneca took a lot of pride in knowing that she had played such a large role in their development.

As Seneca watched while her son returned to his seat, she reflected back upon the last trimester of her pregnancy with Jason and recalled how painful those last few months – and the final one in particular – were. She must have gone to the ob/gyn’s office just about every other day, as there were always concerns about her health – and, as one might guess – about the baby’s as well. And then the labor! Seventy-four hours of pure torture. She remembered wishing that she would die. She remembered wishing that her husband, who was destined to become ex-husband a few short months later, would die, too, but most of those thoughts weren’t labor-induced. The labor was so dreadful, in fact, that she remembered wishing that the baby would die, too, just to end the agony. Seneca was so ashamed of even thinking that thought – labor or no labor – that she had found herself suppressing all memories of Jason’s birth ever since that night. Somewhat surprised that she had even allowed herself to “slip” on a night such as this immediately had Seneca shifting back into “shut-out” mode and she soon found herself re-focusing on all the joy that the crying little baby had brought into her world seventeen years ago. Seneca nudged the arm of fifteen-year old Katie, who had been sitting beside her, and smiled. This was indeed a proud moment for her – for them – as Katie had always just adored her brother.

Seneca’s happy thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a scream, followed by some kind of commotion, up on the stage. All of the graduates were now standing in a rough circle looking in at something going on in the center. A couple of high school administrators were there as well, and one emerged from the melee and spoke briefly to the board president, who grabbed the microphone and addressed the crowd, which was now starting to gravitate towards the stage.

“Please, will everyone return to their seats, please! Everything is under control.” The president then nervously mopped his brow, and continued. “Could we get some security folks up here, please?” Of course, those words did little to alleviate the concerns of the many parents and relatives of students who were in the audience. A pair of local police officers, who had been stationed at the auditorium entrances, joined the fracas on the stage; one intervening in an apparent altercation between a couple of students, and the other officer attempting to keep the rest of the students away from the ruckus. Within a matter of seconds a couple more cops were up on the stage, with one of the original arrivals now talking to the board president. Again, the president took the mike and addressed the crowd. “Folks, unfortunately, due to a medical emergency, it will be necessary to postpone the remainder of tonight’s ceremonies, and continue them at a later date. Right now we ask that you clear the center aisle so medical personnel can get to the stage promptly." Another police officer then spoke to the president momentarily, who then said, “Also, folks, will the parents of Lonnie Shelton please come up on the stage...the parents of Lonnie Shelton. And also, all other students currently up on the stage, please leave the staging area and return to your families. This will allow medical personnel easier access to the injured person. Thank you.”

Of course, the result of all this was a considerable amount of chaos. Many concerned parents were close to – or even climbing up on - the stage, in search of their sons or daughters. This prompted one of the cops to take the mike and remind the crowd that those who did not abide by the president’s request were subject to arrest and/or prosecution. Those words did seem to quell the tide, to some degree, and students who were up on the stage were now leaving the area.

Seneca, who had noticed the worried Shelton family pass her a bit earlier, now looked to the stage in search of her son. Finally, she spotted him walking towards the stairs that led down from the stage, with a police officer along side. Jason’s hair was mussed and his gown disheveled, and might even have been torn in one area. The rescue squad was now on the scene, up on the stage, and attending to, apparently, Lonnie Shelton.

Katie grabbed her mother’s wrist. “Mom, what happened to Jason?” The level of fear in Katie’s voice increased as she spoke. “What did they do to him, Mom?”

“I don’t know, dear. Let’s just wait and see. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.” Trying to appear calm to her daughter on the outside, the truth was that on the inside, Seneca was just as scared as her daughter. “Here’s Jason now.”

The police officer and Jason joined Seneca and Katie, along with a considerable number of curiosity seekers who had been following the pair since they left the stage, prompting the officer to ask, “Does anyone know if there is anywhere we can talk privately here?

Katie, a member of the drama club, immediately replied. “Yes, there are some dressing rooms just through the side doors there,” motioning to some doors only a few feet away. As the group began to move in that direction, the mother of Lonnie Shelton walked up to Seneca.

“You’d better pray that my boy lives. And you!” she said, turning to Jason, “What would possess you to do such a thing? It’s the work of the devil.” Seneca looked at Jason, who turned and looked away.

“Of course I will pray for Lonnie,” replied Seneca. “First, I need to find out what my son has to say about all of this – please understand.”

Mrs. Shelton responded with some further mumbling about the “devil’s work,” then hurried off to be with her son.   

Once inside a vacant dressing room, the officer motioned for Seneca, her daughter, and her son to have a seat. “My name is Sergeant Mason Williams. Mrs. Wallace, it’s probably best if your daughter waited outside.”

Seneca could tell by the anguished look on Katie’s face that that’s not what she wanted, and since Katie and Jason were so tight, she didn’t see any need in hiding anything from her daughter. “No, sergeant, they’re pretty close. Jason, do you have any objection to your sister staying in here?” Seneca turned and faced her son.

Jason shrugged and turned his head side-to-side.

Sgt. Williams nodded. “Okay, here’s the deal: Details are sketchy, but apparently during the ceremony, the Shelton boy made some comment about your son that Jason took offense to. A short time later, the Shelton boy asked for - and received permission to – go to the bathroom. Right after he left, your son also got up and left – without asking for permission. Your son returned first, but without his graduation cap. Several students noticed this because he stood out since that left him as the only one who didn’t have a cap. A few seconds later, the Shelton boy staggered back with something tightly wrapped around his neck. That ‘something’ turned out to be a series of tassels from a graduation cap that were tied together to fashion a makeshift noose. Investigating officers later found a graduation cap – missing a number of tassels – in a men’s room garbage can. Right now, it’s suspected that the cap is your son’s. Right now, everything is circumstantial, Mrs. Wallace. Jason will neither confirm nor deny any allegations. Depending on how things go with any witnesses that come forward, and how the Shelton boy recovers, and what he can tell us about what went on tonight, your son could be in some serious trouble. My advice to you would be to consider obtaining the services of a lawyer.”

Seneca turned to her son. “Jason, what is your response to all of this?”

Jason looked at his mother and said, “I didn’t do any of that stuff…I swear it.”

“Okay, Jason, then look at me and tell me just what actually did happen.”

Jason turned and looked away.

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That night, Seneca had a difficult time falling asleep. Her son – her baby – who had grown up and gone seventeen years without ever having been in trouble or ever harming a fly, was in serious trouble. And the thing was, he really didn’t seem to care. He had seemed a bit despondent ever since he quit the wrestling team – with her blessing –  about three months ago, after he had a traumatic incident where another wrestler had gotten Jason in a kind of “strangle hold” that had left him gasping for air for quite some time after he had been pinned. But, he had seemed to recover okay after the incident, although he had never wanted to talk about it since that time. Maybe, just maybe, Seneca would try to get Jason to open up tomorrow about that incident….

Hours after going to bed, Seneca finally drifted off to sleep. She awoke about a quarter after three, sweating profusely. What a horrible dream! Seneca had dreamed that she had taken a cord – some kind of cord that was vaguely familiar to her, but she wasn’t sure how – and she was trying to strangle Jason, who was now a baby once again, but crying "No, Mommy! No, Mommy!" It wasn't a phone cord, it wasn't any kind of utility cord that she could think of.

She got up from bed, went into the bathroom and splashed some water on her face to cleanse the perspiration, and returned to try to get a little more rest before the alarm went off again at six. Again, it took a while, but she eventually drifted off…

She again awoke abruptly; this time to the sensation of something trying to choke her. Another dream? No - the pressure on her windpipe told her that this was no dream! Regaining her senses, Seneca realized that something was wrapped around her neck. It felt eerily similar to the feeding tube her mother had had inserted shortly before passing.

“Why did you try to kill me when I was a baby, Mom?” It was Jason, who had wrapped the tube around his mother’s throat while she was sleeping. “When I was wrestling, the ‘choking’ experience somehow made me remember that you wanted me dead when I was a baby. I won’t let you – or  Lonnie Shelton – or anybody - do that to me again!

Starved for oxygen, Seneca suddenly recalled exactly what her son was referring to: The primary reason Jason’s birth had been so difficult was because the umbilical cord had become wrapped around his neck at some point during childbirth, and in fact it had at first appeared that Jason had been stillborn. The doctors had revived him, but at the time Seneca was warned that this could come back and affect Jason at some point later in life. That was what the dream was about, and what Seneca had managed to suppress all of those years: The umbilical cord! That's what was in Seneca’s dream earlier!

Somehow, Jason had sensed the anguish generated towards him by his mother during childbirthand it was now “payback time” in his mind. Seneca prayed for the strength to push Jason away, so she could explain what had happened to both of them, but his grip only tightened as she entered into eternal rest…

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Words: 1999