Disappearance
A short story with pictures
[SR 10:18:20] — Ma’am, I didn’t call the police. This is private property. Get the hell off my porch.
[ofc LK 10:18:25] — Sir, watch your language. Someone from your block called it in. Would you step outside, please? I just have a few questions.
[SR 10:18:33] — Leave. I already told Christopher everything.
[ofc LK 10:18:37] — He’ll be here shortly with a warrant. I’d like to ask a couple questions while Officer Spitz is on the way. Please step onto the porch.
[SR 10:18:45] — Screw you. You and Spitz. I didn’t call anyone, and I didn’t do anything.
[ofc LK 10:18:53] — Sir, stay where you are. Sir, what’s your name?
[SR 10:19:01] — I didn’t do anything. Just drive away.
[ofc LK 10:19:04] — Sir, you’re crushing my hand.
[SR 10:19:08] — Then get off my damn doorway!
[REDACTED]
[ofc LK 10:19:20] — That’s enough, sir. You’re under arrest.
[SR 10:19:23] — Get off me. Back off!
[REDACTED]
[ofc LK 10:20:03] — Are you out of your mind? Get up. Slowly, on your right side. Come with me. Have you lost it? That was absolutely childish, sir.
[SR 10:20:17] — What are you arresting me for? I didn’t do anything.
[ofc LK 10:20:21] — Right now, you’re under arrest for assaulting a police officer.
[SR 10:20:28] — I didn’t mean to, ma’am. I’m sorry. Please don’t take me in. I just don’t understand what happened to Lucas.
[ofc LK 10:20:36] — Lucas is your son, correct? Face the car.
[SR 10:20:41] — Ma’am, please, don’t take me. I didn’t do anything. My son is missing. I don’t know where he is.
[ofc LK 10:20:52] — I believe that’s exactly why I’m here.
[SR 10:20:57] — We were just talking yesterday. Maybe I lost my temper a little — you know how it is with teenagers.
[ofc LK 10:21:02] — Right. The neighbors reported loud yelling.
[SR 10:21:05] — No, ma’am, I wasn’t yelling. We were just talking. Maybe voices got raised a bit. I don’t know what those neighbors heard. Emma stirred this up, didn’t she? That bitch hates me, ma’am. I wasn’t yelling. He was acting up again. Not the first time. He doesn’t do a damn thing, ma’am. You know teenagers — not interested in anything, doesn’t do anything, doesn’t give a damn about me. Yeah, I snapped a little. But I wasn’t yelling. We talked. That’s all.
[ofc LK 10:21:36] — Is your son inside the house right now? Lean against the car.
[REDACTED]
[SR 10:22:09] — I just wanted him to understand me. I was fed up with his behavior. But I didn’t do anything to him. He’s my son, ma’am.
[ofc LK 10:22:17] — You could’ve just let me in to confirm that, sir.
[SR 10:22:21] — Why the hell would I let you in? Am I a suspect? Are you accusing me of something? No offense, ma’am, but this is my house. I let in who I want. And anyway, you wouldn’t have found Lucas in there. He’s not home. He’s not there.
[ofc LK 10:22:33] — We have to search everywhere, sir. Your home isn’t an exception.
[SR 10:22:36] — He’s not there! He’s not. Maybe he’s just… gone. I told him his behavior would lead nowhere good. But this time he actually listened. Usually he just backs away and walks out before I finish. Just slips out, the little punk. That’s why I locked the door while I was in his room with him. I was sick of him walking out every time I tried to talk to him.
[ofc LK 10:22:54] — Where is Lucas right now? Where is he?
[SR 10:22:57] — You won’t believe me anyway. Hell with it. I don’t know how it happened. It was like something out of a nightmare. Believe me, ma’am — he just disappeared.
[ofc LK 10:23:05] — I’m sorry?
[SR 10:23:06] — Disappeared! What’s so hard to understand? We were talking. He was sitting in his chair at the computer. And at some point I noticed he started turning see-through, like a ghost. He kept getting more and more transparent… and then he was just gone.
[ofc LK 10:23:20] — Is this some kind of joke, sir? I’m really not in the mood for jokes. Are you joking with me right now?
[SR 10:23:28] — Yeah, I knew it. Screw you. It’s not a joke. I felt sick. I almost threw up.
[ofc LK 10:23:35] — Repeat that. Where, in your opinion, did Lucas go?
[SR 10:23:37] — To hell with you. I shouldn’t have said anything.
[ofc LK 10:23:41] — Where did Lucas disappear to, sir? I’m asking you — where did he disappear to?
[SR 10:23:44] — I don’t know where he disappeared to! He just dissolved into thin air right in front of me. What’s so hard about that? Like in a movie. Like some damn movie! I almost passed out. Don’t shove me.
[ofc LK 10:23:57] — You’re joking again? You think this is a game?
[SR 10:24:02] — Stop pushing me! Why are you pushing me?
[ofc LK 10:24:06] — You want me to tell you how it really happened, you piece of shit?
[SR 10:24:09] — What are you doing? Get off me!
[REDACTED]
[ofc LK 10:24:15] — Shut up and listen, idiot!
[SR 10:24:17] — Get off!
[ofc LK 10:24:23] — Damn it, you don’t get it! It was US who disappeared. All of US, at once! We all disappeared — not him! And you still don’t understand, you bastard! You didn’t figure anything out! Not a damn thing!
[SR 10:24:38] — I… I can’t breathe…
[ofc LK 10:24:40] — Shut up. There’s nothing here to breathe anyway.
