When Earth was Purchased

May 04, 2021. The day when my life changed in ways I could have never imagined possible. The day when life as I knew it ceased to exist and everything I ever knew was flipped on it's head. The day that looking back on it, even now, I cannot tell if it was the End or merely the beginning.

I watch as sandy dunes cascade into a vibrant sunset as we whizzed by in my buddies junker. He was getting a new car for cheap so we decided to take old Bertha out for one last joyride. My friend was howling in delight as we pushed the car past what either of us thought was possible for its' old bones. Jerking the steering wheel to the left the tires of Bertha dig into the sand as we skid for a couple of feet before coming to a stop, of course not before Bertha almost flips on her side. "Whooo Axel you want a go at her!?" Johnny asks me with a wild grin on his face. "Fuck yeah I do". I replied wanting to give it a try.

Now what we are doing now is not strictly legal. For one there is a curfew out on the dunes so that no one is allowed out here past nine pm. As it was now about eleven pm we are well past that mark. Second as I am fifteen I do not have my license so that also poses a mild "problem". Of course that wasn't going to stop us from having a little fun. As a wise man once said "Is it really breaking the law if there are no police officers around to get you in trouble?". Well at least I am sure at least somebody has said that before. Anyway as the wind blows through my hair I couldn't care less about any possible mis-dimeaner I could accrue.

"Hey does your dad know you are out here right now?" Johnny asks talking loudly over the sound of the roaring engine.

"Nah he is probably piss drunk right about now anyway" I replied

My father , if he could even be called that, is a raging alcoholic. When I was nine my mother got into a car accident and unfortunately perished pushing my father into a downward spiral that he never cared to dig himself out of. On his better days he spends his days despondent in his room or just nowhere to be seen. On his worse day he takes out his unsound rage on me. His favorite is the belt that he has gotten way to good at using.

The bum doesn't even have a job. He lives off workplace comp checks that he earned because he a received nasty injury while operating a piece of heavy machinery. As I am thinking of my "Dad" my phone buzzes. I look at the message I got inwardly swearing.

"Axel get your ass back home this instance, if I don't see you here in thirty minutes you can kiss your

fucking junk goodbye"

The "junk" he is referring to is my sculpting gear. Everything from my glazes to my sculpting pen and trowel. Something of a passion of mine, ever since I learned that my mom was an avid potter I was hooked on the art. My father hates it. I am pretty sure that he wants everything related to my mom to cease to exist because it hurts to remember. I however do not want to forget her.

"Sorry can you drive me home my dad just texted me?" I ask Johnny. He just shrugs before taking over for me in the drivers seat and turns to the direction of the nearest road. On the road we talk about stuff to do during the remainder of the long weekend. The school we go to had a large plumbing accident so they shut the whole thing down for a week. I sure as hell was OK with it. Before we knew it we were at the driveway of my house. It was in a word "shit". The glass int he windows is either broken or nonexistent. The paint on the house is peeling and the lawn looks like it hasn't been mowed for a month. Well the last time I mowed it was about three weeks ago so just about there.

Thanking Johnny for the ride I disembark Bertha and make my way to the front door. As I was walking to the front door I thought about how I am gonna try to talk my father down from my inevitable beating. Of course I knew it would fruitless because once he has his hands on the belt there is no backing down.

Walking up the porch I slowly opened my front door as quietly as I could. Taking a peak inside revealed it to be pitch black inside. I took my first steps inside tip toeing to try to make as little noise as possible. I slowly make my way to the kitchen where I see my dad passed out at the kitchen table with a bottle of whiskey close by. Heaving a sigh of relief I creep my way upstairs toward my room to go to bed.

Opening the door to my room I fight to keep back from yelling out in anger. All my pottery equipment and glaze that I bought with my hard earned money from mowing dozens of lawns, all smashed and spread over the floor or the walls. It was a mess. I took a deep breath holding down the anger I walk inside my room and flop onto my bed.

"I will deal with mess this tomorrow" I tell myself. Inwardly feeling waves of exhaustion wafting over me as I feel myself drifting into sleep.