Chapter 3: Trial of Family Trees

Several days have passed since the Corpse family arrived at Grandma Pat’s for their annual family reunion. Mason, who was in a much better frame of mind, was excited to see his entire family come together during this time. After his talk with his grandmother, he felt like a normal human being amongst those around him for the first time in months.

That Friday morning, relatives and guests made their way to his grandmother’s house for the event. Mason was ecstatic to see his aunts, uncles, cousins, and other members of his family come together in Grandma Pat’s backyard for a giant barbecue. He personally greeted every person he came across with a warm welcome, much to the confusion of Lynda and Michael.

Lynda watched from the backyard steps. “What’s going on with him?” she whispered to Michael, who was just as confused as she was.

“I don’t know. After my mom talked to him, it’s like he’s a whole different person now,” Michael said. “Well, it’s better than him being sad and depressed, so I’ll take this new Mason any day!” Lynda said to her husband with a smile on her face. “Same here. Listen, I’m gonna go help Pops with the burgers,” Michael informed Lynda as he made his way over to the grill.

As Mason and his grandfather concluded their discussion on baseball, the superpowered teen sat down at a picnic table that both Alex and Veronica were seated at. He rotated his head around his grandmother’s yard and saw the hundreds of guests that were in attendance. The smell of the sizzling barbecue filled the air while the sound of various side conversations being held boomed across the gathering. There were people at the reunion that he had not seen in years, and he was thrilled to be surrounded by them all.

“You seem to be a lot happier lately,” Veronica said to her little brother.

Mason turned his head and looked at her. “Yeah, I’m having a great time. Aren’t you?” he asked. Veronica and Alex nodded their heads. “Yeah, we are. We just haven’t seen you this upbeat in a long time,” Alex chimed in.

“Well, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself. I can’t control how things are right now, so I might as well enjoy them the way they are,” he said to his sisters. Veronica looked at him in agreement. “That’s good. So…” she said as she began to whisper. “What are you going to do about all the plants?” she asked him as quietly as she could. Mason shrugged his shoulders and struggled to answer her question. “I have no idea. I guess I just have to learn how to keep them under my own self-control,” he replied. “Well, one thing I think I’m going to control right now is this crappy music. What is this, Beethoven?” Alex said to them as she got up from the table and went over to sound system.

Meanwhile, Grandma Pat went over to check on the hot dogs and hamburgers Grandpa Otis and Michael were cooking on the grill. “Oh, these look so good honey!” she said to Otis as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Michael, baby, can you go grab some more buns from the kitchen?” she asked her son. “No problem, ma,” he said as he handed his spatula over to his father.

As Alex connected her phone to the stereo system, she logged into an app that contained the library of her favorite music. Obviously, she knew she couldn’t play anything from today’s generation out of respect for her elders. So, she decided to choose a throwback song that they would all enjoy; “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” by the Temptations.

The entire family reunion roared in excitement immediately as the song began booming across Grandma Pat’s yard. Couples started dancing, children began running around, and everyone was having the time of their lives, especially Mason’s Grandmother! “Come on girl, let’s show the youngsters how it’s done!” she said to Lynda as the two began dancing with the rest of the adults.

Mason, Veronica, and Alex all cringed at the sight of their mother and grandmother dancing like two teens in the 1970s. “Oh my God…” Veronica groaned to herself as she watched her mother do the jitterbug. Alex wasn’t too thrilled to see their uncle join in and do the funky chicken dance at her side. “Are we at a barbecue or a coked-out disco?” she said to her siblings as they laughed at her remark.

Grandpa Otis spun Grandma Pat in all her glory at the beat of the music. “Ah, Pat you still got the moves!” he said to his wife. “Sugar, these young folks could never match me on the dance floor, even if both my hips are shot!” she said whimsically. As she turned her head, she came across the Corpse children standing off to the side and observing all the fun they were having. “Come on, kiddies, let’s see what y’all got!” she invited them over.

Veronica and Alex were reluctant to join them, but it was Mason who didn’t hesitate. He immediately ran towards his grandmother and started dancing along her side. She watched as her grandson began to light up the dance floor at her side. “That a boy, Mason!” she said out loud in excitement. A huge smile grew across Mason’s face as all eyes drew towards him. Suddenly, he was the life of the party!

Lynda watched from several feet away and couldn’t help but smile seeing her boy having a ball. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she had her son back. The son who smiled every day, loved everyone, and made everything fun! This was the Mason she had been longing for!

“Oh, it’s so wonderful to have you here, baby,” Grandma Pat said to Mason as she gave him a hug. Mason wrapped his arms around her with his eyes shut and smile across his face. “I wish I could be here more often,” he whispered to her. Oddly enough, he started to feel her body tense up as the sound of gasps and screams began to fill the air.

Mason immediately let go of his grandmother and turned around to see what was happening. He was shocked to find all eyes on him. “Wh-what’s happening?” he said to himself.

Lynda looked at Mason with tears in her eyes and her hand over her mouth. Alex and Veronica were completely frozen in shock. Grandpa Otis collapsed to his knees as several family members tried to help him off the ground. Children were crying. Women were hollering. Grown men were weeping. What was happening?

Mason couldn’t figure out why everyone was staring at him with horrific looks painted on their faces. He turned around towards his grandmother for an answer. But once he did, he immediately got it!

Grandma Pat was gone. And in her place was a wooden statue that was exactly her size! It was then that it finally dawned on him.

‘Oh my God, I killed her!’

Silence filled the air as Mason’s heart began to race and tears immediately came rushing out of his eyes. Lynda, Veronica, and Alex were all teared up at this scene, while Grandpa Otis could be heard on the ground screaming his wife’s name.

Just then, Mason’s father came back outside from the kitchen with several bags of hot dog and hamburger buns in his hands. “I found them,” he said out loud without noticing the expression on everyone’s faces. Everyone immediately looked at him with watery eyes and a distraught storm raining over each of their hearts.

Mason looked at his father with a guilt-ridden face stained with tears of grievance. He collapsed to ground in front of the wooden statue upon hearing his father ask him one simple question; “Mason, where’s grandmom?”