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Jul. 26th, 2006 06:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gone_byebye2560 St. Ann's Avenue
North Bellmore, NY
July 26, 2006
Late
"YOU BOYS HAD BETTER BE IN BED," came the voice from below.
Alex and Joey Haff exchanged glances across the darkened room. "WE ARE, DAD," they chorused back, scrambling to get under the covers.
"Good, because I'm coming up there to check on you."
Alex flopped back against his pillow with the kind of dramatic, aggrieved sigh that no one over the age of six can truly muster. Joey just pulled the sheets up to chin level and huddled there, eyes on the door, waiting.
True to his word, their father entered moments later. "Now, you two boys are gonna go to sleep tonight, right?" he said. "For real?"
"We promise, dad," said Alex, and Joey nodded his head hurriedly.
"You're not going to stay up reading under the covers with that glow-in-the-dark thing Uncle Ray gave you, are you?"
Well, not now, Alex thought, but all he said was "No."
"Good. You need your sleep. Joey, what about you?"
"'m not gonna stay up reading," Joey said, a bit sulkily.
"All right, but what about jumping on the bed?" Alan Haff knew his boys all too well.
"Not gonna do that either."
"Or telling stories?"
"No."
"All right, then." He ruffled first one boy's hair, then the other. "You two get to sleep, okay? See you in the morning."
"'kay," they answered, and watched him go. As soon as the door closed Alex closed his eyes and counted to one hundred. Then he rolled onto his side and fished around under his pillow. The glowstick was there, and unused, but his father had yet to find out abut the flashlight. He shone it on his brother. "Joey," he whispered as loudly as he dared. "Joey, you still awake?"
"Yeah," came the sleepy voice from the other bed.
"I think Dad's downstairs again. Can you show me now?"
Joey sat up, rubbing his eyes with one pudgy fist. "Okay, but only a little. I wanna go to sleep."
Alex grinned. "Show me!" he ordered, in that way that older brothers the world over have.
With a sigh, Joey picked up the red plastic paperclip from his nightstand. He cupped it in the palms of his hands and closed his eyes. Alex leaned forward, eyes on his brother, and waited.
Joey held his hands apart. The paperclip lay in his palm, still as anything.
"Oh, come on!" Alex protested.
Joey scowled at him and made the best 'shush' face that can be made when one's hands are busy elsewhere. Then he stared at the paper clip intently, not even blinking when his brother got the light in his eyes for a moment.
First, there was nothing. Then, silently, the clip moved. It was only a little sideways wriggle at first, but then it started to lift.
By the time Alex heard their mother's footsteps on the stairs and hurried to switch off his flashlight, the paper clip was hovering a full millimeter in the air above Joey's palm.
North Bellmore, NY
July 26, 2006
Late
"YOU BOYS HAD BETTER BE IN BED," came the voice from below.
Alex and Joey Haff exchanged glances across the darkened room. "WE ARE, DAD," they chorused back, scrambling to get under the covers.
"Good, because I'm coming up there to check on you."
Alex flopped back against his pillow with the kind of dramatic, aggrieved sigh that no one over the age of six can truly muster. Joey just pulled the sheets up to chin level and huddled there, eyes on the door, waiting.
True to his word, their father entered moments later. "Now, you two boys are gonna go to sleep tonight, right?" he said. "For real?"
"We promise, dad," said Alex, and Joey nodded his head hurriedly.
"You're not going to stay up reading under the covers with that glow-in-the-dark thing Uncle Ray gave you, are you?"
Well, not now, Alex thought, but all he said was "No."
"Good. You need your sleep. Joey, what about you?"
"'m not gonna stay up reading," Joey said, a bit sulkily.
"All right, but what about jumping on the bed?" Alan Haff knew his boys all too well.
"Not gonna do that either."
"Or telling stories?"
"No."
"All right, then." He ruffled first one boy's hair, then the other. "You two get to sleep, okay? See you in the morning."
"'kay," they answered, and watched him go. As soon as the door closed Alex closed his eyes and counted to one hundred. Then he rolled onto his side and fished around under his pillow. The glowstick was there, and unused, but his father had yet to find out abut the flashlight. He shone it on his brother. "Joey," he whispered as loudly as he dared. "Joey, you still awake?"
"Yeah," came the sleepy voice from the other bed.
"I think Dad's downstairs again. Can you show me now?"
Joey sat up, rubbing his eyes with one pudgy fist. "Okay, but only a little. I wanna go to sleep."
Alex grinned. "Show me!" he ordered, in that way that older brothers the world over have.
With a sigh, Joey picked up the red plastic paperclip from his nightstand. He cupped it in the palms of his hands and closed his eyes. Alex leaned forward, eyes on his brother, and waited.
Joey held his hands apart. The paperclip lay in his palm, still as anything.
"Oh, come on!" Alex protested.
Joey scowled at him and made the best 'shush' face that can be made when one's hands are busy elsewhere. Then he stared at the paper clip intently, not even blinking when his brother got the light in his eyes for a moment.
First, there was nothing. Then, silently, the clip moved. It was only a little sideways wriggle at first, but then it started to lift.
By the time Alex heard their mother's footsteps on the stairs and hurried to switch off his flashlight, the paper clip was hovering a full millimeter in the air above Joey's palm.
