THE BIRTHDAY PARTY : EPISODE 1
SCI-FI | MAGICAL | SUPERNATURAL | MULTIVERSE | FANTASY
The first episode of the sci-fi fantasy offers a brief glimpse into the life of Crystal, a hardworking single mother, as she does her best to provide for her four children. Through her own words, we learn about the events of her last day on Earth. It was supposed to be a day filled with joy and adventure for her youngest child, but things quickly turned chaotic, leaving Crystal in a state of fear and desperation to save herself and her children.
The Birthday Party
The light and her familiar, comforting voice started to fade as I rolled over with my exhausted body. I could hear their voices down the hall as I awoke to a burnt smell that fated Saturday morning, December 3rd, 2022.
“WHAT IS THAT SMELL?” I yelled.
“TREVON DID IT!”
“DID WHAT?”
“BURNT OATMEAL IN THE MICROWAVE!”
Oh-my-gosh was an understatement. The house was a messy disappointment, reeking of smoke and burnt breakfast, and my four children were sitting in the living room two arguing over the Xbox game. I didn’t have the time or the patience to deal with the sibling war going on. As a mom, sometimes you must tune it out and keep moving or never get anything done.
Before heading out of the bedroom, I remember glancing at my ragged face in the mirror, still drained from the long shift I’d worked the previous day. I was mentally praying for the strength to make it through the day. After gathering my thoughts and the clothes I wanted, I went out to see what the children were doing.
I signed to my deaf son Trevon, “How did you do that? You better clean that mess up!”
My frustration shifted with a quick smile when I received a warm hug from my youngest son, Princeton.
“Happy Birthday, baby!” I told him with a hug and a fat kiss.
He beamed excitedly and returned to playing with his toy action figures on the floor.
It was chaotic as usual, getting everyone ready to go somewhere. I yelled at the boys as I rushed to finish my daughter’s hair or tried to get everything packed up. Serenity had a tender head of long, kinky hair, and she always gave me a hard time doing it.
“Ouch! That hurts!” Serenity wiggled and whined while I was trying to comb her hair.
“I’m almost done, sweetie; here’s some bubble gum, but you need to be still, ok?” I told her. Something sweet usually did the trick of keeping her distracted.
With Serenity sitting on the floor between my legs, the two older boys occupied with the video game, and the little one engaged with his toy action figures, I started worrying we would be late.
“Kevon, tell your brother to help you clean up in there so we can get ready to go. Serenity, I’m all done. Your clothes are on your bed. Get dressed, sweetie. We need to hurry up so we can get there early.”
It was a miracle that my children listened, and we managed to leave the house on time. Thank God!
While I finished loading up a few things in the van, some guy who walked by started hitting on me. This was the norm around my block.
Some days, it was, “Hey, sexy momma, you need some help with that?”
Or any variation: “Hey, come here, what’s yo name?”
“Where yo man at?”
“You fine; you need a thug in yo life.”
It got to the point where I stopped replying to them. I usually just rolled my eyes and kept it moving because Lord knew it wouldn’t be anything nice if I did respond.
That day I was in a rush, and his ass was left standing there as I got in the van and slammed the door.
The kids were at it, arguing again. “Would ya stop!” I said.
Trevon had a scowl on his face. “She always sits here!” he signed. “It’s my turn!”
“I was sitting here first!” Serenity cried.
“Look, CeCe, let your brother sit there, and you can sit there on the way back,” I told Serenity to diffuse the situation.
Serenity didn’t want to move and started to whine.
“Move over, Cece, we don’t have time for this!”
She sucked her teeth and finally moved out of the seat.
Packed and ready, I drove to the well-anticipated Planet Lamark, a family fun recreation center. It was always a good feeling to drive away from my home in Miami, which was in the projects, or what some would call low-income apartments. Either way, you wanted to describe them; nothing about them felt like home.
It seemed like someone was always getting hurt or killed in our community. And if there weren’t any killings, there was a robbery and other petty crimes. Some were disrespectful and untrustworthy. Some were loud and messy, throwing trash everywhere or blasting music any time, day or night.
You always had to watch your back and hope no one would try you. I barely let my kids outside to play, worried someone might hurt them or they would catch a stray bullet or something. However, I had to accept my conditions and make the best of them, no matter what. I kept the faith, knowing that one day, my work at the fast-food joint would be replaced with something more financially rewarding. I always dreamed of a way out because there was no peace.
Little did we know, this was the last time we’d ever see our home.
“Mom, can we get ice cream when we get there?” Kevon asked.
Princeton chimed in, “Oh, I want some ice cream too!”
“Yes!” I answered.
We arrived at Planet Lamark to see a packed parking lot and the sun shining off the ocean on the other side. My kids couldn’t wait to get out of the van. I signed to my son Trevon and told my oldest son to help get the stuff out of the back and to be careful; Princeton didn’t see any of his birthday gifts.
“I can’t wait to get on the flying tunnels,” Trevon signed.
“You all need to behave in there,” I reminded them. “And Princeton, stay close to me.” They all seemed to be listening, though it was clear their excitement levels were maximum as we approached the building.
My homegirl Amy greeted me at the entrance with her three-year-old son holding her hand, and over to far-right inside sat a few other guests.
“Hey, girl,” Amy said.
“Hey!” I said, excited to see her.
Another good friend of mine, Shawny, also came up to say hi. “Girl, look at them; they are getting so big!”
“Yes, they are! Thank you both for coming!”
“Mom, can we go play?” Kevon was practically bouncing on his feet.
“Yes, go ahead, but Princeton and I will be over there.” I pointed to an area near our table for smaller children to play.
They dropped the bags and ran off without looking back. Shawny helped me pick up the few bags, and we went to the table to set everything up.
After the final finishing touches on Princeton’s cake and decorations, I took a seat.
The day finally started to lighten up a little. It was nice to see all the young gens running around and playing. Amy was chasing behind her little one, yelling, “Get down, come here!” like twenty times, and Shawny’s two big boys were playing with mine. It was so great to see my girlfriends. We didn’t always get together much because we all worked our asses off.
“No, now stop your crying, or we are going home!” Amy snapped at her son.
It was a little chaotic in Planet Lamark that day because it was crowded, with kids running every which way.
I kept an eye on my children while I snacked on some french fries. God knows I loved them dearly. I would’ve done anything to protect them. I was blessed with four: my oldest boy, Kevon, fifteen; my twelve-year-old son, Trevon; my ten-year-old daughter, Serenity; and my youngest son, Princeton, who was turning six. Trevon had developed hearing loss due to chronic ear infections, and it had been an emotional challenge to overcome and come to grips with. But I never treated him any differently from my other kids or treated him like a handicap.
I had bathroom moments where I would cry about certain situations that took a toll on a hard-working single mother. However, one thing I refused was to allow my children to see me hurt and crying. But at times, it was too much, too depressing and draining. I worked my ass off day and night at a fast food joint, making only a little over minimum wage. I didn’t have family support or much help with the kids, besides the food stamps, child care assistance, and housing discount, which helped me barely get by. Oh, and their father, don’t even ask about him—thinking about him just added to the depression.
As far as any other family, I had none; I’d grown up in a group home, praying my mother would walk in looking for me one day. Sometimes, my dreams felt so real I could hear her calling my name in my sleep, “Crystal, wake up, let’s go.” I would jolt awake and be blinded by a blur. But she never did show up.
So I gave up on those dreams of ever seeing her or having a family and ended up on Miami’s rough streets, selling drugs and experiencing things I had no business around. It wasn’t until I met my kid’s father out there and ended up pregnant with Kevon that my whole perspective on life changed. I finally had a reason to want to live and do better.
Life taught me a lot the hard way. Still, despite it all, I always managed to keep enough strength to get whatever needed to be done DONE. And I continuously reassured my children how much I loved them. My kids gave me the power to keep going.
I learned that time heals everything, keeps going, and doesn’t wait for anyone.
* * *
I sat there that day in Planet Lamark, happily watching my daughter play on the other side of me with her long, thick hair swinging wildly because she’d lost her hair bows like always while Princeton was enjoying himself on the vending machines. My two oldest sons were picking on each other inside one of the playrooms.
I gazed through a huge glass window that displayed the endless ocean, daydreaming occasionally. Since the days of living at the group home, I always caught myself in a deep daydream, sometimes not even remembering what I was thinking.
“Crystal, girl, let me tell you!” Shawny snapped me out of my thoughts as she came over to me. “Ok, so I went to the store the other day, and guess who was there and acting stupid?”
“Mmm, let me guess? No, thank you, I don’t even want to say the wrong name,” I responded with a smirk.
Before she could say the name I dreaded hearing, Princeton approached me.
“Momma, Momma, can I open it, please?” He jumped with excitement, clutching a gift in his hand.
“No, not now, wait just a little bit longer,” I told him.
But Princeton was persistent like he always was, and I gave in and let him open it. I had to save up a lot for the one gift he would love the most.
He ripped open his gift to find a blue superhero action figure—Ground Zero—that he’d seen on TV and begged me to get him. He stared at his toy with happiness, looked up at me, and thanked me. He gave me the sweetest hug and immediately started playing with his toy.
“Wow, Princeton, that’s a cool toy!” Shawny expressed.
It felt good to see his happy face. Working all those extra long hours and saving up for his special day had been worth it.
“So tell me, Shawny, who was it?”
Shawny smacked her lips and said, “Girl, Corey.”
I rolled my eyes. “I figured it was him, and I don’t want to mess up my day talking about him.”
“Right, I hear you, oh, dog!” she said.
Princeton returned to me a few minutes later because he was thirsty, so we headed to the concession stand. This dark, tall, older, pretty lady approached us on the way. She had an afro, big earrings, and a friendly smile. I didn’t see where she’d come from; it was like she just popped up right in front of us.
The lady smiled at Princeton and told him, “Happy birthday, little prince of Lamark.”
Princeton was too busy playing with his toy, so I got his attention. “Princeton, she said happy birthday to you.”
He looked way up towards her face, a little confused.
“Say thank you, baby!” I told him.
Princeton said thank you in his soft voice.
“You’re welcome, Prince. Have fun on your special day,” the lady said, smiling at us before walking away.
Princeton and I walked over to the concession counter. Still, I watched the woman walk away, twisting my mouth a little. I had a strange feeling I knew her from somewhere but couldn’t place it.
“Yes, can I get four small fruit punches, please?” I told the young guy behind the counter.
After he handed me the drinks, I gave Princeton his and carried the others back to the table. On the way back over, I caught sight of a window and frowned. It became gloomy and dark outside, and I knew it was about to storm. It was the fastest weather change I’d ever seen. The sun was slowly disappearing, and an ominous feeling overwhelmed me as the clouds slowly turned three shades darker over the ocean.
“Is there a storm coming?” Shawny asked from behind me.
“Looks like there just might be,” I said. Everyone else nearby was starting to notice, too. Some parents were wrapping up and leaving because they didn’t want to be caught in any storm. I wasn’t worried until the wind blew even harder, rattling against the windows.
Amy walked over to us, looked out the windows, and widened her eyes. “Oh, wow, it looks bad outside. I didn’t hear anything about a storm today on the news.”
“Yeah, neither did I,” I said.
“I’m so sorry, Crystal, but we better head out since it’s a two-hour drive back home,” Amy said.
Her little one was clearly getting tired, too, so I didn’t blame her. We said goodbye, and then Shawny and I started wrapping everything up to leave soon. Though my children sure didn’t look like they’d be happy about it.
Suddenly, a massive brush of wind against the windows shook the whole building and startled everyone.
“Oh shit,” Shawny said. “Girl, I’m going to head out before it gets too bad outside. Will you be ok?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine,” I said. “We’re getting out of here now, too.”
I went to round up the children, and in a matter of seconds, the wind had picked up so hard it was taking down trees and throwing debris around outside. My heart began to drum hard as I looked on anxiously. The wind roared, and the ocean waves rose to threatening heights; people ran wildly on the sand, racing back to their cars. I quickly grabbed Princeton and yelled for my daughter to come on as the panic sank deep into my skin. By now, everyone was rushing out of Planet Lamark.
With the youngest two accounted for, I urged them to hurry to get the older boys.
“MY TOY!” Princeton cried out and pulled away from me. He ran back in the opposite direction.
“Princeton!” I yelled as I grabbed Serenity’s hand to chase after him.
We pushed through the messy crowd to find Princeton grabbing his action figure toy off a chair. I took his hand and hurried back towards the playroom.
The building was shuddering so hard, and it sounded like it was ready to cave in on us. I glanced outside to see cars were upside down, sliding across the parking lot, and I damn near fainted when I saw Shawny’s car being tossed over in the wind.
Her name escaped my lips in a yell, even though there was no way she could hear me.
I was standing there in shock when everything went silent, and the world seemed to slip into slow motion. My kids were tugging on my arms and calling my name over and over. Suddenly, a big man rushing past bumped me back into awareness.
I grabbed their hands and rushed to the playroom with the maze of high tunnels connected to the ceiling.
I spotted Kevon coming out of a slide and yelled in fear, “Let’s GO! WHERE’S YOUR BROTHER?
“Up there!” He pointed to one of the tunnel tubes.
“Hurry, go get him!”
We stood there fearful as Kevon returned to the tunnels to get him. Meanwhile, the chaos heightened further as the wind entered, first attacking the roof. I was losing my mind and my balance. The ground beneath us was moving! It went from people yelling and trying to get outside to their cars to them screaming, running, pushing and shoving, and frantically trying to get back to safety indoors. The wind’s forceful howls clashed with the people’s cries, and the world boomed with a mighty noise.
My oldest ran to me wide-eyed, saying, “He won’t come! He won’t get down!”
He tried pulling and grabbing his brother out, but all to no avail. He refused to get out and come down. Trevon couldn’t know what was going on deep inside the tunnels because, to him, everything seemed normal, and he couldn’t hear the madness surrounding him below.
I could locate him crawling through a tunnel with see-through windows, and I caught his attention. I looked up at him indignantly.
“GET OUT! WE NEED TO GO NOW!”
He looked back at me blankly and blinked.
“But I don’t wanna go,” he signed.
“LET’S GO NOW,” I huffed at him.
He always seemed to try me in any situation, and now he was having too much fun to take me seriously. My hands were held by my two frightened and shaking young ones. But with all the loudness and my fear rising by the second, he must’ve realized something was wrong because he finally listened to me and started crawling out.
I was fighting back the tears, and my chest hurt from the terror as I clenched my children close. Trevon was making his way to me through the tunnel, but suddenly, the whole jungle gym and tunnel shifted and started to fall apart. I damn near lost my mind when I saw the other end crash to the ground.
“Trevon!” I shouted, running over, praying he wasn’t inside.
“Here he is, Mom!” Kevon said behind me.
I spun around to see Kevon helping Trevon out of the other end of the gym. He was ok.
“Trevon, look around; we have to get to safety!” I signed to him.
“What’s going on?” he signed.
“A hurricane or something is happening!”
At that point, Serenity was crying, and I had no idea what to do. Now, with all my children by my side, all I could think of was getting to a safer place indoors. So we took off through the swarms of people and a deteriorating building.
Mother Nature was sure pissed off, and she had turned deadly. Ceilings cracked loudly, glass windows shattered, the walls shook, and stuff began flying around in the wind. My mind could mute the sounds long enough so I could think and react. Although my heart was pounding, I felt a drive take over that made me forget the fear.
At first, we were hurrying toward nowhere until I suddenly spotted the woman from the snack bar earlier go through a door at the end of a hallway, so we headed in her direction. The lights went out before we could reach the door, drenching us in darkness. We needed to get out of the hallway and into any room I could find. The kids were panicking and staying close to me as I tried the first two doors near us, but they were locked. Finally, we found a door at the end of the hallway, and it opened.
Utter darkness greeted us on the other side. I tried for a light switch but couldn’t find any—and it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway. I couldn’t tell what kind of room we were in, but it was a small room, which felt more like a closet.
I quickly closed the door behind us, softening the shrill sounds, and told the kids, “Get down, get closer, and cover your heads.”
Then, there was a shake on the doorknob, and the door opened. I glimpsed a tall body and what appeared to be a young child.
“Is there anybody in here?” a man’s voice said.
“Yes, there are people in here.”
“Can we come in here with you?” he asked.
“Yeah, come in.”
They scooted inside; I shut and found a way to lock the door. We were cramped in the space. Then I wrapped my shaking arms around my four, more worried than I’d ever been in my life. I was picturing the worst and hoping for a miracle to happen.
Suddenly, there was a startling loud BOOM, shaking the whole room. My daughter screeched with fear, and my heart ached. I felt weak and faint. All I could do was drop my head down in exasperation.
As I faced the ground, I noticed something weird: a sparkling purple light near the floor that lit up on and off. Next, there were clinking metal sounds, and without warning, the whole room jerked and jumped, tossing our bodies into one another. Dizziness took over; my body felt light, as if it were floating.
There was another jolt, and my body was sucked back to the floor as the room took off like a racing roller coaster. I couldn’t understand what was happening as small black shades slid up on the walls, revealing glass windows to the outside.
We were in the sky, moving away fast from destruction, and the pressure was becoming unbearable. My children’s cries were heard faintly in the background, but my eyes and head were heavy, and the dizziness was too much to withstand, and then there was only darkness.
Thank you for reading! Next week look forward to episode 2 ;)