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Fiction Short Story

Michael Barrett

Tag Along Lauren

Cassie paused to catch her breath. She bent over, hands on knees and pulled in lungs full of air. The sprint down her street and around the corner had put her way ahead of Lauren, her junior by three years. She looked behind her and saw no sign of the little brat.

"Good."

Her breathing had almost returned to normal and she continued on her way to Janet’s.

Little sisters were such a huge pain. Always wanting to tag along, go everywhere with her. Mom was no help, either.

"Cassie, please take Lauren with you. She thinks you hung the moon."

Not today, she thought. She looked behind her again for reassurance. No sign of Tag Along Lauren. Cassie smiled and skipped the rest of the way to Janet’s.

"Where’s your shadow?" Janet asked.

"Lost her."

"Good. She’s such a baby."

At four o’clock, Cassie left. She had to be home by four-fifteen sharp and she made it with about three minutes to spare.

"I’M HOME!"

"Good, you and Lauren go upstairs and start getting ready for dinner. Dad will be home soon."

"Okay, Mom."

Cassie went into the kitchen where her mom was cooking, expecting to find Lauren.

"Where is she?"

"Where’s who, dear?"

"Lauren."

"She wasn’t with you?"

"No. I, uh, she..."

"She what? Where is your sister?" her mother demanded.

"I don’t know. I ran off as soon I got to the sidewalk." Panic crept into her voice. "I thought she’d just turn around and go back inside."

"Come on," her mother said, "we're going find your sister."

Outside, her mother shielded her eyes against the afternoon sun and scanned the street as Cassie shouted in her loudest voice.

"LAAAAAAUREN!"

Lauren didn’t answer and was no where to be seen. Cassie ran and threw her arms around her mother’s waist.

"I’m scared, Mom. I’m really scared."

"We’ll find her," her mother replied with a hint of worry. "Let’s go call some of the neighbors. Maybe she went to someone’s house."

Cassie chewed a thumb as every call received the same response. No one had seen Lauren but all said they’d keep an eye out for her. Next, the phone call that Cassie dreaded most, the one to Dad. She listened.

"No, I haven’t called the police."

Cassie felt herself grow very weak.

I’m going to jail, she thought. Going to jail for losing my sister!

"I’m going to drive the neighborhood. She may turn up somewhere."

Pause.

"Okay. You call them and I’ll start my search."

Pause.

"No, I’ll be fine. Cassie looks a bit pale, though. See you soon."

"I don’t want to go to jail!" Cassie wailed, tears streaming.

"Jail? You’re not going to jail. Dad’s just going to tell the police that Lauren is missing. You and I are going driving."

Outside, some of the other moms had gathered and Cassie saw them talking to each other. She knew they were talking about her and they sounded like witches from the Wizard of Oz. She closed her eyes tight, suddenly feeling dizzy.

"She’s the one! The one who abandoned her little sister," said Mrs. Kiley pointing and laughing.

"She should be arrested and taken to Bad Sister Jail," replied Mrs. Carter.

"Cut off her toes and feed them to the dogs!" another cackled.

Cassie came to, her head in her mom’s lap while Mrs. Kiley placed a damp cloth on her forehead. It felt nice and cool.

"She fainted. I think worry overtook her. Come on, Cassie, baby. Let’s go inside. You need to lie down."

"Poor dear. Probably scared out of her wits," Mrs. Kiley said.

"What about Lauren?" asked Cassie as she got shakily to her feet.

"In a minute," her mom said, supporting her with an arm around her shoulder.

Cassie risked a glance behind her as they entered the house. The other moms all seemed normal now.

It was getting dark and Cassie pressed her nose against the passenger window of her mother’s car, straining against the seat belt, searching. Her mom had been driving slowly up and down every street in their neighborhood, stopping occasionally to knock on a door. Cassie could see the worry increasing on her mother’s face every time she came back to the car. She remembered what Reverend Don had said in Children’s Church one Sunday morning.

"God hears our prayers. Big or small, He hears them all."

Cassie looked up at the darkening sky and began to pray silently.

"God, this is Cassandra Peters. Could you please help us find my baby sister? Her name is Lauren Alicia Peters and she’s seven. I did a bad thing today, God. I ran off and left her by herself and now she’s gone. If you help us find her I promise I’ll never be mean to her again. I will take her everywhere. So please, God, just let us find her. Okay?"

She paused for a moment and then added a quick "Oh, yeah... Amen."

Cassie watched, horrified, as they turned back onto their street. A police car sat in front of their house and a policeman was talking to Mrs. Kiley. Another policeman was walking down the street shining a huge flashlight this way and that.

Mom was wrong, she thought, I am going to jail.

Panic welled in her throat until it nearly choked her. She looked over to see her mom wide-eyed. Her mom was nearly out of the car before it stopped moving and ran to the policeman.

"What have you heard? Have you found her?"

"No, ma’am, we haven’t. We have put her description out to all units and we are notifying the radio and TV stations. They will help spread the word very quickly."

Cassie eased herself out of the minivan and went to stand by her mom. She chewed her thumb vigorously and felt an arm wrap around her shoulders.

They were still talking when Cassie heard a car coming up the street toward them. It was Dad’s car, she realized, and in the front seat with him was Lauren.

"LAUREN! LAUREN!" she screamed and had to be held back until the car came to a stop. She broke free and yanked open the car door. She nearly crushed her sister when she jumped into the front seat and began hugging her.

"You’re back! You’re back!"

"Get off of me!" Lauren cried. "You’re smushing me. MOM!"

Cassie barely heard her dad telling what had happened, she was so relieved at seeing that Lauren was okay."

"Darned if I know how she did it, but she walked over to Margret’s." Dad was grinning.

"Your sister?"

"Yep. Five miles and two busy intersections."

"I looked both ways and waited for the light," Lauren chimed in proudly, "just like you told me."

Cassie watched one of the policeman write something in his notebook then shake everyone’s hand and give Lauren a pat on the head.

"Glad you’re okay, little lady."

Over a dinner of hamburgers and fries, Cassie’s dad continued the story of Lauren’s adventure.

"It seems that Lauren was pretty mad at Cassie for taking off so she decided to go somewhere on her own."

"I went to see Aunt Margret. She’s more fun than dumb ol’ Cassie. And she doesn’t care if I’m only seven. She likes to color."

"Don’t call your sister dumb, honey." Mom said.

Lauren stuck her tongue out at Cassie when her parents weren’t watching. Cassie ignored the insult.

"Anyway," Dad continued, "Margret tried to call as soon as Lauren turned up at her house. She said there was no answer on your cell phone or the home phone."

"In all the excitement, I left it in the house when we went out to search for Lauren," Mom said.

"Yeah. She finally decided to call me and I drove straight over there. I tried calling you, too. "

"Well, it’s over now. Thank God."

"Almost." Dad said. "There is still the matter of Cassie’s irresponsible behavior."

"I think Cassie has learned her lesson."

"Well, that may be true, but just to emphasize it she will lose television and computer privileges for one week. Have you learned your lesson, Cass?"

"I think so."

"What have you learned, dear?" Mom asked.

"That when you are responsible for someone you have to take care of them."

"Anything else," Dad prompted.

"Yeah, I like my little sister."

Cassie leaned over and kissed Lauren on the cheek.

"Yech! Burger-breath," Lauren said, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

That night, Cassie remembered to say a prayer of thanks.

"God, thank you for bringing my sister back. I remember my promise and I won’t break it. Ever. Amen."

A week later Cassie knocked on Janet’s door.

"Hi, Cass."

She saw Lauren standing next to Cassie.

"What’s the Brat doing here?"

"This is no brat. This is my sister. She goes with me, and if you don’t like it then too bad."

"Okay, okay. You don’t have to get mad about it."

Lauren stood there with a huge grin on her face. She was holding Cassie’s hand, her tongue wagging in Janet’s direction.

Michael began writing in high school, and as he puts, has been "rejected by some of the finest publishers in America." He is writing and producing the screenplay for an animated film based on an original story by fellow Crime & Punishment group member, Marlicia Fernandez. He currently has an original screenplay being produced by an independent film company that is scheduled for limited release in early 2003. His normal genre is crime fiction but he was inspired by group members to write for children. Michael lives in North Texas and is Navy veteran. He has been a military policeman, a truck driver, and radio talk show host for the defunct WBEI Internet Radio, which he hopes to someday revive. He also worked for Armed Forces Television as a news writer/director and KOAM-TV7 as a master control technician. "Tag Along Lauren" is the second in a series of short stories about Cassie Peters. Michael’s plans are to publish all the Cassie stories as a children’s book under the pen name Michelle Sanders. He says female readers find it more believable if female authors write stories from the feminine POV.