This story is based on a movie titled Around the Bend (2004) directed by Jordan Roberts with the same storyline and ‘extra’ part that I wrote to make it more interesting. Around the Bend is the story about four generations of the Lair family– Henry, Turner, Jason, and Zach, who are brought together by the opportunity to reveal secrets and truths about their  family’s unsuspected past.

Chapter I

“Okay, Henry. Time to sleep,” a young man said to the elder one—his grandpa—as he entered the room, helping the old man get his shattered books on the floor. Henry should be in bed by now, it’s one o ‘clock. But instead of closing his eyes, he counted the imaginary sheep on his head and just seemed to be busy planning things accompanied by his dog—Sky—next to him.

Come on; it’s one o’clock at night.” He said, pleading with his grandpa. This old man in front of him was always full of imagination, and twenty-four hours seemed lacking. It was unhealthy, though.

“No, Jason. I was drumming for an idea of what he was doing all these years.” Yep, he was right. Ideas are manifestations of imagination. “Please take a seat, and listen to this.”

The young man, Jason, eventually took his seat even though he seemed not into this idea that much since for him, no matter how daydreamed his grandfather was, he’d always love him. So, he sat down himself and put his attention on Henry.

And after an arduous disembowelment procedure, the body was hauled off to a marshy area, placed atop a large pyre where it was slowly devoured by vultures and rodents while the tribe looked on and danced.” 

Jason had no idea what the passage his grandfather had read just now. Therefore, he only kept listening to Henry. “You know, when a man dies, he’s gotta serve his tribe.”

“Henry, you don’t have a tribe.” He chuckled a bit before looking curiously into his grandpa’s eyes. 

“Yes, I do.” Henry persisted while giving a smile to his grandson. “It’s you and the little boy. So is Sky there. Aren’t you, Sky?” he asked as his head turned to see the peacefully sleeping dog beside him.

That was sweet, in a sorta way. Jason did know just by those words that his grandpa loved his family so much. But, they weren’t really a tribe, and even if they were, what Henry read earlier sounded quite ‘wild’, right? “Keep looking for your funeral idea, but your tribe won’t be dancing around you while rodents eat you down there,” he said as Jason was about to leave, but his voice prevented the boy from leaving.

“Wait, Jason.” 

Jason’s head turned towards him as soon as he said, “I want us to go on a trip.”

As if it were easy to predict, the only response was, “Yeah, I know you do.” Since it was really that easily predictable. His grandpa was always so adventurous. 

“Yeah, one last dig. We’ll fix up the fan.” He said.

As always, there was nothing Jason could do when it came to his grandpa’s adventurous soul. So, he kissed his grandpa’s forehead before going out of the room as he whispered a low-voiced “good night”.

Jason walked out on the corridor and he found Katrina, his grandpa’s nanny, watching a horror movie in her room. Honestly, he never understood why she really liked this genre, but she only insisted that this kind of movie relaxed her. 

“Henry asked for your father again,” Katrina looked at Jason for a moment, then went back to the movie.

Ah, yes, his father. A crucial yet sensitive topic in the family. “We should really find him”, was Jason’s only reply. He actually had no idea about where his father was. He even had never met him at all since he unknowingly left his family long ago. “I don’t know what to do, but, yeah… Good night, Kat.”

After Katrina responded with a short “good night” as the reply, Jason went straight to his bedroom, getting ready to sleep as he covered his body with the nearest blanket there. But, then, a voice called his out, a soft, tiny voice. It was his son, Zach. Waking up from his position as Jason asked him to lie down next to him.

It was the only two of them talking at the moment, as usual. Well, as in ‘usual’ ever since Jason divorced his wife. Being a single parent hadn’t been easy for him, but at least, his little boy was there to accompany him and all his curiosity and innocent traits really warmed Jason’s heart. So, this all was quite enough for him now. 

Yep, enough to make him feel content, enough to put him in such a normal life, and enough to be understood. At least things weren’t so complicated that he could still hold on. In the next morning, everything changed as a man came to their house out of nowhere. The man introduced himself both under the name of Turner and as part of the family.

“I’m your dad.” He said once Jason approached him. 

At this kind of moment, the sudden fact wasn’t easy to accept. Although Turner tried to explain that he routinely sent letters to him, in reality, they were never received by Jason. Even so, Jason decided to keep aside his feelings, then he told Zach and Henry about that.

Neither he could when Henry half-shouted, “Get me dressed up, let’s go to the fancy place!”

***

To be continued………….

About Post Author

Bagikan Dengan Sekali Klik: