The Vulture (Part 1) | Teen Ink

The Vulture (Part 1)

October 22, 2009
By BrianDunlop PLATINUM, Valley Stream, New York
BrianDunlop PLATINUM, Valley Stream, New York
35 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Ironically, dreams are what drives our reality." - myself


Stephen Lawrence is a normal man and has lead a normal life. In Stephen's life, nothing particularly out of the ordinary has happened, that is until a vulture, paid him a visit. This is where the story begins.

Stephen is sitting at his kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal and drinking a glass of tea. It is a hot summer day, today and from Stephen's knowledge, from what he had heard from the weatherman from the Channel 2 news, earlier this morning is that the temperature, outside, might reach one hundred degrees, later on, in the day. "Boy is it hot", says Stephen, a man who appears to be in his late sixties, from his wrinkled face, showing his old age. "This is the hottest, it's been all week. Boy, was it silly of me to think that I didn't need an air conditioner." Stephen then picked up the napkin, lying next to his bowl of cereal and wiped his sweat drenched forehead, with it. "I better stay inside, today. It is too hot, out there", says Stephen, looking out his kitchen window. Outside, a sun as bright as a peach, hanged high in the morning sky and below the sun's rays were blue jays, cats and squirrels, all basking under the sunshine, moving around, contributing in their own way to nature. Outside, a small tree, stood side by side with the kitchen window, where Stephen can see all the little birds, sitting on its branches and all the little squirrels climbing up its trunk. A blue jay landed on the tree's branch and Stephen looked at it and smiled. The blue jay then flew off, far from the tree and into the distance because of fear of the cat, climbing up the tree trunk. Stephen loves animals. He loves animals so much that he would often spend his mornings, just staring off, out of the kitchen window at all the animals, running about, under the warm, morning sun. Stephen also has an animal of his own. Stephen owns a Golden Retriever, named Sparky. Sparky is an old dog. Stephen has been living with Sparky for fourteen years, now and he bought Sparky when he was a puppy at a local pet store. Stephen is also a very, lonely man. Stephen's wife, Loretta died fifteen years ago by unknown causes and he has since filled the void of her death with Sparky, although he feels that it's still not the same as Loretta and it never will be. Stephen's grand children will be over his house, tomorrow and he feels very excited about that. He doesn't get to see his grand children, too often and relishes every visit he gets with them. Stephen often reflects at times, when he was a young man, raising his son, Albert and he feels a warm comfort in spending the day with his children, feeling as if he was once again the young father, he once was. Stephen then glances at the framed picture of his two grand children, at the far side of the kitchen, sitting on a marble covered desk. Stephen has one male grand child and one female grand child. The male grand child is named Christopher and he has a dark, olive complection and bright, blond hair and eyes as rich and as blue as the ocean. The female grand child is named Loretta, which Albert named after his mother, in honor of her, after her death. Loretta has a fare complection with skin as white as a dove, with dark, silky, brown hair and beautiful, amber like, brown eyes. Loretta is twelve years old and Christopher is ten years old. Stephen then glances away from the picture of his grand children and out his kitchen window, into the distance, and got lost staring into the simple beauty of nature and in the bright, baby blue sky, above. As Stephen stared off into his kitchen window, he thought to himself. Stephen's thoughts surrounded mainly by his two grand children, he will be seeing, tomorrow, in which he felt great anticipation for because he hasn't seen them in one month. Stephen then smiled, thinking of his two, beautiful grand children and of the squirrels, cats and blue jays, all moving around outside, under the bright morning sun as he dipped his tea bag into a hot, clouded glass of tea and took a sip of the tea, which left a warm sensation in his mouth and a glow in his eyes.

The next morning, Stephen sat in his old, wooden rocking chair in his living room and rocked back and forth in anticipation of his grand children, who will be visiting him, shortly. "Oh boy", says Stephen to himself. "I can't wait to hear about all the activities, they did and how they're doing in school and all the fun things, kids, these days like to do." Sparky then entered the room and approached Stephen. Sparky's fur is as bright and yellow as the sun and his eyes were of dark brown, which gleamed in the light of the room, looking back at Stephen. "Hey Sparky", says Stephen as he patted him on the head. "We're going to have visitors, today. Aren't you happy?" The door bell then rang and Sparky began to bark. "Hold on...I'm coming", says Stephen as he gets up from his rocking chair. Stephen then walks to the front entrance of the house and opens the door. Outside of the door are Albert with his two children, Loretta and Christopher standing behind him, on the front steps of the house. Sparky then runs up to them and starts smelling their mid-sections. "Get in the house, Sparky", says Stephen as he pushes Sparky back into the house. "Grandpa!", yells Christoper and Loretta as they run up to him and give him a warm hug and then run into the house and play with his dog, Sparky. "Some nice kids you got there, Al", says Stephen. "Yep", says Albert, watching his kids play with Sparky, behind Stephen. "So, Al...you want to do anything, sometime...you know like go fishing and hang out or anything...you can choose", says Stephen. "Nah dad. I'd really like to, but I'm pretty busy. Maybe some other time", says Albert. "Okay then", says Stephen with hope in his eyes. "Well dad, I'd like to stand here and have a conversation with you, but I really have to be somewhere and...", says Albert. "It's no problem. Go ahead. Do what you have to do", says Stephen, interrupting him. "Thanks dad", says Albert. "Well, I better get going. See you soon. Take care", says Albert. "Alright, see you soon", says Stephen as he was just about to give him a hug, but Albert hesitated and stuck out his hand for a hand shake. "Okay, take care, son", says Stephen, shaking Albert's hand. "Okay, see you later, dad", says Albert as he reaches his hand back and walks down the house's front steps and enters his car, parked in front of the house. Albert then rolls down the window of his car and says, "Bye." "Bye", says Stephen as he watches his son, Albert drive off, with a smile on his face and love in his eyes.

The author's comments:
An old man comes face to face with a being with whom brings death upon anything it makes into contact with. A tale of the dark vulture...reaping his victims, with one such possible victim being the main character, Mr. Stephen Lawrence.

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