Trembling With Fear 03/17/2019

The Masked Rider Saves his Family

Manny was playing with his Masked Rider doll when his mother made a noise. He knew it was her voice but he had not heard that noise before. It was the sort of sound the dog made. Sometimes Zorro got caught underfoot and yelped slightly. It was that sound.

     Manny set down his doll. It looked just like the Masked Rider from the television show, with a detachable plastic hat that was constantly falling off. Manny didn’t like that.

     He stood and went to his door, peering out. Downstairs he could hear his parents speaking in quiet voices, urgently. “So soon?” Manny’s mother said. “They said it would be at least two weeks. How did it get here so soon?”

     Manny walked to the stairs. Zorro was asleep at the top, so Manny stepped over the dog and padded downstairs.

     His parents were at the living room window, looking out. In the distance outside there were flashes of light, like fireworks.

     “I’m hungry,” Manny said.

     Manny’s parents turned. His mother marched over and took his hand while father drew the blinds on the window.

     Mother took Manny to the kitchen and set about making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “No edges,” Manny said. He did not like the crust.

     “No edges,” mother said.

     Manny watched as his father passed the kitchen door. Father was carrying a portable television. He went into his study and closed the door.

     “You know what?” Manny asked his mother.

     “What?” she answered, smearing peanut butter on bread.

     “The masked rider was caught in cave last week and he was surrounded by bandits,” Manny said.

     “Oh no,” mother said, adding jelly.

     “I knew he could take them,” Manny said.

     “Of course he could,” mother said, cutting the sandwich in half.

     “He sure could,” Manny said. “They came in to get him and he took out his guns and bang bang bang,”

     “Bang bang bang,” mother said. Then father groaned.

     Mother put a plate with the sandwich on it in front of Manny. She turned and walked out to the study. The sandwich still had its crust on it.

     Manny frowned. He took the plate in his hands and followed to the study. He stopped at the door. Mother was crying.

     Mother and father were watching the television. There were explosions on it. Father spoke, very quietly.

     “They’re saying they have a ray,” he said. “It burns up whatever it touches.”

     “Can’t somebody talk to them?” mother asked, her voice thin and high.

     “I think they’re trying,” father said. “They damn well better be trying.”

     Manny laughed. Both parents turned, looked at him.

     “You said a bad word!” Manny said.

     “Go up to your room,” father said.

     “But my sandwich,” Manny said.

     “Go up right now,” father said very sternly.

     Father stood and closed the door to his study.

     Manny kicked the ground, angry. It woke Zorro, who stood at the top of the stairs, stretched, and then looked down at Manny expectantly.

     “Come on Zorro,” Manny said. “Let’s go to my room.”

     Manny went upstairs and into his room, the dog following. Manny slammed his door. He sat on the floor and ate his sandwich, feeding the crust to the dog.

     Outside, there was a noise. It went boom. Manny stood up and looked out the window. There were people in the street outside. They were running.

     Manny went to his closet. He put on his felt cowboy hat. He pinned his plastic sheriff star to his shirt. He pulled his plastic gun belt around his waist. He put his cap guns in the holsters. Finally Manny put on his plastic eye mask. Now he looked just like the Masked Rider.

Zorro licked Manny’s plate where Manny had left it on the floor.

     The door opened and mother came in. She kneeled down in front of Manny and took his hands.

     “Manny, we’re going to go down to the basement,” she said.

     “Why?” Manny asked.

     “It’s a game,” mother said.

     “Can we take Zorro?” Manny asked.

     “Not for this game,” mother said. “Zorro makes too much noise for this game.”

     She stood and they walked out the bedroom. Zorro stayed behind, still occupied with the plate.

They walked down the stairs. Father was there, holding open the basement door.

     They went down together.

     “Go into the shelter,” father said. “I’ll turn out the lights and follow.”

     Mother and Manny went into the bomb shelter together. It was small and concrete and cool. They sat on the floor.

     “This is the game,” mother said. “The game is to be as quiet as possible. No matter what we hear, we are going to be as quiet as possible. Can you do that, Manny?”

     “I’ll protect you,” Manny said.

     Mother choked for a moment. The lights went out.

     “I know you will, little one,” she said. “But right now we need to be very, very quiet.”

     Father came in. Manny heard him move the metal door across the entrance to the shelter. Father sat down. Father held them both.

     “Quiet as a mouse, Manolo,” father whispered. “Quieter than you have ever been.”

     There were more booms from outside. The house shook, and dirt fell from the ceiling of the shelter.

     Everything sounded very distant, very deep, like it sounds when you put your head underwater in the bath. Like you are underwater and far away somebody is screaming.

     Soon there were the sounds of barking. Zorro. Then heavy sounds from above the shelter, from upstairs. Zorro barked again, and Manny inhaled hard, like he was about to say something.

     Father put his hand on Manny’s shoulder and squeezed. Manny closed his mother.

     Another bark, and then a strange noise, like the buzz a television makes when you turn it on.

     Zorro did not bark again.

     More sounds. Movement. Something came down the stairs.

     Manny could hear it moving around the basement. In the dark, he put his hands on his cap guns.

     And then there was a sliver of light. The metal door to the shelter opened slightly.

     Father’s hand was still on Manny’s shoulder, and father’s hand shook. Mother was pressed up against Manny, and Manny could feel her chest rising and falling, like when Zorro had been running and began panting. Her breaths came fast, but in a whisper.

     The door to the shelter opened more. There was a hand on it. Or, not a hand. Something like a hand.

     The door opened the entire way. Mother sobbed at what she saw.

     Manny stood up and drew his cap guns, pointing them. “You go away!” Manny shouted. He heard a buzzing.

The room got very hot.