The boy who cried, "BLACK HOLE!"

What is that? I can hear it. I know it’s under that chair. I can hear my truck in that black hole. I knew it. I knew it stole my truck. Never cross paths with grandpa’s chair. Stupid chair, I knew it.


Janna watched her seven year old son Abe have a staring contest with a chair.

She quickly texted her husband: There is something wrong with Abe.

She bit her nails waiting for a response.

“Why are you staring that chair buddy?”

Janna’s phone buzzed in her hands. Her husband’s response was: No there isn’t.

Typical. He thought everything was normal. He thought that it was normal that Abe needed a flashlight under his bed to make sure there was no black hole going to eat him. Monsters are normal, the fear of black holes is not. He thought it was normal that Abe thought his shadow could turn into a black hole and so he needed a silver belt. The silver belt had no explanation from the seven year old only that shadows would not turn into black holes if he was wearing a silver belt. So Janna bought him a silver belt. Her husband laughed at her saying she only was feeding his fear. But Janna could not stand another phone call from the elementary telling her that her son had a panic attack because he was afraid to go outside without a silver belt. There was something wrong with Abe.

“Mommy, it ate my truck.”

If it ate my truck why wouldn’t it eat me? It would. It’s going to eat me. That black hole is going to eat me.

Abe backed away from the chair and into his mother’s arms, “The chair did not eat your truck buddy.”

“Not the chair mommy, the black hole under the chair.”

“Abe there is not a black hole under grandpa’s chair. I promise.”

“Mommy, I can hear it.”

“No you can’t.”

Yes I can.

Abe left the room and Janna immediately dialed her husband.

“Janna, there is nothing wrong with Abe. It’s normal for kids to imagine things. Stop worrying so much,” he said without saying hello, “When I was that age I thought it was cool to eat dirt. At least our kid has an imagination. We should be grateful. You know there are kids that don’t even play make believe. They’re walking around with I-phones. We should be grateful.”

“Dan, he thinks there is a black hole under your dad’s chair. He’s absolutely convinced that it ate his truck.”

“Go find his truck then.”

“He has fifty trucks.”

“Then let him think there’s a black hole under the chair.”

“You aren’t helping. What if he turns into one of those people that have to wash their hands seven times before they leave the house?”

“Then you can blame it on me, okay? You really need to stop worrying so much.”

“Fine, okay. Bye.”

“He’s fine Janna.”

She hung up the phone.

There was a scream from Abe in the other room. Janna swallowed the panic that had risen into her mouth and ran for her son.

I can hear it. There’s another one. It’s under the sink. That’s where all the garbage goes. It goes into that black hole. If it eats garbage it will think I’m garbage and it will eat me too.

“Mommy, there’s another one, it’s under the sink.”

“Abe lets go for a walk,” she needed it for her own sanity.

As they stepped outside her husband stepped out of the car, “Hey buddy!” he yelled chasing Abe down and giving him a bear hug, “What are we doing?”

“Going for a walk,” Janna answered giving Abe a tickle.

“Mommy needs a walk because she thinks that there isn’t a black hole under the sink.”

Janna gave her husband the ‘I told you so’ look. He smiled, “Oh yeah? I think we should all go for a walk together. How about that?”

Abe nodded and squirmed out of his father’s grasp walking slightly ahead of his parents checking for any black hole danger.

“He screamed and was having a fit over this black hole under the sink Dan,” she whispered.

“STAY BACK!” Abe braced himself against his parents making sure they didn’t take another step, “There’s one under that car!”

You can’t eat them! They are my mommy and daddy!

No matter how hard she tried to protect her child, there was an insane amount of dark places and not enough flashlights to disengage his black hole fear.

“Abe! You stay here. I’ve just noticed something!” She said over acting a bit, “I’ve never had troubles with black holes and I don’t even wear silver belts! I have an idea!”

“Where are you going?” Abe asked wide eyed and worried for his mother’s safety as she walked towards the car.

Janna approaches a car. It’s a large SUV so there’s just enough room for her to fit right underneath it.

Abe started wailing uncontrollably held back by his father.

“Look buddy, no black hole!” she said smiling and waving to her bawling son. She hid her face in the other direction to let out a whimper of her own, she hated to upset him. Then a strange sight appeared, Abe’s play truck almost making contact with her nose, “What in the world?

A light sucking sound surrounded her and everything around her started shrinking and gravity was pulling in strange directions all around her.

“Dad! It ate her! It ate her!”

Dan said nothing because apparently his wife had disappeared completely out of sight. He ran to the SUV and looked under the car. She was gone.

“Bleh!” Janna was covered in some sort of goo and she was underneath her father-in-laws chair with her son’s truck in hand. She scooted from underneath the chair and quickly pushed it over. There was nothing to be seen but her hardwood floor.

Quickly, she ran outside to find her husband standing frozen next to the SUV and her son screaming for his mom.

“You guys! I’m right here!”

Both jumped at the sound of her voice.

“Janna!” “MOM!”

Dan grabbed Abe in his arms and ran to his goo covered wife, “Aren’t you just ecstatic? There’s nothing wrong with our son!”

Janna let out a sigh of relief.