The Leech
Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:01 am
A Tale of a Parasite and His Appropriate Metamorphosis
For Tommy Ticia, high school ended at age sixteen. With his mother’s reluctant consent, Tommy ended his formal education for good. Not like he received much of an education anyway – Tommy failed most of his classes throughout his academic career. But Tommy was not sixteen anymore – he was now age twenty-four, and still unemployed, residing at the home of his mother, Maggie. At the age of twenty-four, Tommy hadn’t earned a dime of his own money, had never prepared a meal for himself, had not lived outside of his mother’s home, and hadn’t woken up before noon since he was in eighth grade.
Tommy’s day possessed a more or less recurring schedule. He knew when to wake up when Maggie screamed sufficiently his ear for him to hear her. This usually occurred at around two-thirty in the afternoon. Following this affair, Maggie prepared for Tommy his breakfast/lunch. For the rest of the day, Tommy would watch television programs, including his favorite show, the Jerry Springer Show, until in the evening he would eat the dinner that Maggie had prepared. She was employed as a nurse, working the night shift.. Most nights, Tommy went out with his friends or his girlfriend using his mother’s hard-earned money. These nights out usually consisted of drinking and gallivanting about their suburban hometown in the car that Tommy asked his mother to buy for him.
But on one of these nights, Tommy and his friends and his girlfriend were all very drunk, and Tommy was driving very fast. Tommy Ticia’s carefree lifestyle caused him to make very stupid and self-centered decisions – not for a second during that car ride did he consider that he was endangering the lives of himself, those in his car, and everyone else on the road. Unfortunately, the car crashed headlong into a car being driven by a young married couple. The wife died and the husband sustained injuries that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Tommy and those in his car received minor injuries
Ironically enough, Maggie Ticia treated and saw Tommy, those in his car, and the young married couple that night in the emergency room. After she saw the death of the young wife and the grotesque injuries of the young husband, the horrified Maggie saw the result of her son’s lifestyle – she promptly kicked her son out of her home.
Tommy remained unfazed by the accident. In fact, when Maggie informed Tommy that he would have to move out, Tommy was angry.
“Kicking me out? Are you serious, Ma?”
Maggie began to cry. “Yes, I’m serious. Look at yourself, Tommy. You’ve done absolutely nothing with your life. Everything you have I have either given to you, or you have taken. I don’t think I ever want you in my home again…”
“This is ridiculous!” Tommy sputtered. “I can’t believe you’d kick out your own son. You have to be the worst mother to ever live.”
Maggie sobbed, and Tommy collected his things, and left, slamming the door on his way out.
Tommy drove off. Suddenly, he found himself in a predicament. Indeed, his mother’s words rang true, even in Tommy’s narrow-minded psyche. He had never done a thing for himself in his entire life. Everything he had his mother had given to him. Abstract musings aside, the most practical problem on Tommy’s mind was money – without his mother’s seemingly unending funds that she provided for him, he had no assets.
In Tommy’s parasitic mind, the only solution was to seek haven in his girlfriend’s home. His girlfriend Tracey owned her own home, had a job, but still went out with a total deadbeat loser like Tommy Ticia. Nobody knew why. Perhaps she wanted someone or something completely unlike herself. The answer is irrelevant to Ticia’s story, but suffice to say that at this point she had gotten to thinking about their relationship. In any case, she did not live far from Maggie Ticia’s home, and Tommy arrived there in no time.
Without ringing the doorbell, went inside, and explained his situation to Tracey. “So you see, babe, I’ve gotta stay at your house for a while.”
Tracey looked suspicious. “For a while? Until what? You get a job?”
Tommy shifted uncomfortably. “Well, until…”
She shook her head. “You know, Tommy, we’ve been together for a while now, but I’ve just started to realize how little you know about where you want to go in life. Now you’re homeless, without any intention of getting a job. I think you should think about what you want to do before I let you shack up here, okay?”
Outraged, Tommy boomed, “First Ma, now you, Tracey! Why are you all turning on me? What have I ever done to either of you?”
Tracey shook her head. “Other than waste our time and money? Nothing, Tommy. That’s the problem.”
Without a word, turning on his heel, Tommy stalked off, got into his car, and sped away full speed down the street. He had about ten dollars in his wallet, and went to the bar.
After getting sufficiently drunk and depressed, Tommy drove to the drugstore, and purchased with his last few bucks a bottle of aspirin tablets. He went back into car in the parking lot, prepared to commit the ultimate selfish act – suicide. As he swallowed the pills, Tommy suddenly felt as if he were apart from his body. He accredited this to the fact that he was overdosing, but such was not the case.
Several moments later, Tommy became conscious again, but found himself in an entirely new body. He felt water all around him, and his skin felt slimy. He tasted blood in his mouth, and felt himself sucking and getting fatter. He was only dimly aware of the human leg he was feeding off of. Suddenly, two human fingers crushed his body, lifted him off the leg, and threw the leech back into the river where it belonged, where it was swept away by the current.
This was an assignment where I describe a metamorphosis. Comments? Again, had to be under 1000 words. This is 999.
For Tommy Ticia, high school ended at age sixteen. With his mother’s reluctant consent, Tommy ended his formal education for good. Not like he received much of an education anyway – Tommy failed most of his classes throughout his academic career. But Tommy was not sixteen anymore – he was now age twenty-four, and still unemployed, residing at the home of his mother, Maggie. At the age of twenty-four, Tommy hadn’t earned a dime of his own money, had never prepared a meal for himself, had not lived outside of his mother’s home, and hadn’t woken up before noon since he was in eighth grade.
Tommy’s day possessed a more or less recurring schedule. He knew when to wake up when Maggie screamed sufficiently his ear for him to hear her. This usually occurred at around two-thirty in the afternoon. Following this affair, Maggie prepared for Tommy his breakfast/lunch. For the rest of the day, Tommy would watch television programs, including his favorite show, the Jerry Springer Show, until in the evening he would eat the dinner that Maggie had prepared. She was employed as a nurse, working the night shift.. Most nights, Tommy went out with his friends or his girlfriend using his mother’s hard-earned money. These nights out usually consisted of drinking and gallivanting about their suburban hometown in the car that Tommy asked his mother to buy for him.
But on one of these nights, Tommy and his friends and his girlfriend were all very drunk, and Tommy was driving very fast. Tommy Ticia’s carefree lifestyle caused him to make very stupid and self-centered decisions – not for a second during that car ride did he consider that he was endangering the lives of himself, those in his car, and everyone else on the road. Unfortunately, the car crashed headlong into a car being driven by a young married couple. The wife died and the husband sustained injuries that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Tommy and those in his car received minor injuries
Ironically enough, Maggie Ticia treated and saw Tommy, those in his car, and the young married couple that night in the emergency room. After she saw the death of the young wife and the grotesque injuries of the young husband, the horrified Maggie saw the result of her son’s lifestyle – she promptly kicked her son out of her home.
Tommy remained unfazed by the accident. In fact, when Maggie informed Tommy that he would have to move out, Tommy was angry.
“Kicking me out? Are you serious, Ma?”
Maggie began to cry. “Yes, I’m serious. Look at yourself, Tommy. You’ve done absolutely nothing with your life. Everything you have I have either given to you, or you have taken. I don’t think I ever want you in my home again…”
“This is ridiculous!” Tommy sputtered. “I can’t believe you’d kick out your own son. You have to be the worst mother to ever live.”
Maggie sobbed, and Tommy collected his things, and left, slamming the door on his way out.
Tommy drove off. Suddenly, he found himself in a predicament. Indeed, his mother’s words rang true, even in Tommy’s narrow-minded psyche. He had never done a thing for himself in his entire life. Everything he had his mother had given to him. Abstract musings aside, the most practical problem on Tommy’s mind was money – without his mother’s seemingly unending funds that she provided for him, he had no assets.
In Tommy’s parasitic mind, the only solution was to seek haven in his girlfriend’s home. His girlfriend Tracey owned her own home, had a job, but still went out with a total deadbeat loser like Tommy Ticia. Nobody knew why. Perhaps she wanted someone or something completely unlike herself. The answer is irrelevant to Ticia’s story, but suffice to say that at this point she had gotten to thinking about their relationship. In any case, she did not live far from Maggie Ticia’s home, and Tommy arrived there in no time.
Without ringing the doorbell, went inside, and explained his situation to Tracey. “So you see, babe, I’ve gotta stay at your house for a while.”
Tracey looked suspicious. “For a while? Until what? You get a job?”
Tommy shifted uncomfortably. “Well, until…”
She shook her head. “You know, Tommy, we’ve been together for a while now, but I’ve just started to realize how little you know about where you want to go in life. Now you’re homeless, without any intention of getting a job. I think you should think about what you want to do before I let you shack up here, okay?”
Outraged, Tommy boomed, “First Ma, now you, Tracey! Why are you all turning on me? What have I ever done to either of you?”
Tracey shook her head. “Other than waste our time and money? Nothing, Tommy. That’s the problem.”
Without a word, turning on his heel, Tommy stalked off, got into his car, and sped away full speed down the street. He had about ten dollars in his wallet, and went to the bar.
After getting sufficiently drunk and depressed, Tommy drove to the drugstore, and purchased with his last few bucks a bottle of aspirin tablets. He went back into car in the parking lot, prepared to commit the ultimate selfish act – suicide. As he swallowed the pills, Tommy suddenly felt as if he were apart from his body. He accredited this to the fact that he was overdosing, but such was not the case.
Several moments later, Tommy became conscious again, but found himself in an entirely new body. He felt water all around him, and his skin felt slimy. He tasted blood in his mouth, and felt himself sucking and getting fatter. He was only dimly aware of the human leg he was feeding off of. Suddenly, two human fingers crushed his body, lifted him off the leg, and threw the leech back into the river where it belonged, where it was swept away by the current.
This was an assignment where I describe a metamorphosis. Comments? Again, had to be under 1000 words. This is 999.
