I look into the bright white stars
A sea of little dots scattered across the night sky
The branches on my tree blowing as if to comfort me
The night before having been but a messy blur.
What happened? Why did I run here? Why do I have this axe? What have I done with this?
A man climbing up, dressed like a policeman
Scared he’ll arrest me, I scream and back up
But he gives me a gingerbread cookie
His name Al Catraz, he swears to protect me; says he’s a lawyer
I trust him then, asking him to help me down from the tree
But he betrays me later, after lunch at home
Giving me to the police when he swore he wouldn’t.
The furry gray husky laying on the lap of a visitor
The pink-haired girl with evidence in her hands
The hat lawyer next to her, sitting on the couch
And the case at hand, filling our minds
Sweat on their foreheads as they strategize
Trying to find a way to prove me innocent
The evidence collected staring back at Al Catraz
His first case, away from home, in Nookville, Lamina.
I see none of this, for I sit in a room
A dark gray room with a single chair
The glass cover in front of me looking weak
The microphones glaring as if I’d done wrong
The policeman behind me, heavily guarding the exit
Tears from my eyes, distraught after how I was taken here
Handcuffs on tight and shoved into the back of a car
No one to help me, no one to love me
Not even Pedro, my furry gray husky
If Mommy were here, I wouldn’t be here
If Daddy were here, I wouldn’t be here
I’d be at home, like how it always was
But of course he had to come; of course he had to kill them
He walked in behind me, holding the axe above their heads
One hit knocked down Daddy, another killed Mommy
I’ll never forget Daddy saying my name one last time.
Another man walks in, with his brown-yellow hair and black suit
Sunglasses on to shade from the light
The suit he wore lacking a tie
The sleeves rolled up above his elbows
Rudely demanding answers to a murder as if I’d done it
Asking kindly but meaning to gain power
His hands folded on the desk in front of him
The tapping of his fingers ringing in my ears.
Such is the conversation
Mister Yellow Hair barraging me with questions
Using words I cannot understand
Me asking questions, followed by his anger
Expecting me to answer normally
Expecting me to be like the others when I’m not
Me getting impatient and angry
The two of us start to yell, causing me to feel unsure
Both wanting answers to a question we can’t answer
Me feeling hungry turns into stress
Mister Yellow Hair getting up, as if ready to strangle me
I try to back up, but I can’t, when policeman comes with dinner
Eating, followed by me answering questions
Policeman getting slightly mad at Mister Yellow Hair
Writing down the answers since I cannot speak well
Reaching an agreement and Mister Yellow Hair going home.
The next day comes, the morning a blur
Going to the courtroom, getting there with mistreatment
The pain in my arm becoming unbearable, a deep shot wound
Feeling scared of result, wanting Mommy and Daddy back
Al Catraz and my friend Sakura defending me the best they can
First against Miss Mercedes, then against Mister Trench
Then against an orange girl who saw the man who killed them
Mister Yellow Hair fighting back but unable to do so well
Miss Mercedes lying in anger, Mister Trench lying by accident
Orange girl out of place and mad at Al Catraz for doing his job good
Sakura pointing out that people were wrong
And Al Catraz shouting “OBJECTION!” like he was going to die if he didn’t.
The afternoon, I get to go back home
Hungry again, I go to the courtroom and eat good food
Al Catraz comes to get me and I grab chocolate chip cookies
Realizing maybe he wasn’t as bad as he made himself seem
Driving home quickly, Miss Mercedes cleans me up
I come outside eager to help Al Catraz and Sakura
A quartam boy from a different timeline stuck here in questioning
Mister Yellow Hair and a yellow hair girl showing up as well
Sakura punches Mr. Yellow Hair after he says something weird
I run after her to see what was wrong, because she was crying
She cries and says he was being very rude
I give her a gingerbread cookie, for friends get gingerbread cookies.
Al comes over and scolds Sakura, saying she was wrong
We walk back to Miss Mercedes and drive to Daddy’s work
The drive long and painful, I ask why Al protected me
He simply says Sakura called and wanted him to help me
We arrive, Miss Mercedes still mad at Sakura
I get to come help Al Catraz question other people
Excited, I run out of car and run to new area
A paper on a stump, a shed with wood against it
Mister Yellow Hair and Miss Yellow Hair show up
Al Catraz talks to them and sighs, sitting on stump after
I force him up by running away, knowing he’d have to follow
I run into scary toque man, the man who killed Mommy and Daddy
Scary toque man acts clueless to Al, but gives up info by accident
Seeing strange paper about me, he stutters and fidgets
Al Catraz brings up letter; scary toque man gets mad
Staring deep into Al Catraz, I stare deep into scary toque man.
I look into eyes, and I can read minds
I can see the secrets, locked away
Staring into file folders, trying to find the truth
Al Catraz says it’s awesome and I think so too
But even then, many people don’t let me see easily
They look away, scared, or blink too many times
Because of that, many people’s secrets I cannot see
It troubles me; I cannot see why some people treat me differently.
I tell the two what I saw: the letter, the anger, the dinner
Scary toque man gets mad but calms down, seeing something
Gets two scary-looking things from pockets, holding at my heart
The same thing scary toque man used to shoot me and Daddy.
Hitting the back of a tree, I got surprised and extremely scared
Scary toque man wishes I had been killed earlier
Al Catraz hits back of the tree too, gasping and breathing heavy
I was going to cry, but I tried my hardest not to for Al Catraz
I look around, looking for Mommy and Daddy and Pedro
Wishing someone was there to help; wishing to get out alive
Mister Yellow Hair shouts loudly and shoves scary toque man
He knocks out scary toque man and demands for us to run.
The rest of that day was a blur like that moment
Having been pinned to a tree at gunpoint was traumatizing
I cried the whole way home, inconsolable like the night before
Al Catraz then gave me Pedro after he cried, and suddenly I was happy
I asked where he found him, when Al said he knew its importance
I knew he liked Pedro too, the way he would look at him
Pedro is known for making people want to hug him
We arrived home and I went upstairs
Knowing Al Catraz and Sakura were talking about my case
They knew I was innocent, but they needed to lay out the proof
I came every now and then to check up on how they were doing
Settling in Sakura's room because I needed a place to stay.
Morning came, and I was woken up by an annoyed Sakura
Asking her about breakfast and the case, she simply huffed
She pouted that she couldn’t go to the courtroom to help Al Catraz
So hungry yet again, I went downstairs to see Miss Mercedes
Al Catraz talked with me about court, asking if I wanted to help him
I thought back to yesterday, scared that I would get hurt or die
Upon asking Al Catraz, he promised I would be protected
And I knew Mommy and Daddy would want me to do it
I ate a pancake and Miss Mercedes helped me get dressed
Driving to the courtroom, I held Al Catraz’s hand, thinking about me
I knew he would keep me safe; I knew he was a really good boy
Not only that, but he treated me like a normal person.
Al Catraz and I went into court and the quartam boy testified
He seemed nervous and tried his very best to be helpful
Al Catraz knew everything that was wrong; he saw every off detail
He pressed and objected like nothing I had ever seen
A recess was called and we went outside
Al Catraz, Mister Yellow Hair and I talked and talked
Then scary toque man arrived and he wished I were dead again
I couldn’t help but cry, because this man had scarred me
An argument ensued and Mister Yellow Hair kneeled down to me
He said he knew I was innocent; there was no way I did it
I smiled and we went back into the courtroom
I knew I had two people willing to protect me.
Scary toque man testified, relentless with insults aimed at me
I cried, feeling hurt, not sure if Mommy and Daddy felt the same
But Al Catraz kept fighting, fighting to prove him guilty
Reassuring me that I was perfect the way I was
I suddenly knew the way to a win
I challenged scary toque man to a staring contest
He reluctantly agreed after Al Catraz told him it was relevant to the case
I stared him down, ready to cry, searching his memories for what I’d found yesterday.
I told the court everything, scary toque man sweating heavy
He tried to deny it, but stopped himself, smirking
As if he knew he’d won, he shoved his hands into his pockets
Pulling out the two scary things from yesterday and shooting.
I fell to the ground, unable to do anything
My right arm felt like it had been cut off from being shot
Falling to the ground, I landed on my left arm and it bled again
I felt betrayed; Al Catraz said he would protect me
I yelled and screamed with the breath I had remaining
I was frightened, knowing at the rate I was bleeding I was dead
I watched as scary toque man was shot, Al Catraz rushing to my aid
You… you said you would protect me… Al?
Thankfully, I awoke to Al Catraz and Mister Yellow Hair at my bedside
The two were glad I was alive and Al Catraz rushed to get Pedro for me
Sakura and Miss Mercedes came, also happy to see I was alive
And without hesitation, Miss Mercedes said I could live with them
Al Catraz came back and asked where cheap homes in Nookville were
Miss Mercedes said there weren’t any, but that she had room
Al Catraz accepted the offer and said he had a family he wanted to leave
I was confused; after losing Mommy and Daddy, I didn’t get it
Mister Yellow Hair also said he didn’t go home much
I asked him why, for I still could not understand why
He said he had to work hard at his job
And with that, I was taken by the hospital people to heal me.
Such is the life of a seven-year old boy
Hoping for a new beginning, hoping to forget the past
A new life with the Sakura, Mercedes, and Al Catraz
I knew this adventure wouldn't be the last.
) but here is a rhyme I made up.