Chapter One: The Rupture

KA-BOOM! A Birthday Party Extravaganza! Samson's Birthday Party is a Blast!

In the village Fruits and Berries, Maqsedeth prepares a surprise birthday party for Samson while he is out working part-time to help bring in more income. Fruits and Berries is one of the largest villages in Manorá, so it has been organized into smaller sections known as ‘districts’ (the other large villages are Tulip and Daisy). Each district is named after a famous Earthling musical composer or poet. Samson and Maqsedeth live in the Chopin district, which was named after the famous Earthling musical composer, Frédéric François Chopin, a Polish-born musical composer who ranks as one of the masters of piano composition.

I sure hope Samson’s birthday is a blast! Maqsedeth thought, excited for the day. Today, my boy is finally becoming a man! Maqsedeth has been working on Samson’s surprise party for two months now and managed to keep it a secret from Samson the entire time. He invited all of the villagers in the Chopin district of the village Fruits and Berries even Trenton, the village chief. Trenton is a 5’10”, caramel brown, beefy man who founded the village Fruits and Berries before Silus became king and before Maqsedeth and Samson moved there. He looks to be around his mid-thirties but is actually older than that (minus the wrinkles and gray hair since Ancient Xeroxians can’t age beyond 30 years).

Trenton kept Samson away from the house by tricking him into going to the farmer’s market in the Monteverdi district of Fruits and Berries. “Go pick up some hay for me at the Farmer’s Market in Monteverdi,” he told Samson when he went to work that morning. Once Samson was gone, he and the rest of the villagers pitched in to help Maqsedeth with the decorations.

“I want everything to be cool and simple,” Maqsedeth said to the villagers. “So, Dan, no Silly-String and Noise Makers. And Rob, please instruct your kids not to bring confetti. I don’t want to embarrass Samson on his 19th.”

 

Everyone who was invited to Samson’s big surprise birthday party had to bring at least one present to give to Samson and one entrée for the party, so everyone brought what they could.

 

Maqsedeth and Trenton were just putting up the banner, which read “Happy 19th Birthday Samson!!!!”, when there was a knock on the door. Maqsedeth was about to go and open it, when Rob, another villager, who is the father of Molly and Butch, stepped up, “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Maqsedeth,” he said, “I’ll get it.”

Maqsedeth nodded, “Thanks, Rob!” he said, and he got back on his step stool to finish putting his end of the banner up.

Rob went to the door, “Who is it?” he called out.

There was silence for a while, and then a soft voice answered with, “It’s Becky.”

Because he didn’t understand what had been said, Rob opened the door to find a peach colored, 5’10”, stocky, middle aged woman. She had long jet black hair in a French braid and in her hands she held her gift and entrée. Becky is Maqsedeth’s mother and Samson’s grandmother.

“Oh! Hi, Becky!” Rob said as he hugged her. He took her gift and entrée and placed them in the kitchen with the others.

Maqsedeth and Trenton finished putting up the banner and got down from their stools as Rob brought Becky into the living room where everyone was. “Hey, Mr. Maqsedeth,” he called, “Look who came all the way from Bloch to see you and Samson! It’s your mother, the lovely Mrs. Becky Cleopatra!”

Maqsedeth rushed over, “Hi, Mother!” he said, ecstatic, as he gave her a big hug, “How are you?”

His mother hugged him back, “Oh, I’m fine, dear,” she said, “But, honey, I think I might’ve seen Samson on my way up here. Are you gentlemen finished preparing here?”

They stopped hugging, “What was that?” Maqsedeth asked, alarmed, “You said you saw Samson? But, we still have a lot to do! I haven’t finished baking the green bean casserole, yet! I need at least twenty-five more minutes. How far away from the house was he?”

“Oh, he was probably fifteen minutes away,” Becky replied.

Trenton looked up, startled, “Fifteen minutes away?” he asked, “But, we haven’t finished putting up the disco ball! Molly! Butch! Get over here!”

Molly and Butch left their corner and went to see what Trenton wanted. “Go outside and see if you can spot Samson and if you can, try and stall him, okay?” Trenton commanded.

Molly and Butch nodded, “Yes, sir!” they said in unison and they ran outside.

Once they had gone, Trenton rushed out to the garage, where they were having the dance off, to see how the rest of the guys were doing with the decorations and the disco ball. “How are you guys doing out here?” he asked.

One of the guys looked in the direction of his voice and gasped, “Trenton, we have a problem,” he said, “We lost the disco ball.”

Trenton gasped, his eyes wide with fear, “Oh s**t!” he said, “Samson’s on his way here! I sure hope the Parish twins can stall him long enough to find it!”

Meanwhile, during the chaotic events that were occurring just then, Molly and Butch went outside to carry out their task. They spotted Samson from the doorstep walking a half mile away and he looked upset about something.

They turned to each other and grinned, “Time to put this plan into action,” Butch said.

“Oh yeah,” Molly said as they high-fived. They dashed from the front porch and went to meet Samson.

“What’s up, Sam?” Butch called, “Where’re ya headed?”

Samson cocked his head to one side, “To my house,” he said, raising an eyebrow, “Why? What’s going on?”

Molly elbowed Butch, “Oh, nothin’,” she said, “We just wanted to come out here and meet with you to play hide and seek out in the park.”

Samson raised an eyebrow, What’s going on with them? he thought, Why are they trying to keep me away from the house? First it was Trenton and now it is them. I’m going to find out what’s going on. “But, I’m trying to get home,” he said, “It’s really late and I’m ready for a hot shower. Why are you guys doing this?”

“Because, you owe us,” Molly said, “that’s why.”

Samson laughed, “What?” he asked, completely bewildered, “What do you mean?”

Molly crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow, “Do you remember all of those times we stood up for you against Trenton?” she asked.

Butch crossed his arms over his chest, too, “Yeah,” he said, “You don’t want us to leak out your little secret about Trenton’s prized collection of golden electrical guitars, do you?”

Samson’s eyes widened, Oh no, he thought, they did not just go there! They wouldn’t dare tell Trenton that I accidentally lost one of his favorite guitars he let me borrow! He would never forgive me if he finds out he only has 19 golden electrical guitars! Because this is my third time doing something careless with the items he let me borrow, he might even fire me and I cannot afford to get docked! Not now! Better give them what they want. “Alright,” he said, “to get you guys off my back about the guitars, what do you want me to do?”

 

Molly looked at him intently, “I already told you,” she said, “Hide and seek in the park.”

Samson sighed, “Okay, fine,” he said and he left with the Parish twins.

Meanwhile, back at Maqsedeth’s house, Trenton and the guy that lost the disco ball continued their search for it. “Dan,” Trenton said, “where was the last place you had it? I told you to put the disco ball up hours ago. I thought you’d be finished by now.”

Dan shrugged, “Yeah, so did I,” he said, taken aback, “One minute I was putting up the disco ball and the next minute I was helping Maqsedeth with his horse stable.” There was a moment of silence and everyone looked at Dan. His eyes widened as he recalled the whereabouts of the disco ball, “Oh no!” he said, “I think I know where it is! It’s in the stable!”

Trenton threw his hands in the air in exasperation, “Why in the hell would you leave it in the stable?” he asked, “What were you thinking?”

Dan shrugged, “I don’t know,” he said, disappointed in himself, “I was distracted when you asked me to put up the disco ball.”

Trenton looked at him intently, “What were you doing while you were putting up the disco ball?” he asked him.

Dan shrugged, absent-mindedly, “I don’t remember,” he said. “Um, I’m gonna go and get the disco ball from the stable.”

Once Dan left, Trenton turned to the rest of the guys that were there with him and sighed, heavily, “What am I gonna do with him?” he asked as he shook his head, annoyed at Dan’s foolishness. “He’ll lose his head if it wasn’t on his shoulders!”

Maqsedeth came in, “Hey, Trent,” he said, “I have some news for you.”

Trenton glanced in his direction and sighed, More bad news? he thought, wearily. Well, that’s just perfect.

Maqsedeth looked around, puzzled, “Did I come at a bad time?” he asked, hesitant.

Trenton sighed, heavily, “No, Maqsedeth,” he said, trying to hide his distress, “What’s the news?”

Maqsedeth cleared his throat, “Well, do you remember when you sent those twins out to stall Samson?” he asked him. When Trenton nodded, Maqsedeth continued, beaming, “Well, good news! He bought it and so we should have plenty of time to wrap this surprise party up!”

Everyone in the garage cheered and Trenton sighed, “Well, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day!” he said, relieved.

Maqsedeth was silent for a while and then Dan came back in with the disco ball. “What’s Dan doing coming inside with the disco ball?” he asked, puzzled, “Wasn’t the disco ball supposed to be put up several hours ago?”

Trenton sighed and nodded, “Well, let’s just be happy it’s being done at all!” he said, elated. The doorbell rang, “Didn’t you just say that Samson was gone with the twins?” he asked Maqsedeth, troubled.

Maqsedeth nodded slowly, “Yeah,” he said, apprehensively, “at least that’s what I saw from the window.” Unless he’s come back, Maqsedeth thought uneasily as he went to open the door.

Maqsedeth approached the door slowly, “Who is it?” he called.

“You know who this is, Maqsedeth,” a familiar voice replied.

Maqsedeth opened the door and gazed at the person standing on the porch. He had windblown sandy brown hair and a mustache and a goatee; and he was wearing a maroon tunic with white trousers and black leather boots.

“Hello, stranger,” Maqsedeth said, coldly.

The person sighed, “Aw, come on, Maqsedeth. Don’t be that way,” he said, acting hurt.

“What do you want, Silus?” Maqsedeth asked, irked.

King Silus grinned, “Why, I just wanted to wish my favorite warrior a Happy Birthday!” he said, pretending to favor him.

Maqsedeth sighed and rolled his eyes, “Yeah,” he said with distaste, “He’s your only warrior.”

King Silus’s grin grew wider, “The all the more reason to celebrate him,” he said as he handed Maqsedeth a wrapped box, “Please, do me a favor and give this to him for me, okay, Maqsedeth?”

Maqsedeth glared at him, “Where’s your entrée?” he asked him, disregarding the wrapped box in his hand.

King Silus raised his eyebrows at him, appalled that he refused to accept his gift, “What do you mean, Maqsedeth?” he jeered, “Are you saying that I can’t give my boy a gift without giving him something to feed his face with?”

Maqsedeth nodded, “Yep,” he said, flatly, “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

King Silus sighed, “Fine,” he yielded. He snapped his fingers and a bowl of fruit salad wrapped in plastic wrap appeared in his other hand. “Here’s your entrée,” he said, irritated.

Maqsedeth glared at him, “I’m not taking these,” he said, harshly.

King Silus frowned, “And why?” he asked.

Maqsedeth looked at him intently, “If you think that you’re gonna jeopardize my son’s present and future, then you’re wrong,” he said, flatly. “I already know why you’re here and you’re not invited. Sorry, Silus, but I’m gonna have to ask you to leave. Take your baggage with you.”

King Silus looked at Maqsedeth and crossed his arms over his chest, “I’m sorry, Maqsedeth, but the presentation has already been made,” he said, firmly, “There are no returns.” He turned and walked off, leaving the gift and entrée on the porch.

Maqsedeth closed the door and turned to face the crowd that had gathered just then. “Who was that at the door, Mr. Maqsedeth?” Rob asked, troubled.

Maqsedeth sighed, “Bad company,” he replied, dodging the question, “So, on with the party?” The timer rang in the kitchen, “Oh, that’s my casserole,” he said, glad for an excuse to get away from the crowd. He went into the kitchen.

The crowd dispersed and Rob went into the kitchen where Maqsedeth was, “‘Bad company’?” he asked, repeating what Maqsedeth had said, “What exactly does that mean? Who was at the door, Mr. Maqsedeth?”

Maqsedeth placed the casserole on a hot pad on the table and sighed, “It was His Highness,” he said with distaste.

Rob gasped, “Oh, man, the king?” he asked, “Didn’t you tell me that he wanted your son dead? Why in the hell would he turn up at your son’s birthday party?”

Maqsedeth glanced at him, “Why in the hell do you think?” he asked him, “He wants my son dead so the best way he’ll go about doing it is being secretive. He has wrapped up a destructive device inside of the box he has and called it a ‘gift’.”

Rob’s jaw dropped, “He was gonna give your son a bomb for his birthday?” he whispered.

Maqsedeth looked at him startled, “I didn’t say ‘bomb’,” he whispered back, “Who said ‘bomb’?” He paused to think about it, “Okay, yeah, I had my suspicions about the ‘gift’,” he said, “but he could’ve wrapped up anything in that box. Oh, and he also brought some fruit salad because I required every guest to bring a gift and an entrée to the party, but he snapped it out of nowhere so I don’t know if it’s safe.”

Rob’s eyes widened and he gasped, “Oh no!” he said, his voice a little above a whisper, “This doesn’t sound good at all! Should we tell the rest of the party guests?”

Maqsedeth shook his head, “Not yet,” he said in the same tone Rob used, “I’m waiting for the right time. We might have to move the party elsewhere.”

Rob sighed, “We’ve already finished here and it will take at least another several hours to decorate another building, so that won’t work,” he said, agitated, “And besides, Mr. Maqsedeth, what other location did you have in mind?”

Maqsedeth sighed, “You know what, you’re right,” he conceded, “We can’t move. It will take a while to decorate another building and by that time, Samson’s birthday will be over, so never mind about moving. I’m still waiting for the right time to tell the rest of the guests the dangerous news.”

Dan came into the kitchen carrying a pretty blue box with a purple bow on it and a bowl of fruit salad, “Hey, these were on the front porch,” he said, puzzled, “Why didn’t you bring them in?”

Before Maqsedeth could answer, Becky came into the kitchen, “Hey, dear, the twins are back,” she said, “and Samson’s about ten minutes away from the house. What should we do, sweetie?”

Maqsedeth turned to Rob, “Too late,” he whispered, “We’ll just have to roll with the punches. Make sure the gift and the fruit salad are nowhere in sight when the party starts, okay?” Rob nodded in agreement.

The doorbell rang and the twins came in, “We’re so sorry, Maqsedeth,” Butch said, “We couldn’t stall him for long.”                                                                                                                                    

Rob sighed, “I thought you guys were pros at this,” he teased.

“Hurry up and turn out the lights! He’s coming!” Molly exclaimed.

Maqsedeth turned out the kitchen lights, “She’s right,” he said, “Take the gift and entrée from Dan and put them out of sight, okay Rob? Hide them really good. And the rest of you guys, turn out the rest of these lights and hide.”

Everyone quickly went to carry out their tasks and they all chose their hiding spots close to the living room and Foyer before they heard the door open and Samson entered. He looked around, Okay, I just saw the lights on a moment ago, he thought, What’s going on? “Hello?” he called, “Anybody home?” Nothing but silence followed. “Where is everyone?” he asked.

He turned on the lights and everyone returned from their hiding places and shouted, “SURPRISE!” Samson smiled, “Oh, so this is what was going on,” he said, narrowing his eyes, “You guys were trying to keep this a secret from me and that’s why you were trying to keep me from the house. You guys are sneaky you know that?”

“Everyone knows that,” Rob teased, “That’s why we’re your family, so we can do that to you occasionally!” Everybody laughed and Maqsedeth came forward to carry Samson into the house, “Come on, son,” he said, “Let’s have a good time!”

Samson went to Trenton and smiled, “‘Go pick up some hay for me at the Farmer’s Market in Monteverdi’?” he asked, repeating what Trenton had told him that morning, “Good one, Chief!”

Trenton laughed, “Yeah, I knew you were going to be on to me about that one, Sam,” he said, winking at him, “Everyone knows that you can’t pick up hay from the Farmer’s Market in Monteverdi without a wagon or carriage.”

Samson nodded, “Yeah,” he replied, “Everyone except me, but at least I found out in case I needed to visit there again. Here’s your change.”

He handed Trenton the money he had given him to pay for the hay, but Trenton refused it, “Naw, man,” he responded, “You keep that. That was your birthday money.”

Samson looked at him warily, sure that he was joking. “Are you sure?” he asked him. 

When Trenton nodded, he grinned, “Thanks, Chief!” he exclaimed.

Trenton smiled back and Maqsedeth patted him on his back, “Come on Samson,” he said, “Let’s go into the living room.”

Once they made it into the living room, his grandmother Becky came forward to hug him and Samson’s eyes widened and a wide grin stretched across his face, “Grandma!” he exclaimed as he ran towards her.

“Happy Birthday, Samson!” Becky exclaimed as they hugged, “I’m so happy to see you, darling! Your father and I are so excited for you!” They stopped hugging and Becky brought him to the sofa. He took a seat as she set up Monopoly on the coffee table.

Trenton brought in a veggie pizza and they enjoyed pizza while playing Monopoly. It was Samson against Maqsedeth, Trenton, and Rob and he seemed to have the upper hand: he had bankrupted Maqsedeth and Trenton and now he was starting on Rob. After Samson won Monopoly, Maqsedeth cleaned up their trash and went into the kitchen with Rob while Molly and Butch put Monopoly away and set up Uno, and Rob returned with a platter of hotdogs and hamburgers.

It was Molly, Butch, and Samson against each other and to make things interesting, they decided to play a tournament. In the beginning, it looked as though Samson was winning because he was still in the game after Molly was eliminated. But, after Samson and Butch went head-to-head, Butch beat Samson by playing 5 Skip cards in a row and playing his last card, which was a Wild Draw Four card. “Aw, man! I’ve been beat at Uno by a ten-year old!” Samson cried.

Butch smirked, “Sorry, Samson, I probably should’ve warned you: I’m the best Unoer in the Parish family!” he bragged.

Samson scowled, “I don’t think ‘Unoer’ is even a word!” he snapped.

“It’s my word,” Butch replied. “I made it up.”

Rob fixed Samson a plate of hotdogs and sighed, “Yeah, Samson, he is the best,” he affirmed. “He beats me and Molly at Uno every time! Don’t tell him I said this, but sometimes I think those cards he has for Uno are charmed. There’s just no way somebody can be that good at Uno!”

Butch overheard him talking to Samson and interjected, “Dad, my cards are not charmed! And, it is possible that a person can be undefeated at Uno!”

Rob raised an eyebrow, “Okay,” he replied, incredulous, “whatever. But, if you want to talk about being undefeated at something, take Trenton at Checkers. He’s the best!”

Rob cleared the table of Uno and brought out the game of Checkers. Trenton and Samson competed against each other, first. The game was tied towards the middle of it and it seemed as though neither Samson nor Trenton was winning. But, then towards the end, Samson got lucky and made his last move and things changed for Trenton because Samson had finally beaten him at Checkers.

Trenton sighed happily, “Well, I guess it’s time I retire from being the King of Checkers,” he said, relieved, “and pass the baton on to Samson!”

Samson narrowed his eyes and gave Trenton a sideways glance, sure that he was tricking him, “I don’t know about that, sir,” he replied, skeptically, “Um, shouldn’t I get more experience before being crowned the next King of Checkers?”

Trenton shook his head, “Whenever someone undefeated has been beaten at a game for the first time in a long time, that person has been dethroned and the winner bears the title until he is defeated by someone better than him. So, you are now the new King of Checkers since you have beaten me, the former King of Checkers.”

Samson’s jaw dropped, “Wow!” he exclaimed, “I had no idea you were the King of Checkers!”

Following the game of Checkers between Trenton and Samson was a game of Checkers between Samson and Butch. When the game started, it looked as though Butch was winning because he had captured most of Samson’s pieces, but towards the end of the game, Samson had out smarted Butch and he gave Butch a choice, “So, what’s it gonna be, Butch?” Samson asked, “You can either call it a draw or you can choose to lose. Which one will it be?”

Butch grimaced, “I guess I’ll lose,” he sighed, “Besides, I’m already the King of Uno, anyways, so you can have this one, Samson. Congratulations!” They shook hands and put the game of Checkers away.

At this time, Maqsedeth entered the living room and approached Samson, “Hey, son,” he said, grinning broadly, “I have something to show you.”

Samson faced him, puzzled, “What is it?” he inquired.

“It’s a surprise,” Maqsedeth whispered as he put his hands over his eyes. He led Samson through the kitchen and into the garage where he removed his hands from his eyes.

Dan came in and turned on the lights, “Alright let’s get this party started!” he shouted, “Turn that music on!”

Gus, the DJ, smiled and nodded, “You got it!” he replied as he put a record on.

Soul and R&B dance music played in the garage while Trenton entered with his daughter, Ebonie. She was a 5’4” caramel-brown young woman with almond shaped brown eyes and shoulder-length wavy dark brown hair. She was wearing a knee-length hot pink dress that complimented her hour-glass figure and bright red pumps. He brought her to Samson, “Hey, Samson, I would like for you to meet my daughter, Ebonie,” he presented, “Ebonie, this is Samson. He’ll be your dance partner for this one time.”

Ebonie curtsied, “Nice to meet you, Samson,” she stated, her voice pleasant and controlled.

Samson offered her his hand, “Miss Ebonie, may I interest you in a dance?” he asked her.

Ebonie put her hand into his and Samson swung her out into the middle of the dance floor. He laced his fingers through hers and placed his hand on the small of her back as she placed her free arm around his neck. More Soul and R&B dance music played in the background as they danced around the dance floor together.

After Samson and Ebonie danced together, there was a dance war between Samson and Dan featuring a large variety of Pop and Hip-Hop songs. After Samson won the dance war, Butch entered the middle of the floor and challenged Samson to a dance duel with him. After the duels, everybody gathered on the dance floor and they danced that night away. They were enjoying themselves so very much that night that Maqsedeth and Rob totally forgot about the king’s visit earlier that night and the hazardous items he had given them.

After the dance that night, Maqsedeth brought Samson back into the living room, with his hands over his eyes, and he took his seat on the sofa. Becky brought out Samson’s birthday cake, which was a large pineapple upside down cake. Everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Samson and he cut the cake.

While he enjoyed his cake, they all went into the kitchen to get the gifts they were going to give to Samson for his birthday. Molly gave him her gift to him first, “Here you go, Samson,” she said, her face totally flushed.

“What is it?” he asked as he accepted her gift. He opened it and inside he found a slingshot and a re-sealable zipper storage bag of pebbles. He smiled, “Aw, thanks, Molly,” he said as he observed it closely, “It’s a slingshot.”

Molly beamed, “Well, I thought it might come in handy for you in the future, you know,” she responded, “If you have another adventure, or something.” She giggled and disappeared behind Rob to hide that she was blushing.

Samson raised an eyebrow at Butch as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, “What’s the matter with her?” he asked him.

Butch grinned and leaned to Samson’s ear, “I probably should’ve told you this before,” he whispered, “but I think Molly likes you.”

Molly overheard Butch talking to Samson and became infuriated, “Don’t tell Samson anything like that!” she cried, her face totally red, like a cherry.

Butch smirked, “Don’t worry, Molly,” he teased, “your secret is safe with me!”

Rob looked around at Molly and Butch, “Am I missing something, here?” he asked, bewildered. “Molly, what’s your secret?”

Butch turned to Rob, “Shhhh,” he whispered, still teasing, “She can hear you!”

Rob raised an eyebrow, “Okay,” he said, “Wow.”

Butch gave Samson his gift, “Be careful with this one, Samson,” he warned, “This one is made with a very delicate material.”

Samson took it gingerly and opened it. It was a golden bow and a glass quiver with diamond arrows, “Wow,” he marveled, “It’s beautiful! Thanks, Butch!”

Butch smiled, “Me and Molly just thought we’d give you some items that you may be able to use on your next adventure, or for something else, like she said.”

Samson smiled back, “Well, these will definitely come in handy!” he said, “I’ll definitely be using these soon. Thanks, you guys!”

Rob came forward and handed Samson his gift, “Here you go, Samson,” he said.

“Wow, a shield!” Samson said, baffled, “So, something else that I could probably use on my next adventure? Thank you. I may use these later.”

Becky came forward and presented Samson with her gift, “Here you go, dear,” she said.

“Wow,” Samson said, “a blue shirt and black boots. Thanks, Grandma!”

His grandmother smiled, “I just thought you might find a use for them someday,” she suggested, “Not just for your travels, but for everyday tasks. I also thought you might like them.”

Samson smiled back, “Thank you, Grandma. I like them a lot!” he replied. I hope they fit, he thought, apprehensively.

Trenton sat next to Samson and gave him both of his gifts, “Here you go, Samson,” he said, “I hope you like ‘em.”

Samson dragged the bigger one towards himself and opened it and he opened the smaller one, as well, “Thanks, Chief,” he said, blushing, “It’s a guitar and a karaoke machine.”

“I just thought, ya know, you said you wanted to be a singer,” Trenton said, softly, “And don’t worry about Maqsedeth. He already knew about this.” Samson looked at his father, Maqsedeth and Maqsedeth smiled at him. Samson smiled back and returned his attention to Trenton, who sighed and picked up the karaoke machine and set it on the couch next to Samson, “I know you don’t think you have the potential to be a good singer because you’re embarrassed about not being able to read music, but it’s OK,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “I believe in you. But, I don’t want you to feel pressured. It’s your decision.”

Samson managed a smile, “Thanks, Chief,” he said again, still blushing. I told him that privately, in confidence, he thought, embarrassed that his secret was now out. Is he trying to embarrass me?

Dan came forward to present his gift to Samson, “Here you go, Samson,” he said, feeling self-conscious, “This was something that was very special to my family. It’s not a slingshot or a bow or a shield or a guitar or anything like that, but I hope you like it.”

“Thanks, Dan,” Samson said, puzzled, “It’s a yo-yo.” What am I going to do with this? Samson wondered.

Dan smiled slightly, “Yeah, it was my father’s and then he passed it down to me when he passed away. He said it was his lucky yo-yo,” he said, “And, now I’m giving it to you. I know it’s not the best gift and I wish I had something better to give you, but this is all I had. Maybe it will bring you some luck. Handle it with care.”

Samson smiled, “Dan, it’s OK,” he reassured him, “I like it. Thanks!”

Jason came forward with his gift, “Here you go, Samson,” he said.

“Thanks, Jay,” Samson said, “It’s a fishing rod.”

Jason nodded, “Yeah, Sam,” he said, “I just thought you might find a good use for it, one day, ya know. And, maybe one day we can go fishing together.”

Samson smiled, “Thanks, Jay!” he said, “And, I’ll let you know when I’m available to go fishing with you.” Jason grinned and nodded.

Ken came forward to present Samson with his gift, “Here, Sam,” he said, “I hope you like it.”

“Wow! Thanks, Ken,” Samson said, “It’s a boomerang.”

Ken smiled, “Well, I just thought that maybe you could enjoy playing with it, ya know?” he suggested, “I mean, if you know how to use it.”

Samson smiled back, “Thanks, Ken,” he said.

Maqsedeth sat next to Samson and presented him his gift, “Here you go, son,” he said.

Samson opened the box and studied the item for a while before finally giving up, “Thanks, Father,” he said, “but what is it?” He held in his hands brown leather horse reins, but Samson didn’t know what they were. Maqsedeth smiled, “Come with me, Samson,” he said, “I have another surprise for you.”

Samson’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, “Um, okay,” he said, taken aback as Maqsedeth wrapped a bandana around his eyes. “This is so you don’t peek because I know you peeked before,” he said. He led Samson outside through the garage and out to the backyard where he removed the bandana, “Here we are, son,” Maqsedeth said.

Samson opened his eyes to find a beautiful white winged unicorn trotting around the yard. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open, “Oh my god!” he exclaimed. He gave Maqsedeth a big hug, “Thank you, Father! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” He ran to his winged unicorn and embraced it and petted it.

His father approached him and the winged unicorn, “It took me many years to find this horse,” he said. “She’s very rare, and she doesn’t have a name, yet. What do you want to name her, Samson?”

Samson looked at her beautiful multicolored mane and hooves and sighed, “I think I’ll name her ‘Rainbow’,” he said as he embraced her again. Rainbow whinnied happily and began to graze on grass as Samson hugged Maqsedeth again, “Thanks, Father,” he said. Maqsedeth brought him back inside the house and they returned to the living room.

Once inside, things took a turn for the worse. Maqsedeth and Samson made it back into the living room to find Dan and Rob in the midst of a heated debate. Dan had somehow uncovered Rob’s secret hiding place for the two dangerous items the king gave to Maqsedeth and brought the ‘gift’ into the living room. He also ate some of the fruit salad. Maqsedeth approached Rob, “What’s going on in here?” he asked him.

Rob pulled Maqsedeth to the side, “Mr. Maqsedeth,” he said, firmly, “we have a problem. Dan got a stomach ache from eating some of the fruit salad brought to the party and he has brought the ‘gift’ into the living room.”

Maqsedeth sighed, exasperated, and shook his head, “How could you have let him do that?” he asked, his tone a bit harsher. “I thought I told you to hide those items really good!”

Rob sighed, “I did Mr. Maqsedeth,” he said, firmly, “but you already know how Dan is. He can get into and find almost anything! I went to the bathroom and when I came out, I saw him clutching his stomach. When I found out what happened, it was already too late. I’ve just told him the dangerous news, so should we inform the others?” Maqsedeth looked around at the crowd that had gathered in the living room and sighed.

Samson could feel the tensions growing between Maqsedeth and Rob, and he immediately knew something was wrong. I’ve never heard Rob and my father argue like this before. What’s going on? Samson thought. His face slackened and his brows furrowed, “Father, what’s wrong?” he asked him.

“I think you’d better sit down for this one, son,” he sighed, trying to stay calm.

Samson looked around at the crowd for a while before finally taking his seat on the couch. Maqsedeth sat next to him and explained to him about the king’s visit earlier that night and what had happened to Dan. Samson was silent for a long time. A sudden chill ripped through his spine as though a cold wind had cut through the living room. His mouth felt dry when he finally spoke, “And you just forgot to mention this to me?” he croaked, “I mean, about the king’s visit and all? Father, how could you?”

Maqsedeth sighed, “It was your birthday,” he said, simply, “I didn’t want to ruin your day.”

Samson stared at him for a while like he had a third eye, “You still should’ve told me, Father,” he said, after a pause, “It doesn’t matter what day it is. I deserved to know.”

Maqsedeth sighed. He could hear the disapproval in his voice, “You’re right, Samson,” he relented, “I’m sorry I kept this from you.”

Samson looked around at the crowd again. He counted heads for a while before determining that someone was missing. “Where’s Grandma?” he asked.

“She went to the bathroom,” Rob answered, glancing down the hall.

Samson sighed, “Okay, thanks,” he said, placing his hands on his temples, “So, what should we do, now?”

Rob shrugged, “We find a way to dispose of it,” he replied, hesitant.

Dan picked up the pretty blue box and studied it, “It doesn’t look like a bomb,” he speculated. “Nonetheless, it could be. Only one way to find out…”

Rob gasped. His eyes bulged and his jaw dropped, “Dan, don’t touch that,” his voice quavered, “Put that down!”

Samson stood and approached Dan, “Dan, let me have that, okay,” he said, calmly.

Dan shook his head, his face very grim, “No, Samson,” he said, somberly, “It might have a magic attached to it that only responds to the recipient’s genetic material.”

Samson chuckled in disbelief, “Dan, that’s ridiculous,” he said, thinking that Dan was pranking him. “Listen, you’re really tired and you need to lie down. Just give me the box, okay? You have to trust me on this.”

Dan refused. He sighed, exasperated, “No, Sam,” he said, his voice taut. “You have to trust me on this. I know what I’m talking about. I know magic and this box has a strange feeling about it. I may be sick, but I know that something about this box isn’t right.”

Ken raised an eyebrow. He bit his lip to keep from smiling, “Maqsedeth, what is he talking about?” he inquired, sure this was some kind of joke.

Maqsedeth shrugged and narrowed his eyes, “Dan, are you sure?” he asked, unconvinced, “How could that be if the king asked me to give the ‘gift’ to Samson for his birthday? We both have the same genetic material.”

Dan shook his head, “Not exactly the same, Maqsedeth,” he said, foiled. “He may have some of your genetic material, but he also has some of his mother’s, which make up his unique genetic material. This box, if there really is a bomb inside, would do nothing with you but it can only activated by him. If he touches this box, there will only be a few minutes for us to drop what we’re doing and get the hell out!”

Samson sighed, exasperated. I’m not falling for this again, he thought as he yanked the box out of Dan’s hands. “NO!” Dan cried.

“I’ll go and get Becky,” Rob said, startled, as he rushed out of the room. The box became extremely hot in Samson’s hands and he dropped it on the floor before he could discard it.

Maqsedeth rushed over to Samson, “Son, are you okay?” he asked.

Samson nodded, gravely. His countenance fell and he immediately began to dread taking the box from Dan. I should’ve listened to him, he thought. What if he was right? “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, thickly. “But, what am I going to do, now? What if Dan was right? I could’ve killed you all! Where’s Grandma?”

Dan stood up, “We only have a few minutes to spare,” he said, firmly as the box began to beep. The countdown timer had begun.

Rob returned to the living room, “Becky said she’ll be a while,” he said.

Samson turned to him, “How long is a while?” he asked. “What if we don’t have that long?”

Rob shrugged and the box continued to beep. Dan ran to the door, “We have to go!” he said as he opened it. He turned to them, “Come on! What are you waiting for?”

Samson sighed, “My Grandma, of course,” he said.

“Well, tell her to come on, too!” Dan cried, agitated. “We have to leave, now!”

“We’ve already told her!” Samson said, irked.

Dan sighed, exasperated, “Well, you better do something!” he cried, “We don’t have very long!”

Rob’s eyes widened, “I’ll deliver the message,” he said as he rushed out of the room.

Jason panicked, “What do we do, now?” he asked, squirming.

Samson sighed and tried to control his anger amidst the tensions rising between him and Dan. Once he was centered, he finally spoke, “How about we all just calm down and relax,” he said, “We’re going to be fine.”

Dan crossed his arms and sighed, “Oh, sure, Samson,” he said, his voice rich with sarcasm, “We’ll be just fine. This is your definition of ‘fine’? If you had’ve just listened to me in the first place, we would be fine!”

“Hey! I’m sorry, okay?” Samson said, his voice taut, “Just calm down and we’ll figure this out and everything will be fine. We’ll see what Rob says, okay?”

Rob returned, “Becky said she’s on her way out,” he said.

Dan sighed, “If we keep waiting like this, we won’t be around much longer,” he said, agitated. “We have to leave, now. We haven’t that much time.”

Samson sighed and counted to ten. He didn’t want to be angry with Dan but he was really pushing his limit. He decided to hold his tongue because he knew things would get ugly real quick.

Jason sighed, “What do we do, now?” he asked, alarmed. “We can’t just leave her!”

The box beeped more rapidly than before as the countdown timer neared zero. “We have only seconds, now before the whole thing blows!” Dan cried.

Samson turned to go back inside the house, when the box stopped beeping suddenly. A sulfurous smell filled the air and a chill went through Samson’s spine. Ken pushed Samson outside, “HIT THE BRICKS!” he cried. Everyone bolted for the door and threw themselves to the ground as the box exploded, blowing apart the entrance to the house. “NO!” Samson cried, “Grandma!” He got up to go back inside when Maqsedeth held him back, “Samson, don’t worry,” he said, “She’ll make it out.”

But, as soon as he said that, the gas tank behind the house exploded and the whole house went up in flames. The force was so powerful that it pushed Samson and Maqsedeth a few feet back and they landed in Rob’s bosom. “GRANDMA, NO!” Samson cried, devastated. Maqsedeth hugged him and, as they hugged, police carriages surrounded their property.

One of the officers dismounted his horse and approached Maqsedeth and Samson. He was dressed in a navy blue tunic, white trousers, and black boots. He had long black hair tied in a ponytail and a Vandyke beard. He grabbed Samson and Maqsedeth by their collars, “You two are under arrest,” he said as he turned to escort them to the carriage.

Molly stood up, “Wait a minute,” she demanded, “What are they being arrested for?”

The man glared at her, “You, young lady, would do better to hold your tongue,” he snapped, “This is business.”

He returned his attention to Maqsedeth and Samson, “And you, sirs,” he said as he dragged them to the carriage, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you. You have a right to an attorney. If you don’t have one, you will be appointed one by the court of law.”

Samson grimaced, “Appoint me one by what court of law?” he asked scornfully as the man forced him and Maqsedeth into the back of the carriage, “You work for the b*****d who murdered my grandmother: the king!”

The man turned around and slapped him, “You’ll do well to know your place, sir!” he snapped. He handcuffed Samson and Maqsedeth to each other. “And, since I can’t have you watching me either,” he muttered, “I might as well.” He knocked Maqsedeth and Samson out before they could object and mounted his horse as he chuckled, “There,” he said to himself, as he rode away from the wreckage. “Peace and quiet.”

Author's Note

May contain offensive language.
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