The Happiest Place on Earth

“Good morning, class. I decided that I'm going to try something different today. A story from California, the case of Holly Glass, has struck me as the perfect opportunity for you to work as a whole to uncover what happened to her. The perfect project for a class like Psychiatric Analysis of the Psychotic Mind." Professor Dean Olsen paused as the door opened and a woman and man entered the classroom. “Welcome our visitors who have brought some mock evidence from the case. I will be evaluating your responses and questions carefully. Remember what you have learned. Good luck." Professor Olsen took a seat.

"Good morning." The woman began, "Holly Glass spent most of her time in the basement of the house, as her most personal belongings were found there." Ronnie tensed in his seat at hearing her name again. Holly? What? He glanced at the peers at his sides, sitting forward in his seat. "In these bags are the items we found. What should we look at first?"

The man pulled a few plastic bags from a box and set them on the counter under a camera which projected onto a canvas for everyone to see. Inside one bag was three shirts, all dirty, one small and the other two bigger. Ronnie shifted his weight, eyebrows furrowed. Another bag contained a black leather journal and three pens along with an old Swiss Army Knife with the initials CTG carved onto the side. The last bag held a fading, silver, hand held mirror and a brush with a couple broken prongs.

A few hands raised and the woman pointed at someone to answer. "The journal. Can we look through that first?"
"Why the journal first?" The man asked. The woman called on someone else.
"Because it should hold Holly's thoughts. Assuming she wrote in it."

The man unzipped the bag and pulled out the book, opening it to the first page. Ronnie ran a hand through his hair, his leg began to bounce. Inscribed on the cover page, in messy red ink was a message: "To my dearest Cameron. I pray you find solace. -- Cara Glass"

"The journal was given to Cameron, Holly's older brother, by their late grandmother Cara who passed away four years ago due to cancer. He never wrote in it." The woman turned to the next page where Holly's big sloppy words filled the lines.


September 01, 1987
Dear Grandma,
I'm sorry Cam never wrote. He's too busy making music and going to concerts and school to find solace. He says that there is no better comfort than that of the beat of a drum and bass. Sometimes his band comes over to practice and mom and dad get mad because they're playing too loud. I just like to watch them. Sometimes they take me out to ice cream when they're finished and Cameron always whines but I know he likes it. Maybe today we'll get mint chip flavor, that's his favorite.


"This entry was made the day Cameron died." The man said. "According to Holly's parents she fled to the basement as soon as she heard the news and refused to come out. As far as they could tell, there was no obvious sadness or anger - no loud sobs or throwing things." The muscle in Ronnie's jaw skipped, his fist tight, leg still bouncing.


September 03, 1987
Dear Grandma,
For my birthday this year Cameron said he was going to take me to Disneyland. It's supposed to be the happiest place on Earth. He said that he's saving up some of the money he earns working at the music store. We leave tomorrow. That way we will be there on my birthday.


Ronnie's throat constricted, a fist over his mouth, jaw clenched. "You alright?" Sadie asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged away from her and muttered a hoarse, "This is your class, why did you bring me here?" "Yesterday at the studio... I thought you wanted to check out the college scene." Ronnie shook his head, his muscles pulled taut. It wasn't college I was interested in...

"There isn't another entry for a week." The man said, "Mr. and Mrs. Glass, were called into questioning and when asked what happened during the time of this entry and the next, their response was as follows: 'When I (Mrs. Glass) went to find Holly for dinner, she wasn't in the basement but in her room - packing. She was convinced that Cameron was going to drive her out to Disneyland for her birthday. The two of them had been planning it. She said they had to get on the road so they'd make it in time. And when I tried to tell her he was gone that... That he's not coming back... She just gave me this look and said, "You don't actually believe he's dead, do you? Because he's not. We're going to Disneyland tonight." I kept trying to explain what had happened and eventually she got angry with me and locked herself in the basement again.’”

The woman pointed at a student in the back of the class that had just raised his hand. "What happened to Cameron? How did he die?"

"Good question." The woman pulled out an old newspaper clipping and stuck it under the camera. Front and center was the picture of a building, up in flames. "He was working at Jay's Beats when the building caught. Witnesses say the building ignited almost immediately, jumped up in flames. Cameron had to have been a target for the arsonist, why or who, we don't know at this time."

When they said they’d come after me, I didn't care. But when they threatened to hurt my sister... I had to do something...

Another hand went up. "Was there anyone else in the fire?"

"No. That's another reason why it looks like Cameron was a target - it was definitely a planned fire." The woman answered.

The man turned to the next entry.


September 10, 1987
Dear Grandma,
I wish you were here to tell Mom to stop crying. She won't believe me. I know Cam is still alive. He promised to take me to Disneyland and he never breaks his promises. And his room still smells like him. He's not gone.


I didn't mean to, I promise. I was going to take you. Ronnie coughed, unable to clear his throat.

"Most of the entries are short and filled with little memories of Cameron and the 'proof' she believe she has that he's still alive. She has no real evidence." The man flips through the pages to a later date. "A few months later, this:"


January 11, 1988
Dear Grandma,
Mom gets so mad. She yells that Cameron is dead, that I should just accept it. But he's not! Why won't she believe me?  He didn't say goodbye because he's coming back. He's not home yet because he's waiting for me in Disneyland. Or making music in New York.


"I asked Mrs. Glass what provoked her anger at Holly to which the answer was: 'Holly just kept pushing. Cameron was a good student… a great kid and losing him - losing him has been hard. Her childishness, making excuses, just reminds me of what we've lost. I can at least admit that he's gone. She needed to as well, to let go.' So now we have a grieving family, parents who are burdened by the death of a son and a child who refuses to acknowledge that death. What kinds of things might Holly be feeling and what kinds of actions might she take?"

Several hands went up, none of which were Ronnie's who looked like it was all he could do to keep from falling apart.

"She became depressed after finally coming to terms with her brother’s death."

"She locked herself in the basement and wasted away, refusing to come out."

"Holly developed a dual personality, depressed and angry in her alone time, and happy and reserved when around other people."

The woman nodded after each response. "Bits and pieces of those are true. Holly began to isolate herself both at home and at school. Her teacher reported that she slowly stopped participating in class and eventually quit doing her work. She also was reported to have violently distanced herself from her friends, insisting that she be alone. Towards July of the next year, she started talking to herself, especially on the playground. At home she kept to herself in the basement, only coming out for meals and she refused to talk at the table. Her voice sometimes carried beyond the door of the basement, occasionally mentioning her brother."

"These are the most significant entries leading up to her arrest." Said the man.

July 05, 1988
Dear Grandma,
4th of July is Cam's favorite holiday. I hope he set off some fireworks. He loves the color they make and the boom afterward. This year there were only a few from the view from our basement window. A major disappointment from when Cam and I set off our own. He'll be back. Maybe tomorrow even.

I did set off fireworks, the biggest and the best from the Empire State Building. I thought of you the whole time. Ronnie slides in his seat, a hand covering the side of his face.
--

August 13, 1988
Dear Grandma,
Cameron tells me that he's alright. He always meets me on the playground at school. We walk through the field and he pushes me on the swing. The band hasn't been over to play in a while, next time they do Cam and I will get a HUGE mint chip ice cream to make up for it. It's our favorite.
--

August 29, 1988
Dear Grandma,
Today I found Cameron's Swiss Army Knife in his car. The one that used to be Grandpa's. They have the same initials. In the backseat I found two of his old shirts. They still smell like him if you really sniff for it. Mom and dad won't sell his car, they won't even go in his room. They just don't see him anymore.

They didn't see the drugs in the glove compartment either. Or the cartel coming after me. Or the bad grades they worried would mean their son wasn't perfect. Ronnie's leg kept bouncing, and his hands and jaw began to grow weak from tension.
--

September o4, 1988
Dear Grandma,
Yesterday Cam told me something on the playground. He said that he's in Disneyland. It can't be too far away. He said he got the band a gig on one of the big stages, and he said it really is the happiest place on Earth.

I did get a gig, sis. The biggest one ever. You were right. I was in New York going after the audition.

"The next day, Holly's birthday, it is assumed that she waited until her parents were sleep and snuck out of the house. The neighbor across the street, a single mother with two children, pulled in after a weekend of camping. The mother took her thirteen-month old into the house, leaving a sleeping three year old in the back seat with the heater on. Holly is believed to have jumped in the front seat, accelerated too quickly, lost control and, crashed into a tree at the end of the road. The car was totaled, the little boy unharmed save for a few cuts from a broken window. When the authorities found her she was calling out for Cameron, clad only in a long white night gown, and refusing to go anywhere but Disneyland. She was taken into custody soon after being questioned and going to the hospital to be treated for a mild head injury."

 

Ronnie coughed, buckling over in his seat, head in his hands.

 

Author's Note

My interpretation of Jack Wolfe's "Glass Diaries"
Refer to the prompt here: http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/Jack-Wolfe/1381159/
And the contest here: http://www.writerscafe.org/contests/The-Glass-Diaries/50208/

Reviews

[Skai Rain]

This is the kind of story that doesn't usually interest me, but you managed to have me hooked. I love how You put him in a class where they were looking over his own actions. If you continued on with this story somehow, I would definitely keep reading. Great story :)

[Jeccka]

Wow! What a compliment! I'm super happy you liked it! Thank you :)

[K. Payne]

I wasn't sure where this story was going at first. Now I see. Great job. With Cameron disappearing and him now being Ronnie, I think it was interesting that you set him in a class where they're discussing the aftermath of his actions with his sister. Instead of him just wondering how she's been without him, he's getting a literal front seat on her mental deterioration. That's a refreshing story.

[Jeccka]

This is definitely the most layered story I've ever done. I put a lot of thought into working out the details. I'm really glad that at first you didn't know exactly what was going on, that's what I was hoping for. Thanks for reviewing, I really appreciate it! :)