Nick sniffed the cold air that had started to settle in and around Chesterville New York his quaint upstate hometown located in the Catskill Mountains Halloween was one day away a Friday this year Nick looked forward to the holiday one of his favorites next to Christmas of course However today he had something he enjoyed even better a great mystery Nick flipped through the final pages of yet another mystery novel that fed his mind with exciting characters and great plots As he sat in bed with his new favorite book held in his sweaty palms the earth could have exploded into smithereens his house pulled from its foundation by a tornado it didn’t matter what catastrophe might occur at this moment Nick found himself fully immersed in the final chapter with his favorite characters He loved stories about missing people crazed or degenerate criminals intent on doing their victims harm or a detective two clues away from capturing his suspects
Although he was only twelve Nick had already completed a good number of mystery novels in his short life He kept his own personal collection in a large cardboard box on a shelf in his closet safe above wooden hangers holding football jerseys dyed T-shirts and ripped blue jeans and he was about to add this latest mystery to his library Just a few pages to go and he would know what these characters were up to until he heard a voice from downstairs Nicky time for dinner I’m not going to call you again his mother yelled up the stairs apparently for the second time Yes nothing interrupted his concentration when he neared the end of a good mystery book except his mom with her threatening voice Nick’s mother was not unlike other mothers in the neighborhood He had some friends whose moms were the same when it came to gathering their families for dinner but tonight was not the night He wanted to finish the final pages before stepping back into reality I’ll be down in a minute Ma Nick screamed back but his eyes still focused on the book Sure he knew he’d be in trouble if he didn’t heed her call Dad would eventually come upstairs and yell at him for not showing up at the table on time So he bookmarked the page took a quick peek at himself in the mirror on his way out of his room admired
the short blond hair blue eyes and thin physique still looking good guy then quickly ran downstairs to join his family As Nick walked into the dining room he saw Samantha his younger sister still ten but going on sixteen already seated at the table with a generous portion of meat and potatoes falling over the edge of her plate Her dark hair pulled up into pigtails bobbed as she inhaled the aromas And coming out from the kitchen with freshly baked dinner rolls was Mom Sit down Nicky Mom said passing him by while the smell from those warm rolls filled his nostrils and made his mouth water As Nick suspected Mom adorned in a silk blouse yellow skirt and high heels was dressed as if she’d just stepped out of one of those beauty magazines scattered about the house However he focused on those dinner rolls she’d placed on the table He had to have one As he went to grab a roll Samantha’s annoying voice short-circuited his growing appetite to savor the warm goodness Glad you could make it snot-face she said smiling at Nick There she was in all her glory his pigtailed brat of a sister Nick’s appetite suddenly disappeared He stared at Samantha who continued to smile and wondered how how he could make his sister’s
