Effugium

In the year of 1990, I introduced my friend Jack to an island called Effugium. A wonderful place of fun, laughter and no bed time. There are no parents to dictate what we say, do, eat and how we are supposed to act.

It is an alternate universe where no wrong or evil doers are permitted on the island. Nor are bad thoughts, actions or intentions. It is every battered child’s escape from the hardship they deal with.

At this point in time, neither Jack nor I were aware of what actually went on in the world beyond his or my basement and school. Books, favorite TV shows, candy, junk food and board games are what kept us warm and happy. When it came to books Jack and I loved anything from Hardy Boys to Dealing with Dragons. We loved TV. Specifically shows like Batman and Duck Tales. Candy was our life line when it came to indulging in our time for play. We’d rot our teeth with sour keys, pop rocks and ring pops.

It was our escape from boredom, unwanted heat from parents fighting or their disapproval of the environment we want to enjoy. Well that is until they come down to tell us to keep it down.

Keep in mind we were no older than 9 years old. Is it so wrong for a child to want to enjoy their childhood? I never understood parenting, or any form of rule enforcement. That’s why I loved Effugium.

One night at Jack’s house in his basement, we were up at 2 am playing his favorite game Monopoly. It was a time where we thought parents were fast asleep and we could be ourselves with no consequences.

“Why do you like this game? It’s so boring! Hey do we have any sugar left?” I said spastically like sugar had a cocaine effect on me. At this point the effects were fading a little bit. I didn’t care about what sugar could or was doing to me. Jack was the same way but he could handle his sugar better than I could.

“What are you talking about? This game is awesome!” said Jack.

“Well I think it sucks!”

“Ya, well you suck butt! Butt muncher!” he said grabbing four packets of pop rocks. He hands me two and we both rip a bag open.

We moved on from our dispute over Monopoly, laughing and smiling with no remorse. The sounds and taste of the pop rocks hug our mouths with crackling sounds and flavors of cotton candy.

A rumble from upstairs erupts, our skin as calm as a still lake shivers like someone opened the door to a butchers freezer. We knew what was coming next. This was never fun. At all.

“For fuck sake! Can’t you two little shits keep it down?” Shouted Mr. Carter from the last step of the stair case which lead into the basement.

I never knew his first name. For some reason adults never liked telling kids their first name. It’s as if calling an adult by their first name was rude. It’s not like they are a different species who all have no first names and are classified by different last names.

I never understood adults.

Usually Jack and I would sit quietly till Mr. or Mrs. Carter left the room. Only this time, he said something he never should’ve said. He must’ve just been fed up… or maybe the sugar got to his head.

“But daddy you and mommy fight and yell all the time!” Said Jack upset yet tellingly scared.

“You know what dad? You suck!” He said as his dad stared at him from the last step of the staircase.

Stunned that Jack would talk back to him like that, Jack’s dad grabs him by the collar lifting him up with his feet hardly touching the ground.

“You dare back talk to me? TO ME? “Said Mr. Carter standing like a puppet fighting his puppeteer.

Sounds like your typical hard-core drunken father right? Well at least in my experience what he said was normal of him. On the other hand what he did after was atrocious. Hell I’ll say it was so awful I’m thankful for Effugium.

He dragged Jack to probably the most disgusting washroom you’ve ever seen. No door, sides of the entrance gnawed by rats and termites. A toilet stained with God knows what; walls with shit, piss and…let’s call it…babymaker serum? Fertilizer? Glaze? I have no idea what kids my age or older call it nowadays.

By the way only the basement was horrendous. For some reason the rest of the house is spotless.

Mr. Carter dunks Jack’s head in the toilet. He actually committed the same action a damn highschool bully does to some little kid. Why would you do that? You’re a grown man! Unlike a highschool he only dunked him for a few seconds. It’s what he did next that has always made me cringe whenever I think about it.

He hands Jack a rusty fork. He then grabs Jack’s empty hand and places it under running water from the sink. He looks at Jack’s face, wet with sweat and trembling in terror. His father gave him the coldest stare I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen Chucky and he ain’t got nothin’ on Mr. Carter’s death stare. His stare is so demonic, soulless and unnerving you would immediately shit yourself.

Mr. Carter points to the fork in his hand then the electric socket next to the toilet and says: “Do it… or so help me god I will…did you just shit yourself?” Jack was frozen solid and so was I.

Jack stared at Mr. Carter’s finger then the socket. I could tell he felt his father staring at him. Tired of Jack’s hesitation, he shoves his shoulder to the wall causing him to slip. While he slipped, Carter let go of his hand in the sink.

Jack shook like a fish struggling to breath on land. Well, in fast forward. All while Mr. Carter stared at him. Arms crossed with that mean glare of his.

He collapsed on the ground and his dad left the room as if he made his point. I, having been terrified of his stare, got just a glimpse of the devil in his eyes before I booked it to the back door. Something tells me this man is not entirely human. Or maybe he just had a terrible childhood.

The next day

Terrified of being at home, Jack made himself go to school and clung to me like the scared little kid he was. At first it was a little suffocating but it made sense. He needed me, but more importantly, he needed Effugium. Badly.

We had a free block before the last class so I brought him to our usual hideout. We come to this place whenever we need to be alone and away from any reminder of structure and limitations.

This sanctuary we made is rather simple. Just a deck half way up a tree with a flimsy roof made out of paper thin tin. Good enough to keep the rain off our heads.

Since I was a kid, I didn’t quite have the social skills or maturity to introduce him to Effugium in a subtle way. I pretty much just blurted it out.

“You wanna see something cool?” I said excitedly. Jack shrugged his shoulders with a half interested look on his face.

I handed him a hammer that I had taken out from underneath a pile of leaves. “It’s just a hammer.” said Jack carelessly.

“Hit that plank as hard as you can and you’ll see how cool it is.” I said pointing to a plank sticking out a foot away from me.

He shrugs again then bangs the plank. It tilts up on a forty five degree angle and a book in a plastic bag hangs from the edge of it.

“Whoa that is cool!” said Jack excitedly.

I crawl to the book and tear it off from the Velcro strip I had glued it to.

“Haha! That’s not the cool part. Say Effugium is my home.”

“Eff…”

“Sorry, hold up.” I said taking the book out of the bag and opening it to a blank page. I placed my hand on it then said:

“Put your hand on mine, keep your eyes on the page and then say it.”

“Effugium is my home.”

In the blink of an eye we stood in front of a beautiful home surrounded by nothing but hills and valleys of green grass.

An odd yet angelic symphony caressed our ears. Sounds of dolphins, soft winds, chirping birds, and heavenly voices all in an effortless harmony. Wouldn’t have been pleasant if they all sounded off at the same time.

The house itself was quite inviting from the outside. Eggshell white and skyblue colors complementing each other effortlessly. A deck with lazy boys sheltered by the extension of the roof. Windows everywhere so you can look at the beautiful landscape. Angels hover above each one.

Before our eyes was a poem carved into the door.

It read:

For those who seek love

Purity the likes of a Dove

Have taken the right path

Please do your best to not evoke wrath

This is a place of wonder, laughter and peace

A warm embrace from all shall come softly as fleece

Be aware of your actions

Those of anger and evil are a horrible concoction

Be loving, faithful, happy, trusting and smile towards one another

See me as an endearing mother

We go in and to our delight the inside was even more pleasant. It felt that way for me the first time I came here, but Jack’s presents kind of heightened the vibe of the house.

A bright hardwood floor with gentle heat hugged our cold feet like a mother’s touch. A kitchen to our left sat comfortably next to us with similar tones of the outside of the house. Mixed with wood frames wonderfully stained and a clean feel to it. Smells of hearty home cooking steaming from the oven like a grandiose Thanksgiving dinner. From the entrance to the right hand side leading up to the backyard was the living room. Beautiful velvety beige couches all surround a big TV. Books hugging its sides on dark blue shelves. A roaring fire warming up the place like a friendly spirit circling the living room.

Giggles and familiar voices were heard not too far from the house. What I loved about this house is that nothing interesting is hidden. It’s there to spontaneously welcome you like a happy thought in your head.

We could see our friends having fun outside in the sunshine. People we knew from school were all there. Specifically the outcast of the school. Some were nerdy and others were just funny looking.

There’s Timmy who we call ‘Coke Glasses’ because they look like the two bottoms of coke bottles held together by hockey tape. Jennifer, who I’d say is the cute bookworm of the group. She’ll read anything that has words in it and try her best to memorize it. Then there’s John and Johnny who we call Thing 1 and Thing 2. They always had so much energy and were so weird! Probably why we all love them.

They were all dancing in a circle having the time of their lives. Jack opens the door and Jennifer looks at him.

“Hey guys!” She said.

They all come in excitedly as they rush to kitchen opening all the cupboard which were full of every sugar and salty snack we love. Things like chips, candy bars, sweet cereal and pretty much anything that screams diabetes and trips to the dentist.

Like a group of excited caterers they go to the living room and place everything on the coffee table. Not just the snacks but pop and ice cream too! It was like the biggest slumber party ever!

While the chaos is going on, Jack and I are staring behind the couches. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing. Jennifer saw that we were caught in a trance so she came over and pinched our left arms.

“Ow!” we both shouted.

“Come on guys it’s time for dinner!”

“That doesn’t look like dinner. My mom would kill me if I ate that.” Said Jack

“Don’t do that! The island wants only green energy and happy faces.” Said Jennifer taking her index and thumb to either side of his lips up into a smile.

While we are walking into the living room she grabs Jack’s bag and book from him. She places his bag in a closet near the front door and then comes back with the book. Which she placed on the shelf next to the TV.

We both squeeze in on the couches with everybody. Coke glasses gets up and grabs two big bowls and creates the oddest yet most satisfying mixture of salt and sugar. He put in things like salt and vinegar chips, m&ms, milk duds, sour keys, everything!

We all munch down as laughter and tears of joy run down are faces.

This went on all night. No one grew tired of the food we ate. No one’s energy faded when we played board games or read stories.

“Jack would you like to read us a little something?” asked Jennifer.

Jack was so excited he ran up and yanked out a copy of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Be a Detective Mystery Stories. He pulled on it so hard the Effugium book flew off the shelf hit two pop bottles. They spill all over the floor and the book splits open with light shining in the middle.

”You’re not supposed to drop the book! The Island is gonna be so upset!”

I quickly pick it up and say: “I’m sorry, I was just so excited! I promise I won’t do it again.”

It was too late.

Dark clouds burst out of the book as thunder roars the house. It shakes as the dark cloud raps around Jack and me. The book flips open to a page that says ‘Bad Boys’.

Before we knew it we were back at our hideout.

“What happened?” asked Jack

“You dropped the book. I can’t believe you dropped the book.”

“Ya I know that and I’m sorry! Can you just tell me what happened?”

“Some people say that the book is the heart of island, so if you aren’t careful with it the island gets angry and sends you back.”

“I’m confused.”

“I don’t know how to explain it. Somehow the island is…alive. :

Jack got to see the island. Unfortunately it was also the last time he got to see it before it disappeared. I’m sure we will see it again someday.

Till next time, be kind and loving to one another. You never know who may be out there to hurt you or those you love.