The rumbling above me as well as the shifting of both of their feet, angers and scares me, but gave me the strength I needed to move as the vibrations from the floor help me slowly pull myself back off of the ground.



I hurriedly look around and see a forest of shoes, legs, and chair legs as I look for somewhere to escape to, but I see a light glint off of something behind me as I curiously turned around to see midnight blue and dark metallic gray manicured fingers prodding the ground searching for me, which gave me an even greater sense of urgency.



'Ugh! What can I do?'



My wandering eyes aimlessly look around for anything to help me out of this predicament as I nervously back away from their prodding fingers. I back away so much that I run into one of the Regular guest shoes behind me. I hurriedly glance up to see whoever the black cole haan shoe belongs to is too occupied with watching Ms. Margaret and Ms. Wainwright to notice me.



I glance around and realize that the singing of the choir has stopped and there is almost a deadly silence inside of the church. The only sounds I can hear are the loud echoes from Ms. Wainwright's and Ms. Margaret's argument resounding throughout the chapel, which is accompanied by ooh's, ah's, and gasps from the spectators.



Anger as well as humiliation overcame me. This was suppose to be my mother's funeral, yet was turning out to be a debauchery of comical horror for everyone's entertainment due to the spectacle they were creating. My eyesight turned blurry as tears filled my eyes as I look aimlessly around for a way to get out of here, while silently apologizing to my mother and depressingly note how pathetic I am for letting this happen.



The ground thundered ominously as Ms Margaret got on her hands and knees to look for me followed by Ms. Wainwright. I was too depressed to care and was about to hopelessly sit down to await my capture until out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the mini golf carts modeled for Littles go under the chair behind the man's shoe.



The sight of it gave me an adrenaline rush I needed as I ran around his shoe and went under his chair to reach the golf cart. I did not glance back, not even once for I wanted to put everything behind me and just get away.



"Julius!"
"Caesar!"
"Come back!" They both yelled out to me, while I kept running without so much as giving either of them a glance.



I could hear their hands grappling towards me as well as the rumbling of them moving closer to me as the guests and bishop asked them what was going on. I finally made it to the golf cart as my adrenaline ran out and I was furiously sweating all over as I started the golf cart to go in reverse, then turned it around to drive away from them.



I could hear Ms. Margaret emotionally crying out her pet name for me along with Ms. Wainwright begging me to come back, however I kept driving as I realized I was a little hot and took my suit jacket off to place on the seat beside me as I loosened my tie and unbuttoned the top buttons of my shirt. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and drove away from them, but my heart felt kind of reluctant to leave as I hesitantly turned my head to sneak a glimpse of them and a heart aching sight came into my view as I mistakenly pushed the break, then almost fell out of the golf cart.



I tiredly sit back down right as I shamefully watch Ms. Margaret's hand reaching grasping the empty air for me in my direction as she lays on the floor sobbingly gazing at me as we look into each other's eyes while starting to chokingly say,



"Caesar! My little Caesar! Please come back! I am sorry, okay?!! Please come back! I will do anything, so please just come back to me. I...I need you, okay?" Ms. Margaret says, eyes red as tears and snot constantly stream down her face as she wheezes a little and gives me a bitter, but heart throbbing smile.



It almost made me want to go back as I confusingly gaze warily at her for a few seconds to look upon her beautiful crying face that had makeup strewn throughout as I unwillingly turn away from her gaze to say, "I'm sorry, but I cannot! I just can't, so...so please just stay away from me!"



I hesitantly turn my head to gaze upon her just once more, however we just end up bitterly staring at each other like that for awhile as tears start to fall from my eyes, then I reluctantly turn back around to drive off into the distance as I hear her sobbingly say "Please come back!" over and over while Ms. Wainwright asked me to come back also, while I try my best to ignore their words and cries, but it is kind of hard as I found tears streaming down even more so from my eyes. I was emotionally shaken and confused as I tried to take my mind off of Ms. Margaret, but still kept thinking about her actions and words she said to me as I drove through the forest of legs and chairs.



'Why is she acting so emotional today and insisting to be around me? Also, why did Ms. Wainwright give me to her in the first place? What did she mean by come back to me and I...need you?'



I confusingly think about it as I drove along the red carpet and eventually found myself at one of the exits to the church sanctum. I hurriedly get off of the golf cart as I hear the sound of running heels coming towards me while I ran through one of the Little's exits in the doorway.



I enter the reception area and see a greeter's giant mary jane shoes beside me as I could feel heat as well as smell a horrendous odor emanating out of them as I glanced up the white stocking leg to see a plain faced young woman with long beautiful brunette hair almost hidden by a headdress garment on her head as she was wearing a radiant smile clothed in a lax nun attire holding several pamphlets in her hand as she unceremoniously rocked her body back and forth to bide the time, which unknowingly spread the odor that was emanating from her shoes.



I nervously glanced away from her as I started running again, but a group of guest were coming as her smelly foot landed right in front of me while she greeted them and also gave them a pamphlet. I frightenedly stare up her white stocking leg as I could see her calf muscle flex within while crinkling my nose from the cheesy odor escaping from her shoe. I warily pick myself up as I cautiously went around her foot, then ran past several chairs, people, and tables, then unfortunately collapsed from utter exhaustion. I hurriedly gulped several breaths of air as I felt as if I was going to have an asthma attack as my vision started to blur, then it miraculously briefly cleared as I saw the image of my mom above me cryingly asking me if I am alright over and over as she gently picks me up with her warm maternal hands.



"M...mom you are here. I had this horrible nightmare that you were gone and Ms. Margaret kept trying to get me. They ruined your funeral and I was powerless to stop it." I tiredly say, trying to keep myself from going unconscious as I bask in my mother's touch.



"Shhh...Mommy is here. Everything is going to be alright, okay. So shush and go to sleep for mommy, okay my little Caesar?" Ms. Margaret affectionately says, affectionately brushing my face with her dark gray manicured finger, but I am too delirious to recognize it is her as she makes cooing noises with her mouth while rhythmically moving her palm back and forth with me in it.



"Okay Mommy. (yawn) I am quite tired though...(yawn) mommy why did you (yawn) call me Caesar?" I say before I drift to sleep. As I fell into the embracing darkness, I dreamt about all of the wonderful times my mother and I spent together as tears leak out of my eyes in the real world while the funeral proceedings go on unknowingly without me.



I happily play a game of hide and seek with my mother as I hide behind the banister while she counts. Once she finished, she thunderously searches to find me, then bombards me with tickles when she finds me as I laugh and beg for her to please stop. She eventually stops to warmly smile down affectionately at me, then giggles while running off as I close my eyes and count to the number one hundred.



"Ready or not, here I come Mom!" I yell out enthusiastically, starting to search for her. I look in the basement, the first floor, the second floor, the third floor, and the attic; but I cannot find her. I even go outside to look in the garden and garage, but I still cannot find her. I was lost as I confusingly think about where she could be, however for some reason, I have an urge to turn around as I see the back of her silhouette behind a tree. I smilingly ran over to get her as I inwardly tell myself how easy it was to find her, then come to an abrupt stop as I lifelessly fall onto my knees as the image of a huge tombstone with my mother's name inscribed on it as well as her accomplishments in life comes into my sight.




I brokenly fall onto the ground as I rock myself back and forth while hugging my knees as tears stream down my face.




'No! No! This cannot be real! I...I just saw her! She...she cannot be really dead! She wouldn't leave me all alone! She has to be...'



I sobbingly and remorsefully crawl to the tombstone, sobbingly beg my mother to come back to me and to remember we have to finish playing hide and seek, but stop once I find myself at the edge of a gigantic hole in front of the tombstone. I hesitantly peer down the dark abyss to meekly see my mother's smiling face as she lays inside of her casket and murmurs up to me, "It will be alright, my little sweet Julius. Mommy will always be with you."



"Nooo! You can't leave me!" I scream into the dark abyss, as she started to vanish from my sight. I cry as I stand up on my hands to scream for her to come back into the dark abyss, but there is no answer as I brokenly fall back down while the ground crumbles around me as I find myself falling into the dark abyss.




I cringe and gasp as I shakingly wake up and start to view my surroundings. I see that I seem to be on a large wooden brown table top with several people in front of me that I recognize to be leaders of my mother's company, the board of executives. I also see several people from the Littles agency as I see everyone is aimlessly looking and waiting around impatiently. Some people are on their phone, while some people are talking to each other as I confusingly stare at them.



'How did I get here?'



I shakily pick myself up, but fall back down as I grunt from the aching pain coursing all throughout my body, then scarily watch everyone's eyes fall on me, which was highly unnerving. I felt as if I was a specimen in a petri dish as everyone gazed upon me through the microscope. I shudder, then stop as I feel the warm touch of my mother's finger on my back as tears start to leak from eyes as I hurriedly turn around to say,



"Mommy you are still..." I say, but choke on the last word for it is not my mother. It is Ms. Margaret. I confusingly stare at her and hesitantly stand up to back away from her as I her red eyes as she warmly smiles down at me.



"Oh! You are awake! I am so glad to see you are alright! I was so worried..." Ms. Margaret said, warmly smiling down at me as her hand started to come towards me.




"You...you stay away from me! Where is my mother and how did I get here?!!" I exclaimed while stuttering, continuing to back away from her, then feel relief as her hand stops coming towards me as she gazed down upon me with complex emotions while giving me a bitter smile as she started to open her mouth.




"Listen my little Caesar...Julius, (takes a breath) your mother...Alexandria is gone, okay? She is not coming back... I know you miss her, but she has left for a better place. I am here for you now..." She emotionally says, gazing down avoiding my eyesight while nervously twiddling her fingers, but I interrupt her.



"You lie! Where is she?!! Give her back to me! Give her back! I hate you! You always made her life miserable! You took her away from me! Give her back to me!" I yell furiously up at her face that is avoiding looking at me, I run and viciously beat on her breast as her tears rain down around me. I don't care about her fake emotions as I lash out at her verbally and physically while she croakily and chokingly says her pet name for me while saying it is okay over and over to me, which only causes me to be more furious.



At last, I am finally out of breath and energy as I tiredly fall backward on my behind splashed by tears while angrily glaring up at her beautiful teary eyed face as she sniffles. She remorsefully gazes down at me while biting her bottom lip as I angrily glare up at her with my fist clenched. We stay like that for awhile until a shadow comes over me and I am scooped up in Ms. Wainwright's hand.




She gazes down at me and ask if I am alright, but I ignore her and she sighs, then bite her lips as she raises me into the air to meet her eyes. I can feel her hot gaze on me as I lifelessly lay on her palm with my knees and arms folded into my chest while gazing off into the distance. It seems as if she stares at me awhile before she opens up her mouth to speak to me.




"Look Julius, I know you are hurt and feel as if the world is going to fall apart, but it isn't! Your mother would not want to see you like this, okay?!! Ugh! Answer me! Please?!! Say something Julius! Do something to let me know you are at least here with me, please?!!" Ms. Wainwright exclaims, shaking her palm slightly, but I remain unperturbed as she slowly unawarely lowers her hand.



I hear her gnash her teeth as her wet tears start to fall down upon me and her hand. I hesitantly raise my head to see her crying face, which offers me a comforting smile once she sees I finally looked at her, but I do not feel any remorse nor pain, just bitter hatred inside of me as my gaze turns into a spiteful glare as she sucks air and chokes on her tears.




I angrily glare up at her as she hurtfully and confusingly gazes down at me while sobbing and stumbles backward a little. I pay it no heed as I angrily glare up at her. She continues to hurtfully look down at me, then her face sadly morphs into pained anger as she opens her mouth.



"You know Julius, I will miss her too! I am hurt by her absence just as much as you do and will gravely miss her, but she is GONE! I and YOU cannot do anything about it! We can only accept it and move on! So realize it! Seeing you like this is...is even more hurtful for me than it already is, so...so stop this." She emotionally exclaims, giving me a stern look with her crying eyes as she sniffles, yet I only feel anger, but strangely my body relaxes from her words.