This is a story that starts out on an old street. Most people thought it was deserted, except for what some of us might call the nosey ones, and of course, some of the relatives of Nick’s family. On that street was an even older house that everyone thought was deserted, but again, except for some of Nick’s relatives, yet obviously it wasn’t. In those shards of old rickety wood lived a boy with his family. This boy was Nick. With his ragged old clothes and almost always dirt caked body people would almost gasp in shock when they saw him. Not really because he looked homeless but primarily because even with how he was covered with mud he walked prouder than anyone else, he did not slump, he was not the least bit negative and he seemed so content. People rarely saw Nick’s parents or even Nick for that matter. Now shouldn’t I go into how this all started.
On Saturday May 26, 2001, Nick called out, “Karen, Steve.” Nick always called his parents by their names. The main reason being that they practically hated him, in their opinion, all he did was cut into their amount of food, and his optimism was so annoying; but they couldn’t let him know that. It was Nick’s birthday and his parents were going to get him a cat or dog for his birthday. He was bursting with excitement to get what he assumed would be a cat. He thought a cat would best fit his personality. As soon as Nick’s parents were ready and had eaten, he rushed them out the door. His family drove him to the “pet shop” reluctantly.
“Karen this doesn’t look like a pet shop; it looks like an animal shelter,” said Nick in a tone that was not necessarily rude, but it was a tone that his parents hated.
“Yes,” replied his mother “did you really expect me to spend what little money we have on some animal that’s going to die in about fifteen years anyway. Just because we may be able to afford food and water for this animal doesn’t mean we can afford to actually buy it from a pet shop.”
Nick knew his parents hated him but he hid that knowledge from them; he feared more than anything else what his parents would do to him if they found out how he knew they really felt about him. Even though Nick was only five he could not easily be fooled. Nick was smart and clever and he didn’t know why, his parents greatly neglected teaching him anything nor could the send him to school because they could not — or would not, Nick wasn’t quite sure — pay taxes although when it came to being tough he usually ended up at the back of the line. When they entered the shelter Nick noticed animals all over the place and he instantly felt sorry for them all — even though his parents were mean and halfhearted people, Nick was nice and compassionate. He could hear all the dogs whimpering and the distressed cats meowing. Nick seemed drawn to the corner. When he walked over there, he saw a dog that, at first glance, appeared like any other dog, except this dog wasn’t whimpering. He was just sitting there with eyes like black holes. The next thing he knew he heard a buzzing than a loud Crack! It was like the snapping a hundred femurs all at once. Nick could instantly see the horrible things that this dog had been through. This dog had never been loved and he had been kicked and whipped for no reason — at least it seemed like this horrible treatment had been for no reason. Nick had lived the life of — what those who are religious can connect to — a god — and for those who are not — a king compared to this dog and it wasn’t fare. Even though he could see the dogs’ eyes brimming with intelligence and he knew there was something strange about this dog, he chose him, he liked a challenge and it would be a big one to bring this dog out of its traumatizing memories. This dog had suffered way too much.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 5 Years Later * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Get up” snapped Nick’s parents.
“Alright I’ll get up,” said Nick grudgingly
Nick saw the dead anger in his parents’ eyes, and he knew what that meant, his uncle was here! Nick ran to the door but his uncle was already inside, “why haven’t you visited for so long” said Nick jumping up to hug his uncle who seemed much smaller than he seemed the last time they had met. Nick loved his uncle more than any of his other relatives not only did his uncle love him more than anything else but he believed Nick when Nick had told him that his parents hated him. Nicks uncle was a fairly large man (about six feet tall and definitely larger than Nick’s parents) although he never attempted to overpower Nick’s parents; socially or physically. Nick asked him why once, his uncle told him that he was one against their whole family; Nick instantly retorted that there were only five non-immediate relatives, including his uncle that knew about Nick’s and his parents section of the family.
Nick’s uncle only answered, “There are more of them then there are me and it’s not wise to challenge someone who knows more about you then you know about them.
“You never are willing to take a risk are you,” said Nick with disappointment.
“I would only take one step farther away from perfection if I were to suspend your parents without the approval of your other relatives, especially if I failed,” said Nick’s uncle seeming to have all of a sudden taken a more serious tone.
“You cling to the one thing that promises you eternal joy, perfection; I will try to tell you this only once. Perfection is one of the very few things in this world that can come as close to you as for you to give it all your trust and then betray you without you having any idea what happened,” said Nick.
“I will never get that close to perfection,” scoffed his uncle.
“Once you achieve what you call perfection you will have come that close to it,” said Nick.
“So I can never achieve perfection”.
“Exactly,” said Nick with the hint of the satisfaction of finally completing something very important.
It was this moment that Nicks uncle was remembering what he has said to Nick back then, and with that he said it to Nick again “I will suspend your parents soon Nick,” and then Nick remembered too and said with a voice of iron “do not forget your promise”.

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Nick and his uncle had a reasonably long conversation (they had not seen each other for what seemed ages) they talked about what had happened to each other. Nick’s uncle was especially surprised to hear that Nicks parents had actually gotten him a dog; he was however not startled that the dog had come from a dog pound that could barely sustain itself. Nick was glad to hear that his uncle had taken a little time to practice and most of all study suspension. Nick’s uncle still didn’t believe himself to be strong enough to suspend Nick’s parents without a negative effect from the essence in Nick’s parents coming to him.
Nick and his uncle had a good dinner, aside from the uneasiness that Nick’s parents set in the dining room and the food — a special recipe that Nick’s parents had found out of who knows where and that was so ugly that it looked like it had come out of a sewer was not very appealing. Strangely, this food actually tasted pretty good to everyone, the only difficult part of eating it was getting the disgusting glop in their mouths. Nick and his uncle tried to continue their conversation but they quickly fell silent, for they had exhausted every part that they could talk about in the range of Karen and Steve’s ears.
When the family had almost finished their dinner they heard a knocking at the door. Nick’s uncle was the one to get it; almost as soon as Nick heard his uncle open the door, he heard his uncles scream. Nick was the first to run to the door with his parents following; there he saw a sight that scared the living daylights out of him. There on the ground lay his uncle being attacked by a cloudy dark figure. The figure suddenly disappeared into thin air as it noticed Nick.
“We’ve got to get him to a hospital!” said Nick to his parents almost yelling and that was all he needed to say for his parents drove his uncle to the hospital as fast as they could. When they got to the hospital the doctors took nick’s uncle to the emergency room imeadiatly. It was not long though before the do9ctors came back and said that they couldn’t do anything to help nick’s uncle. They explained that every organ in his body was suddenly failing and they couldn’t do anything about it. The doctors told nick’s family that nick and his parents could see nicks uncle before he died.
Nick was the one to go into the room with his uncle so he was able to shortly talk with his uncle. “What was that thing that was attacking you? It was terrible and while it was there it made me so depressed and what could it possibly do to stop all of your organs from working?” asked nick in a tone of voice that seemed to be of fear, worry and curiosity all at the same time.
“I’m not sure what he was but the feeling that his presence brought was familiar and it was terrible as he was clawing me, he seemed to be clawing inside me and it may sound crazy but he seemed to be ripping up my soul,” said his uncle his voice sounding a little faint.
“Uncle Frederick,” said Nick “do you think my parents sent this to the door so that it would get you when you answered the door?”
“It is possible, but I’m not sure your parents have the power to take control over a creature of essence especially one that powerfull.” said Nick’s uncle, his words barely audible they were so faint.
“Are you sure you can’t tell me what that creature was?”
“even if I did know it wouldn’t be important or of any use to you. I never suspended your parents in time Nick, I’m so sorry, you will have to do it yourself.
“But I don’t even know what suspension really is, all I know about it is that it will stop my parents from wanting to kill just about everyone they meet.”
“Oh it will do much more then that.” Nick’s uncles voice was barley a whisper and he seemed to struggle to breath. “Nick, I need to tell you about your parents, they’re not evil, they’re just…,” and Nick’s uncles last word failed. Nick did not even try to save his uncle he knew it would be pointless.
“Get up!” called Nick’s dad I a tone that was surprisingly lenient. Nick awoke hoping that all that had happened had been a dream. Seconds later Nick’s hopes were shattered as he comprehended that reason for fathers lenient tone of voice. Nick’s parents were acting nice because his uncle died, if his parents were to continue being mean after an incident as painfull to Nick as his uncles death they risked him finding out that they truly hated him. O f course Nick already knew that they hated him but they didn’t know that. As Nick’s family ate breakfast his parents told him how there had been “strange” occurrences all over their quarter of the city. Nick asked what some of them were but his parents told him that they did not know.
Nick was angry and he wanted revenge and he knew how to get it. Rather than take the revenge on his parents he would capture the thing that had killed his uncle and he would torture it until it essentually died. Nick soon began working on the trap but this wasn’t any normal trap. To catch a creature of essence you had to make a trap out of pure bat solid essence, and that was hard to do. After a while Nick managed to finish his trap.
At 6:00 am Nick got up and found the creature of essence but it was strang it suddenly changed into his dog Champ.
“You!” yelled Nick, “but how could you do such a thing”.
“Your parents said they would set me free if I killed your uncle.”
“Get you free?”
“I’ve been bound to this earth as a shade for since I can’t even remember.”
“You should have known my parents would lie to you. Nick and champ continued their conversation and after a long time of associating with each other Nick made a deal with champ that he would free him. Champ told Nick that chant to free him and Nick freed his dog, Vos nev one rues at is terra qaod fos hev amitto of bestir malum ego, existo solvo.” All nick could hear was an overwhelming hissssssssssssss as smoke arose from the ground and surrounded his dog.
Nick could hear the last words of champ “so long Nick.” The cloud of smoke then sailed up farther and farther until it disappeared. Then Nick turned around to see his uncle alive and his parents for once seeming to love him. Nick then knew his parents had been possessed and his uncle not dead, but pacified. Nick ran up and for the first time in his life hugged his parents who had watched him through eyes they could not control since the day he was born.