John John
John was a nice boy of seventeen. He always had a big smile on his face. He was always helping out the neighbors; going to the market, shoveling snow off their sidewalk, and doing all kinds of good deeds. His mother was so proud of him. She was always seen with him walking down the street. He never left her side. When he talked, he stuttered so badly it took him twice as long to finish a sentence. The kids at school used to bully him and the girls used to make fun of him.
Lo behold, as Mrs. Thompson, his next door neighbor was looking out the window one day, she spotted him running out the door in his pajamas, jumping into his parents car and roaring out of the driveway. She heard cars screeching in the street but no crashes. She couldn’t image what that nice boy was up to. She was concerned for what might happen to him.
Later that night while she was watching the news on the television, she learned of a robbery at the bank. The thief shot the bank guard and went off with over $100,000.00. Could that have been John, her nice neighbor boy? She later found out that it was.
He had created an alter ego in his mind. In order to impress the girls and keep the bullies at school off his back, he invented this nefarious monster in his head. He was so drawn to it that he acted out what it would have done. Instead of keeping it under control, he let it go for the thrill of it. One side of him was timid, curious, and jealous of that beast. The other side “was” that beast. He couldn’t find that happy medium where he could be free without doing any harm to anyone.
Later that day he went flying into the driveway, jumped out of the car with the cops in hot pursuit, and into his house. They surrounded the house and ordered him to come out with his hands up, but he opened the door and started shooting instead. There was a heated gun battle. Then everything went quiet. John, the wicked alter ego, got what he deserved. He lay dead on the front porch full of bullet holes. John, the nice kid, didn’t get what he deserved. He was just a poor boy being swept away by that evil other John.
I got inspired to write this story from a movie I saw the other evening called "Youth In Revolt."
