section7mfu | "The Inevitable" for the Song Story Challenge 6/17

The prompt:

The doorbell rang, and the sound of it made him sit straight up in bed. It sent chills down his spine.

Then came the voices and Napoleon listened as they became louder. They were coming for him, he knew it and he was suddenly filled with a feeling of terror that was ever growing. It wasn't like him to be afraid, yet today he was.

Looking around the room at his books, and furniture for a place to hide; he scrambled out of bed and crawled beneath it, but then realized that would be the first place they’d check for him.

Rolling out to the floor, he thought about ducking behind the curtains, but they were too short and his feet would show.

There was no place else to go but the closet, and he slipped in there, burying himself beneath a quilt that had been neatly folded and left on the floor beside his growing collection of shoes.

Muffled voices came from behind the door; and the knob began to turn. Seconds later the voices were in his room, searching for him and he felt as though he was going to faint.

Excruciatingly slow; the closet door was opened wide.

Napoleon held his breath, trembling and hoping they wouldn’t find him. Though he feared the worst; nothing happened. Minutes later he dared to peek out from beneath the blanket.

No one was there, and he sighed in relief. Did he dream it? Wait... the voices were back. They sounded like they were downstairs now when they were just here seconds ago; was he cracking up, losing his mind?”

“Napoleon Solo you get down here right now!” His father called; the annoyance evident in his voice “If I have to come look for you boy, you will feel my belt on your backside!”

Young Napoleon crawled out of his closet, pausing only to put on his robe and slippers...wait, he needed to put on a pair of white socks too as father always insisted upon it. His father hated when he appeared for breakfast improperly attired.

He went downstairs as quickly as he could, dreading the visitors. He knew who they were.

“Ohhhhh my Lord!” She squealed.”Will you look at how handsome he’s become and tall too!”

Napoleon squirmed as the woman with the near blue hair pinched his cheeks with her plump fingers. She was wearing bright red nail polish that seemed rather ghastly. It reminded him of blood.

“Well aren’t you going to say hello?” She asked.

“Umm, yes. Hello Grandmother.”

“How you doing sailor?” Napoleon’s grandfather, the Admiral, clapped him on the back.

“Fine sir.” Napoleon rubbed his face where his grandmother had pinched him. That was about as much small talk as there ever was with the Admiral. Always yes sir, no sir, thank you sir, fine sir. There was a family rule about children being seen but not heard.

At least his grandparents weren’t staying too long this time, just for the day. That was it. He could get through it he supposed.

Napoleon watched as his younger brother received the same treatment. At least their sister was safe from the man handling as she was just an infant.

“Here I brought this for you Napoleon.” His grandmother pulled some clothing from her brown leather valise.

The boy stared at the walls, trying to hide his anguish and humiliation as she held up a little sailor suit. It had a white shirt with a navy blue collar and red neckerchief, and white shorts. There was also a matching white hat with a red ribbon.

“Peachy,” he mumbled to himself. It would have been fine if he were two or three but Napoleon was fourteen and had been wearing long pants for a while now.

“Oh he’ll look just darling in it won’t he”? Grandmother Solo beamed. “We’ll take him in it to the club to show him off this afternoon.”

Napoleon knew he was done for, he’d die of embarrassment dressed like that. His hopes of freedom and going skinny dipping with Natalie Vandermeer were dashed now as he looked at the glow of his grandmother’s shining face.

No use but to get it over with as escape was impossible when the grandparents came to visit. Maybe he could make himself puke?

Napoleon would come up with something, somehow; he was always planning on the fly...

"The Inevitable" for the Song Story Challenge 6/17

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