The Disappearance of Tomlin Keith

He was really tall: about five ten. The rest of him was like the news reports. Brown hair, hazel eyes, wearing a Carter High hoodie. But he was a lot better looking than his picture on the posters. What gave him away was that little gap in his smile, between his two front teeth.

“You’re Tomlin. The guy in the news.”

“I’m in the news?”

“Sure. You’re missing, according to posters all over town. Where have you been?”

“Here.” He glanced around the abandoned school, with its warped cafeteria tables and aged, broken glass like dirty amethysts. “I’ve tried to leave but can’t. I mean I can’t go home.”

Images of gangsters and maniacs appeared in my head. Traffickers. And I figured if people were holding him captive they weren’t far away. I put my retro camera in its case and slung it over my shoulder.

“I’ll call the cops. They’ll help you.”

“No! Don’t call!” He looked over his shoulder. “Cops can’t do anything about this. It’s not like anything you’ve ever heard of.”

I backed away, tripping over a corroded bicycle wheel and landing in waist-high weeds. Tomlin helped me to my feet, and once he had hold of my hand he held on.

“Don’t go so soon.”

“It feels to me like someone’s hurting you. So why wouldn’t they hurt me too? Just let me go and I’ll get help. I promise.”

“There’s no one here that would hurt you.” There were dark circles under his eyes.

“I don’t know what’s going on with you but I’m getting freaked. Let me go.”

“Okay.” But he held on with a grip of steel. “Just promise you won’t tell anyone you saw me.” He didn’t look crazy, I decided. Or angry. Just sad. Bits of weeds stuck to his hair; yellow heads of wild wheat.

 

“I read The Missing Guy in two days. I think it would make a great movie, with special effects!”

–Cathi Costa, Registered Nurse

 

The Disappearance of Tomlin Keith will soon be available on Kindle Direct.