A Place To Fall

By Kyle J. Anderson

A quick weekend read that will keep you turning the page, "A Place To Fall" follows Cameron, a gay boy in a small town who soon finds out that his imagination is both his gift and his curse. The line between what is real and what is make believe becomes blurred with each nightmare, sending him into a state of psychosis. Alluring whispers pull him into the woods one night, where he is not seen or heard from again. This novella will keep you on your toes with its sharp dialogue and unique storytelling, and is loosely based on true events and real people.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kyle J. Anderson
• Release date: Jun 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224846924

Book preview

CHAPTER 1: FAT BOY & A RAPIST

Cameron was set up for a life of make believe and altering his own reality by way of nature and looking up to the sky for inspiration. His childhood playhouse and the land his parents owned became his own Utopia along with his siblings, at least with his sisters. It was a picturesque piece of country land on the outskirts of Bagley, Minnesota.

The oak leaves are money. The mud and sticks are food. The birds were chirping and the sun peaked through the full body of the trees, casting a light green hue. Mae’s long brown hair cascaded ever so gently and rested on her collar bones. It was the closest thing to a goddess he had ever seen, even if she was wearing a beaten down tank top with biker shorts and a fanny pack. He didn’t care. He was convinced his older sister was a Disney princess.

Don’t forget about the flowers! Ocean, his other big sister who was far more eccentric, stressed the importance of adorning their plywood home with vibrant colors. Her blonde hair was pulled back with a bandana, and she always wore old scrubs that she found at thrift stores. She was the obvious caretaker of the family, both in the fantasy and real worlds.  They played in that home for hours, using old pots and pans on their stove that didn’t have any electricity, but was functional at one time.

Time stood still when Cameron was with his big sisters. It was as though they knew he was gay before he did, and embraced it with their whole hearts. They didn’t view him as a commodity or something to boast about, but rather a human who wasn’t defined by his sexuality. There was a time in Cameron’s life that he remembered being dressed up in a pink dress with his hair pulled into a single high ponytail, all facilitated by his sisters and their friend Tracey. He saw the photos years later, and the look on his face was pure euphoria.

Cameron didn’t think anything of it. In his tiny brain, he was just living his life and was happy in his childhood skin, but he would soon find out that not everyone was alright with him and what he was about.

We should get you a hunting license! Chauncey, his older brother, was the epitome of a country bumpkin. Beer, girls, killing animals. He was a pudgy, short boy. His personality was camouflage and crocs. Brown hair, glasses, a face only a mother could love.

He clearly isn’t interested in that. Mae chimed in at the dinner table, where this all went down. Chauncey had just come in from a full day of hunting with their dad, Bernard. The matriarch, Celeste, was busy making sure all of the food was delivered to the table in a timely manner.

Hey Cam, why don’t you throw on an apron and help mom?

Stop it! Ocean elbowed Chauncey in the jaw.

All of you stop it! Celeste came in with the last of the serving dishes. Meals were an event in the Anderson household; you didn’t have to eat everything, but you were required to try everything at least once. Bernard inhaled his meal, as he did with all of his meals and hot coffee. He wanted his coffee put in the microwave straight from the machine for a solid thirty seconds before he would even take it, and he didn’t even flinch when it went down his throat.

He was a brute of a man, standing six- foot tall with chicken legs and a barrel chest. His hairline was fleeting and turned gray early. His wardrobe consisted of a pair of a black pocket t-shirt and jeans by Dickie’s. Working hard was as easy as a blink of an eye. He kept going no matter what, and all of the little things blew over his head.

At times, he was disconnected from his children and even his wife, neglecting what he built, whether intentionally or not. He always had control of the remote, and his nightly snack was either a Windsor diet coke or half a brick of chip-n-mint ice cream. Sometimes, it was both. Heavier on the Windsor.

Cameron faded into the background during most of the family togetherness, playing with his countless mermaid dolls and his Aladdin figurines. Chauncey was always up his ass with something, from pressuring him to be ‘more of a man’ to stealing his notebook from his fingers.

I’d like to interrupt this evening with readings from Cameron’s notebook! He had taken the private thoughts from his brother and stood in the living area, ready to read every last word.

Over my dead body! Ocean sprung from where she was sitting, tackling Chauncey to the ground and grabbing the notebook in the process. Cameron took his diary and ran to his room, slamming the door and crying.

Forget about him, Cam. He just doesn’t see how wonderful you are. Mae came into his bedroom with a plate of food that he didn’t get to eat. She was now in her evening wear, which was an oversized shirt sans fanny pack. Hair still down and elegant as ever.

I took that little dweeb down! Ocean soon followed, her face was red from all the activity. She was also in her best evening wear, sweats and an old battered t-shirt. She took her bandana off to reveal a full head of glowing locks, ended at the shoulders.

Did our parents not do anything? Cameron asked, as he completely dissociated and shut off every emotion besides an overwhelming urge to vomit and cry.

They didn’t know what to do. All of us have just followed the same path of not being ourselves. Mae answered.

Speak for yourself! Ocean came back in with a costume change. Now her evening wear was a flower-patterned flat sheet tied around her neck, fashioned to be a cape. She got it from the laundry room, and neither Mae or Cameron knew she left.

Fucking Houdini over here. Cameron laughed at his own joke. Mae was taken aback by the language while Ocean shared in the laughter and hopped on the bed, hugging Cameron in her new majestic cape.

The next few years passed on, and Chauncey had laid off of his brother and let him do his thing. Everyone went about their business, and the playhouse sessions became few and far in between. Before Cameron entered sixth grade, the playhouse was demolished.

That place was my only safe haven. Cameron, now approaching teenager status, stood by his sisters as they all looked at the site where their memories were born and then aborted. They