Upper Matthew

 A quick look at Micah’s kindergarten year, he is with his mother to pick up his younger brother (Christopher) from preschool. Upon entering the building, a health worker walks out and stops them while saying, “Please do not enter. There’s a gas leak in here.”

“My goodness! My son is in there!” responded Micah’s mother worriedly.

“I understand your concern, ma’am, but my team and I are working as fast as we could to get all the children out.” replies the worker while Micah pulls out his Power Micah Mask.

“Micah, stay right here, please.” says Micah’s mother while looking over. With Micah absent, his mother worriedly gasps and asks, “Micah?! Where are you?!” Inside the preschool, the gas flows throughout the entire school with some kids coughing while Micah arrives in Christopher’s classroom as Power Micah, helping his brother and other kids get out of the building. With the building vacant, the kids cheer for Micah while his mother approaches him.

“That was very dangerous, Micah. You could have been killed.” said Micah’s mother.

“Sorry, mom. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just trying to help.” responded Micah.

“And you did. I’m very proud of you. Just don’t let this happen again, ok?” asked Micah’s mother. After arriving home, Micah and Christopher go to their room and play with toys while Matthew arrives home later on with a nervous look on his face.

“Hey, Matthew. Everything ok?” asked Matthew’s mother.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Everything’s fine.” answers Matthew while heading to his room.

“Did you have a good day at school?” asked Matthew’s mother.

“Yeah.” answered Matthew weakly.

“You don’t sound like yourself. Is there something you’d like to talk about?” asked Matthew’s mother.

“No, mom. I…I…I just want to get started on my homework. That’s all.” answers Matthew while entering his room. Matthew’s mother shrugs her shoulders while subsequently continuing her work in the kitchen. Three years later, Micah and Matthew are one day at the driving range of Beechwood Golf Course, hitting balls with Matthew distracted by thoughts of entering middle school.

“Come on, Matthew. Try to have some fun. You know you want to.” said Micah.

“I’m trying. It’s just…hard.” responded Matthew.

“But you like golf.” replied Micah.

“I know, but my thoughts of entering middle school are consuming my mind.” says Matthew while quickly putting his hand over his mouth.

“That’s what you’re afraid of?” asked Micah.

“No. I’ve said too much. Let’s just keep hitting.” answered Matthew.

“Your secret’s safe with me. You should talk to mom. She’s always good at smoothing things over.” responded Micah.

“Micah, just stop, ok? Let’s finish out the rest of these balls and go home. The sooner, the better.” replied Matthew annoyingly. Micah and Matthew continue hitting golf balls while Micah says, “You can’t hide those feelings forever, you know. I’m just saying, it would be a whole lot better for you to come clean and get it off your chest, rather than keeping it bottled up and letting it eat you alive. If I were you, I would talk to mom as soon as possible.” Matthew ignores Micah and continues hitting balls while Schae, one of Micah’s classmates, approaches Micah and says, “You hit like my grandma!”

“Do you mind? We’re trying to have a decent evening here.” responded Micah annoyingly.

“At least I know how to hit a golf ball.” taunted Schae. Micah places a ball on the ground and picks his club, bringing it up and coming down while Schae shouts, “DON’T MESS UP!” Startled, Micah tops the ball and accidentally releases his club, which goes flying.

“See what you made me do?” asked Micah annoyingly.

“Ha ha! You lost your club!” taunted Schae. Micah retrieves his club and places another ball on the ground while preparing his swing.

“Boo!” shouted Schae. Micah stops in the middle of his swing and sarcastically responds, “Nice try, Schae. I’m on to your little game.” Micah prepares his swing again with Schae screaming, causing Micah to angrily throw his club down and grab Schae, carrying her off and sending her flying out of his site by kicking her. After landing on her stomach, Schae approaches Micah again and continues her taunts with Micah continuously grabbing and kicking her out of his site until he and Matthew have no golf balls left. Sometime later, Micah and his brothers get released from school for summer break with Matthew still thinking about middle school to his anxiety. One day, during summer break, Micah and his brothers go over to their grandma’s house with their mother for a visit, in which at one point, Matthew begins tearing up with his mother asking, “What’s wrong, Matthew?” Matthew glances at Micah, who cues Matthew to talk to their mother by gesturing with his head.

“Middle school.” answered Matthew.

“What about it?” asked Matthew’s mother.

“I’m afraid of the transition, what I’m up against.” answered Matthew.

“Oh. I’m sorry you feel that way. What’s one thing troubling you about it?” asked Matthew’s mother.

“Well, they said if you don’t do your homework, you get a detention.” answered Matthew.

“That’s never been a problem for you.” responded Matthew’s mother.

“I’ve been praying for you, Matthew. The Lord’s got your back.” said Matthew’s grandmother. Matthew continues to shed tears while his mother and grandmother comfort him with Micah and Christopher playing with some toys. Trekker watches Micah and his brothers on surveillance while taunting, “Oh, boo hoo! Matthew’s going to middle school. I can help with that, and I know just the thing.” Trekker heads to Trekker Jr.’s room and knocks on his door while asking, “Jr., it’s dad. May I come in?”

“Sure, dad.” answered Trekker Jr. Trekker enters Trekker Jr.’s room and says, “Son, I’ve got a little assignment for you…” At night, Micah and his brothers, along with his mother and grandmother, turn in and start sleeping while Trekker and Trekker Jr. watch on surveillance at their mansion.

“Operation: Back to School…is a go!” says Trekker while holding out a remote and pressing its button. Micah, Christopher, and their mother and grandmother wake up at Trekker’s mansion the following morning cuffed onto a slab of concrete, struggling to break free while Trekker approaches them and laughs, “Ha ha ha ha! Looks like summer vacation is ending early this year!”

“What do you mean?” asked Micah’s grandmother.

“You’ll see sooner or later.” answers Trekker while Matthew wakes up with middle school still on his mind. Matthew occupies himself with activities like video games and playing on his computer while later asking, “Hey, mom? What are we having for lunch?” With no answer, Matthew stops what he’s doing and goes into the living room while asking, “Mom?” Matthew searches the entire house, looking for his mother, as well as Micah and Christopher, while asking, “Micah? Christopher? Are you here?” After searching for a while longer, Matthew goes into Micah’s room and enters his Lab Entrance Cube, going into Micah’s laboratory and saying, “Computer, locate mom.”

“Scanning…” says Micah’s computer while scanning the globe.

“Your mother has been found.” continues Micah’s computer while showing live surveillance of his mother at Trekker’s mansion with Micah, Christopher, and his grandmother.

“Oh, no!” says Matthew while slapping his forehead.

“I guess I have no choice.” continues Matthew while entering Micah’s Warp Machine. Matthew warps to Trekker’s mansion and approaches Trekker while saying, “All right, Trekker. I’m here.”

“Excellent. You’re going to love what I have in store for you.” responds Trekker menacingly while leading Matthew to a desk. Matthew sits at his desired desk while Trekker Jr. sits right next to him.

“Class is now in session. For today’s lesson, both of you will solve a bunch of problems at the middle school level. Matthew, if you score better than Jr., you get your family back. But if Jr. scores better, say goodbye to them. Ha ha ha ha!” laughed Trekker. Matthew and Trekker Jr. pull out a pencil with Trekker continuing, “You may begin your tests…now!” Trekker Jr. immediately starts writing on his test while Matthew thoroughly reads the questions given to him, writing his answers down and turning them into Trekker at the same time Trekker Jr. turns in his test. Trekker runs the tests through a scanner, which grades and prints them back out with Trekker looking over them and showing the grades afterwards while saying, “It’s a tie.” Trekker crumples both tests into a ball and tosses them behind him while continuing. “That doesn’t count! On to Phase Two!” Trekker leads Matthew and Trekker Jr. to a podium and subsequently says, “Most points wins!” Trekker begins asking a series of questions with Matthew and Trekker Jr. being neck and neck in the end with Trekker saying, “This question is for the win…” Trekker asks the question with Trekker Jr. buzzing first, getting the answer wrong with Matthew subsequently answering it right.

“As your host, I declare these results null and void! Initiate Phase Three!” said Trekker annoyingly.

“This isn’t fair!” said Matthew.

“Give it up, dad. He’s just going to beat me again.” said Trekker Jr.

“What did you say to me?!” asked Trekker angrily.

“Nothing...” answered Trekker Jr. worriedly.

“Don’t lie to me!” responds Trekker angrily while scruffing Trekker Jr.

“I’m not!” answered Trekker Jr. Trekker drags Trekker Jr. off while angrily responding, “Looks like we’re going to need a long talk…” Matthew frees Micah, Christopher, and his mother and grandmother from the concrete slab while his mother excitedly says, “You did it, Matthew! I’m so proud of you!”

“See, Matthew? You’ve got nothing to worry about.” said Matthew’s grandmother.

“You know? I think I’m going to like middle school…” said Matthew. At the end of summer break, Matthew and his classmates exit the bus and head to their lockers on their first day of middle school without a care in the world, heading to their first period class and happily transitioning to their new life.

 

The End