A Anniversary

One sunny summer day, the show is gonna start soon. This time with a special anniversary. The neighborhood kids are buzzing with excitement. The small kids garb their parents and get them to stand in front of the TV. Kids could be heard inside their homes shouting.

"The 13th anniversary special is starting! MOM, DAD!"

"LOOK! IT'S STARTING SOON!"

"Am so excited!"

"I love this show!"

"Mom, Dad, can I have some popcorn?"

The kids gather around their TV, jumping, and shouting to their parents to come. But in one house in the neighborhood. It has a different story.

"Mooom. Why can't I watch the show? My friends all watch it!" A young boy complains. He lays down on the couch upside down and his brown hair covers his face. Unlike his other friends or neighbors, he isn't jumping around. He holds the TV remote and goes by channels with no interest.

"I told you Jack, something feels weird about that show." The mom replies impatient. She goes back to calling someone on her phone in the kitchen. The voices of her son complains are drained out of her head, for she has more important matters on the phone.

"I can't drop the case. He's doing his best to look for his daughter. And he's paying us for this. Sorry Miss. Juno, but we can't. Not yet."  She heads to her bedroom, knowing her son might eavesdrop and shuts the door. Holds the phone up, and yells.

"FUCK THAT! There's more and more missing kids now!" She holds the phone tightly in anger. "I know this means a lot to him. BUT THAT CASE IS MORE THAN 10 YEARS OLD! We can't keep doing this crap. Please just drop the case." The phone is silent.

"...Fine. But, you know how he'll react." The other line hangs up on the caller. The room is almost silent. The only thing making noise is a clock hanging on the wall and the women's deep breathes.

"MOMMY! DID YOU CURSE AGAIN?! I CAN HEAR YOU!" The mom garbs her phone and enters the living room. Her voice strain from the interaction.

"Sorry my son. Am just a bit tried. Do you wanna watch something?" She sits down next her son and weakly smiles.

"Mommy? Why do you look so tried?" He sits up and faces his mom, and tilts his head in wonder at her.

"Mommy, is just tried. She's been arguing about a silly topic with a coworker for a while. That's all." She puts her hand on her son's head.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"What about just this once? Can we watch it? PLEASE? I wanna see it"

"This again? I tho-"

 "You owe me. You said a while ago, if you said a bad word, you had to let me watch it." The boy say confidently. The mom freezes. SHIT, I forgot about that promise. Her face stiffs.

"Are you sure honey? That show...It looks great...but, it feels a little off."

"Mommy, you only seen 1 episode! All the kids at school said the first one was weird. But the rest was great. Trust me!" The boy grins. And bounces up and down on the couch.

The Mom sighs and rubs her face. She finally looks at her son. "Yeah, sure honey. Get the remote." 

The boy's eyes widened and he squeals. He runs to garb the remote. And comes back, and turns the TV on. He grins as they wait for the show to air...

It probably not that bad. The Mom thought. It's a kid show after all. 

She puts her phone on silent, gets comfortable on the couch, gets ready to watch the show with her son. And misses the new missing child report on her phone