Sober Tory & the Gatekeeper

 “I love you Tory, but why did you cheat? I was going to marry you, but you screwed that up,” John said slamming the door on his now ex-girlfriend. 

“I’m sorry,” she said softly under her breath.

Her son stood by the steps as he heard the liquor bottle rattling from the counter.

He hurried down the stairs while noticing that his mother was so drunk that at first sight of him she fell to the floor.

“Your dad loves you Curtis, he love you okay,” the words slurred out of her mouth.

Curtis was a righteous child and he hated seeing his mother like this.

“Mom, why do you keep doing this to yourself, you’re going to kill yourself before I even graduate,” he said.

She slipped out of his arms and fell flat face to the floor.

“Mommy loves you Curtis, okay,” she said, falling to sleep on the cold bare floor.

The next morning she heard the birds in the cage singing. She had no clue what happened the night before.

“You really did it this time.”

Tory got up off of the ground slowly.

“Who are you?” she said.

“I’m the gatekeeper, the voice that’s been telling you to slow down your entire life. Oh, you really pushed yourself over the edge this time. Look at your body laying on the floor,” the gatekeeper said as Tory couldn’t help but notice her body lifeless, flat on the floor.

“Am I dead?” She asked.

“Do you really think that the supernaturals who engineered this life would allow a righteous child like Curtis to be left alone. I was told to take your soul for a journey since you never listen to a good word of advice from me or any other rational thinker. You’re a drunk Tory. This is the life in between,” the gate keeper explained.

He then grabbed her arm and took her through the upstairs walls to see Curtis crying in misery. 

“You’re going to turn him into a murderer, Tory, that’s if you don’t slow down, he knows you cheated on his father. Every child that has to deal with the consequences of terrible parents always comes to me at the gate when they’re asleep. Curtis came to me last night because of you Tory. He loves his mother and father. You have to change Tory before it’s too late,” he said.

He then took her to John’s place.

“John will never be the same because you got drunk and had sex with his friends, he’ll never trust another woman again. You’ve set yourself back,” the gatekeeper explained.

“Is it too late for me to go back? I can change. I know I can,” she said while watching the gatekeeper close the gate.

“Don’t let me down,” he said as Tory woke up picking herself up off of the floor.

“Mom, is everything okay? You were talking in your sleep,” Curtis said.

Tory quickly jumped to her feet and hugged her son. 

“He gave me another chance to make things right,” she said.

“Who? Who are you talking about mom?” Curtis said.

“The gatekeeper, he gave me another chance.”

Curtis hadn’t seen his mother this motivated since his first day of school, but this was the moment he’d been waiting on.

After eight years of being sober she was back with his father at the altar ready to tie the knot.

Curtis couldn’t believe it. Holding the rings he couldn’t help but notice a strange man winking at him behind the reverend. The man then disappeared. 

He’d opened the gates to a new beginning for Curtis and his family. It was good.

The End.