Do you believe?

by Vanessa Rebello

Charlie was developing a severe disdain towards his younger brother, Timmy. One moment he would be sitting on the sofa, enjoying a slice of pizza, and the next moment Timmy would run into the room, snatch the pizza from his hand and then quickly float towards the ceiling with it. Charlie would jump and flail his hands at his brother.

“Give it back you little wretch!” he would say. But Timmy would chomp away at his loot, unaffected by his brother’s demands.In one such attempt to regain his lost food, Charlie had climbed on the sofa and lurched towards his brother, missing him by three-fourths of an inch and landing face first on the table lamp. His mother had come running into the hall, and after making sure that he was okay she slapped him upside the head and ranted for a good fifteen minutes.

“How does he do it?” Bruce asked Charlie, as sat on the swings in the playground between their houses, in their building complex.

“He says he doesn’t believe in Gravity,” replied Charlie.

“That’s ridiculous! You can’t just not believe in gravity.”

“Well, he can.”

“Then why don’t you not believe too and just float right up there with him.”

“I’ve tried, but it’s too tough. Once you’ve been taught to believe in something, it’s really hard not to.” he said. “I’ll show you.”

He stood up, closed his eyes and said out loud, “I do not believe in gravity.  I do not believe in gravity. I do not believe in gravity.”

He opened his eyes and found himself exactly where he had been – on the ground.

“See?” he said to Bruce.

“Then how can he do it?”

“He’s a kid. Mom says he has a strong imagination or something like that. And that’s not all he chooses not to believe in,” he said. “He has a whole list. It includes green vegetables, walls and injections too.”

And so there would be times when Charlie would be having a private conversation on the phone and Timmy would float right through the wall and come up with the stupidest voice to repeat whatever was being said. At other times they would be sitting at the dinner table, and while Charlie was forced to chew on one terrible vegetable after another, Timmy would simply say he didn’t believe in vegetables, and ‘woosh’ they would disappear.

Charlie had tried sneaking his vegetables into his brother’s plate but the little brat was useless. He would point his tiny, accusatory finger at his brother and scream, “Mama! He’s putting his vegetables in my plate!” And that was more than enough to get Charlie another stinger on his head.

One Tuesday afternoon, Charlie and Bruce had a terrible fight. Tired of listening to Charlie complain about his brother’s antics, Bruce had finally told him to either do something about it or shut up. The conversation turned into a screaming match, and soon the two boys were rolling around in the muck, trying to land a punch, just like they had seen in the movies. While Bruce continued to play on the swings, Charlie returned home, covered in filth. He was looking for something to eat in the kitchen when he saw Timmy lying on the ceiling.

“Chaaaaaaarlieee!! Why so gruuuuummmpppyyyy?” he sang.

Charlie looked up at his brother, and then back into the fridge as he continued to look for something edible. He saw a half filled bowl of jelly and took it out.

“Charlie Warlie! Why the looooongg face?” he said.

“Leave me alone.”

He went into his room and shut the door behind him.

“Knock knock!” said Timmy.

Ignore.

“If you don’t open the door I will huff and puff and blow it down!”

“Go away,” said Charlie.

“I don’t believe in doors!” said Timmy. And he walked straight through the door.

“I don’t believe in chairs!” said Timmy. And Charlie went tumbling to the floor.

“I don’t believe in light!” said Timmy. And the room was filled with darkness.

“I don’t believe in gravity!” said Timmy. And even though he couldn’t see it, Charlie could feel the bowl of Jelly float out of his hands.

“Aaarghh! Give it back to me you idiot!” screamed Charlie, thrashing his hands in the direction he thought the bowl went. “And turn these lights on now!”

‘Mmm…” said Timmy. “Jelllyyyyy…”

“You know what?” shouted Charlie, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his fists. “I don’t believe in you!!”

Cling-Clang-a-Clingity-Clang

He snapped open his eyes. The lights were on. The chair was behind him. The bowl and jelly were on the floor. Timmy was nowhere to be found.

He stared, open mouthed; unbelieving. Was this really happening? Or one is another one of his brother’s stupid pranks.

He walked towards the mess, sat cross legged, picked up the spoon and ate the jelly off the floor, one slow scoop at a time.

Was this real? Had he got Timmy’s powers? But did this mean that Timmy was gone for good? May be he should he just try it, see if it works… He shut his eyes again and clenched his fists.

“I don’t believe in gravity.”