#fotoflash: Brothers forever

Here is my contribution to this week’s Friday Foto Flash prompt in 500 words or less…

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Yup, they said they would pick us up right down there.” Jake pointed to the small sandy beach below them. A rickety pier and a dilapidated dinghy were the only things in sight.

His younger brother, Stephen, shook his head. “I dunno.” They peered into the dark settling in over the lake. “And I still don’t understand why we had to dress like this.”Both boys were dressed in matching navy blue dress pants and white button-down shirts with the sleeves pushed up. Shiny black dress shoes finished their outfits.

Jake shrugged. “Me neither but they said it was a requirement.”

Stephen sighed. “I miss Mom and Dad.”

“I know, me too. But this is better than staying here by ourselves, don’t you think?”

“Maybe. How long we gonna wait?”

“They said they wouldn’t come till after it was totally dark which should be pretty soon. I think we should walk down to the dock before it’s too dark to see.”

Stephen laughed and pulled out his pocket flashlight and turned it on. “How’s this?”

“Put that away! You know they said no technology. I even left my watch at home.”

“This puny thing? Nothing high-tech about it. Heck, if they really meant no tech we’d be in pants with buttons. Right?”

“Sorry, guess I’m just a bit paranoid. This is our best chance for survival and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Yeah, things have gotten pretty scary.”

They used the forbidden flashlight to pick their way down the hill. At the bottom, Jake reached for the light but Steven yanked his hand away.

“What are you going to do with it?” he demanded.

“You know what. It has to go or they won’t accept us. So give it to me.”

“No, it’s mine.” He swiped at his eyes. “Dad gave it to me. See? It’s from his company.”

Now it was Jake’s turn to get watery eyes but he still begged, “They won’t take us with them if we have any technology with us. It has to be just us, nothing else. Please!”

Stephen stared out at the lake. “Okay fine. But I’ll do the throwing away.” He tossed the little flashlight into the lake and murmured, “Sorry Dad, you know I love you.”

Jake hugged his little brother. “We both loved him and he knew it. He and Mom would want us to do this. Thank you.”

They sat on the edge of the pier, avoiding the loose planks and ones with obvious cracks where they might get a splinter. Before long they were both dozing, heads together.

A couple days later a passing fisherman noticed two pairs of navy blue pants, two white shirts each neatly folded and stacked on top of two pairs of black shoes.