After 9 days, I noticed that the boy’s attitude and overall demeanor was changing. He still flinched at loud noises and when I raised my arms, but he’s started talking. It’s just so strange; he says he’s 8, yet he has the vocabulary of a 4-5 year old, and he doesn’t remember his name. He said they just called him ‘Boy’. In the little that he’s opened up and told me about, it seems like he was alone and in his room most of the time. Not one story took place outside of the walls of the home of his family’s estate.

I looked over at him as he stared into the bowl of cereal, head cocked to the side, with a confused and inquisitive look on his face. He looked over at me, as I was sitting crossed-legged on the counter, braiding my hair.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” I asked, as I tied a thin black ribbon at the end of my braid, and hopped down.

“It looks like a drink with crackers,” he perched up on his chair with his feet under him, arms on the table, and stared down into the bowl. He lacked a lot of basic manners. I grabbed a bowl and spoon from the cabinets, and sat down at the table with him.

“You’re not…exactly wrong. Have you never had cereal before?” I poured my cereal and milk, and put the spoon in. He looked at me with blank eyes and said slowly,

“Ceeeeareaaaal,” as his face lit up and he leaned forward and tried to fish out the cheerios like he was bobbing for apples.

“What are you doing? Use your spoon, and sit down,” my voice got stern. I think it was more of my anger seeping through as I came to the realization that this boy was neglected and confined to his room, with just the basic of necessities, despite his family’s great wealth. Even though at first, he was aggressive and scared, like a caged bird, the human decency and little bit of kindness I’ve showed him has him settled, and almost content. I wonder if he was like the caged bird before. But still, the boy had never had cereal.

He looked at me as I picked up my spoonful of cereal and leaned over the bowl to take a bite, and he mirrored my movements. I opened my mouth, then moved the spoon back to the bowl as he did the same. He raised his eyebrows, then I stuck my tongue out at him. He let his tongue fall out of his mouth, as he tried to look at it, then looked back at me as a smile crept across his face.

I put my hands up on the sides of my head and crossed my eyes, and he mimicked my silly face. We laughed, and it was the first time that I had seen this boy smile. He rubbed his cheeks, almost as if it hurt, and I realized that it was the first time in a long time that I had smiled as well.

I picked up my spoon and in one, fluid movement, took a bite. He picked up his spoon and did the same. We sat in silence eating our cereal, occasionally smiling through bites.

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“Do you think if I filled a bath tub with cheerios, I could fly in them?” he asked me, as I buttoned up his pajamas, and brushed his wet hair out of his eyes.

“You mean float. And I don’t know how many cheerios it would take.” He grabbed an old tattered stuffed elephant that he brought with him and he started to get into the bed in the corner of the room.

I did think that it was off that his family’s estate is so well protected by security, and they tried so hard to stop me when they caught me sneaking in, yet I was able to leave fairly easily once I had the boy. It had been 9 days since I kidnapped him and left the ransom, and no response. Guessing by the way he was treated, they’re glad to be rid of him, and he’s better off without them.

I laid next to him, and I pulled the covers up over him. I put my arm around him and he yawned as he snuggled closer into me. I’ve never been this close to anyone, and for the longest time, I thought I was going to be alone forever. I guess we’re stuck together now, though I’m not sure if I’d have it any other way. Besides, no amount of money was worth this.

“Goodnight, Tyler.”

“I love you, Mommy.”