Benny looked at his telescope longingly. "Do you have to go to that dumb old party tonight? Jenny won't let me watch the eclipse. I can't miss it! Please?"
Dad kneeled down in front of him. "I know this means a lot to you, but this is for my work. Believe me, I don't want to go."
Benny wiped his nose on his sleeve. Can't Mom stay home? She doesn't work there."
Dad sighed. "No, she's expected to be there too. What makes you think that Jenny won't let you watch the eclipse?"
Benny looked out the window, putting his head against the cool glass. "When I wanted to watch the meteor shower, she said no. She didn't want to stand out there with me because it was too cold for her. And she wasn't going to let me out of her sight outdoors."
Mom pulled out her phone. "How about we get a different sitter then? My Starboy can't miss the eclipse."
He didn't move. "Could we really get someone who is willing to let me go outside tonight? Can you make sure they will?"
Dad put his hand on Benny's shoulder. "Of course we will."
Mom walked a short distance away, and spoke quietly into the phone. A few minutes later she returned, smiling. "I contacted a service, and they had a perfect match! His name is Steven James. He's interested in astronomy, Benny."
Dad grinned. "Problem solved! Great work, Honey."
Benny hugged her. "Thanks, Mom. It sounds like tonight is going to be great! Now that I don't have to worry about Jenny, what can possibly go wrong?"
Mom chuckled. "She's not that bad, is she? I seem to recall coming home early a few weeks ago, and catching you two sharing a bucket of ice cream."
Benny blushed. "I do like her, I just don't want her to make me stay indoors tonight."
Mom kissed his forehead. "I know, and I hope you have fun tonight."
Dad looked at his watch. "When is the sitter coming, Honey? We have to leave soon."
Mom shook her head. "I don't know. They confirmed he was heading our way while I was on the phone. But they didn't say how far he had to go."
Dad looked at Benny. "If he's not here in a few minutes, will you be alright waiting until Mr. James arrives? If he gets delayed, you have to promise to call Jenny."
Benny nodded. "I promise."
They heard a crash on the porch, and Dad ran to open the door. "What's going on?"
A man handed him a set of broken chimes, and a piece of pottery. "Very sorry. I went over to look at your colorful plants, and I walked into the chimes. While I was tangled up, I knocked that flowerpot off of the railing."
Dad chuckled, but quickly turned it into a cough. "Welcome, you must be Mr. James. Is it all right if we call you Steve?"
The man stared blankly for a second, then shrugged. "That's fine with me."
Dad opened the door wider, and stepped aside. "Won't you come in? If you want to wash up the bathroom is down the hall, first door to the left. And I guess you've already heard all about Benny."
The man nodded as he entered, looking at the potting soil on his right hand.
Mom stepped outside. "I'm going to wait in the car, while you work out the details."
Dad turned to Benny. "If Mr. James needs anything, show him where it is. And have a great time watching the eclipse - that goes for both of you!"
Benny grinned. "Don't worry, Dad. Nothing can go wrong now!"
The sitter was already heading towards the bathroom, ignoring the conversation behind him.
When he returned, he found himself alone with the child. "Where are your parents, kid?"
Benny bounced onto the couch. "They already left. We weren't sure you'd even get here in time to meet them. Is it okay if I call you Steve, or do you like Steven or Mr. James better?"
The man looked out the front window. Then he sank into a large, comfortable chair. He put his feet on the coffee table. "Steve is fine. How long will your parents be gone?"
Benny cocked his head. "Didn't the service say? It'll just be until around ten or eleven."
Steve nodded slowly. "Ah, that's right. So what do you want to do, kid? Watch cartoons, pig out on junk food, and stay up late?"
Benny shook his head. "I want to watch the eclipse. I know they told you that, because they told Mom you're interested in astronomy."
Steve smacked his head with his hand. "Oh right, they did mention that! I just have a lot on my mind today, kid."
Benny frowned. "I hope nothing's wrong. My name is Benny, by the way. Want to see my telescope?"
Steve yawned. "Later. I've had a day you wouldn't believe. Let me take a nap, you can do anything you want. I'm beat."
Benny shrugged, and went to his room.
When it got dark, he put down his astronomy magazine. "I guess it's finally time to get ready. I can't wait!"
Steve was still asleep.
Benny gently poked him on the shoulder, causing Steve to jump. He toppled to the floor. When he pulled himself up on the coffee table, his eyes bugged out like those Benny had seen once in a horror movie that he had watched without permission.
Benny gasped, and sat down hard on the floor. "Sorry, Mister! I didn't mean to scare you. It's time to set up the telescope."
Steve looked at him as if in a trance for a few seconds. Then he got back into the chair. "Leave me alone, kid."
Benny looked at his feet. "Does this mean I can't watch the eclipse?"
Steve looked at the time. Then he leaned back, and closed his eyes. "Kid, I don't care what you do. As long as you keep quiet and leave me alone!"
Benny got his telescope, and quietly went into the front yard. "I was hoping he'd be fun, but at least I won't miss the eclipse."
About fifteen minutes later, a tow truck pulled into the driveway. Behind it was a late model sports car.
"I wonder who that could be," he thought.
A man got out of the passenger side of the tow truck, and motioned him over.
In response, Benny backed away towards the house.
Instantly the man froze. "It's alright, I'm the sitter. Sorry I'm late!"
Benny put a hand on the doorknob. "What's your name?"
"Steven James. I was sent here by Davidson Brothers Temps. I know I'm really late, my car broke down. Then I broke my phone while I tried to see what was wrong with the engine. Just my luck, nobody stopped. So I had to walk to the nearest sign of civilization. In this case, a convenience store eight miles down the road. I don't suppose you still need a sitter?"
Benny ran over to the truck, and quickly explained the situation. The driver ushered both of them into the truck, and pulled out his phone. Minutes later, three patrol cars converged on the property.
The three watched in fascination as the police entered the house.
When they came out leading the man he'd thought to be his sitter, Benny jumped out of the truck. "Do you know who he is?"
The officer nodded. "His name is Harold Statton. He escaped from the mental health ward of the hospital earlier today. He's done some pretty bad things, and the court wanted to know if he's able to take responsibility for them."
Harold and Benny looked at each other.
"Why didn't you just say you weren't Steve, and go on your way?" asked Benny.
Harold spit on the soft green grass. "Because I needed a place to hide out. You should've just kept your mouth shut, kid."
Benny shook his head. "I couldn't do that, Sir... and my name is Benny."
Cover image made in Canva Pro using their AI image generator
