The Boy In The Yard ~ Part 2 (rerun)

Click HERE to read PART 1 before reading PART 2 below Enormous threatening thunderclouds loomed overhead cracking at the seams with their leaden cargo. Peter heard a rumbling and then the rustling of leaves, then the soft vibrations of millions of little shockwaves like tiny jack-hammers. The pounding increased. He soon felt the icy trickle of water running around his body like the dull edges of hundreds of pocket knives tracing his arteries. Peter was reminded of his thirst. He struggled to open his jaw but only succeeded in taking in a mouthful of mud. He sucked out some precious moisture but discovered it difficult to spit the dirt back out. He lay there breathing through his nose with ever increasing difficulty. He tried to move his hand but couldn't. It felt like something was biting it. He couldn't even turn his head to look. Peter's mounting fear was soundtracked by his own heartbeat thundering in his ears. Suddenly the comfort of the ditch, the peaceful solitude, the intriguing secrecy, the connection with nature, all at once ceased to please him. He feebly attempted to struggle free, but Earth had too firm a hold. His muscles exhausted, Peter was nothing more than another gravel in God's Sidewalk. A tiny insect frozen in the Amber of Time. Just then he heard a familiar voice, calmly speak his name. At the restaurant, Billy gleefully hammered away at a game of 'Smack-a-Rodent' as Mom and Dad awaited service from a teenage waiter with bad skin. The animals popping up out of the holes suddenly reminded Billy of his absent brother. He put the mallet down and joined his parents in the booth. The meal finally came and consisted of Billy's most favorite things. French fries, Ketchup, and Pink Lemonade.  "Who's the chef, Picasso?" joked Dad. His attempt at humor went unnoticed. Billy seemed oddly quiet. "What's the matter boy? Are you sad because your brother's not here?" Billy thought for a moment but didn't respond. "Your sister will be home and she'll fix him something to eat. Don't worry too much about him, enjoy your Ketchup."  Mom attempted to get some response with, "I like your banana-hat son". Billy checked the watch then hesitantly spoke. "Dad, what happens to… people… after they get buried?" Mom stopped mid-bite and looked at Dad. "Well, where did that come from? Uh, like Grandma, well she's gone on to a better place. She's happy and peaceful and now she can be with Grandpa and Uncle Claude. It's just a necessary thing, not really good or bad, just necessary. It's happens to everybody. Young and old. I'm sure Grandma is much happier than before. She was very sick and no one could help her anymore. Now come on, finish your fries, so we can order…d-e-s-s-e-r-t". Dad's words seemed to comfort Billy. He no longer felt the pangs of guilt and confusion. "Dad, can I go play some more video games?"  "Of course, that's why we're here."  "But don't go too far. The dessert's coming soon," cautioned Mom.  Later the dessert arrived and they all really enjoyed their cheesecake, to the sounds of circus music and recorded monkey screams. Once inside, they never let you forget you're eating at Monkey Meal Emporium. Time passed. Too much time.   They arrived home to find a note stuck to the refrigerator door. Dad read it aloud. "Dear Mom or Dad, Gone to a movie, be back late. Jen".  "That girl needs to be put on a leash," Dad moaned. "It is Saturday and it's not past her curfew. Besides at least she's spending her own money and not ours," Mom defended. Billy plopped down on the couch and turned on the television. Mom went upstairs and after a few minutes returned. "Honey I can't find Peter. I took the dinner leftovers up to his room and he's not there. Jen's note didn't mention him either. I'm starting to worry." Dad said, "Hmmm, if he's still out playing this late, he's gonna be grounded for a week when I get my hands on him. That boy knows no responsibility." Mom pleaded, "Doesn't he know he makes us worry so?" Her face was wrinkled with concern. Dad's was red with anger. He stormed out into the front yard. Mom pulled a notebook from a drawer and began calling neighbors. Billy sunk deeper into his pillows. He checked his brother's watch. 7:43 Then he checked the clock on the kitchen wall. He never could read that kitchen clock. It had pictures of fruits and vegetables instead of numbers. He decided if Peter didn't come back right now then they both would be in big trouble.  He snuck into the basement and grabbed a flashlight. He shined it out the window onto the muddy mound. "Still there," he thought to himself. He dashed across the wet grass and grabbed the shovel leaning against the shed. It seemed not as heavy as before. He ran to the mound. He began whispering to his brother as he pushed the shovel into the soft Earth. "We went to Monkey Meal Emporium and we brought you back some fries and a fish burger and a hat. Dad told 'em it was my birthday so I could get a free ice cream banana barge. They believed him! We had cheesecake too. Mom saved you a piece of hers 'cause she couldn't finish it. I didn't tell Mom and Dad where you were I promise."  The more Billy dug, the more mud poured back into the hole. The far-off sound of Dad's voice could be heard barking Peter's name. Billy dropped to his knees and started pulling out handfuls of mud and rocks. "I didn't break your watch neither. Dad says it's fine." Billy, panic stricken, dug frantically with all his strength. Like a machine he dug the Earth.  "Mom and Dad are looking for you and if you don't come out Dad says you'll be…" Just then the flashlight rolled down into the pit with a thud.  "...grounded." It's beam illuminated a small crinkled piece of paper. It was a note. Written in a scratchy handwriting Billy did not recognize at first. It read:

 ஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜஜ

BACKSTAGE PASS

The idea for this story came to me on April 24th (1998) as I lay in bed trying to sleep. Most of my creative ideas come either during this relaxing time or in the shower or driving for some reason. My bedroom window overlooks a field and a wall of trees (scanned photos of these trees were used in the story) (I did not yet own a digital camera at this time) and I suddenly had the strange desire to know what it would feel like to be lying out in the field that night. Then I thought it would've been more comfortable to be under a "blanket" of dirt. Then the whole weird story of a boy who enjoys this sort of thing just came together...a boy  prematurely seeking the welcome comfort of Mother Nature's Womb. I actually went out, sat in the field with a notebook and wrote the whole story the next day. I've been looking for some way, through my art, to deal with the loss of my mother since her death almost four years ago. I don't think this story is it, but that desire  is obviously evident in "The Boy in the Yard". It was originally titled "The Boy Who Lies in Ditches" (doesn't exactly roll off the tongue).

The biggest trouble was finding a suitable ending. I wanted to stay away from a heavy-handed morality tale yet include elements of one. I wanted it to be fantasy and yet be rooted in real life events and familiar characters. I wanted the visuals to begin with open blue skies and comfortable settings and then slowly get creepier and end at night with a panic-stricken child clawing through the wet mud with a failing flashlight. (Maybe I'm sick but that's what I wanted.) I certainly don't think anyone reading my story is going to go out in their backyard, dig a hole and jump in, but at the same time I didn't want to over glamorize this behavior. I wanted to have Peter, who to be fair is not an entirerly likable person yet not completely cold-hearted either, to go through an unpleasant experience when the dire consequences of his actions become apparent. Yet in the end, surreal and ambiguous as it is and as our own "endings" may prove to be, you get the feeling that he's happy and content, wherever he "is".My older brother used to "mummify" me as a kid (that's what I called it anyway, laying in bed with arms tight at my sides and legs together, he would push my blanket tight around my body tucking it under my sides so I could not move), and later I did ask my mom to do it and she thought it was kinda weird but would do it anyway. I researched the names and discovered that the name I first chose, Peter, means "rock" (perfect for a boy who lies in the dirt) and Billy means "guardian" (also ironically appropriate). The name Dutch actually means "ditch" but I didn't want to go that far. 

The visual style of using clay models for the basis of the images was an early decision based on my interest and admiration for Tim Burton and Henry Selick's stop-motion animation work. The character design of Peter in particular is very reminiscent of "Nightmare Before Christmas". I created only one body for the two boys since they are so similar anyway. I used a modeling clay called Plastalina. It's cheap, never hardens and comes in a variety of nice colors. I used only ivory though, deciding to do all the coloring digitally.

I sculpted one head for each boy and first placed Peter's head on the body and took some shots from different angles, then I switched heads and did the same for Billy.

Since the puppet had no skeleton, the tiny clay legs could not support the weight on the large body and head so they had to be later added digitally. The whole model stood, if it could, about 6 inches tall. I photographed the clay puppet with a macro lens outside in sunlight on a deck. Just as I was nearing completion a gust of wind came along and blew the puppet off the deck railing, ending my photo session with a thud and a sour mood.

 
Nearly all the posing of arms and facial expressions was done digitally, because it was simply easier than constantly remodeling the puppet then taking a single shot. Background photos were taken of dirt and sky and, of course, a shovel. I cannibalized a few furniture catalogs to get some of the background elements as well. Each image took anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours to complete in Adobe Photoshop. I used oval-shaped windows for the images simply because I liked the idea and I don't see it done often.

 To force depth into the images, you'll notice that in most images I placed objects in the "background", the "middle ground" and the "foreground" and used varying degrees of motion or Gaussian blur. 

I consciously hid the faces of the parents from view because I wanted to truly focus the story on the two boys and keep the parents 'generic'. I kinda like how the image of Billy standing with the shovel as his brother comes up out of the ground (pearing through his hands - from Peter's POV) almost looks like he has large angel wings sprouting from his back. I guess you have to look at it a "certain way" to see that though.

At the end of the day, I'd say the comic turned out about as well as it could given my schedule. Sometimes (usually) the visual style of a work changes from conception to finished product and this one was no exception. Originally I envisioned the images to be more painterly and rough around the edges, still computer composites but more 'dirty' and abstract. However, the more I played with them the 'cleaner' they became. They now almost look like stills from a Rankin and Bass holiday special. The first line in the story is taken from a song called Nature  Boy written by Eden Ahbez. I'm fairly happy with the final product and hope you got something out of it and will come back to see my other work. Thanks. 
- Darren Wheeling (May 29, 1998)

The Boy In The Yard ~ Part 1 (rerun)

If television can show reruns then so can I.

This is the story of a little boy struggling with a burning secret, and his troubled older brother who is literally in over his head. It's a story of personal exploration, of blind faith, of parental neglect, and of... the boy in the yard.

There once was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy. A sometimes peculiar eleven year old boy named Peter. Peter had a most unique wish that no other child had ever considered. It all started one innocent night when Mother put little Peter to bed. He was lying on his stomach with his arms and legs tight against his sides just like always.  As Mother gently pulled the covers around him, just like always, Peter had an unusual request. She wasn't sure why he wanted it nor could she possibly foresee the consequences to come, but she did as he wished. Mother tucked the covers tightly around the edges of Peter's body so he couldn't move. This was his wish. He called this being "mummified" and Mother soon discovered that her son loved it. "Mummify me, mummify me," he would whisper with anticipation every night at bedtime. And Mother would always do as he wished. Several uneventful months passed until one night when an odd germ took root in little Peter's head as he lay dreaming in his mummified state. Proof positive that sometimes, dreams should just stay dreams. The next day after school, little Billy wandered out into the yard to find his older brother Peter digging a big hole."Hey whucha doing?" inquired Billy."I'm diggin' a hole" said Peter, "What's it look like?" Billy saw the edges of Peter's mouth curl up and knew from experience that was usually not good. "Hey Billy, uh, um I was wonderin' if you'd help me with this hole. Ah but you're too small. You probably couldn't lift the shovel.""I can too!" insisted Billy."Well then here's what I want ya to do" Peter stepped down into the hole and sat down. "OK Billy, now push the dirt on top of me with the shovel.""You want me to cover you up?" asked Billy with concern."Of course dummy. Shovel all the dirt back on top of me. Just fill in the hole. But you have to remember one thing." Billy struggled with the heavy shovel and awaited his next order."Go back inside and when your stupid Ratman Cartoon Show is over, you come back out and dig me up OK? Can you remember that? Oh, and don't tell Mom and Dad where I am. This is our super secret. OK? I still haven't told your friends about your little wet bed mishap so you still owe me, got it?" As little Billy nodded and proceeded to carry out his strange task, with every shovelfull of dirt he threw, he was bombarded by a mixture of feelings. First glee, then anxiety, then curiosity, then sadness. That's a lot of emotional baggage for a seven-year old. Soon, with his orders completed and his big brother now completely hidden from view beneath the soil, Billy headed back inside the house. His mind was filled with anticipation of the coming adventures of his beloved Ratman and his sidekicks Dinky and Mojo. Underground life was moving at a different pace and on a different level. Peter was embracing his new surroundings much in the same way the first astronauts felt stepping off their craft and touching lunar soil for the first time. Peter absorbed the coldness, the darkness, the beautiful tranquility. Peter's senses tingled with excitement. "This is so cool," he thought. His trance was interrupted only by the occasional icy slither of a passing earthworm on it's purposeful journey to who-knows-where. Many quiet minutes passed punctuated by the faint barking of a dog, happy it's master had come home. He thought he heard the buzz of an airplane overhead, but wasn't sure. Peter suddenly felt the rising and fading foot thumps of a group of passing children. They were laughing and shouting. He tried to guess who those thumps belonged to. Was it Logan and his no-good sister Sheila? She would always try to tag along when the guys went exploring. Was it Jimmy and the gang gathering teams for a game of neighborhood soccer? "Maybe they were looking for me. Ha! They'll never guess where I am in a million years," Peter thought with a secret grin. Birds sang from the trees. Peter listened from the ground. Just then a soft rumbling caught his attention. It faded in and out for a few minutes before Peter realized what it was. The Tall Man from next door was mowing his lawn. He was a strange guy, even by Peter's standards. He never spoke to anyone and last Halloween he gave out coupons instead of candy. Peter didn't like him very much. However, he did like the funny vibrations from the mower. He could feel the dirt settling down through the hair on his arms. It gave him goose bumps. For a brief moment in time, at least in his mind, Peter was a little black ant tunneling through the quaking Earth. As the sound grew louder he had a devilish thought. "I could pop up from the ground and scare him to death," Peter mused. Just then, he felt a shock to his back. Then another. Peter's world evaporated. "Ratman is over and you missed a good one," shouted Billy excitedly."Dark Clown took control of the City again and..." Billy's voice trailed off as his brother rose from his early grave. "Um... time's up already?" Peter cleared his head. The Sun's rays stabbed at his eyes. He brushed himself off and told his brother all the exciting and strange things that happens to someone underground."When you can't see it forces you to use your ears and your… extra-subterrestrial powers. Like Ratman! Come on, you should try it Billy," Peter urged. "I'll bury YOU this time." Billy shook his head and took a step back. A spider crawled across his brother's chest. Peter brushed it off and snapped, "Well if you're gonna be a baby then let's go inside. You're not old enough to appreciate it anyway. I better change clothes before Mom and Dad see me." That night before bedtime, Peter took Billy aside. "Tomorrow is Saturday and Mom and Dad are going yardsaling. I want you to bury me again before they get back okay? And remember, not a word, got it? G'night Billy." Billy had trouble sleeping that night. Saturday morning came bright and blue. Mom and Dad left early to visit yardsales and older sister Jennifer was in the middle of her two-hour bathroom ritual getting ready for her job at The Candlestand. The time had come. The coast was clear. The hole was dug much deeper than before. Billy seemed more hesitant this time as he watched his brother's mad digging from the basement door. Finally, he walked outside."What's the matter Billy?" Peter snapped. Billy waited for Peter to add some insulting remark per usual, but it never came."I had a bad dream last night," Billy murmured softly."Oh grow up Billy, you big whiner, I'm just a few feet down. Nothing's gonna happen to me. I'm just in the backyard. You'll know exactly where I am the whole time.""I dreamed Mom and Dad found out and got mad at me," Billy admitted."Oh... well look, nobody is ever gonna know, OK? Besides I asked you to help me. No one would believe it was your idea anyway." Billy seemed only slightly appeased. Peter paused for a moment then pulled something off his wrist and handed it to his brother. It was The Watch. Peter's prized digital watch which he picked out and purchased HIMSELF with his birthday money given to him by Grandma. It had a stopwatch feature which went to 100ths of a second. Peter's best friend Joey's watch only went to 10ths. Billy knew this watch too. In fact it played a traumatic role in Billy's young life. Peter would use the watch to tease his younger brother. He would eat a piece of candy, claiming it gave him the power to alter time. He would then discreetly push the stopwatch button and show Billy how time had been accelerated. "See now your goldfish are gonna grow old really fast and die. But SEE I have the power to set things right. As long as you bring me more candy I can control time and keep things in order."  Peter could be a cruel boy when he wanted to be. "Now when the watch reads 10:00 you just come right out and dig me up. Got it, Billy boy? So simple even a monkey could do it. Nothing to worry about." Peter began grinning with anticipation as he jumped into the hole and laid down flat. He flinched slightly as the first shovelful of dirt smacked his back.  "This is gonna be so cool," thought Peter. He closed his eyes and grew more excited as the shoveling faded. After Billy finished, he looked around and then carried the shovel back to the shed. Time passed. The boy watched Ratman save the City of Atlantica from the sadly misguided Troglodytes. He'd seen that one before. Billy carefully checked the watch. It read 00:00.00. Still not 10 O'clock.  "Peter will be mad if I dig him out too soon," he thought. After a few more cartoons Billy checked it again. 00:00.00. Still not time. Mom and Dad came home with armfuls of strange things."They look just like the things we have in the attic and never use," thought Billy to himself. Finally Mom asked THE QUESTION. "Where is your brother?" Billy now had to lie to Mom for the very first time. After some careful hesitation he said, "He's outside playing in the dirt." It wasn't really a lie. He felt a little better having gotten through THE QUESTION. He secretly checked the watch. Nope, not yet. "Well I certainly hope you don't take after your brother. He was never one to set a very good example," said Mom. "Serves him right for running around and not telling us where he is. We're going to Rockhill Park to take advantage of this beautiful day before the rains come. Go get the kite Billy," said Dad. Billy dashed out of the room. "We should at least call for the boy dear, before we just leave him," pleaded Mom. "The boy knew our plans for today so if he'd rather spend it running around with his friends then just let him," Dad insisted. "Serves the boy right. He's gonna miss eating at his favorite restaurant." "Monkey Meal Emporium?" shouted Billy, running into the room with a huge red kite over his head. "You guessed it. And today's All-You-Can-Eat Cheesecake Day!" Dad gleefully announced.  Billy's face lit up. "Cheesecake!"  Mom stood on the porch and called out, "Peter!" "Peter!" Out in the yard Billy's older brother could faintly hear his name being called. At first he thought  "Why are Mom and Dad home so early?". Then, realizing the sneaky fun of the situation, he smiled and waited for her voice to fade.  "She's given up. Cool. This is a great hiding place. I'll have to figure out a way to bury myself next time, then it will be my perfect little get-away."  The ground was slowly warming up around Peter's body. It was so comfortable he was having difficulty staying awake. He closed his eyes and started to let his mind go exploring. Three faint door slams could be heard, then the slight rumble of an engine starting. A bug tickled Peter's ear. He felt an unscratchable itch on the bottom of his foot, but it soon 'went away'. Peter was wrapped in Mother Nature's womb. He was perfectly mummified. He was comfortable. He was happy. Mom sat on a blanket in the park. Billy and Dad flew the beautiful red kite high into the air. It soared high above the trees and even the birds. Billy wondered if the kite could see his house from way up there. Maybe it could look down and see the dirt mound in his backyard. " Oh check the time!" thought Billy, as he quickly glanced at the watch. The numbers still read all zeros. Billy wondered if something was wrong with the watch. "Why wasn't it ten o'clock yet? Oh NO, if I broke Peter's watch he's gonna kill me," worried Billy. He knew how much Peter loved that watch.  Dad jerked the kite string from Billy's hand.  "If you're not gonna pay attention, you're gonna get the string tangled in the trees. Here, let me show you how to fly it. I was really good at this back in my day." Hours passed. The beautiful sky darkened as the afternoon waned. "Looks like it's gonna storm Honey, better get the kite down. You're scaring me." Billy noticed that Mom always seemed like the first one to call a stop to any fun the boys ever had. Dad would usually let them play until they got hurt, then he would yell at them for being stupid.  "Well Billy my boy, appears we've overstayed our welcome. Let's gather up the stuff and head back to the car," suggested Dad. "The sky's 'bout to bust wide open and we don't wanna be standing here when it does." Billy had been having so much fun he had forgotten about the time.  "Dad, what time is it? "Oh it's about 4:30. You getting hungry?" asked Dad. "Um, yeh." Billy was so relieved to hear it wasn't past ten o'clock yet. "I was wondrin' if you could look at my watch. I think something's wrong with it." "Sure, lemme see here." Dad took the watch from Billy's wrist. "Isn't this your brother's watch?" "Yeh, but he let me wear it today," replied Billy. Dad fiddled with it for a few moments. It beeped a few times.  "Seems to work fine. Let's get moving if we're going to beat this rain." Billy put the watch back on. It now read 4:27.  "Whew," he sighed, "still have one, two, three, four, um, five, six more hours to go." They all climbed into the car and buckled up. "Are you ready for…(Mom made a drum roll sound)…Monkey Meal Emporium?" said Mom, smiling into the visor mirror. Billy shouted with delight.  "Then let's go get that cheesecake!" Dad ordered with a thrust of his fist, and the car pulled away, as large water droplets exploded like fireworks on the windshield. Little Billy hadn't given pause to consider how this thunderstorm might affect his subterranean sibling. Cheesecake demanded his full attention. Click HERE for the Conclusion