There are some words no father ever dreams of hearing from his son. The words that can literally tare down a fathers hope and pride, in a blink of an eye. I knew my kid was a spoiled brat, and that he occasionally picked on another student just for the fun of it. I understood that though, I thought well that’s just the life of a star athlete. Although, deep down I was ashamed of what my son did, I always managed to hide it, until now.




Just a moment ago my son, Riley, asked if we could talk about something serious. They had a close bond so I thought nothing of it. I looked into Riley’s eyes and saw something there I’d never seen before. Fear? Anger? Happiness? Anxious? I saw
everything, but remorse. That’s when I knew something was terribly wrong.



Riley started his news by talking about the serial killer that has killed a total amount of 56 people. Anyone could have spotted the confusion on my face. Riley saw it so he continued talking about how the guy never got caught and then he said he personally knew the killer. I just sat there and gave Riley a questioning look, Riley gestured to himself. Once again my confusion was stamped on my face. So Riley gets up and sits next me. Looks at me but I refused to meet his gaze and says “It’s me.”



I stood up, put my hands on the side of my boy’s face and said “What do you mean “it’s you”? Riley took his my hands off his face and said in a voice full of pleasure and accomplishment “I did it, I killed 56 people and I liked it. First I beat them, and then I stabbed them multiple times. It was a better rush that hitting the ball out of the stadium.



Despite the feeling I had, I would have never thought in a million years, no not in this lifetime would I have thought of my own son this way. My own flesh in blood, a terrible monster. This couldn’t be happening to me, how my baby boy could be like this. It was impossible; I had held this boy when he was a baby. Cried with him when his mother, my wife, died. I thought not only is my son a star athlete but he is also an awful monster that must be put away.