The narrator, Ezra, shares a story about his mysterious and disturbing childhood. He had two older brothers who disappeared, and his parents refused to tell him what happened to them. Ezra became suspicious and started to investigate. He hid under his parents' bed to eavesdrop on their conversations and discovered that they were discussing getting rid of him. Ezra's parents were planning to send him to a military school, just like they had done with his brothers.
Ezra ran away from home and was eventually caught by the police. However, instead of turning him over to his parents, the police started to investigate Ezra's parents' suspicious behavior. They discovered that Ezra and his brothers were adopted, and their parents had been scamming the government for social benefits. Ezra's parents had also been manipulating his brothers, tricking one into working abroad and the other into being sent to South Africa.
In the end, Ezra's parents were arrested, and he was finally able to escape their grasp. However, he is still searching for his brothers, who remain missing. The story is a shocking and twisted tale of manipulation, deception, and abuse.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The narrator, Ezra, has two older brothers who disappeared.
2. Ezra's parents refused to give him a straight answer about what happened to his brothers.
3. Ezra's parents were avoiding him and would stop talking or leave the room when he entered.
4. Ezra decided to hide under his parents' bed to eavesdrop on their conversations.
5. Ezra overheard his parents talking about getting rid of him and his brothers.
6. Ezra's parents were planning to send him to a military school.
7. Ezra ran away from home and was stopped by the police.
8. Ezra told the police about his parents' behavior and the police decided to investigate.
9. The police found that Ezra and his brothers were adopted by their parents 17 years ago.
10. The parents had changed the boys' names and birthdays.
11. The police discovered that the parents had scammed the government out of a quarter of a million dollars in social and income benefits.
12. The parents' plan was to send Ezra to the military and cut off all contact with him.
13. The police stopped the parents from harming Ezra and arrested them.
14. Ezra is still searching for his brothers.