~soon after the turn of the century~
~Quodlibet won the Marija Cerjak award~
~for avant-garde/experimental writing~
~Quodlibet~
~The Hundred Bites~
~XIV~
~I got to bathe first because I was oldest~
~my brother bathed last~
~because he was second of eight~
~& loved the least~
~that old galvanized tub of water was cold~
~& dirty damned bad~
~by the time he was plunked in~
~he was never as clean as the rest of us~
~ah hell nobody knew why~
~lazy lyin’ good-for-nothin’ cuss~
~he was always punished first though~
~learned to take it standing up~
~leather whip belt on his bare bony ass~
~when he went to prison
~his training paid off~
~he knew how to survive & grow~
~in a house of hate~
~now he’s a damned good monster~
~experiential~
~XIV. Community of the Damned~
~draw us a bath of muddy water~
~muted earth tones~
~name it life~
~stir in children’s laughter bubbles~
~a lifetime warrantee guaranteed~
~chromed steel handcuff~
~turn up the heat~
~amnesty for dead soldiers~
~a fistful of medals for families~
~who don’t give a damn anymore~
~left crying the nights~
~suffer us less~
~this cauldron steep~
~that we might achieve horizontal ascent~
~final resting place~
~become divided amongst a community of worms~
~with a sigh of relief~
~to belong at last~
http://wordwulf.com
WordWulf
Inquiries: tracy@traceliteraryagency.com
& wordwulf@wordwulf.com
©artwork & words conceived by & property of
Tom (WordWulf) Sterner©Quodlibet was published by Howling Dog Press
~The Bicycle~{a Christmas tale}~Act III~
Cut to exterior of two-story house in middle income neighborhood. The snowfall is heavier now, big flakes, half an inch accumulation on the ground. Larry’s pickup appears, stops, and he begins to back into the driveway. Laurie comes running outside in her bare feet and stands by the garage door waiting. She is wringing her hands and is obviously upset and worried. Larry parks the truck in the driveway, gets out and sweeps Laurie off her feet. He picks her up and carries her into the house. She is crying and trying to speak but Larry smothers her face with kisses, carries her around the living room in a couple of slow circles, then sets her down on the sofa. He goes to the fireplace and tosses in a couple of small logs, then comes back to the couch and sits down next to her.
Laurie: “Larry, what?”
Larry (playfully): “What, what? I love you, that’s what! I got our Lonnie a bike, that’s what what but it needs some work, what? I’ll be busy out in the garage for a couple, maybe three hours, gettin’ it ready. You should get some socks on, my silly girl. Out in the snow in your bare feet. Your tootsies must be freezing.”
Larry holds Laurie’s face between his hands and looks into her eyes. He smiles.
Larry: “I love you, girl. Why don’t you just snuggle up on the couch and wait for me?”
Larry gets up from the couch. Laurie leaps to her feet and hugs him fiercely. He strokes her hair and she buries her head against his chest. She’s crying. He dances slowly around the room with her in his arms. He sings softly as they cling to each other.
Larry: “Take this walts, take this waltz, take this waltz.”
He stops dancing and speaks softly into Laurie’s ear.
Larry: “Don’t cry, honey. Whatcha wanna go ‘n cry for, darlin’?”
Larry’s hands are on the back of Laurie’s head, stroking her hair. Her voice is muffled as she speaks into his chest.
Laurie: “I’m scared.”
Larry: “Don’t be. Everything’s gonna be alright, it really is.”
He begins to dance and sing again.
Larry: “Take this walts, take this waltz, take this waltz.”
Laurie (choking back a sob): “I’m happy. It feels like you’re back from that awful place and I don’t ever want to lose you again. I’m happy and I’m scared; that’s why I’m crying.”
Larry dances her back to the couch. They sit down next to each other.
Larry (excitedly): “I met this really cool ol’ guy at Wal~Mart. He hooked me up with a bicycle and mentioned I might be able to get a job there fixing damaged stuff and putting things together. I got some tricks up my sleeves, babe. Remember the ooga-ooga horn I had on that ol’ Harley o’ mine? Wait’ll Lonnie gets a load o’ that. He loves that ol’ horn.”
Laurie: “I’ve prayed so hard for this. Now I’m having a hard time believing it’s true. I haven’t felt like Christmas this year until the past few minutes with you.”
Larry takes Lonnie’s letter from his shirt pocket, presses it into Laurie’s hands.
Larry: “What did I say just before I left… that Lonnie was gettin’ a little bit old to be writin’ letters to Santa Claus… “
Larry buries his face against Laurie’s shoulder and cries for a moment.
Larry (speaking softly to Laurie, his face resting on her shoulder): “Our boy’s a writer, alright. That letter, the bicycle, ah damn!”
Laurie closes her eyes, turns her head, and kisses Larry on the forehead.
Laurie: “Merry Christmas, my darling man.”
Larry gets up from the couch, touches Laurie’s face lightly with his fingers.
Larry: “Merry Christmas. Okay, no more tears tonight. It’s time to go to work. I won’t be long, believe me. You just wait and save me some hugs.”
Laurie (softly): “We always did it together.”
Larry (nonplussed): “What, sweetheart?”
Laurie: “The toys, wrapping presents for everyone and putting things together. We always shared that.”
Larry claps his hands like a child, a true and genuine smile softening his young man’s tough leather face.
Larry: “That’s right, girl, we did! We do! You better get some jeans and shoes on. And don’t forget your coat! I’ll get us a fire goin’ in the garage.”
Laurie: “Just a minute. Wait for me.”
Laurie leaves the room for a moment and Larry studies the Christmas tree.
Camera zooms in on specific ornaments with the children’s names on them: Lonnie, Lily, Louie, and Lisa.
Laurie comes back into the room and stands next to Larry. She’s wearing jeans and warm winter boots. Her face is flushed and she speaks excitedly.
Laurie: “I’ll get the fire-truck I found for Louie. We have to put it together. And I found a few things to go with the girls’ dolls at a secondhand store, even a race car for Lily. We’ll have to clean them up a bit. There’s some other stuff from the Santa Claus Shop where I volunteered.”
Larry: “You are incredible.”
Laurie (embarrassed): “Oh stop it, you. I get carried away sometimes.”
He kisses Laurie on the mouth, long and hard, takes her breath away. They break the kiss and Laurie smiles shyly.
Laurie: “Larry, I’ll make some coffee and bring everything out to the garage. We’ll do it like before.”
Larry: “We’ll do it like forever, sweet lady, forever and now.”
Laurie opens a closet door and begins digging and setting out toys and packages.
Larry goes out the door. Camera follows him to his pickup. He drops the tailgate and unloads the bicycle. He unlocks the garage, takes the bicycle in and sets it on a large workbench. He throws some scrap wood into a stove built from a fifty-five gallon drum, uses some newspaper to get a fire started. He’s humming “We wish you a merry Christmas” as he works on the front wheel. He clamps it in a vise, uses a die to cut new threads into the axle, then bolts it into the frame. He stands back to admire his work, absently reaches into the front pocket of his jeans. A surprised look comes to his face as he pulls a bill from his pocket and stares at a hundred dollar bill.
Laurie comes into the garage carrying an armload of boxes. She sets them on the bench, then goes to Larry and puts her arm around his waist, appraises the bicycle.
Laurie: “Oh Larry, you didn’t just get a bicycle, you got the bicycle.”
Camera fades out as Laurie begins to take toys out of boxes and Larry uses steel wool to shine the chrome fenders of the bicycle.
Credits roll as camera reveals Christmas morning. Lonnie is admiring his chopper bike, especially the ooga-ooga horn. Louie is extending the ladder on his firetruck. Lily has a race car with barbie perched on top. Lisa, the last child shown, has a ‘cat that ate the canary’ look on her face. We see a glass blue eye in her hand and the empty socket in the doll’s face.
Camera pulls away and cuts to a winter palace in a faraway forest. We hear familiar laughter, follow it down a country lane, past a corral full of reindeer, through the window and into a spacious room with a fire roaring in the hearth. A sweet-looking grandma type lady comes through a door carrying a tray of freshly baked cookies. The man we heard laughing rises from a large chair (its back is to the camera) and takes a cookie from the tray. He kisses the lady on the cheek. Camera zooms in on his face and nick (from Wal~Mart) winks at us.
{the end}
http://wordwulf.com
WordWulf
Inquiries: tracy@traceliteraryagency.com
& wordwulf@wordwulf.com
©artwork & words conceived by & property of
Tom (WordWulf) Sterner©
~The Bicycle~{a Christmas tale}~Act II~
Larry drives his old Ford pickup into the parking lot of a local bar, the Dew Drop Inn. Other than him, there is only one vehicle in the lot, a ten-year-old Cadillac Deville. He gets out of his pickup and enters the back door of the bar. The bar is dimly lit except for the serving window to the kitchen which is just to the right of the door.
Larry, peering in the window: “Hello-o-o-o, anybody in there?”
A stout older man comes into view, drying his hands on a towel. He is red-cheeked, wearing thick glasses, and smiles when he sees Larry.
Thick italian accent: “Larry, my friend, what brings you out on Christmas eve? You want a sausage sandwich or something; can I make you a drink?”
Larry: “Merry Christmas, Papa. Nah, I don’t need anything. Michael told me he’d be here tonight, said he might be able to line me up with some side work.”
Papa: “Me and Mama, we told that boy of ours to stay home with the wife and kids. Mikey’s having us over tomorrow. How ‘bout you and the wife and all your little ones; you have big plans for the holiday?”
Larry: “Just the six of us this year. Hey, I better get going. You have a nice Christmas. Tell Michael I’ll call him day after tomorrow.”
Papa: “You too, Larry. I’ll tell Mikey.”
A concerned look comes over his face as he watches Larry exit the bar.
Papa (over his shoulder): “Mama, c’mon now, let’s go home.”
Larry sits in his truck in the parking lot. He watches as Michael’s parents lock the door, waves at them as they get in the car. As they pull from the parking lot, he takes Lonnie’s letter from his pocket, turns on the interior light and begins to read it.
A police car pulls into the parking lot. The officer, a young woman, gets out of the car and raps on the side window of Larry’s pickup with her flashlight.
Larry, rapt in the reading of the letter, is startled. He fumbles with the handle as he rolls down the window.
Larry (visibly upset): “What?”
She shines the light into the cab, across the seat and dashboard, then holds it just above Larry’s chin.
Cop: “Are you okay, sir?”
Larry: “I’m okay. How’re you tonight?”
Larry folds the letter and puts it back in his shirt pocket.
The cop purses her lips.
Cop: “Could I see your driver’s license, proof of insurance, and registration, please?”
Larry leans forward to retrieve his billfold from his rear pocket.
Larry (nervous and distracted): “I was just sitting here reading a Christmas letter from my son.”
Larry finds and hands her the documents.
She shines her flashlight on them, then back to his lower face.
Cop: “Sit still, sir; I’ll be right back.”
She goes back to her car.
Larry glances in the mirror, the red and blue flashing lights of the police car winking back at him.
Larry (under his breath): “What the hell now?”
Larry closes his eyes and views a kaleidoscope of memories.
Memory Sequence:
(1) Larry steps from the top of a ladder onto a roof, a bundle of shingles on his shoulder. He slips and falls to the ground.
(2) In the hospital operating room surrounded by doctors and nurses.
(3) At home with Laurie, sitting in a recliner in the living room with his foot elevated, in a cast from his hip to the end of his toes.
(4) Arguing with Laurie and throwing his prescription medicine bottles across the room.
(5) Sitting on a stool in the “Dew Drop Inn” talking and laughing with his friend, Michael, who is behind the bar.
Cop: “Have you been drinking tonight, mister Lane?”
Larry (startled from his reverie). He blurts out: “No sir, I mean ma’am.”
She shines the flashlight in his face and takes a step back.
Cop: “Step from the vehicle please.”
Larry gets out of the truck and she moves toward the front of it.
Cop: “Please face the vehicle, stand with your feet apart, and hands on the hood.”
Larry does as he is told and she, quick and professional, frisks him top to bottom, then steps back.
Cop: “Turn around now, Mister Lane.”
Larry turns around to face her.
Larry (still nervous and agitated): “I just came by here to see a friend about some work. I haven’t been drinking or anything. I…”
She holds up a hand and he stops talking.
Cop (tersely): “I haven’t accused you of anything. Stand up as straight as possible and touch the tip of your nose with your right hand, Sir.”
Larry is visibly frustrated but does as he is told.
Cop: “Drop your right arm to your side. Keep it there and touch the tip of your nose with your left hand.”
Larry touches the tip of his nose and she takes a few steps back.
Cop: “Walk in a straight line toward me, one foot in front of the other. When I raise my arm, turn around and walk back to your vehicle.”
Larry walks toward her, turns around and walks back to his pickup when she raises her hand. He turns around to face her.
Larry: “Well?”
She rubs her hand on her chin.
Cop: “You did okay on the nose part. You didn’t walk very straight though.”
Larry leans against the door of his pickup.
Larry: “I was in an accident a little over a year ago, broke my foot and leg in a number of places. I doubt I’ll ever walk straight again.”
The cop nods her head.
Cop: “Would you consent to a blood or breath analyzer?”
Larry sighs as if he is about to give up.
Larry defeatedly): “If I have to. Listen lady, my oldest son wants a bike. I got fifty dollars in my pocket and I’m hopin’ Wal~Mart is open so I can go try to talk them out of one for fifty bucks. I’m not sure they’ll stay open all night, it bein’ Christmas eve and everything.”
The cop relaxes a bit.
Cop (irony evident in her voice): “Good luck with that.”
She approaches Larry, hands him his paperwork, then surprises him by squeezing his shoulder.
Cop: “Go get that bicycle, Mister Lane. And hey, Merry Christmas.”
Larry (still a bit befuddled and surprised at her sudden change of attitude): “Thanks and merry Christmas to you.”
Larry (as cop is getting into her car): “Hey, it’s been a tough year but I’m gonna get that bicycle for my boy.”
Larry climbs into his pickup, takes out his billfold and puts his paperwork away. He pulls a folded fifty dollar bill from behind a flap in the billfold, holds it up and smiles.
Larry (to himself): “My rat-hole.”
He shoves the bill back into the front pocket of his jeans, puts his billfold in his back pocket, starts the pickup and pulls out onto the street.
Cut to the parking lot of a Super Wal~Mart.
Larry parks and gets out of his pickup. There are only a dozen or so cars in the parking lot. The “open” sign is blinking off and on. Larry smiles when he sees it.
Larry: “Yes!”
He enters the store and goes straight to the toy section, starts looking over the bicycles in the three-tiered bike rack. A young woman in a blue vest approaches.
Young woman: “May I help you?”
Larry turns to face her, smiles hopefully.
Larry: “I sure hope so. My son wants one of those chopper bikes for Christmas, the ones with the fat back tire. I probably don’t have enough money to buy it but maybe I can work out somehin’ with the manager of the store to make up the difference. I’ll shovel snow, sweep the floor, unload trucks… anything. I gotta have one o’ those bikes for my boy.”
The clerk takes a step back, eyes him warily.
Clerk: “I’m sorry, Sir. Those bikes were a big hit this season. All the stores in town have been sold out of them for over two weeks. Would you like to look at some of the others? We have a couple of good mountain bikes left.”
Larry stares at her, disbelief and defeat evident on his face. Tears fill his eyes.
Larry: “No, it has to be that bicycle. I told you I’d work. I’ll do anything if you could just…”
The clerk is startled by his desperate behavior. She edges away, smiles at him nervously. There’s a fearful but consoling edge to her voice when she speaks to him.
Clerk: “I’ll get the store manager. Maybe there’s something he can do to help you. Just wait here; he’ll be right with you.”
Larry is pacing back and forth in front of the bike rack when he hears a voice over the store public address system:
Loud P.A. voice: “Customer service needed in the bicycle department. Request a manager as soon as possible.”
Larry pulls the fifty dollar bill from his pocket, stares at it with forlorn hope in his eyes, then puts it back. He touches his shirt pocket, fingers the letter.
Larry (under his breath, a litany): “God help me; I gotta get this bicycle for Lonnie, for all of us.”
A somewhat unkempt older man with a beard and belly, clad in a white shirt and red necktie decorated with reindeer and snowmen approaches Larry. He begins speaking right away in a deep and friendly voice.
Man: “Well hello there. Sorry it took so long to answer the call. I recognized Liesel’s voice on the system and stopped by to chat with her for a moment. She told me about your problem and asked me to have a word or two with you.”
Larry (im mumbles and stammers): “Liesel? d-did you say Liesel? L, L,L? L.. Liesel, L’s on both ends?”
The manager laughs heartily. Larry is taken aback by his gaiety. He stares at the man, dumbfounded. The manager’s eyes are crystal blue and they seem to be twinkling.
Larry’s voice (his thoughts): “Stop it, you fool! This is the real world, not some eight-year-old boy’s fantasy.”
Manager: “Sorry for my outburst. Sometimes I’m just too enthusiastic. But your response struck me as funny. Of course Liesel has two L’s, one on each end of her name.”
Larry offers him a sad smile, puts his hands in his pockets.
Larry (meekly): “Guess I got a thing for L’s.”
Larry studies the tops of his shoes for a moment, then speaks and acts with more conviction.
Larry: “Life and love, my whole family. I’m Larry. My wife and kids. All our names start with ‘L’. I guess you could say L’s have been good to me.”
The older man smiles at Larry, scrutinizes him for a moment.
Manager: “My name’s nick. And hey, about the bicycle you’re looking for; there’s one in the back that was damaged during shipping or something. I don’t remember exactly what’s wrong with it. There was something messed up that was fixable but we don’t have the resources here, especially this time of year. We needed more time, machinery, a welder, something like that. hmmmm…”
He presses two fingers to his lips and gazes pensively at Larry.
Manager: “If I remember right, there were plans to claims it out after the holiday and take it to a recycling facility with other damaged merchandise. Mind you, if it appears beyond repair, I won’t be able to sell it to you, insurance liability and all that.”
Nick laughs. lifts his arms, then drops them to his side.
Nick: “Well, that’s enough talk. Come along, let’s see what we can do for you.”
He heads for the back of the store and Larry follows close behind. Larry takes the fifty dollar bill from his pocket, glances as it as if to be sure it actually exists. He follows Nick through a door marked “Employees Only”.
Nick stops at a large metal door on the back wall, takes a large ring of keys from his pocket and begins trying them in the lock. The third key turns the lock.
Nick: “here we go!”
He pushes the door open and we see a large fenced-in area outside the rear of the store. Nick flips a light switch and the area lights up revealing stacks of damaged merchandise, a small sea of organized confusion. It is snowing lightly and everything has a light dusting of snow on it.
Larry: “Lot o’ stuff out here. Is everything damaged?”
Nick: “Pretty much.”
Nick squints his eyes, peering down the aisle of broken and damaged inventory.
Nick: “I don’t see it. I’m sure it was here.”
Larry: “I sure hope you’re right.”
Nick: “Oh, there it is, over in the corner.”
He points to the far corner of the area, then begins to make his way through the littered debris.
Nick (calling back to Larry, over his shoulder): “Go ahead and wait by the door. I’ll pull ‘er out and we’ll have us a look-see.”
Nick pushes boxes to the side and finally reaches the end of the aisle. He wrestles a bicycle from a nest of garden hoses and returns to Larry pushing the bicycle. Just as he reaches Larry the front wheel falls off the bicycle. Nick shakes his head.
Nick: “I remember now. The front tire was flat when Jim, our bicycle assembler, repaired it. The front axle threads were stripped by his assistant when he was putting it back together.”
Nick bends down and picks up the wheel. He runs his hand over the axle, disappointment evident on his kind face when he addresses Larry.
Nick: “I don’t know, Sir. It’s been sitting out here in the weather for a couple of months. Look at all that rust on the chrome and the threads on the axle are all banged up.”
Larry takes the wheel from Nick. He holds the axle, one hand on each side, and gives the wheel a spin with his thumbs. The wheel spins smoothly.
Larry: “The bearings are in good shape. I can re-cut those threads and knock the rust off with some double-ot steel wool.”
Larry peers out at the stacks of merchandise, studies it with a discerning eye.
Larry: “I could probably fix most the things out here. I’ve worked with tools and machinery all my life, construction, roofing, and stuff, done some garage repair and installation. Always fixed my own bikes when I was a kid.”
Camera on nick. He’s studying Larry thoughtfully.
Nick: “Hmm… I believe Liesel mentioned something about you being out of work.”
Larry bends over and leans the wheel against the bicycle. He’s on one knee, hands moving over the frame and fenders as he speaks to Nick.
Larry: “I get a side job every once in a while but nothin’ steady. Got hurt on a job a year or so ago. All healed up now but can’t seem to find any work. I’m not one to complain but it’s been tough on me ‘n my family the past year, me bein’ down ‘n out o’ work.”
Nick picks up the wheel, lifts the front end of the bicycle and rolls it out of Larry’s hands. He motions with his head for Larry to follow, rolls the bicycle through the door and leans it against the inside wall. He speaks to Larry as he is closing and securing the door.
Nick: “Well Sir, don’t know if you’d be interested but Jim’s retiring at the end of the month, been with Wal~Mart for thirty-two hears. You come in the day after Christmas, go on the computer in Customer Service, fill out a proper job application, might just be a job here for you. If you’re interested, I’ll leave the manager a note telling him you seem like an apt young man to me. That should at least get you an interview. It’d be up to you from there.”
Larry (stammering a bit): “Uh, I uh… I thought you were the store manager.”
Nick (chuckling): “Me? No I’m from the home office, in charge of international toy distribution. I’m here on a tour of the stores in Colorado, just happened to answer the call when Liesel requested a manager for customer assistance.”
Larry: (looking Nick in the eye, clears his throat, and speaks in a strong and positive voice): “I’d appreciate the recommendation. I’m definitely interested in the job. I’d be in your debt.”
Nick fiddles with his beard, obviously uncomfortable.
Nick: “No one’s ever in my debt, young man.”
He chuckles in his familiar way and the smile returns to his face.
Nick: “Well then, let’s get you back home to that family of yours, all those little ‘L’s.”
He appraises the bicycle, gives it a visual once-over.
Nick: “A lot of work there; sure you can get ‘er up to snuff?”
Larry: “Oh yeah. That bike’ll be better ‘n new when I’m finished with it.”
Nick chuckles and his eyes twinkle as he faces Larry.
Nick: “I believe you and that’s good enough for me ‘n Wal~Mart. We usually don’t sell damaged merchandise, liability ‘n all that.”
Nick reaches out and gives Larry’s shoulder a squeeze.
Nick: “But it’s Christmas eve, isn’t it? I got me a good feeling about this.”
Larry (softly): “Thank-you, sir. Me too.”
Larry looks Nick in the eye.
Larry: “How much do I owe you, Sir?”
Nick bends down to consult the price tag hanging from the gooseneck of the bicycle.
Nick: “Let’s see here. Well she has a price tag of $177.00 brand new. Hmmmm…”
Nick runs his fingers through his beard.
Larry clears his throat, speaks softly, thinking out-loud.
Larry: “Half off would make it around $90.00; that’s forty dollars more than I have in my pocket, forty dollars more than I have to my name. Sir, I told Liesel I’d work. I’ll do anything.”
Nick gives Larry’s arm another squeeze. He shakes his head and chuckles loudly.
Nick: “Slow down, son. It’s my job to set the price based on salvage and recovery value. Give me a minute to think here. I have to make some calculations.”
Nick takes a small calculator from his shirt pocket, punches in some numbers, glances at Larry, who’s standing by nervously, hands in pockets and obviously fretful.
Nick: “how about forty dollars? Does that sound fair to you? Can you swing it?”
Larry stands there, limp as a rag, as Nick takes a firm grip on his upper arms and speaks directly to him.
Nick (softly – almost a whisper): “Listen, son, I’ve been penniless and on the streets before in my life. I know how difficult life can be at times, how hard we can be on ourselves when it’s like that. Believe you me, your boy’s gonna have that bike if I have to pay for it, fix it, and deliver it myself. You can stop worrying about that little thing.”
Larry swallows deeply. A smile lights up his face. He is full of enthusiasm.
Larry: “No Sir, you’ve done more than enough. I got cash in my pocket, plenty to cover it. Let’s do it!”
Nick laughs aloud, grabs Larry in a bear hug and almost lifts him off the floor. Larry resists for a moment, then returns the hug. Nick kisses him on the cheek and lets him go. Nick’s eyes are twinkling, his cheeks red. He gives Larry an exaggerated wink.
Nick: “I’ll tell the cashier up front to price override the damaged bicycle to forty dollars. You just take it up there and hey, have a merry Christmas!”
Nick rubs his chin, fluffs his beard a bit.
Nick: “I hate to rush off but I’ve a busy night ahead of me, if you know what I mean.”
Larry bends down and picks up the bicycle wheel, turns to say something to Nick but he’s gone. Larry touches the note in his pocket, smiles.
Larry (thoughtful and preoccupied – to himself): “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I know what you mean.”
http://wordwulf.com
WordWulf
Inquiries: tracy@traceliteraryagency.com
& wordwulf@wordwulf.com
©artwork & words conceived by & property of
Tom (WordWulf) Sterner©
~The Bicycle~{a Christmas tale}~Act I~
FADE IN: Night. A young boy (Lonnie – 8-9 years old) lying on his stomach in bed writing in a tablet.
(voice over) Lonnie’s voice: “Dear Santa, I’m too old to be writin’ you these letters. Truth is, I’ll be nine in a few months and I been thinkin’ for awhile that maybe you ain’t real. But just in case you are, there’s this cool chopper bike at Wal~Mart I’d like to have.”
CUT to girls’ bedroom (upper bunkbed).
Seven-year-old girl (Lily) sleeping, arms around a raggedy ann doll.
(voice over continues): “My l’il sister, Lily, wants a Cabbage Patch Doll (she likes cat things too and race cars). She’s seven.”
CUT to the bottom bunkbed.
A tiny girl, one-and-a-half-years-old, asleep, a naked doll next to her, one glass eye open.
(voice over continues): “The smallest of the Lanes is baby Lisa. She’s one-and-a-half years old. She likes those dolls with the blinky eyes (sometimes she pokes ‘em out).”
CUT to six-year-old boy’s bedroom. Louie, asleep crossways in a small bed, untidy room, a poster of a firetruck on the wall at the head of his bed.
(voice over continues): “my brother, Louie, is six-years-old. Louie’s just about crazy for firetrucks. That’s all he thinks about.”
CUT back to lonnie (he continues to write)
(voice over continues): “Like I said before,”
CUT to memory sequence
The four children and their parents (Larry and Laurie), an attractive couple in their thirties, the previous Christmas. A typical American family Christmas morning, brightly lit tree in a modestly furnished living room. Everyone is happy. Lonnie and Louie are examining a toy race car with Lily. Baby lisa is sandwiched between two pillows from the couch playing with a rattle. Mom and dad are arm in arm, watching the children, dressed in their pajamas.
(voice over continues): “If you’re too busy or you ain’t real, just forget about this letter. I’m gettin’ so old, it’s probly the last one you’ll get from me. Seems to me like good ‘n bad don’t have as much to do with presents as Daddy’s job. When he has work you always bring lots o’ stuff. When he don’t you don’t.”
CUT to father (Larry) sitting on a recliner in the living room by himself, lower right leg and foot in a cast. There’s a bottle of beer on a side table next to the chair nestled amongst prescription bottles. Larry is stroking his lower face, a week’s worth of whiskers. The room is dark, reflections from a television screen lightening and darkening his haggard face. Laurie enters the room. She’s wringing her hands and shaking her head slowly from side to side.
(voice over continues): “Santa, he ain’t been workin’ much at all this year. His foot got hurt on a roof and he started takin’ pills. Then the doctor wouldn’t give him no more but it still hurt a lot. Well, he started drinkin’ whiskey and beer and goin’ to the bar. Him and mommy took to fightin’ all the time. She cries a lot and that makes my l’il brother and sisters cry. I try to wait and do it by myself when nobody can see me. If you pray Santa could you say one for Larry and Laurie and lonnie (that’s me) and Lily and Louie and baby Lisa? Yeah, that’s us, the ‘L’ family. Kids in school use to tease me ‘bout the L’s and I’d get mad at Mommy ‘n Daddy for namin’ the whole family like that. Lately I been writin’ our names down in a row over ‘n over and now I think maybe it’s kinda neat that they got together and decided to have all us l’il L’s.”
CUT to a previous time. The family in a mountain park. Lonnie is holding baby Lisa, watching his parents dance by a campfire. Lily and Louie are roasting marshmellows.
(voice over continues): “And that’s my real wish, Santa. That mommy ‘n daddy’ll be like they use to. Never mind the bike and toys. Maybe if you’re real you could get together with God or somethin’ and sort o’ teach ‘em to smile again like they use to at each other and us kids. I know it sounds sappy and I use to hide my eyes when I was a kid so I didn’t have to watch ‘em makin’ eyes at each other and kissin’ ‘n stuff. Now I’d like to see ‘em do that again. Well, I’ll let you go for now. You probly won’t hear from me no more since I’m gettin’ so old now. Your friend (if you’re real or not), Lonnie Lane.”
CUT back to Lonnie as the voice over ends. He yawns, places his letter on a night stand next to his bed. There’s a book on the table, “Call of the Wild” by Jack London. A small glass of juice and a cookie shaped like a christmas tree are there as well and a small lamp and clock. Lonnie glances at the clock, nine:fifteen, and turns off the lamp.
CUT to laurie standing in the hallway. There’s a grandfather clock next to her. It sounds ten o’ clock as she enters the girls’ bedroom. The room is dimly lit from the light in the hallway. Laurie stands on her tiptoes to have a look at Lily in the top bunk, then bends over and touches Lacy’s face lightly with a finger.
She goes to a small table by the door, takes a sip out of a glass there and nibbles a cookie on the table. Lily has left a picture there, Santa and two girls in dresses, big smiles on their faces. Laurie smiles a bit herself as she sees crayon scrawls around the edges, obviously Lacy’s contribution to the Santa message. She takes a scrap of wrapping paper from her pocket and writes on it: “Happy Christmas! You’ve been good girls all year long. Love, Santa.”
CUT to Louie’s room. Laurie moves to Louie’s side, touches his leg, which is still hanging over the side of the bed. She rearranges the covers so it is not bare. She smiles when she looks at Louie’s note to santa. Camera zooms in on note. There is a tic-tac-toe grid drawn on a piece of scrap paper, Santa-O and Louie-X scrawled across the top. Two squares have X’s, one an O. Laurie fills in the second O. She pulls another scrap of wrapping paper from her pocket, writes on the back: “Merry Christmas, Louie. You’re a good boy! I blocked your X run. Think about it. I’ll see you next year. Love, Santa.” Laurie takes a bit from the cookie on the messy dresser next to Louie’s bed, sips a bit from a cup of juice there, then slips from the room.
CUT to Lonnie’s room. He’s asleep now. His christmas letter sticks out from under “Call of the Wild.” Laurie enters from the hall, approaches Lonnie and pushes the hair back from his forehead. She bends and kisses him, then takes his letter from the table. She nibbles on the cookies left for Santa and drinks from a glass of juice, takes a tattered piece of wrapping paper from her pocket, and writes: “Dear Lonnie, You’re getting to be a big boy and quite a writer, I see. Your note is so long I’ll have to take it back to the North Pole with me and read it tomorrow. Enjoy your Christmas! Love, Santa”
Laurie puts the scrap of paper under the book, lingers for a moment staring at Lonnie, then backs into the hallway. She takes a deep breath and begins to read his letter. After a few moments, tears on her cheeks, she turns off the hall light and heads downstairs.
CUT to the family living room. There’s a fire burning brightly in the fireplace, a Christmas tree with blinking lights. Larry’s voice from outside the room: “Is that you, laurie? Want a nightcap, honey?”
Laurie bites her lip, closes her eyes.
Laurie: “Just one and make it light, please.”
Larry finds her standing next to the tree. He touches her arm and hands her a drink. She accepts it but doesn’t look at him. Lonnie’s letter is in her free hand.
Laurie: “I’m glad we have each other but this is the worst barebones Christmas we’ve ever had. We’re lucky to have gotten the tree but there’s not very much to put under it this year. We’ll make do.”
Laurie loses her composure, sobs for a moment.
Laurie: “I’ll tell you what I’ve managed to put together but first come sit down on the couch. I want you to read Lonnie’s letter to Santa with me.”
Larry (upset): “Damn it, don’t start in on me!” “It’s Christmas eve; give it a rest for once.”
Laurie moves past him, sits on the couch. Larry sits next to her. He laughs derisively.
Larry: “Isn’t Lonnie getting a little old to be writing letters to Santa? If he hopes to realize his dream to be a writer someday, ‘just like Jack London’, he’d better start writin’ somethin’ stronger ‘n letters to Santa. Not much power in Santa notes.”
laurie is sobbing softly as she sips at her drink. she hands the letter to Larry and he slips an arm around her shoulders.
Larry: “I’m sorry for blowin’ off, sweety. Don’t cry, sweetheart. Next year’ll be better for us. I’ll straighten up and fly right, I promise. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”
Larry takes a long swallow of his drink, glances at Laurie.
Larry: “Things would be so much better for us if I could just find some work.”
Laurie turns toward him, teary-eyed.
Laurie: “Larry, honey, please read Lonnie’s letter.”
Larry leans forward on the couch, squinting his eyes, using the glow from the fireplace to read his oldest child’s words by. He finishes reading the letter, folds it and puts it in his shirt pocket.
Larry: “Ah, damn.”
Larry stands up, shaking his head back and forth sadly. He kisses the top of Laurie’s head.
Larry: “I’ll be back.”
He gets his coat from a peg on the wall and walks toward the door.
Laurie: “Please don’t go to the bar tonight.”
Her voice falls on empty ears as Larry walks out and closes the door behind him. We hear the sound of his truck starting. Laurie holds her face in her hands and weeps.
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~ever fall down into that place darker than sleep~
~a half step west of the death hole~
~wonder what happens next~
~you really don’t wanna know~
~there are those who exist~
~a twilight warp~
~dry stone whistle~
~don’t answer it mary~
~it’s the root voice~
~a collect call always~
~ain’t nothin’ free but Henry~
~Henry~ “There are no such things as ghosts! I am sick and tired of you boys trying to scare us all the time with your stupid stories about ghouls and goblins. You’re especially sickening around Halloween! You’re so-o-o-oh boring.” Natalie was expressing her disdain at her brother and his friends’ constant stories about spooks.
Her younger brother, Jamie, answered angrily, “You’ll be sorry, Natalie. You’re gonna miss out on the chance of a lifetime. I mean it! That new boy at school, you know the one I mean, I heard you and Josie talking about him, he’s...”
Natalie stamped her foot and she screamed, “Mama, Jamie won’t leave me alone and he’s been sneaking around listening to Josie and me again!”
Their Mother entered the bathroom, appearing tired and quite fed up. “Jamie,” she said, “Get out of this room and leave your sister alone and both of you had better get yourselves ready for school. The bus will be here in five minutes and Natalie, speaking of Josie, she’s been waiting for you downstairs for ten minutes. Now come on you two, please stop this infernal bickering!”
Jamie kissed his Mother on the cheek , ran down the stairs toward the front door. He called out to her in passing, “Sorry Mom, I wasn’t trying to start trouble. Love ya! See you after school!” He left before his Mother had a chance to say anything and headed straight for his best friend Daniel’s house, three doors down the street.
His Mom said to the closing door, “Oh Jamie, I love you too.” And to her daughter, “Natalie, hurry up! I have an important appointment this morning and don’t have time to drive you girls to school. You can’t miss the bus today!”
Jamie and Daniel sat in their usual seats in the rear of the bus. From this vantage point they could take their pick of all those who rode the bus and figure out who would be the object of their attention and harassment on any given day. Natalie and Josie were their favorite victims. “Not today!” exclaimed Jamie to Daniel, “Natalie’s in one of her we’re so-o-o-oh boring moods and anyway we have to pay attention and be sure to save a seat back here for Devlin when the bus gets to his stop.”
Daniel’s usual impish smile left his face. “You mean that new kid?” he remarked. “Jeese Jamie, he’s weird and besides that he’s almost ancient! He’s fifteen, same as Natalie and Josie, and you know how strange, I mean mega-mega strange, they are. I guess a ten-year-old kid’s gotta have a role model these days but what ever happened to Spider Man?”
Daniel quieted abruptly as the bus made its final stop on the very edge of the small town. The lone boy at the bus stop seemed to take forever to board the bus. Once on board, he walked, eyes forward, straight to the back of the bus. He was tall and gangly, dressed in dark levis, a black pullover shirt... and.. boots. Natalie and Josie were tittering, boarding on conniption. “Kinda cute,” Natalie voiced in a whispered hiss, “But who wears boots? So-o-o-oh out of it.”
“Uh, hi Devlin,” Daniel mumbled as he moved over, giving the older boy plenty of room in their precious back seat.
Devlin sat down. “Hello Daniel,” he said. “Hi Jamie, what’s your sister’s name? I believe I share a few classes with her.”
His voice was low, kinda with-it, Jamie thought, yeah and at the same time, straight and formal. Maybe Daniel was right, still... He shook his shaggy head and answered Devlin. “Ah, never mind her, she’s just a girl! Now come on, tell Daniel about that old house. He don’t believe me. Tell him about the child ghost!”
Devlin’s face grew dark before their very eyes. He seemed about to fly into a rage but, when he answered, spoke directly to Jamie, almost whispering and looking straight into his eyes. “Jamie, I thought we were friends. I don’t usually talk about what I talked to you about, about... Henry. It is not a mere story and most certainly not some silly prank. I thought I had spoken to you in confidence.” He glanced at Daniel. “I’m sorry, Daniel. I didn’t intend to ignore you but please try to forget whatever Jamie has told you about this. Henry... is gone, forever gone.”
The big yellow bus screeched to a stop. Jamie and Daniel rose from their seats to exit with the rest of the elementary age students. Jamie called out, “See ya tonight, Devlin!” He couldn’t resist a tweak of the short hairs on the back of Natalie’s neck as he made his way down the aisle past her seat. “Tater ho, Natalie!” he giggled, “I got your tater ho!” The driver shook his head and sighed with relief as his orneriest passenger jumped from the bus.
Daniel watched Jamie as the bus pulled away in the direction of the high school. Jamie felt him staring and said, “”Look at that, will you? The best seat on the whole damned bus and he’s got it all to himself. That guy is so cool!”
Daniel grimaced. “Jamie, you’d better quit that cussing. You’ll forget again at home and your Mom will have you cleaning the garage ‘til you’re ninety years old! And you better stay away from that guy. Did you hear his voice when he said Henry? Like the kid was right there on the bus with us! Who the hell’s Henry anyway? Oops! Now ya got me cussing! Come on, we’re gonna be late again. Booga, booga!”
Jamie had never felt a day drag like the remainder of that awful day. How could Devlin behave the way he did on the bus, he wondered. A week ago, when he’d first moved into the neighborhood, Jamie and he had hit off immediately. He’d even taken Devlin to Skip Rock Pond. That’s when they’d noticed the old house. “I lived there once,” Devlin had said. “There is blood in that house. There’s an evil spirit there. I guess normal people would say it is haunted. Not if they knew Henry, poor poor Henry.”
“Jamie White! Jamie Jones White! Come to the front of the room this minute!” Mrs. Snodgrass was livid. “Wake up, Jamie!”
Jamie was disoriented. “Uh... okay Henry, it’s okay... Really, blood... Uh, I’ll get Devlin... Sheesh!” Jamie had never fallen asleep in class before. He felt like he was in the middle of a terrible dream.
Mrs. Snodgrass was standing over him, arms akimbo. “My name is not Henry! What’s that you said about blood? Young man, have you been reading those awful comic books again? I’ll have to talk with your Mother! Sleeping in class... I never!”
Now he’d had it. Jamie was desperate, attempted to recoup. “Sorry, Mrs. Snodlin... Uh.. uh. I mean, Mrs. Sneadgross... Oh boy!”
Jamie was so concerned about facing his Mother that he ignored Daniel on the bus ride home and forgot all about Devlin until the bus stopped and he saw the lone figure get up from the back seat and head for the exit. Jamie watched him standing at the lonely bus stop until the bus went around a corner and he could no longer see the tall dark figure standing, unmoving. Where did he go?
“Got your tater ho!” Natalie had gotten the jump on him and at the same time interrupted his thoughts of Devlin and scared him half out of his wits. He was so out of it he didn’t notice the bus had stopped on the street where he lived.
“Natalie, you nerd!” he yelled. He ran down the aisle, leaped the steps in a single bound, and was gaining on his sister, arms flailing, when he spotted their Mother in the front yard.
She had her arms folded, very bad sign. Looked like her lips were glued together tight. Jamie gave her a smile full of white teeth. “Hi ya, Mom!”
She would not be put off so easily. Her mouth came unglued. “Don’t you hi ya Mom me! You will write one thousand times, I will not sleep or daydream in class. Jamie, you are just too much sometimes!”
“He tater-hoed me, Mother, right in front of God and everyone on the bus. I was so-o-o-oh embarrassed.” Jamie bit his lip. Natalie wasn’t about to miss this chance for a shot at him.
Maybe a change of subject. “Mom, me and Daniel were planning to go to the bike hills today.” Jamie figured he might as well go for broke.
His Mother pointed toward the house. “Jamie, it’s I, Daniel and I, but never mind. You get in there this minute and start writing.”
She glanced at Natalie. “Natalie, we’ll figure out the tater ho later.” Her eyes returned to Jamie, a stern look on her face. “Jamie, no bike riding. Now up to your room with you!”
Jamie gave up and went quietly to his room. Now if he could just find that pen. The ink in it wrote just like carbon paper. If he could get five copies, that’s two hundred instead of a thousand. He was always better at math anyway. Gotta mix the copies up with the original, he thought, and use clean paper, no smudges. If he couldn’t find the pen, he’d have to throw away the originals. Ah, there it was.
“Mo-ohm, phone for Jamie. It’s that older boy, Devlin. Want me to tell him the little brat’s grounded? He’s so-o-o-oh much trouble.” Natalie was having a ball at Jamie’s expense.
Her Mother looked sternly at her. “Give me the phone, Natalie.” Jamie handed her the receiver. “Devlin, this is Mrs. White. Jamie can’t come to the phone right now. No, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to speak to him. It’s so nice to finally talk to you. Jamie talks about you constantly. You have made quite an impression on him. Please feel free to come by some time soon so we can become better acquainted. Thank you... bye now.”
Mrs. White hung the phone up and looked thoughtfully at Natalie. “He certainly seems like a polite and mature young man. If he’s anything like he sounds, he might make a fine big brother figure for Jamie.”
Natalie’s eyes rose to the ceiling. She clucked her tongue, then, “He wears boots, Mother!” Mrs. White busied herself with dinner, attempting to remember herself at her daughter’s age.
“Hey, nerd brain! Your hero was on the phone and you with the writer’s cramp! Too bad.” Natalie, kneeling outside Jamie’s bedroom door, was trying to peek through a crack to see what he was up to. “Take that chair away from the door!” she hissed in frustration. “I want to talk to you about Devlin.”
She heard a scrape on the floor and saw Jamie’s eyes peering at her through the crack as it opened wider. “You don’t know anything about Devlin,” he said seriously. “You just shut up about his boots. Dad wore Boots!”
“Jamie, you’re so-o-o..” Natalie pressed and the door began to close. She smoothed her voice out, almost whined, “I’m sorry, Jamie, really I am. Let me in. I’ll tell you a secret.”
She heard the scrape on the floor again, then the door opened. Jamie looked into her eyes, distrust written on his face. “You gotta promise to tell the secret,” he whispered, “Cross your heart and hope to fart!”
Natalie caught him off guard and pushed her way into his room. “Jamie, you quit talking like that! Now, shh.” She put her finger to her lips.
The door closed behind her and Jamie watched as Natalie’s finger began to twist her dark silky hair round and round, then let it fall, only to twirl it up again. She was definitely after something, he judged. She never twirled up her hair when she was giving up secrets. “What is Devlin really like?” she asked. “He hardly talks in school but he seems so bright and smart... mysterious and different. And he wears those boots.”
Jamie closed his eyes. “What do you want, turd head?” he asked. “You got the goo goos for Devlin or what? He’s not so strange but he’s too serious and smart for you. He’s not your type even if he did ask what your name was on the bus today.”
Natalie’s eyes fluttered. “He did? What else did he say about me, Jamie?”
Jamie knew how to put a stop to this. He made a mean face at Natalie. “He talked about a child ghost and a house full of blood!” Jamie fell on his bed laughing as the door slammed shut behind her. The sound of Natalie stomping down the hall to her room was music to his ears.
-------------------------------------------------
Devlin sat alone in his dark room. He had to remember and consider what he had told Jamie about Henry, about everything. What had caused him to open up to this impressionable young kid? Was it coming back to the old town after being away for so long or could it be... He hoped against hope that it wasn’t but he knew, yes he knew, what it was. Jamie reminded him in every way of Henry and of himself at that age.
And Natalie, what was it about that girl? Those almond shaped eyes, deep and brown, that shiny and silky hair, or maybe that full and happy mouth and innocent but hectic chatter that flowed incessantly between her and Jamie. I would kiss that mouth, he mused, she is so pretty. What an adolescent thought! What about Henry? Devlin closed his eyes.
The house was three stories high and in a terrible state of disrepair. There were four shuttered gable windows looking out over two acres of scraggly pine trees and messy flower beds gone badly to weed. The whole yard, for that matter, had long ago been overgrown by all matter of weed and was inhabited by legions of horned toads, lizards, and snakes. Devlin floated through the tangled bramble toward the outdated, wraparound, indoor/outdoor porch. He stood and stared, much as he stood every weekday morning, waiting for the school bus and humans, warm, loving humans.
The bushes to his left moved... barely.. but he was sure they had moved. He decided to go inside. No matter how many times he went through this it still scared him, fear, slippery, slidey, all up and down his spine. He allowed the weight of his foot to rest on the first of the steps from the porch to the yard. Crea-eak!
“Gotcha! You slimy little devil! Thought you’d get away from me, didn’t you? Well, just for that I’ll bite your ugly little head off!” Chomp! “Mmmm, yummm, not bad, but I think I’ll go inside and cook the rest of you. Warm dinner tonight!” Henry stood with the bull snake wriggling in his hand, minus its head, of course. There was blood running from his mouth and he burped loudly as he said, “Hey Devlin, if I’da known you were coming to visit tonight I’d have started my hunting a little earlier. I don’t think there’s enough here for the both of us. Devlin, why you allus faintin’ for? Ah, jus’ go on back to sleep!”
-------------------------------------------------
Saturday was Jamie’s day. No school, no church. He even had an agreement with his Mother to do half his chores on Friday and the other half on Sunday, allowing him his very own private, undisturbed Saturdays. This Saturday was extra special, being October twenty-fourth, one week before Halloween, his absolute favorite number one holiday. Two weeks ago when Devlin showed up he knew somehow it would make Halloween a very special day indeed. Now if he could just find him. “Mom, I’m going to the bike hills!” he yelled. “If Daniel comes over or calls, tell him I need to talk to him today. ‘Kay? Love ya, bye!”
Mrs. White heard the door slam. “Jamie,” she called, “Oh Jamie...”
Jamie followed the school bus route and within a couple of miles was glad his Mother had never broken down and let him ride his bike to school like he wanted. That old bus traveled further than he thought. He figured he’d just ride to the stop where Devlin was picked up and check around the immediate vicinity for houses. After all, Devlin was the only kid who got on at this stop, there couldn’t be that many houses. There weren’t either, there weren’t... any.
He leaned his bike against the bus loading sign, then lay down next to it and watched the clouds floating by in the Autumn sky. Natalie thought they looked like big fluffy pillows. Not me, thought Jamie, they’re big horned monsters, swallowing each other until it’s all cloud monsters or everything’s eaten and there’s just nothing left at all. Chomp! Swallow... Chomp! Swallow... He watched as they disappeared, one after another.
“Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! I like to watch cloud monsters too!” a nearby voice said.
“Holy cats!” Jamie exclaimed. “Where’d you come from?”
Standing over him was a boy about his own age, all freckles and tousled hair. He had dirt on his face and kept his hands in his pockets as he talked to Jamie. “If you’ll let me ride that bike of yours up and down the road a couple o’ times, I’ll teach you how to choose your own monster cloud and use him to swallow up all the rest or part of them and make it all cloudy again!”
Jamie jumped up and grabbed his bike protectively. “I ain’t tradin’ my bike for no old cloud eaters!” he said.
Suddenly the sky turned very dark, almost like a night sky. One big black monster cloud was swallowing everything in sight. Then, just as quickly as it had eaten them, its giant cheeks puffed out and its lips pooched up, almost touching its old black face. It blew all the clouds back out, then disappeared itself. The boy’s voice yelled, “Toldja!”
“Hey Jamie! Wake up! Come on, wake up! What are you doing way out here sleeping next to the bus stop? Does your Mother know you’re out here? What if a car pulled off the side of the road and didn’t see you? Here, let me help you up.” Devlin extended a hand to Jamie.
Jamie rubbed his eyes, stared blankly at Devlin. “Where’d he go?” he asked.
Devlin was exasperated. “What are you talking about? Where did who go?”
“That kid,” Jamie whispered, “The cloud eater. He could ride my bike any time if he’d show me how to do that trick!”
Devlin’s face took on its dark look. “Damn Henry!” he muttered to himself.
“What’d you say?” asked Jamie.
Devlin ignored the question. “Look Jamie,” he said equivocally, “You’re just a kid. You can’t just go around sleeping on the ground or in school. I heard about the trouble your daydreams got you into last week!”
Jamie kicked his bike tire in frustration. “Devlin, I was not dreaming! I was watching cloud monsters when this kid came along and made the biggest meanest cloud monster I ever saw and, I swear on my cousin’s frog leg soup, he ate that ol’ black cloud monster all by himself. Then you show up and accuse me o’ sleepin’! Hey, it’s you I come looking for anyways!”
Jamie finally felt like his feet were back on the ground where they belonged. “Devlin, you gotta help me,” he groaned. “I mean it! Next Saturday’s Halloween. My Saturday and finally, my own personal Halloween on my very own personal day. Both together, then you show up. It’s magick, Devlin, pure and simple, magick. Natalie and Josie don’t believe me and now even Daniel has his doubts but you know about the magick, don’t you Devlin?’ He grabbed the older boy by the arms, bored into him with his eyes. “You know you have to take me to Henry. That’s it, isn’t it, Devlin? It isn’t you. It’s me and Henry. Well, Henry and me... magick. We will have to get everyone and every thing ready!”
Devlin shook his head as he listened to Jamie talk and talk and talk. He stared right back into Jamie’s eyes. “It’s not that easy, Jamie. It’s not that safe either. Didn’t you notice there aren’t any houses around here? Wouldn’t you like to know where I live? How about parents, wouldn’t you like to meet mine? Well, I don’t have any, Jamie. Just Henry. When he wants me to come home, wham! There’s his neat old scary house. His, not mine! But somehow I am Henry and he is me. Ah, it’s no use trying to explain any of this to anyone else. I don’t really understand it myself. What do you want from me anyhow, Jamie?”
Jamie thought for a minute. “Look, let’s lay down and watch cloud monsters for a while and I’ll figure it all out.”
Devlin refused to lay in the dirt by the bus stop. Jamie didn’t want to mess up the magick by moving but he finally relented. “Okay, there’s some nice soft grass over there,” he said to Devlin. “C’mon Devlin, nobody’s gonna see you way out here, not even any girls like Natalie.. I think she likes you, Devlin.”
Jamie pushed his bicycle to the grassy area and Devlin followed him. “Think so Jamie? Think she really likes me? I mean, it doesn’t matter but do you really think she’s interested in me?”
“Just look at those clouds,” Jamie sighed. “That big black one there. Oh, it’s getting dark. Close your eyes and look Devlin. It’s gonna be one hell of a Halloween!”
A week had never gone by so slow for Jamie. The bus seemed to take two hours to get to school. Then each day was a week long. Concentrate! Concentrate! He couldn’t afford homework or extra work of any kind. There was too much preparation, too much important work for his day, the biggest Saturday of his entire life!
Natalie started crying that she wasn’t ready for the responsibility at the first of the week but by Wednesday she was running around with her head in the clouds, prepared to support the weight of the world on her frail shoulders. Imagine, her mother, invited to New York for a big job interview. She had even bought one of those women’s business suits to wear. It would be too-o much having the first business executive mother in the whole town. And Natalie’s first weekend ever... alone.
It would be perfect except for Nerd Head, but she could handle him. He would have his dumb little Halloween party Saturday night, then she’d tuck him in and she and Josie could hit the phone and line up some real action for a change. Strange, Mom getting called this late. She had put in her application eight months ago. Oh well... Heaven..
Mrs. White was ready for her eight 0’ clock p.m. Friday night flight, fussing with last minute instructions for Natalie and Jamie. “Now Children,” she said, “Don’t you worry about your Mom. I have a feeling this little venture will be well worth it for all of us, our whole little family. Remember, if you need me, my hotel number is taped to the wall next to the phone. Mrs. Conroy, across the street, will be home all weekend if you have any problems.”
Tears were threatening at the corners of her eyes as the taxi pulled into the driveway and tooted its horn. “Behave and try not to fight too much,” she said, “I’ll be back Sunday afternoon. Be careful on Halloween.” The taxi honked again, longer this time. “Oh well,” she said as she glanced wistfully at Jamie, “I guess you’re right Jamie, the answer is in the clouds!” She hugged him and kissed them both, then ran out and climbed into the cab.
“Tater ho!” Jamie got a handful of Natalie’s neck hairs and ran for his room. She caught him before he blocked his door and, holding him down with her knees, pulled his hair with both hands and banged his head on the floor.
“There’s your tater ho for you!” she cried. “Two days Jamie. It’s six 0’ clock on Friday night and you usually get to stay up late but not tonight. You’re going to bed right now. Two whole days Jamie!”
Jamie wrenched his head free and smiled malevolently at his older sister. “It stinks down here, Natalie,” he said. She slapped him and jumped to her feet. His smiled remained as he told her, “Tomorrow’s mine Natalie, all mine.”
“You’re crazy!” Natalie cried as she blocked and tied his door shut from outside. She went straight to the phone and dialed up Josie. “She’s gone!” she said happily, “For two whole days! Let’s call the twins, Tim and Ted. I know Jamie’s having his little party tomorrow night but that’s just him and Daniel and probably Devlin, the geek. I know you thought I liked him but Josie, think about it, you and me and the twins. Those little kids will crash out by nine 0’ clock, then we’ll take it slow and easy. That little jerk! He tater ho’d me the minute Mom’s cab left! I kicked his butt and locked him in his room for the night. Yeah, I’d better let you go. It’s getting cloudy and the wind’s kicking up a bit. I’d better close the house up and check on butt breath. See ya tomorrow!”
Jamie had blocked himself into his room and moved his bed next to the window so he could lay across the bed and rest his head on a pillow on the window sill. He could look up through the bare branches of the old Dutch Elm in the back yard and watch the clouds pass between the naked full Moon and the hungry looking fingers of the tree.
He was speaking in a low murmur to the sky. “Eat those little ones. Bite that ol’ Moon. No, don’t eat it. That’s it, just little nibbles. There. Eat some more little ones you ugly old face.”
Natalie was banging on the door. “Jamie, damn it, open that door right now! You’ve been in there for hours. It’s just the two of us now and I need you to help me close the house up. It’s going to storm.” Natalie couldn’t believe how badly she really did want to see his mean little face. The coming weather was giving her a chill that had very little to do with the falling temperature. “Jamie!” she cried.
Jamie opened the door and stood framed against the darkness of his room, the open window and the night. “It’s not going to storm Natalie,” he said, “Tomorrow night Natalie, the cloud monster’s just having a little taste tonight, he’s practicin’.”
Natalie stepped over and hugged him to her breast and began to rock him back and forth. “Oh you crazy little kid,” she moaned. “I was gonna beat you up again for locking me out of your room but it really is just you and me, especially with Mom gone and all. I think I need you as much as I thought you were going to need me! What am I gonna do with you though... you’re so...” Her voice trailed off as she noticed the bed and the wide open window. “Jamie, why is your bed sideways like that?” she asked. “And what is your pillow doing up there on the window sill?”
Jamie looked at her slyly. “That ol’ tree monster was gonna tater ho me,” he whispered, “So I moved right out there and told him to go right ahead. My cloud will tater ho his roots right up outa the ground!”
Natalie shook her head. “You and that imagination of yours, gonna get you in trouble one of these days. Now come on, help me move your bed back around.” Jamie watched Natalie struggle with the bed, then throw the pillow on top of it. “How did you move that over there all by yourself?” she asked him.
Natalie felt a strange sensation as she glanced at Jamie. For a second, just a fleeting moment, he seemed older, much much older. “Women, you damned women, all the same!” he blurted out. “Move the bed, move the house, tear down the barn! If bad weather comes in, I tell you, I will know when to secure the shutters. That’s because I’m the one who designed these gabled windows, shutters and the whole shebang. Good in any ol’ storm, by God! Why in twenty-nine...”
Natalie stared in openmouthed astonishment. “Jamie,” she said as calmly as possible, “This house doesn’t have gables and shuttered windows.”
He returned her look, a ten-year-old boy to his fifteen-year-old sister, and replied, “Jeese, I know that Natalie!”
Saturday morning.
Jamie lay with his head on the window sill, staring up at the clear blue sky. Natalie came into the room and stared dumbfounded out the window. “Jamie, what happened to that tree?” she asked.
He smiled at her, answered through his smile. “Musta fell over. It’s layin’ right out there. Big ol’ tater ho, huh?”
Natalie blinked her eyes, then blinked again. “Look Z-brain, I’m going over to Josie’s, then we’re walking to the park for a picnic with the twins. I’ll be back in time to help you set up your party. Will you be all right here by yourself for a while?”
Jamie was staring out the window at the tree laying in the yard. “Those twins are a couple o’ faggots,” he said, “Not much help in a storm. Come home the minute you see the cloud monsters start moving across the sky. Big ol’ tater ho!” Natalie left with the feeling she had some idea how her mother must feel at times.
Jamie was on the phone. “Now Devlin, you tell Henry I want it here, nowhere else will do! I know he can do it! You said whenever he wanted the two of you to have a home he could just, wham! and there it was. Well, I want him to wham! it right here. What do you mean this house is in the way? Tell him to eat it or change it or transform it. I don’t care. I want that house here for all of us. It’s my day and that means it’s my house!” Jamie grinned. What an idea, nothing to get ready. Just bring the house home... and Henry.
Devlin showed up about ten minutes after Daniel arrived. Where are Natalie and Josie and their friends?” he asked Jamie.
“They’ll be back before the storm,” Jamie answered, “I told Natalie to watch the clouds.”
Daniel stared at the ceiling and kept pushing his tongue out against one cheek and then the other. “You’re gonna make your jaw sore, like blowing up balloons,” Jamie informed him.
“Speaking of balloons,” Daniel finally spoke, “What kind of party is this? No decorations, no punch, no treats, no costumes. I mean, like where’s the party?”
Jamie pouted at him. “It’s my day Daniel,” he grumped.
Daniel’s face reddened, “Sorry Jamie.”
The front door opened and Natalie and Josie entered, followed by Ted and Tim. Natalie noticed Devlin immediately and, red-faced, attended to the introductions. “Well finally, uh. I am Natalie, I guess we’ve all seen each other at school. This is weird. I’m so-o-o sure. Uh, the girl is Josie and this is Ted and that’s Tim. Oh sorry, that’s what’s so nice about twins, that’s Tim and this one is Ted. You’re Devlin... that’s it! My name is Natalie, I’m sure you know yours, ha ha. Devlin, from... uh?”
Devlin walked to within six inches of Natalie and smiled confidently. “That is Devlin of Henry Manor,” he said in a low voice, “And it is truly a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance dear Natalie.” He bent down on one knee, took her right hand and brushed it with his lips. He stood up and shook the twins’ hands firmly. “Sirs, delighted to meet you.” He took a step toward Josie. “And Miss Josie, you’re far more radiant than even your reputation.” He caressed her hand softly with both of his and excused himself to attend to ‘Masters Jamie and Daniel’ in the parlor.
“Who is that guy?” asked Ted and Tim in stereo.
Natalie was in absolute shock. “I think I shall faint. That was so-o-oh romantic. Like, ya know, he kissed my, ya know, he kissed my little hand.”
Josie leaned against the door and whispered in Natalie’s ear, “Who needs the twins? We’ll share him!”
Natalie flushed. “Not on your life Josie! Jamie found him and he’s all mine! But he’s like, ya know, retired to the parlor. I’m going to take my both. Ted, Tim, get out some snacks. Oh... and he wears boots.”
Jamie sat in the dining room with Devlin and Daniel. “Devlin, how do you know we’re in the parlor?” Jamie asked. “I mean, how do you know?”
Devlin was less sure of himself with Jamie than he had been with those his own age. “Jamie, you’ll just have to trust Henry,” he replied. “He’s never done it like this before. He’s trying to dematerialize both houses and meld them into the house for your night. Your big October thirty-first, Halloween Saturday night! Why did I let you and Henry talk me into all of this? I just wanted to meet Natalie. She is so-o-o-o-oh far away.”
Jamie and Daniel looked at one another, recognizing Devlin’s love wound. “Oh no you don’t,” Jamie said. “You come upstairs with me. There’s a big ol’ monster waiting just for us!” To Daniel he said, “Watch those mega-nerds. Let them eat whatever they want but don’t allow anyone near my room!”
Daniel looked worried. “Jamie, I don’t know about this,” he whined.
“Oh, you wanted decorations and costumes,” Jamie spoke to him through a big toothy grin, “We’re gonna Halloween, buddy!”
Natalie was lounging half asleep in the bathtub when the house began to shudder. Its very timbers stretched and shrank, changed in micro-seconds as Henry made his appearance at the party. It was Henry’s house now and where the fine trimmed lawns stopped on all sides of it, Henry’s weeds, full of his happily crawling friends, began.
Henry walked in the front door unannounced. He smiled at the teenagers gathered on the couch in the front room. “Hi Josie, Ted and Tim,” he said cheerily. “I hope you enjoy Henry Manor. Make yourselves at home. I have to go talk to Jamie now. See you in a few minutes. By the way, no one can leave now. The party is about to begin!” He floated up the stairs toward Jamie’s room.
“What a weird kid! What’s going on here!” “Wait ‘til Natalie’s Mom sees what they’ve done to her house!” “This is taking Halloween too far!” Ted, Tim, and Josie couldn’t stop talking for quite a few minutes. They were jabbering like magpies. Then they looked at each other and cried simultaneously, “Let’s get out of here!”
The old door creaked and squeaked and they heard loud clicking noises, bolts falling in place, when they tried in vain to open it. The shutters slammed shut on the old broken windows and it became so dark they couldn’t see their hands in front of their faces. Along with darkness came a musty smell, the odor of something sickenly sweet and vaguely familiar. They realized their feet were wet. It felt as if they were wading through something warm and sticky while they fearfully searched for each other in the cold and dark.
Henry entered Jamie’s room and grabbed Jamie and Devlin each by a leg, scaring them both as they came emerged from somewhat of a semi-trance. “Henry, you’re not very funny!” Devlin shouted, beside himself with anger.
Jamie and Henry studied each other for a long drawn out minute. Jamie broke the silence between them. “Nice job, Henry. The house looks and feels great!” He was sitting on the bed, which extended into the gabled windows. He was pleased beyond explanation.
Devlin rubbed his eyes in disbelief. “I don’t believe it! I didn’t think you could pull it off! Henry, I sure hope you can put the house back in its original condition later.”
Jamie shook Henry’s hand. “Nice t’ finally meetcha!” he said. “I mean, not like the bus stop. Wait a minute! Wasn’t there a gawky kid outside guarding the door?”
Henry grinned and said, “Oh, you must mean that Daniel kid. He wouldn’t let me in your room so I changed him into a nice little doggie.” Henry walked over and opened the door. “Here Danny, c’mere boy!” he called.
A funny looking red dog with Daniel’s head ran into the room. It ran up to Jamie. “Jamie, I’m scared. I wanna go home!” it cried.
Jamie glanced at Henry who winked and acted as if everything was normal. Jamie laughed and laughed and patted Daniel on the head. “Not now boy! Now go lay down like a good doggie and watch the door!” He put an arm around Daniel’s doggie neck. “Great costume!” he said into his ear.
Henry shot Devlin a look. He was chalky white and appeared to be on the verge of fainting. “You sure don’t like t’ have fun like you used to!” he chided. “You might’s well jus’ go back t’ sleep. Jamie an’ me can handle this.” Devlin flopped back on the bed.
Henry licked his lips. “It’s Halloween night, let’s bob for lizards!” he said excitedly.
For once Jamie was caught off guard. “Gizzards?” he asked.
“No,” Henry laughed, “Lizards! Okay... lizard gizzards!”
Natalie lay back in the bathtub, luxuriating in the warm bubbles. “Oh Devlin,” she murmured, “I’m so-o-o-oh sure.” She felt something slippery next to her skin in the tub. Where was the soap? What was that slippery little thing? She finally got hold of it and threw it on the floor. A chicken gizzard... oh that Jamie, she’d get him for this... It moved. Two mean little eyes held Natalie frozen where she sat. It gnashed its sharp little teeth. “Yum yum,” it said, “Natalie, yum yum...”
Josie was sobbing hysterically and the twins were doing everything they could to settle her down. “C’mon Josie, this is just a room full of tricks. Let’s move into another room for now,” Ted consoled her, “Tim, get her other arm.”
As they entered the next room, Devlin’s parlor, Josie shrieked and the twins let go of her arms. A mechanical voice said, “Oh how nice, more guests. Let’s help that poor girl lie down on the sofa. A trifle too much punch, eh chum?” Ted and Tim saw a room full of skeletons wading through six inches of blood, socializing and dancing to some offbeat organ and drum music. Tim, a musician was tapping his foot. “That’s interesting,” he said, “Three piece drum kit, four octave string symphonizer, hmmm... three beats, two count rest, organ riff, three beat bass climb, percussion octave jump, hmmm...”
Ted grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him from the room. “They’re skeletons, you idiot!” he cried.
A mechanical sounding female voice interrupted him. “Oh, what pretty boys! Come, you must meet my sister. Her name is Judy. I’m Trudy, Judy and Trudy, get it? We’re twins too, just like you! Oh what divine music. We can dance and play who’s who. We’re identical twins, you know.”
“They’re identical skeletons!” Ted and Tim wailed simultaneously as they were dragged toward the bloody dance floor.
Jamie and Henry were headed for the bathroom. “What an idea you gave me!” Henry exclaimed. “This is great, lizard gizzards. But we’ll have to be fast. I gave them teeth and eyes and you know how those neat little lizard eyes move independently of each other. Yeah... and piranha teeth. I like a challenge!”
Jamie was having second thoughts. “Why are you going to the bathroom?” he asked. “You’re not old and nasty, are you? My sister, Natalie is in there taking a bath.”
“Oh no!” Henry wailed, “I thought we’d use the old tub for bobbing. I didn’t think anyone would be using it. The birth of my creatures is set into motion the moment I think of them.”
Blood oozed out from under the bathroom door. Jamie, with tears in his eyes, knocked. “Natalie, it’s me, Nerd Brain,” he said in a muffled voice.
“Nerd Brain is right!” she yelled back. “I’ll be right out and I want to speak to you and your weird friend about something!” The door opened and Jamie fell against Henry in shock. Standing before him was a skeleton in Natalie’s bathrobe, its fingers wrapping imaginary hair around and around, flipping it free, only to start twirling it again.
“Jamie, you can’t scare me!” the skeleton shouted. “You get those nasty little things out of that bathtub right now!” The skeleton’s eye sockets directed themselves toward Henry. “You must be Henry. Well, what a nasty sense of humor you have! Is the party in the parlor yet? I must get ready!” Jamie’s mouth dropped open as the robe full of bones walked down the hall and into Natalie’s room.
“Scared you, huh?” Henry elbowed Jamie in the ribs. “Come on, let’s bob for glizzards! How do you like that, huh? Glizzards! Oh Jamie, you are such a riot!”
Jamie was feeling a bit nauseous. “You go ahead Henry,” he said. “I think I’ll check on Devlin and Daniel.”
Henry looked hungrily at the teeming red water in the bathtub. “Okay,” he said, “You go check on Devlin. He’s in your room. Never mind Daniel though, he’s downstairs in the parlor. Doggies love bones! What a face Jamie, I couldn’t make a face like that in a million years. You look positively sick! You go ahead, I’m hungry! Daniel was right, got to have yummy treats on Halloween.”
Jamie stumbled into his bedroom where he opened the shutters and lay back with Devlin to watch cloud monsters. “Oh, I really did it this time,” he said sorrowfully.
“It’s Henry,” Devlin sighed, “I tried to warn you about him.”
Natalie looked at herself in the mirror. “Not bad for a kid!” she said to herself. “I wonder if Devlin’s down there yet. Hope he doesn’t try to jump my bones!” she giggled. She mustered as much self confidence as she could and tried her best to glide down the stairs. My grand entrance, feel kind of stiff, she thought. Oh well, sounds like the party’s in full swing.
The twins had just made their way back to Josie and managed to get her up into a sitting position. Tim whispered into her ear, “There’s a dog over there that looks just like Jamie’s little friend, Daniel. He keeps chewing on their legs as they’re dancing. They don’t seem to mind a bit.”
Josie gasped. “That one at the bottom of the stairs, that’s Natalie! She’s one of them, I swear it. Watch her twirling her hair. Natalie always does that!”
Have you had enough Halloween Yet?” Devlin asked Jamie. “No telling what Henry will do after he’s through with his glizzards.”
Jamie closed his eyes tight. “I have to get that ol’ cloud to blow this crazy house away,” he said “...and Henry.” He opened his eyes and stared imploringly at Devlin. “What about Natalie and Daniel? he asked in a scared little voice.
Devlin had a worried look on his face. “I don’t know,” he said, “It was never like this before, Jamie. We never had this many people involved and the house was always by itself. It’s your problem, Jamie. I got Henry when I was about your age. He’s yours now and you have to do something with him!”
Jamie closed his eyes, he could see it all. Natalie, Natalie’s bones, were trying to calm Josie and the twins down. A couple of other skeletons were attempting to pull the twins off the sofa to dance or something. Daniel was laying in the corner gnawing and growling. Then he saw Henry, blood from head to toe, squeezing something in his hand. “The last glizzard for my little doggie!” Henry hollered. “Where’s my Danny? Come on! Let’s rock this party!”
Jamie jumped from the bed and stared hard at the sky. “I have to stop this!” he cried. “Bite ‘em, you ol’ cloud, bite ‘em, then blow this ol’ house away, blow it all away!”
The taxi pulled up in front of a vacant lot at 2636 Seventh Street. “Ma'am, here’s the address you asked for,” the driver said.
Mrs. White looked out incredulously. “Why that’s just a lot full of weeds. Oh and look at that awful lizard crawling across the sidewalk. Is this some kind of sick joke?” she asked.
The driver pressed his free hand against his forehead. “Lady. at the airport you said 2636 Seventh Street,” he said. “Here we are and that ain’t a joke!”
Mrs. White smiled sheepishly. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly, “I meant 2636 Seventh Avenue North, my mistake. I got a new job and I’m so excited to tell my Children all about it that I’m just not thinking straight... sorry.”
Natalie sat under a tree in the front yard, pulling petals off a flower. “This is so-o-o-oh silly,’ she sang to herself. “Loves me, loves me not, loves me, loves me not... loves me.” She touched Devlin’s arm. “There’s a taxi,” she said, “Devlin, please be nice. Oh, I don’t have to tell you that. You’re so-o-oh sweet.”
Devlin stared wonderingly at her. “I love the way you twirl your hair with your finger. It’s so... well, sexy. I do hope your mother likes me.”
Mrs. White’s taxi pulled into the drive. She paid the driver, giving him a big tip for his trouble, then turned to her daughter. “Why Natalie,” she commented, “I do believe you’ve lost some weight but maybe it’s just the baby fat disappearing from my little girl!”
Natalie blushed. “Mother, stop it,” she whispered, “I want you to meet Devlin. He’s... well.. he has been seeing me.”
Mrs. White raised her eyebrows. She gave Devlin a thoughtful glance. “Well well well,” she said, “First my son couldn’t stop talking about you, now it’s Natalie. It’s so nice to finally meet you face to face.”
She was interrupted when a large red dog bounded between them, chased by a boy who tackled him and was trying to wrestle a bone from his mouth. “Give me that, Danny!” the boy yelled at the dog. “You’re supposed to fetch it and bring it back to me, not sneak off and eat it. I’ve got plenty of bones for you to eat.” He got the bone away and the dog chased him past them again. “Hi, Mrs. White!” he called back over his shoulder.
Mrs. White looked on confusedly. “Isn’t that Daniel?” she asked. “I never thought his parents would let him have a dog, let alone name it after him!”
Natalie started walking toward the house. “You never know about grownups, Mom,” she said, “They’re so-o-o-oh, y’know, unpredictable.”
Mrs. White walked in the opposite direction. “Well, we may be unpredictable but I want you to round up your brother. I’m going across the street to see Mrs. Conroy. I predict I’ll be wanting to talk to you two when I get back!”
Natalie was nervous. She was twirling her hair so much that single strands were falling onto her sweater. “Devlin,” she asked, “What will Mrs. Conroy say? That was some storm Halloween night but I’m sure she must have noticed some of the goings on over here.”
Devlin hugged her and whispered in her ear, “Listen Natalie, Henry always takes care of the details. The main thing to do when your mother comes back is to get her straight to Jamie. That’s the only thing we can do.”
The front door opened and Mrs. White walked in, a surprised and pleased look on her face. “You Children are going to give me a complex,” she said. “The house looks wonderful, almost cleaner than when I left! Natalie, where’s Josie? I thought she’d practically live here this weekend, as close as the two of you are.”
Natalie twirled her hair. “Mother,’ she said dreamily, “Childhood relationships can’t last forever. Some of us mature quicker than others. Josie’s off with the twins playing music, attending a teen therapy group or some other adolescent thing! As for me, I have made plans to attend a play this evening with Devlin, Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Six-ish, he is so-o-o-oh mature.”
Devlin blushed, deep and red. “Jamie’s up in his bedroom, Mrs. White,” he said.
Mrs. White climbed the stairs to Jamie’s room, still marveling at the clean house. “Jamie, what have you done to your room?” she asked as she walked in the door. “And why are you lying there with your head out the window? You could fall, you know?”
Jamie sat up on his bed. “Aw Mom,” he said, “It’s great to have you home yellin’ at me an’ stuff. I missed you a lot. I love ya Mommy! Got your job too, I know you got your job!”
She hugged him to her. “Yes, my little fortune teller,” she kissed into his ear. “I got my job and they’re going to put a division right here so we won’t have to move. I’ll be in charge of sales and marketing and should make twice as much money as I do now but nothing means as much as coming home to you and Natalie!”
She looked out the window. “Why, the storm knocked that big old tree over, didn’t it?” she said. “Your father was always going to have it removed. We’re lucky it didn’t hit the house. We’ll have someone come and chop it up, then we can use it for firewood this Winter.”
Jamie stood beside her. “Big ol’ tater ho, huh Mom?” he said.
She squeezed him. “Why did your dad ever teach you that old tater ho stuff and why did you have your head out the window?”
“Watchin’ cloud monsters, Mom,” Jamie replied. He pointed into the sky. “That one’s henry!”
Mrs. White gave him an understanding smile. “Oh, we name our clouds now, do we? I don’t blame you for naming them. Mrs. Conroy told me about the awful storm Halloween night. You kids didn’t even get to go our trick or treating. I’m awfully proud of you for having the good sense to stay inside. Well! It’s just you and me tonight. Your big sister’s going to a play with Devlin.”
Jamie frowned. “Yuk yuk to her and her plays!” he hissed.
Mrs. White smiled at her ornery son. “I’m making your favorite dinner tonight, Jamie,” she said, “Salami pizza with oreos and raspberries for desert. We’ll make up for Jamie’s big Saturday!” “Coming down?” she asked as she walked toward the door.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” Jamie answered. “It’s great to have you home, Mom. I’ll just hang around up here for a little while longer and watch Henry swallow the sky.”
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© artwork & words conceived by & property of Tom (WordWulf) Sterner ©
~ we were city folks ~ my stepdad grew up on a farm ~
~ bought a rundown ranch in Wyoming when he retired ~
~ Momma asked what I wanted of her things when she passed away ~
~ I refused to consider an answer ~ I said simply ~
~ I don’t want your stuff ~ I want you ~
~Momma’s Truck/The Coloradoan~ It was six months, Momma, before I found the courage to knock the Wyoming mud off the wheels of your truck. It was six months more, today in fact, before I cleaned the inside. I found a penny under the floor-mat
and a book of notes written in your hand. They are where you left them, as much a part of the truck now as the wheels and doors.
She cleaned up real nice, Momma. My son, my Tommy, tuned ‘er up and she runs real nice. I told you I would never accept a thing if you left us and I meant every word. It was a wise and sage move on your part to put the title in my name as well as your own. I’m glad you did. There’s no way I could ignore that. Aside from my old Hawg she’s the only vehicle I’ll ever drive.
It was difficult for me when you followed your man to Wyoming to spend your last years on that far hardscrabble ranch. I tried to go with you but returned to Colorado less than a year later. Yes, Colorado, my home, the place where I was born and raised by your loving hands. I’ve never owned a license plate with a cowboy on it but yours hangs in a place of honor over the back of my bed.
That Ford of yours looks good with mountains front and back and I keep my share of your ashes in a black box on my desk. My siblings followed your wishes and spread theirs on that Wyoming wind you said never blew.
Forgive me this bit of selfishness. It is true, I’ll never let you go. I’ve asked my wife and children to put me in that box with you when the time comes and keep us together always in close proximity to my writing and music.
I used that picture of you and dad, 1949, Hideaway Park, Colorado, where I was conceived, for the cover of my second novel, “Frail Monsters/Wounded Souls: American Camp: Momma’s Rain.” I’m a Coloradoan, Momma;
so are my sons and daughters. It is a good place to be from, so good, in fact, I will never leave and so are you, a wonderful place to be from. I think you knew I’d eventually bring you home and spend the rest of my life finding my way back into your arms.
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