good as fat, but they’ll take what they can get.”
“You gotta get home,” Lily said. She started pushing her bike again, and almost hoped that Ms. Yettin wouldn’t follow. For the first time, Lily began to wonder if maybe her mother had a point. Maybe some people were a little too creepy to be left to their own devices.
Ms. Yettin began to walk again. When Lily sped up, so did her former teacher.
“He’s infected,” Ms. Yettin whispered to herself. Lily held her breath so she could hear what the woman was saying. “Regular people can’t see the thing following him around.”
“Come on this way, Ms. Yettin,” Lily said. She pushed front wheel of her bike into the crosswalk, declaring her intention to the line of cars. A gap developed and Lily began to roll through. Ms. Yettin followed, but still seemed distracted by Ricky.
“We’ll have to cut off his head. That will cure it,” Ms. Yettin said.
“What was that?” Lily asked.
Ms. Yettin only smiled in response. Through the gap in her lips, her gums showed. They looked like they might be oozing blood.
“Come on this way,” Lily said. She rolled her bike on the path between two buildings. There were a few land-locked houses in the wide place between the road and the lake. They could only be reached on foot. When Phil Harpswell had his new refrigerator installed the year before, they had taken it in through the Trundell house and out the back door in order to get to the Harpswell place. Lily hadn’t seen it, but she had heard the story from several reliable sources.
The Yettin house was easier to get to. There was a path nearly wide enough to fit a car. In fact, Lily and Ms. Yettin walked side by side with the bike between them. They didn’t stop at the front door, but continued on to the side of the house. There was a staircase tacked onto the side of the building. It was painted white and had black no-skid pads glued to each tread. Lily rested her bike against the railing.
“You want me to walk you up?” Lily asked.
“No,” Ms. Yettin said with wide eyes. “You’ll fall through the holes. They lead down into hell.”
Lily hunched her shoulders up towards her ears and grabbed her bike. “Okay,” she said, trying to remain cheery. Public servant or not, she didn’t have the energy to show any more resect to Ms. Yettin. She just wanted to get out of there before the woman said something else creepy.
“Stay safe, Ms. Yettin. Good to see you.”
Lily waited as Ms. Yettin climbed the staircase without a farewell or thanks. Lily didn’t mind. As long as the woman was gone, she didn’t care if she ever gave thanks. When Ms. Yettin disappeared through the door at the top of the stairs, Lily rolled her bike to the house’s front door. She rang the bell and counted down from fifty. There would be no answer. If anyone was home, they wouldn’t have let Ms. Yettin go out wandering.
She got to thirty-four when the door opened.
“Hi, Mr. Yettin,” Lily said. She looked left and then right before she came up with his name—Harold. It didn’t matter. He would always be Mr. Yettin to her. It was an unwritten rule in her house—local adults were always Mr. or Ms.
“Yes?” he asked.
The inside of the house behind him was lost in darkness. She could only see his face and the bright outline of the window on the backside of the house behind him.
“I just thought you should know—I walked Ms. Yettin home.” She pumped her finger up towards the second floor so he would know what she was talking about. “She was down near the Grill.”
“Okay. Thank you so much,” he said. He didn’t move to shut the door.
“She seemed a little confused,” Lily said, as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She wanted him to acknowledge that it had been wrong for the woman to be walking around. It didn’t seem like she was going to get her wish.
He angled the door slightly more closed so she was just looking at the center of his face.
“You gotta get home,” Lily said. She started pushing her bike again, and almost hoped that Ms. Yettin wouldn’t follow. For the first time, Lily began to wonder if maybe her mother had a point. Maybe some people were a little too creepy to be left to their own devices.
Ms. Yettin began to walk again. When Lily sped up, so did her former teacher.
“He’s infected,” Ms. Yettin whispered to herself. Lily held her breath so she could hear what the woman was saying. “Regular people can’t see the thing following him around.”
“Come on this way, Ms. Yettin,” Lily said. She pushed front wheel of her bike into the crosswalk, declaring her intention to the line of cars. A gap developed and Lily began to roll through. Ms. Yettin followed, but still seemed distracted by Ricky.
“We’ll have to cut off his head. That will cure it,” Ms. Yettin said.
“What was that?” Lily asked.
Ms. Yettin only smiled in response. Through the gap in her lips, her gums showed. They looked like they might be oozing blood.
“Come on this way,” Lily said. She rolled her bike on the path between two buildings. There were a few land-locked houses in the wide place between the road and the lake. They could only be reached on foot. When Phil Harpswell had his new refrigerator installed the year before, they had taken it in through the Trundell house and out the back door in order to get to the Harpswell place. Lily hadn’t seen it, but she had heard the story from several reliable sources.
The Yettin house was easier to get to. There was a path nearly wide enough to fit a car. In fact, Lily and Ms. Yettin walked side by side with the bike between them. They didn’t stop at the front door, but continued on to the side of the house. There was a staircase tacked onto the side of the building. It was painted white and had black no-skid pads glued to each tread. Lily rested her bike against the railing.
“You want me to walk you up?” Lily asked.
“No,” Ms. Yettin said with wide eyes. “You’ll fall through the holes. They lead down into hell.”
Lily hunched her shoulders up towards her ears and grabbed her bike. “Okay,” she said, trying to remain cheery. Public servant or not, she didn’t have the energy to show any more resect to Ms. Yettin. She just wanted to get out of there before the woman said something else creepy.
“Stay safe, Ms. Yettin. Good to see you.”
Lily waited as Ms. Yettin climbed the staircase without a farewell or thanks. Lily didn’t mind. As long as the woman was gone, she didn’t care if she ever gave thanks. When Ms. Yettin disappeared through the door at the top of the stairs, Lily rolled her bike to the house’s front door. She rang the bell and counted down from fifty. There would be no answer. If anyone was home, they wouldn’t have let Ms. Yettin go out wandering.
She got to thirty-four when the door opened.
“Hi, Mr. Yettin,” Lily said. She looked left and then right before she came up with his name—Harold. It didn’t matter. He would always be Mr. Yettin to her. It was an unwritten rule in her house—local adults were always Mr. or Ms.
“Yes?” he asked.
The inside of the house behind him was lost in darkness. She could only see his face and the bright outline of the window on the backside of the house behind him.
“I just thought you should know—I walked Ms. Yettin home.” She pumped her finger up towards the second floor so he would know what she was talking about. “She was down near the Grill.”
“Okay. Thank you so much,” he said. He didn’t move to shut the door.
“She seemed a little confused,” Lily said, as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She wanted him to acknowledge that it had been wrong for the woman to be walking around. It didn’t seem like she was going to get her wish.
He angled the door slightly more closed so she was just looking at the center of his face.
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