bedroom. He climbed onto Rickyâs empty bed, removed his pajama top and underpants, then rolled around on the sheets.
When he tired of the activity, he dressed and moved to Robinâs bed by the window. With effort, he unlocked it and opened it as wide as it would go and perched on the ledge.
The rain had stopped and there was no wind. The silence choked his ears until he began grinding his teeth just to hear something. Soon he began humming to himself, wishing icky Ricky were here so he could listen to him breathe, wishing he were here so that he could have a little fun.
In the darkness he longed for a whole body, to have legs to run with and senses that could see the greenjacks and hear their songs. Most of all, he longed for revenge against Ricky, who had everything he so desired. For the new Robin Piper, the loneliness was overwhelming.
6
July 22, 1974
Â
Tonight the refrigerator held clusters of purple Concord grapes to stuff into his mouth, and he did, cramming it so full that he could barely close his jaws over them. Next, oh joy, a covered dish of olives, black finger food, salty and iron-tasting, reminding him of blood. The olives made him crave meat, and he had to reach as high as he could to grab the white butcher paper containing a mountain of hamburger. He opened it and nibbled the raw meat delicately, savoring each taste. Then, before rewrapping it up so carefully that no one would suspect it had been touched, he ran his smoothing tongue over the rest of the mound, leaving his saliva on what his family would eat.
He never grew tired of touching other peopleâs things, of leaving something of himself upon them, so they would unknowingly consume his bodily secretions, or wear them against their bodies. It was one of many pleasures that helped him deal with his anger at Ricky for the legs and eyes denied him.
Eating was another, but now his stomach was full, so he shut the refrigerator and padded to the kitchen door, swung onto the stool next to it, and silently undid the lock and chain, ready for another sort of indulgence.
A moment later, he was in the backyard, hidden in the darkness of a new moon. He breathed in the night air, feeling the summer darkness surround him, the cool wind like water on his face. A hint of eucalyptus lay under the soft sweetness of the citrus trees, the gardenias and jasmine, and beneath that, a cold-water smell and the bubbling of a waterfall. He glanced at the half acre of orange and lemon trees, at the path leading toward the cottage where Grandfather Piper had lived. It had been locked and dark for nearly two years, but now that Carmen and Hector were getting married, it was being cleaned out and fixed up so that they could live in it. The parents had hired Hector full time to act as gardener and handyman.
Robin was pleased about the marriage, because that meant the bitch wouldnât be hovering around icky Ricky at night like she did now.
The cold-water smell grew stronger, and he turned toward it, smiling in the dark. âHi, hi, hi, hi, hi,â he called wishfully. The new moon held little power, and he neither expected any answers nor received them, but ever since heâd discovered that very occasionally he could hear the greenjacksâ song, he was compelled to try. He treasured the times he had sensed the presence of the jacks. It was a salve for his loneliness.
Legs legs legs legs legs. Hatred for icky Ricky, with his long legs and special senses, washed over him. Heâd get the cowardly little shit eventually, get him good. He could get him anytime with a pillow over the face or a conk on the head, especially after Carmen moved out, but what he really wanted was to get him on Halloween, to give him a trickertreat heâd never forget.
Robin waited until later, when they were in their beds, to tell old Icky he was going to make sure he never lived through another Halloween. Ricky didnât say anything, just jumped up and hightailed
When he tired of the activity, he dressed and moved to Robinâs bed by the window. With effort, he unlocked it and opened it as wide as it would go and perched on the ledge.
The rain had stopped and there was no wind. The silence choked his ears until he began grinding his teeth just to hear something. Soon he began humming to himself, wishing icky Ricky were here so he could listen to him breathe, wishing he were here so that he could have a little fun.
In the darkness he longed for a whole body, to have legs to run with and senses that could see the greenjacks and hear their songs. Most of all, he longed for revenge against Ricky, who had everything he so desired. For the new Robin Piper, the loneliness was overwhelming.
6
July 22, 1974
Â
Tonight the refrigerator held clusters of purple Concord grapes to stuff into his mouth, and he did, cramming it so full that he could barely close his jaws over them. Next, oh joy, a covered dish of olives, black finger food, salty and iron-tasting, reminding him of blood. The olives made him crave meat, and he had to reach as high as he could to grab the white butcher paper containing a mountain of hamburger. He opened it and nibbled the raw meat delicately, savoring each taste. Then, before rewrapping it up so carefully that no one would suspect it had been touched, he ran his smoothing tongue over the rest of the mound, leaving his saliva on what his family would eat.
He never grew tired of touching other peopleâs things, of leaving something of himself upon them, so they would unknowingly consume his bodily secretions, or wear them against their bodies. It was one of many pleasures that helped him deal with his anger at Ricky for the legs and eyes denied him.
Eating was another, but now his stomach was full, so he shut the refrigerator and padded to the kitchen door, swung onto the stool next to it, and silently undid the lock and chain, ready for another sort of indulgence.
A moment later, he was in the backyard, hidden in the darkness of a new moon. He breathed in the night air, feeling the summer darkness surround him, the cool wind like water on his face. A hint of eucalyptus lay under the soft sweetness of the citrus trees, the gardenias and jasmine, and beneath that, a cold-water smell and the bubbling of a waterfall. He glanced at the half acre of orange and lemon trees, at the path leading toward the cottage where Grandfather Piper had lived. It had been locked and dark for nearly two years, but now that Carmen and Hector were getting married, it was being cleaned out and fixed up so that they could live in it. The parents had hired Hector full time to act as gardener and handyman.
Robin was pleased about the marriage, because that meant the bitch wouldnât be hovering around icky Ricky at night like she did now.
The cold-water smell grew stronger, and he turned toward it, smiling in the dark. âHi, hi, hi, hi, hi,â he called wishfully. The new moon held little power, and he neither expected any answers nor received them, but ever since heâd discovered that very occasionally he could hear the greenjacksâ song, he was compelled to try. He treasured the times he had sensed the presence of the jacks. It was a salve for his loneliness.
Legs legs legs legs legs. Hatred for icky Ricky, with his long legs and special senses, washed over him. Heâd get the cowardly little shit eventually, get him good. He could get him anytime with a pillow over the face or a conk on the head, especially after Carmen moved out, but what he really wanted was to get him on Halloween, to give him a trickertreat heâd never forget.
Robin waited until later, when they were in their beds, to tell old Icky he was going to make sure he never lived through another Halloween. Ricky didnât say anything, just jumped up and hightailed
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