it for his precious Carmenâs room.
But Robin meant what he said. This Halloween heâd do the big trickertreat, or if something went wrong, the next. He could wait a long, long time.
Sniggering, he started down the path that led from the backyard, down through the long, narrow side yard, with its thick border of oleanders and liquid amber trees, and finally to the front corner of the house. The front was even bigger than the back, covering three acres, and so surrounded with willows, elms, pines, and filled with fruit trees, flowers, ferns, and exotic broad-leafed tropicals, that you couldnât even see the street, Via Matanza, beyond them.
The yard that icky Ricky so hated was a park crisscrossed with brick and stone paths that were constantly overgrown by the grass and bushes, no matter how often Hector pruned or mowed. To Robin the place was a paradise, the plant life an announcement that the greenjacks were present. Again he took in the scents, the blend of aromas from the plants and the trees and the koi pond, the wonderful koi pond, a hundred feet distant.
Ignoring the light-lined brick path that led to the pool, Robin moved across the yard, enjoying the thick dampness of the lawn beneath his hands. He paused, reveling in the spongy coolness, and noted how his nails dug into the moist earth, snickering when he detected the cold wriggling sliminess of a night crawler as it passed between his fingers.
Reaching the flagstones that surrounded the koi pond, he crossed themâhard, cold, interesting. The pond itself had originally been a kidney-shaped built-in swimming pool, so it was huge and deep. But many years ago, Grandfather Piper, who hated to swim, had painted it dark blue, put the rocky rustic edge on it, and built the tall stony waterfall right over the tall diving platform. And then he had filled it with fish and water lilies.
At the waterâs edge, Robin halted, lowering himself onto his stomach to lie between the colored lights on the cold stone so that he could stare at the water, smell it, and dangle his fingers in it to attract the fish.
âBoy kois, toy kois, fishies, fishies, fishies!â He wiggled his fingers and they came, the fishies, gold and red and bronze and black, kissing his fingers, looking for food. Finally his favorite arrived, the huge white one that everyone called the Professor. It had black circles around its eyes that looked like spectacles. He waited for it to mouth his fingers, then deftly he snatched the fish up in both hands and lifted it from the water.
âHi, fishie, fishie!â
The koi barely wriggled in his powerful grip, and he fancied that it studied him as intently as he did it. Gently he kissed the creature, and found it cold and wet but full of life. Its odor was of algae and dark, cool water. It gasped, needing to breathe, suffocating on air, and quickly Robin ran his tongue over the creatureâs scaly side, tasting salt and stagnant water. â âBye, fish, go, fish,â he whispered, and thrust it into the water, watching until the sleek white shape disappeared into the bubbles of the waterfall on the far side of the pond.
He loved the fishes. On warm nights heâd slip into the water and swim with them. The thought made him remember Ricky, locked away up in their room, and he turned and gazed up at the bedroom window. The light was out, but he thought he saw the curtain move behind the glass. Hoping he was watching, Robin waved, then pulled his T-shirt over his head and tossed it behind him. A moment later, his shortsâthe mother made them for him with a little fly and no leg holesâand underpants lay beside it. He waved again, loving the way the air felt against his skin.
Ribbet. At the sound of the frog, he flipped himself silently upright. Ribbet. Near, he thought. Ribbet. Near and nearer. Another frog answered, in a deeper voice, from somewhere near the waterfall. Still another joined in and another, and soon
But Robin meant what he said. This Halloween heâd do the big trickertreat, or if something went wrong, the next. He could wait a long, long time.
Sniggering, he started down the path that led from the backyard, down through the long, narrow side yard, with its thick border of oleanders and liquid amber trees, and finally to the front corner of the house. The front was even bigger than the back, covering three acres, and so surrounded with willows, elms, pines, and filled with fruit trees, flowers, ferns, and exotic broad-leafed tropicals, that you couldnât even see the street, Via Matanza, beyond them.
The yard that icky Ricky so hated was a park crisscrossed with brick and stone paths that were constantly overgrown by the grass and bushes, no matter how often Hector pruned or mowed. To Robin the place was a paradise, the plant life an announcement that the greenjacks were present. Again he took in the scents, the blend of aromas from the plants and the trees and the koi pond, the wonderful koi pond, a hundred feet distant.
Ignoring the light-lined brick path that led to the pool, Robin moved across the yard, enjoying the thick dampness of the lawn beneath his hands. He paused, reveling in the spongy coolness, and noted how his nails dug into the moist earth, snickering when he detected the cold wriggling sliminess of a night crawler as it passed between his fingers.
Reaching the flagstones that surrounded the koi pond, he crossed themâhard, cold, interesting. The pond itself had originally been a kidney-shaped built-in swimming pool, so it was huge and deep. But many years ago, Grandfather Piper, who hated to swim, had painted it dark blue, put the rocky rustic edge on it, and built the tall stony waterfall right over the tall diving platform. And then he had filled it with fish and water lilies.
At the waterâs edge, Robin halted, lowering himself onto his stomach to lie between the colored lights on the cold stone so that he could stare at the water, smell it, and dangle his fingers in it to attract the fish.
âBoy kois, toy kois, fishies, fishies, fishies!â He wiggled his fingers and they came, the fishies, gold and red and bronze and black, kissing his fingers, looking for food. Finally his favorite arrived, the huge white one that everyone called the Professor. It had black circles around its eyes that looked like spectacles. He waited for it to mouth his fingers, then deftly he snatched the fish up in both hands and lifted it from the water.
âHi, fishie, fishie!â
The koi barely wriggled in his powerful grip, and he fancied that it studied him as intently as he did it. Gently he kissed the creature, and found it cold and wet but full of life. Its odor was of algae and dark, cool water. It gasped, needing to breathe, suffocating on air, and quickly Robin ran his tongue over the creatureâs scaly side, tasting salt and stagnant water. â âBye, fish, go, fish,â he whispered, and thrust it into the water, watching until the sleek white shape disappeared into the bubbles of the waterfall on the far side of the pond.
He loved the fishes. On warm nights heâd slip into the water and swim with them. The thought made him remember Ricky, locked away up in their room, and he turned and gazed up at the bedroom window. The light was out, but he thought he saw the curtain move behind the glass. Hoping he was watching, Robin waved, then pulled his T-shirt over his head and tossed it behind him. A moment later, his shortsâthe mother made them for him with a little fly and no leg holesâand underpants lay beside it. He waved again, loving the way the air felt against his skin.
Ribbet. At the sound of the frog, he flipped himself silently upright. Ribbet. Near, he thought. Ribbet. Near and nearer. Another frog answered, in a deeper voice, from somewhere near the waterfall. Still another joined in and another, and soon
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