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Authors: Billie Sue Mosiman
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way too alien for their company. He laughed so hard, he doubled over and held his stomach, he laughed so hard.
Then I knew Daddy wasn’t shot and he wasn’t dead. He’d hit the ground to keep from being shot in the back. And Crow was laughing at how Heddy was trying to claw Daddy’s eyes out. He thought it so funny it almost killed him.
I turned to Mama quick and said, “Mama, Crow wants to take you to bed.”
Her eyes got really round and she said, “Emily, how do you know something like that?” It sounded like she very much disapproved of me saying it.
“ I...I can’t tell you, but that’s what he wants. He’s going to do it too and if he does, Daddy’s going to try to stop him and he’ll get hurt. He may get shot.”
“ How do you know these things, Emily? I have to know how you know.”
“ I...I hear stuff. I hear what people think.”
Mama stared at me like I had grown horns in the top of my head. “I mean it, Mama. I’ve always been able to do it. It’s real weird, but I’m not lying. Like right now, I know you’re thinking ‘She can’t do that. No one can do that. That’s telepathy! There’s no such thing!’”
Mama’s mouth dropped open. “You can read minds! Oh my god.”
“ You have to believe me. Crow’s going to do something to you and if he does, everything’s going to go bad, real bad.”
“ C’mon,” she said, “let’s run.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me out the other side of the car.
It was like Crow read my mind too because he stopped laughing all of a sudden and turned around. He saw us beginning our sprint across the field, Mama pulling me along with her by the hand. He shot at us and just like Daddy, we stopped and we squatted down. I thought I’d heard the whiz of the bullet as it passed us by in the air, but that was imagination, I’m sure. You don’t really hear bullets whiz through the air, that’s for cartoons.
Crow yelled, “Get your asses back in the car!”
Mama was crying, no noise, and just fat tears rolling down her face when we stood up and started for the car. I told her, “Mama, you can’t fight them. If you and Daddy fight them, they’re going to kill you.”
“ I know,” she said.
“ I’ll think of a way to help us,” I said.
“ Oh, baby, Oh Emily, you’re just a little girl,” she said, tears choking her.
“ I mean it, Mama. I’ll think of a way. Didn’t I help you sometimes when Daddy was bad? I found a way of letting you know he was coming home mad. Just don’t fight them.”
I’d led Daddy off into other avenues of thought sometimes when he started getting mad. I’d ask for help with my schoolwork or say there was a phone call for Mama--anything to break his attention to doing harm to my mother. Most of the time it worked. I knew how to get a grown-up’s attention off the track and onto something else.
Daddy was back at the car with Crow and Heddy. Now Crow was angry. He was so mad it looked like a black cloud had descended over his head. Laughing hadn’t helped him any. He pushed Daddy back into the car and slammed the car door so hard it sounded like a thunderclap.
He got into the back seat with us and shook his head as if he were disappointed. He said, “Run off again, and your kid gets a bullet in the back, Carrie.”
“ Don’t hurt her,” Mama said. “It was my fault.”
“ Of course it was your fault!”
“It was this motherfucker’s fault,” Heddy said, putting the car into gear and turning it around slowly in the low grass of the field.
Daddy just sat there. Crow said to him, leaning over the seat, “You try that shit again and I don’t shoot over your head next time. You could have killed us all, a stunt like that. Who do you think you are, Sly Stallone?”
“ I’m bigger than him.”
“ The hell you are!” Crow took his fist and knocked Daddy in the back of the head. “You’re bigger’n me too, but I’ve got the gun, you fucking pig!”
“ You keep hitting me and
Then I knew Daddy wasn’t shot and he wasn’t dead. He’d hit the ground to keep from being shot in the back. And Crow was laughing at how Heddy was trying to claw Daddy’s eyes out. He thought it so funny it almost killed him.
I turned to Mama quick and said, “Mama, Crow wants to take you to bed.”
Her eyes got really round and she said, “Emily, how do you know something like that?” It sounded like she very much disapproved of me saying it.
“ I...I can’t tell you, but that’s what he wants. He’s going to do it too and if he does, Daddy’s going to try to stop him and he’ll get hurt. He may get shot.”
“ How do you know these things, Emily? I have to know how you know.”
“ I...I hear stuff. I hear what people think.”
Mama stared at me like I had grown horns in the top of my head. “I mean it, Mama. I’ve always been able to do it. It’s real weird, but I’m not lying. Like right now, I know you’re thinking ‘She can’t do that. No one can do that. That’s telepathy! There’s no such thing!’”
Mama’s mouth dropped open. “You can read minds! Oh my god.”
“ You have to believe me. Crow’s going to do something to you and if he does, everything’s going to go bad, real bad.”
“ C’mon,” she said, “let’s run.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me out the other side of the car.
It was like Crow read my mind too because he stopped laughing all of a sudden and turned around. He saw us beginning our sprint across the field, Mama pulling me along with her by the hand. He shot at us and just like Daddy, we stopped and we squatted down. I thought I’d heard the whiz of the bullet as it passed us by in the air, but that was imagination, I’m sure. You don’t really hear bullets whiz through the air, that’s for cartoons.
Crow yelled, “Get your asses back in the car!”
Mama was crying, no noise, and just fat tears rolling down her face when we stood up and started for the car. I told her, “Mama, you can’t fight them. If you and Daddy fight them, they’re going to kill you.”
“ I know,” she said.
“ I’ll think of a way to help us,” I said.
“ Oh, baby, Oh Emily, you’re just a little girl,” she said, tears choking her.
“ I mean it, Mama. I’ll think of a way. Didn’t I help you sometimes when Daddy was bad? I found a way of letting you know he was coming home mad. Just don’t fight them.”
I’d led Daddy off into other avenues of thought sometimes when he started getting mad. I’d ask for help with my schoolwork or say there was a phone call for Mama--anything to break his attention to doing harm to my mother. Most of the time it worked. I knew how to get a grown-up’s attention off the track and onto something else.
Daddy was back at the car with Crow and Heddy. Now Crow was angry. He was so mad it looked like a black cloud had descended over his head. Laughing hadn’t helped him any. He pushed Daddy back into the car and slammed the car door so hard it sounded like a thunderclap.
He got into the back seat with us and shook his head as if he were disappointed. He said, “Run off again, and your kid gets a bullet in the back, Carrie.”
“ Don’t hurt her,” Mama said. “It was my fault.”
“ Of course it was your fault!”
“It was this motherfucker’s fault,” Heddy said, putting the car into gear and turning it around slowly in the low grass of the field.
Daddy just sat there. Crow said to him, leaning over the seat, “You try that shit again and I don’t shoot over your head next time. You could have killed us all, a stunt like that. Who do you think you are, Sly Stallone?”
“ I’m bigger than him.”
“ The hell you are!” Crow took his fist and knocked Daddy in the back of the head. “You’re bigger’n me too, but I’ve got the gun, you fucking pig!”
“ You keep hitting me and
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