“The knife is under Mimi’s pillow.”“I can’t do it,” Alan said.“I know,” Brian said. “I will.”And he did. Took the knife. Took the Allen. It cried. Mimi threw up in another room, the sound more felt than heard. The toilet flushed and Brian’s hands were sure and swift, but not sure enough. The Allen made a sound like a dog whistle. Bruce’s hand moved again, and then it was over. He dug a sock out of the hamper and rolled up the Allen’s remains in it. “I’ll bury it,” he said. “In the back.”Numbly, Alan stood and began dressing. “No,” he said. “I will.”Mimi joined them, wrapped in a blanket. Alan dug and Brent held the sock and Mimi watched solemnly.A trapezoid of light knifed across the back garden. They looked up and saw Krishna staring down at them from a third-floor window. He was smiling very slightly. A moment later, Link appeared in the window, reeling like he was drunk, giggling.They all looked at one another for a frozen moment, then Alan turned back to his shoveling. He dug down three feet, and Brent laid the little Allen down in the earth gently as putting it to bed, and Alan filled the hole back up. Mimi looked back up at the window, eyes locked on Krishna’s.“I’m going inside,” Adam announced. “Are you coming?”“Yeah,” Mimi said, but she didn’t. She stayed out there for ten minutes, then twenty, and when Alan looked out his window at her, he saw she was still staring up at Krishna, mesmerized.He loudly opened his window and leaned out. Mimi’s eyes flicked to him, and then she slowly made her way back into the house.She took his pants and his shoes and left him in the park, crying and drunk. All things considered, it had gone well. When Trey told her that he had no idea where her brother was, she believed him. It was okay, she’d find her brother. He had lots of friends.Alan thought that that was the end of the story, maybe. Short and sweet. A kind of lady or the tiger thing. Let the reader’s imagination do the rest.There on the screen, it seemed awfully thin. Here in the house he’d built for it, it seemed awfully unimportant. Such a big and elaborate envelope for such a small thing. He saved the file and went back up to bed. Mimi was asleep, which was good, because he didn’t think he’d be able to fall asleep with her twice that night.He curled up on his side of the bed and closed his eyes and tried to forget the sound the Allen had made.
“The knife is under Mimi’s pillow.”
“I can’t do it,” Alan said.
“I know,” Brian said. “I will.”
And he did. Took the knife. Took the Allen. It cried. Mimi threw up in another room, the sound more felt than heard. The toilet flushed and Brian’s hands were sure and swift, but not sure enough. The Allen made a sound like a dog whistle. Bruce’s hand moved again, and then it was over. He dug a sock out of the hamper and rolled up the Allen’s remains in it. “I’ll bury it,” he said. “In the back.”
Numbly, Alan stood and began dressing. “No,” he said. “I will.”
Mimi joined them, wrapped in a blanket. Alan dug and Brent held the sock and Mimi watched solemnly.
A trapezoid of light knifed across the back garden. They looked up and saw Krishna staring down at them from a third-floor window. He was smiling very slightly. A moment later, Link appeared in the window, reeling like he was drunk, giggling.
They all looked at one another for a frozen moment, then Alan turned back to his shoveling. He dug down three feet, and Brent laid the little Allen down in the earth gently as putting it to bed, and Alan filled the hole back up. Mimi looked back up at the window, eyes locked on Krishna’s.
“I’m going inside,” Adam announced. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah,” Mimi said, but she didn’t. She stayed out there for ten minutes, then twenty, and when Alan looked out his window at her, he saw she was still staring up at Krishna, mesmerized.
He loudly opened his window and leaned out. Mimi’s eyes flicked to him, and then she slowly made her way back into the house.
She took his pants and his shoes and left him in the park, crying and drunk. All things considered, it had gone well. When Trey told her that he had no idea where her brother was, she believed him. It was okay, she’d find her brother. He had lots of friends.
Alan thought that that was the end of the story, maybe. Short and sweet. A kind of lady or the tiger thing. Let the reader’s imagination do the rest.
There on the screen, it seemed awfully thin. Here in the house he’d built for it, it seemed awfully unimportant. Such a big and elaborate envelope for such a small thing. He saved the file and went back up to bed. Mimi was asleep, which was good, because he didn’t think he’d be able to fall asleep with her twice that night.
He curled up on his side of the bed and closed his eyes and tried to forget the sound the Allen had made.