delicious to dogs. But Toby can't eat that kind. It upsets his stomach."
"I know a guy who ate it."
"A human? Goodness." The woman wrinkled her nose. She hung up the dishtowel and sat down at the table where her mug of tea was waiting. "Why would a person do that?"
"It was a kid. He was just little."
"Oh. Poor little thing. He didn't realize it was dog food, I suppose. Parents have to be so careful. They have to keep a close eye on very little ones. I saw in a catalogue that there is a special latch that you can put on the cupboard under the sink. You know where I keep the cleaning things?" She pointed. "If a toddler got into that cupboard, he might try to take a nibble of Comet, or a sip of ammonia!"
"That's dumb. It would taste terrible."
She chuckled. "But you said you knew of a little one who tasted dog food! I wouldn't think that would be so delicious!"
John didn't laugh. "His father made him do it," he said.
"His father? I don't understand."
"He was bad."
"Who was bad, the father?"
"No, the boy, stupid!" John glared at her.
"But—?"
"He was running around the house naked, see. He was just out of the bathtub. He was only little. Three, maybe."
The woman smiled. "That doesn't sound bad. It sounds very sweet."
"Shut up!"
"John," she said to him, "what's wrong?"
"He was running around with no clothes on and he peed on the floor! Like a dog! Like a stupid dog! It was bad! And so the father rubbed his face in it, because that's what you do with dogs!"
"John?"
"I said SHUT UP!"
The boy's face was contorted. "It hurt him. When the father rubbed his face on the floor, it really hurt him. But he didn't cry. He never cries. Cry and you get hit."
The woman nodded, watching him.
"And then the father said that if he was acting like a dog, he had to eat dog food. And that's what they gave him for dinner. That canned stuff. They put it in a bowl on the floor and told him to eat like a dog."
"Who is they, John? I thought you were talking about a father."
"Well, there was a mother too, stupid! She put the bowl on the floor. He told her to! The father told her to, and she did!"
The woman nodded. "The poor little boy," she said.
"No, the dumb little boy! And bad! It was his own fault! And then he wouldn't eat the dog food."
"Of course he wouldn't."
"So he didn't get anything to eat that night. And in the morning, when it was time for breakfast, think there were Cheerios or anything?"
"No. I think I know what happened."
"He was so stupid he thought there would be Cheerios! But it was the same dog food. And for lunch, same dog food, and for dinner, same dog food, and he was only little, and hungry, and finally he ate it! And his father laughed at him!
"'Ha ha ha!'" The little boy imitated harsh laughter. He rocked back and forth in his chair and kicked his legs against it.
"And his mother? I bet his mother didn't laugh, did she?"
His rocking subsided and he leaned forward. "No. She cried, and got hit," he said in a low voice. "She always got hit."
Finished with his breakfast, Toby padded over to the table where the two were sitting. He gazed up at John.
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, STUPID?" The boy jumped from his chair, overturning it so that it fell against the wall and knocked a small potted geranium from the windowsill onto the floor. Then he ran from the room.
The woman sat silently at the table. She thought about the coming holiday weekend, Labor Day, and what she had planned to tell the boy: that school was about to start.
24
"It's coming back tonight. I can feel it." Littlest shuddered and looked up at Thin Elderly. They had just slid in under the door.
Thin Elderly stood poised, listening and feeling. "Yes," he told her. "The air is tainted. They're on the way."
"They?" Littlest asked in a worried voice.
"Yes. More than one. Shhh." Thin Elderly tilted his head and she could feel that he was holding his breath. After a moment he turned to her. "Smell that?" he asked.
Nervously she sniffed.
"I know a guy who ate it."
"A human? Goodness." The woman wrinkled her nose. She hung up the dishtowel and sat down at the table where her mug of tea was waiting. "Why would a person do that?"
"It was a kid. He was just little."
"Oh. Poor little thing. He didn't realize it was dog food, I suppose. Parents have to be so careful. They have to keep a close eye on very little ones. I saw in a catalogue that there is a special latch that you can put on the cupboard under the sink. You know where I keep the cleaning things?" She pointed. "If a toddler got into that cupboard, he might try to take a nibble of Comet, or a sip of ammonia!"
"That's dumb. It would taste terrible."
She chuckled. "But you said you knew of a little one who tasted dog food! I wouldn't think that would be so delicious!"
John didn't laugh. "His father made him do it," he said.
"His father? I don't understand."
"He was bad."
"Who was bad, the father?"
"No, the boy, stupid!" John glared at her.
"But—?"
"He was running around the house naked, see. He was just out of the bathtub. He was only little. Three, maybe."
The woman smiled. "That doesn't sound bad. It sounds very sweet."
"Shut up!"
"John," she said to him, "what's wrong?"
"He was running around with no clothes on and he peed on the floor! Like a dog! Like a stupid dog! It was bad! And so the father rubbed his face in it, because that's what you do with dogs!"
"John?"
"I said SHUT UP!"
The boy's face was contorted. "It hurt him. When the father rubbed his face on the floor, it really hurt him. But he didn't cry. He never cries. Cry and you get hit."
The woman nodded, watching him.
"And then the father said that if he was acting like a dog, he had to eat dog food. And that's what they gave him for dinner. That canned stuff. They put it in a bowl on the floor and told him to eat like a dog."
"Who is they, John? I thought you were talking about a father."
"Well, there was a mother too, stupid! She put the bowl on the floor. He told her to! The father told her to, and she did!"
The woman nodded. "The poor little boy," she said.
"No, the dumb little boy! And bad! It was his own fault! And then he wouldn't eat the dog food."
"Of course he wouldn't."
"So he didn't get anything to eat that night. And in the morning, when it was time for breakfast, think there were Cheerios or anything?"
"No. I think I know what happened."
"He was so stupid he thought there would be Cheerios! But it was the same dog food. And for lunch, same dog food, and for dinner, same dog food, and he was only little, and hungry, and finally he ate it! And his father laughed at him!
"'Ha ha ha!'" The little boy imitated harsh laughter. He rocked back and forth in his chair and kicked his legs against it.
"And his mother? I bet his mother didn't laugh, did she?"
His rocking subsided and he leaned forward. "No. She cried, and got hit," he said in a low voice. "She always got hit."
Finished with his breakfast, Toby padded over to the table where the two were sitting. He gazed up at John.
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, STUPID?" The boy jumped from his chair, overturning it so that it fell against the wall and knocked a small potted geranium from the windowsill onto the floor. Then he ran from the room.
The woman sat silently at the table. She thought about the coming holiday weekend, Labor Day, and what she had planned to tell the boy: that school was about to start.
24
"It's coming back tonight. I can feel it." Littlest shuddered and looked up at Thin Elderly. They had just slid in under the door.
Thin Elderly stood poised, listening and feeling. "Yes," he told her. "The air is tainted. They're on the way."
"They?" Littlest asked in a worried voice.
"Yes. More than one. Shhh." Thin Elderly tilted his head and she could feel that he was holding his breath. After a moment he turned to her. "Smell that?" he asked.
Nervously she sniffed.
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