Free A Beautiful Truth by Colin McAdam

Visitor meant Ghoul would have to work and not relax with Dave. The Visitor watched while Ghoul named pictures, looked at slides, worked for raisins and coffee till the ache bloomed in his goon. Sometimes there was more than one Visitor and Later Later Later when the window was bigger there were ten, twelve, fifteen of them sitting and watching Ghoul work.
    Visitors could become many different things—a Visitor one day was Julie the next.
    Dave stayed later than everyone sometimes and walked with Ghoul to his bedroom. Sometimes Ghoul took Dave’s cigarettes from his shirt.
    One night in the Hardest before bed Ghoul was saying
    Bedtime swing Ghoul yes yes Dave
    And Dave said
    Visitor.
    Dave went away and came back to the window with a Visitor. She leaned on Dave and looked through the window.
    Ghoul did not want to work.
    Please bedtime swing Ghoul
    And Dave said
    Twizzler.
    Bedtime.
    Later.
    No.
    Dave was talking to the Visitor who was smiling in a way that Ghoul did not like. She smiled at Ghoul too and he felt tired.
    No No No.
    Dave said
    ? Ghoul what colour-of eyes Visitor.
    She was standing at the window, looking to Dave and then intently at Ghoul with big white eyes and Ghoul was too tired totell if she was a friend or a mindling liar. You need to touch and bother someone to see if they like you.
    ? Ghoul what colour-of eyes.
    Please bedtime swing yes Please. Machine make Visitor off.
    The Fool came into the room and took Ghoul by the hand and Ghoul looked over his shoulder at the Visitor and Dave, and they both looked shiny and lucky and stupid.
    She came back another night and Dave made a new picture which meant and sounded like this when he said it:
    Julie.
    And Ghoul was not nice at first.
    One day Dave said
    ? Ghoul what in corner low-down.
    Julie.
    No.? What in corner.
    Julie in corner.
    No.? What dirty thing in corner low-down.
    Ghoul went to the window to look at Dave’s face to see if he was laughing but he wasn’t.
    ? Ghoul what in corner.
    Cockroach in corner.
    Ghoul did not get a raisin and was sorry. When Julie came that night Ghoul said
    Please Julie chase Ghoul.
    She looked at Dave and Dave said
    Ghoul be good. Julie chase Ghoul.
    Visitors were not allowed in the room, so chasing meant Julie had to run from Dave’s window to the new window and all the way around outside to the window where Dave blew smoke rings.
    Julie ran around outside and Ghoul followed her inside andsometimes she would appear at that window and sometimes not and she was happy and good at the game.
    Ghoul said
    Again.
    And they did it again.
    And Ghoul said
    Again.
    And Dave said
    No.
    ? Julie tickle Ghoul.
    No.
    ? Ghoul tickle Julie.
    Later.
    Ghoul felt very happy and now liked Julie, and really liked the picture of tickling Julie, and he squirted white on his leg.
    He squirted white on Julie. Dave came into the room with Julie one night and Ghoul could finally touch her and she smelled like apples.
    He took off her shoes and liked her feet and liked the look of her small teeth.
    He lay on his back with his legs spread to let her tickle his klopsiks but she didn’t.
    The three sat on the floor and Ghoul walked over to her and sat on her lap. Her leg felt warm underneath him. She talked to Dave, and Ghoul stared at her, and she turned and looked at Ghoul for a long time. Then she talked to Dave and had her arm on Ghoul’s lap where she held him and it was warm on his leg and he stared at her teeth and squirted white on her arm.
    They tried to put his cock into Mama later but it was bent and he didn’t want to, and the days were sad and cold.
    Mama wasn’t good at the machine.

    Ghoul had a birthday party. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. There were hats and candles that burned the lips and Mama put lipstick on her face. That night Julie came to the room and gave Ghoul a present: a comb. Ghoul gave Julie kisses on the neck and lips and nuzzled and shnuttled and put his yalamak in her mouth to touch hers. He squirted white on her pink shirt