The house was dark,cold and quiet as death when Patty woke. Kenny was nuzzled to her and sleepily opened his eyes. She washed and changed him knowing what to do after watching the women from the stairs during this past month. Kenny was hungry and heavy. His pink cheeks lifted as he smiled at his sister.
Kenny was crawling on the kitchen floor picking at crumbs and watching his sister. She climbed up the counter to reach the cereal her mom had brought home last night. She grabbed the box and tumbled backward to the floor. Kenny crawled over and shook the box while Patty lay there hoping to get her breathe back.
There was a banging at the door. No- he must have come back to hurt them some more. She grabbed Kenny and held him really close and ssshed him in his ear. Sensing fear they both held their breath as the knocking changed from the front door to the back. Both kids curled up as small as they could and squeezed under the sink. Now there was pounding at both doors. Had her father brought someone else to help him now that there were two kids? Where was her mom and gran?
The glass over the handle of the back door smashed in, and the door was unlocked. All Patty could see from under the sink were heavy black shoes. They were coming closer to their hiding spot. Kenny squirmed out of her arms and crawled out from underneath. Two large hands reached down and swung her brother away from the floor. Kenny giggled and began to say da. Patty's heart dropped to the bottom of her feet and she pushed even further to the wall behind the sink pipes.
Shivering in her underwear she held her breath. The man began walking around the house calling out "Hello- anybody here?" He headed up the stairs to the second floor and Patty snuck out the back door cutting her hands and feet on the broken glass. She ran to her hiding spot in the woods and peered out from the lilac bushes that ended their blooming season before Patty had been brought here.
Watching she saw a tall man enter the back door. So there were two of them in the house now. Then she saw the first man with Kenny come out and the two took him around to the front of the house. She didn't know what to do so she just hid there until the sun was warm on her back.
Patty risked going into the house. The sun was high in the sky and her tummy rumbled. She was tired thirsty and hungry. Her bloody hands and feet had caked with mud and dirt. She remembered the broken glass on the floor and this time she pushed the slivers of glass away with an evergreen branch from the woods.
She hungrily gobbled some cookies with crumbs falling on her as she went to the sink to drink some water. She knew she would be in trouble for eating Grams cookies. Maybe she could claim that Kenny had eaten them, or the men had taken them. Her feet started to bleed again as she went up to wash. She was supposed to go to school but without Gram she didn't know the way.
She went to the bathroom and plugged the tub. The water was warm and soothing after the first shock of the cuts getting wet. Patty laid back and let the water flow over her. She washed her hair with the soap Mrs. Berly had given her even though Gram had taken it from her. Too bad Gram and mom had left her so what else could she do? She grabbed the towel her mom used on Kenny and dried herself. She could smell her mom and Kenny in that towel as she dried her tears.
The knocking began slowly almost quietly. It grew in stature as no one answered it. Finally a voice called out, Patty? It wasn't her mom or gram but she had heard that voice before. "Patty?"
It was Mrs. Berly. Patty pulled on yesterdays clothes and jammed her damp feet into the shoes and went downstairs to the door. She wondered if she should open it or just run away. Too late to make decision, Mrs. Berly was looking in the window and saw Patty. She went back to the front door and twisted the knob. It turned and she opened the door. Patty just stared at her. The clean scent of her wafted into the room as she came closer. She knelt down and looked at Patty and shook her head. Patty watched a tear run down her check.
She smiled and asked if Patty had eaten anything today.
They went into the kitchen and Mrs.Berly looked for food. She found the fallen cereal box, saw a bowl on the counter and poured out the food. She went to the refrigerator and got out some milk. In the sink were dirty glasses, her teacher began cleaning them. She gave Patty the first clean one and poured out the milk.
Patty ate with abandon. Someone actually cared enough to give her food.
SLIM TO NONE CONTINUING
It was starting to get dark. Patty had slept after Mrs. Berly left. The old house creaked and moaned. She hadn't gone to school and there was still no one to tell her where mom or gran or Kenny or even her father had gone. She cried. Why did everyone hate her? Why did everyone forget she even existed?
The knock started slowly, quietly like before. Patty peeked out of the window. Mrs. Berly and a tall man were standing at the door. Panic set in. Something must have happened to her family. Patty ran to the back door and quietly opened it and slipped out to the woods in the back. She lay down on the ground and watched the house through the lilacs. They must have gone into the house because the lights flicked on. Patty was so involved watching she didn't hear the monster until he pulled her up by her hair. His smell undeniable, his growl guttural. His form blended in with the trees and bushes.
"So who are you hiding from cunt?"
His gaze turned toward the house and he watched as people went past the lit windows. A police car pulled up with its lights flashing. Mrs. Berly came out on the back steps and stared out into the backyard.
"Whose that bitch?" "What did you do to your mom and your gran?"
Patty was in shock, she just couldn't answer and he promptly threw her to the ground. The motion must have attracted Mrs. Berly. The last thing Patty remembered was running toward the voice that was calling to her.
The morning sun broke the darkness and Patty rubbed her eyes. She had no idea where she was. There were white gauzy curtains on the windows. Patty was covered with a print rose quilt. It smelled of roses. She pulled the quilt up around her face and closed her eyes. Did she die? Was she in heaven? Her body didn't hurt so her father must have run away. Curious, Patty sat up and saw the prettiest room ever. The walls were pale pink in the dawn light. There was a bed and a chest. The rocking chair had a Pippi Longstocking doll posed and staring right at Patty.
There was a gentle tapping at the door before it opened and Mrs. Berly was standing and smiling. The smile and the sun chased away the night before and Patty shyly returned the smile.