a "thing" I wrote
“Friend of Mya”
Beneath the stairs we hid the box, and then rejoiced. Mya looked to me when the task was complete and I looked back. Both could see the triumph in the other’s eyes. We held hands and pretended to do a little dance, as we have feigned before. Soon my contact called out, “girls, the train is here”. We parted on the platform, as my contact and I boarded the train. Mya and I showed our palms in farewell. The train withdrew from the station and I relaxed into my seat.
“Are you sad… to leave Mya,” my contact asked me.
“No, mother. I am well,” I told her and smiled in a tired manner.
“Don’t worry, we’ll visit her soon. And I know she already misses you, too. Did you see her looking at us, so sad on the platform? She’s a great friend.” She looked to me as though waiting for an answer, but I did not reply. We continued our journey in silence.
After a time, I noticed that our path was now winding through an unfamiliar city. Some on the train seemed to be gathering their possessions. My contact followed their example. She stood and arranged the bags on her vacated seat. I watched calmly as confusion overcame her and she visibly counted them. She then scrambled around our area, looking for one parcel in particular.
Finally she turned to me and demanded, “Where’s your daddy’s present?” When I did not answer she came closer to me. “What did you do with your father’s new cowboy boots?” Again, I did not answer, but I clearly remembered the satisfaction of completing the task of disposal. My face did not betray me, but still she grabbed my arm and lifted me from my seat.
My contact put her face close to mine and whispered savagely, “God! What am I going to do with you? Always something missing, always quiet, always watching, always something odd with you and nobody else sees it! Some days I’d swear you weren’t even my child…” She then gasped and scanned the train car for any who might have seen or overhead her abuse of me. She apologized quickly and efficiently, as anticipated.
Beneath the stairs we hid the box, and then rejoiced. Mya looked to me when the task was complete and I looked back. Both could see the triumph in the other’s eyes. We held hands and pretended to do a little dance, as we have feigned before. Soon my contact called out, “girls, the train is here”. We parted on the platform, as my contact and I boarded the train. Mya and I showed our palms in farewell. The train withdrew from the station and I relaxed into my seat.
“Are you sad… to leave Mya,” my contact asked me.
“No, mother. I am well,” I told her and smiled in a tired manner.
“Don’t worry, we’ll visit her soon. And I know she already misses you, too. Did you see her looking at us, so sad on the platform? She’s a great friend.” She looked to me as though waiting for an answer, but I did not reply. We continued our journey in silence.
After a time, I noticed that our path was now winding through an unfamiliar city. Some on the train seemed to be gathering their possessions. My contact followed their example. She stood and arranged the bags on her vacated seat. I watched calmly as confusion overcame her and she visibly counted them. She then scrambled around our area, looking for one parcel in particular.
Finally she turned to me and demanded, “Where’s your daddy’s present?” When I did not answer she came closer to me. “What did you do with your father’s new cowboy boots?” Again, I did not answer, but I clearly remembered the satisfaction of completing the task of disposal. My face did not betray me, but still she grabbed my arm and lifted me from my seat.
My contact put her face close to mine and whispered savagely, “God! What am I going to do with you? Always something missing, always quiet, always watching, always something odd with you and nobody else sees it! Some days I’d swear you weren’t even my child…” She then gasped and scanned the train car for any who might have seen or overhead her abuse of me. She apologized quickly and efficiently, as anticipated.
posted by Lexa at 5:48 PM
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