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“Hmmm?” She looked around at Emma, at first not even sure where they were. Then she saw she
was holding a basketball. Okay, the backyard. They were playing HORSE.
“I asked if you wanted to play Scrabble with me and my mom, because this is totally boring.”
“You’re winning, right?”
“Duh! All three games. Are you here at all?”
“Sorry, I’m just worried about my momo. Scrabble sounds good.” It sounded great, in fact. Emma
and her mom were the slowest Scrabble players in the known universe, and would have shit large
bricks if anyone had suggested playing with a timer. This would give Abra plenty of opportunity to
continue minimizing her presence here. Barry was sick but he wasn’t dead, and if he got wise to the
fact that Abra was performing a kind of telepathic ventriloquism, the results could be very bad. He
might figure out where she really was.
Not much longer. Pretty soon they’ll all come together. God, please let it go okay.
While Emma cleared the crap off the table in the downstairs rec room and Mrs. Deane set up the
board, Abra excused herself to use the toilet. She did need to go, but first she made a quick detour
into the living room and peeked out the bow window. Billy’s truck was parked across the street. He
saw the curtains twitch and flashed her a thumbs-up. Abra returned the gesture. Then the small part
of her that was here went to the bathroom while the rest of her sat in the cab of The Helen Rivington.
We’ll eat our picnic, pick up our trash, watch the sunset, and then we’ll go back.
(eat our picnic, pick up our trash, watch the sunset, and then)
Something unpleasant and unexpected broke into her thoughts, and hard enough to snap her head
back. A man and two women. The man had an eagle on his back, and both women had tramp stamps.
Abra could see the tattoos because they were having naked sex beside a pool while stupid old disco
music played. The women were letting out a lot of fake moans. What in hell had she stumbled across?
The shock of what those people were doing destroyed her delicate balancing act, and for a moment
Abra was all in one place, all here. Cautiously, she looked again, and saw the people by the pool were
all blurry. Not real. Almost ghostie people. And why? Because Barry was almost a ghostie person
himself and had no interest in watching people have sex by the—
Those people aren’t by a pool, they’re on TV.
Did Barry the Chink know she was watching him watch some porno TV show? Him and the
others? Abra wasn’t sure, but she didn’t think so. They had taken the possibility into account, though.
Oh, yes. If she was there, they were trying to shock her into going away, or into revealing herself, or
both.
“Abra?” Emma called. “We’re ready to play!”
We’re playing already, and it’s a much bigger game than Scrabble.
She had to get her balance back, and quickly. Never mind the porno TV with the crappy disco
music. She was in the little train. She was driving the little train. It was her special treat. She was
having fun.
We’re going to eat, we’re going to pick up our trash, we’re going to watch the sunset, and then we’re going to
go back. I’m afraid of the woman in the hat but not too afraid, because I’m not home, I’m going to Cloud Gap
with my dad.
“Abra! Did you fall in?”
“Coming!” she called. “Just want to wash my hands!”
I’m with my dad. I’m with my dad, and that’s all.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Abra whispered, “Hold that thought.”
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