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"You know me," she said, then became silent for a moment. "I cried because . . ." |
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Because it was the night the fairies died. |
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No, the night I killed them. |
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". . . you knew then that it was Dad and I who left the money under the pillow." |
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"I think about that night once in a while," he said, and twined his finger in the chain. |
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It had happened two years ago. He had just turned tena time for all the big questionssex, ghosts, vampires, God, heaven and death. It started with the Tooth Fairy. He had found the jewelry box in his mother's closet and began the interrogation. Without stopping, he pursued the logical consequences of his discovery, pumping Terry until she had a full-fledged massacre on her hands. The Easter Bunny fell next when Matty demanded to know if it was Terry and Calvin who hid the colored eggs around the backyard and who left the big basket filled with all sorts of wonderful trinkets and sugared delights. In the dark of his room, lying beside him on the bed, Terry confessed, that it was Mom and Dad. And, yes, all those presents under the Christmas tree, too. "But what about the glass of milk and the chocolate chip cookies and the carrots for the reindeer? And how about the footprints around the fireplace? Those, too." |
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Those, too. And in a wink all the magic had turned to stone. |
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In the dark, Matty had asked, "Mom, are you crying?" |
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She had been torn between letting him go on believing or accepting gray truth. What had finally pushed her to blow out the magic was the thought that at ten he might be a target for ridicule by friends, most of whom were older and scornful of childish makebelieve. What tormented Terry still was the realization that Matty could take such pleasure in pretending, that he did not want to let go. He had cried himself to sleep that night . . . |
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"I wasn't mad or anything. Nobody else believed anyway." |
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Silence fell between them as she stroked the back of his head. |
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"Mom," he said softly after a few moments. "Am I going to die?" |
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The question made her stiffen. "What? No, of course not. Why do you even ask that?" |
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