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"You . . . you bit him in the face." |
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"Oh God . . . that's why there's blood on me. What's going to happen to me?" His voice was small. |
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"You're going to need medical help, hon. You're having some kind of spells that are causing you to . . . lose control. We'll talk to Dr. Tojian. But you're going to have to have help. You're going to have to cooperate so that we can make you better." |
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He looked at the stuffed animal with the foolish, big-toothed grin. "I miss Daisy." |
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She had been gone for the last three days. "She'll be back, I'm sure," Terry said, although she was convinced that the cat had gotten run over someplace. |
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"No, she won't," he said, his voice cracking. "She used to come up here and lick my face and sleep with me." He closed his eyes again and the tears ran down his cheeks. "She'll never come back." |
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"She might have gotten lost." |
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"If she doesn't come back, we'll get another one." |
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A moment of silence, then in a trembly voice he said, "Mom, I don't want to be bad, I don't want to do these things . . ." |
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He shook his head. "I'm weird. I'm a sicko. Everybody says so, that's why she's gone. She's afraid of me. Everybody is. I do these bad things" |
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"Matty, stop saying that. You have a medical problem we're going to take care of." |
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She made an effort to pull him toward her, but suddenly he stiffened and sat up. "I can feel them." He was staring into the black. |
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"The animals. Raccoons, squirrels, dogs. It's like I can tell what they're feeling, when they're afraid . . . I can smell them, inside my head . . ." |
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"Matty, what are you talking about?" |
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"I mean, I can get inside them, their heads, and . . . and I know they know it." He was still staring off into the black trees. "It's like sometimes I think I'm like them, one of them . . ." |
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Terry was nearly giddy with fright. "No, you're not, Matthew, and stop talking that way." |
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