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that Terry let Matty leave the house. He had said he wanted to take a little walk by himself, that he felt calm and anxiety-free. He just wanted some fresh air. It had been a week, after all. |
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Terry agreed he could go, but only for twenty minutes, and he had to stick to the sidewalks and stay out of the woods. He had a checkup appointment at noon with Dr. Tojian, she reminded him. |
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The morning was overcast, but Matty still wore sunglasses. Perhaps out of habit, he put on a white long-sleeve-shirt, but it was the first open-neck shirt he had worn in months. And through it Terry noticed the gold neck chain with the little locket containing his first baby tooth. Affixed to the chain was a medical emergency tag. |
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Before he left, she handed him two capsules and some water. He popped them in his mouth and told her he'd be back by eleven-thirty. |
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What Matty did not tell her was that for two days he had not swallowed any of his medication. Nor had he let on how he hated all that stuff they had pumped into him. It had dulled him. He missed his mind opening up to hear the thoughts of the woodland creatures. For those days in McLean'sthe el dopey days, he now called themhis brain felt congealed. That was no curejust the opposite. Before they had hauled him off and numbed him, he had never felt more alive. Whatever had gotten into him, he craved more of it. Now after two days reprieve, he felt his old self come back. As he made his way to Jason, he wondered just how far it could go. |
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The streets were deserted because of school. As he strolled down the sidewalk, Magog tugged at him like some huge green magnet. His mother had said explicitly not to go in there, that he was to stick to the street. He had sworn he'd keep away. He felt her eyes at his back as she watched from the window while he strolled down the drive and turned down Jason. But once out of sight, he spit out the capsules she'd given him and cut into the woods. |
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In a moment the cool, green air closed around him. The place was alive with winged things and the hum of furry minds. His fear was that all the medication had permanently damaged his sensitivity, cut |
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