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him off from the wild symphony. But it hadn't. It was all backthe wordless needs and hungers and fears. |
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He pranced through the woods. In minutes he was at the base of TopTree. He had run much of the way with his eyes closed, maneuvering around the trees and over hummocks and deadfalls as if following a light-up map on the inside of his forehead. He had once seen a show about whales and other migrating animals who would return thousands of miles to their breeding grounds. Maybe he had developed a similar kind of power. |
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He shimmied up the tree. Because of the thick shade and overcast sky, the air was cool and dim. He removed the futon from its waterproof bag and spread it out on the floorboards. The dry planks creaked as he stretched himself out on it. Above him, new leaves made a dappled canopy in green and white. He could taste the greenness on his tongue. And the wet earth . . . the cardamom scent of flowers . . . licorice barks and musky fungus . . . and under it all, like bad thought, the smell . . . of kerosene that filled the Coleman lamp. |
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In the dayroom of McLean's there was a fat brown rabbit in a small mesh cage on a windowsill. Its name was Jazzy and it spent most of its time plopped on shredded newspaper in a corner by a bowl of green food pellets. The other kids didn't pay it much attention, its novelty having worn off after a day or two. Besides, the animal didn't do anything but eat and sleep. It wasn't allowed out of its cage for fear it might get loose in the building or be attacked by one of the more fit-prone residents. |
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One afternoon during a break from the battery of tests, Matty made friends with Jazzy, but not in the ordinary sense. It happened on the second day during a medication changeover that left his mind less anesthetized than usual. He was sitting in the playroom reading a Clive Barker "Nightbreed" comic when he had an overpowering sense of being watched. Except for an aide lost in his newspaper at the other end, the dayroom was completely empty. It was a little after lunch, and all the other kids were in class downstairs. But even before he looked across the room, Matty knew the source. Jazzy's face was up against the mesh, one huge pink eye glaring at him. |
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