everywhere—with the pounding.
Is that Angelo holding me? With every ounce of her strength, she pushed at the pressure that was smothering her—at the descending black umbrella. The shiny material gave way to the pressure. It molded itself around her. She couldn’t breathe. Someone was screaming. Who screamed? Did I scream? She lunged forward, trying to get out of the boat.
“Hey! Be careful!” Was that Jake?
I have to get out of here! This is a bad place. Someone was pulling her shirt. “Let me go!”
The boat rocked violently.
A loud, deep voice penetrated the darkness. “SIT DOWN IN THE BOAT! DO NOT ROCK THE BOAT! SIT DOWN IN THE BOAT! DO NOT ROCK THE BOAT!”
The pounding stopped. The flames vanished. Nothing was real. Where was she?
The shadow people. There they are. Up there—up on the bank—standing—watching—watching me in the brown river. So comfortable. So at peace. In the warm brown water. It will be okay now. I’ll be okay. This was the place where nothing could hurt her. The place where, thirteen years ago, a terrified two-year-old had forged the path to a better reality.
* * *
Angelo’s embrace completely encompassed the girl in his arms as the boat rounded two more curves and then shot out into the sunlight. Anna Mae, her face against his chest, was strangely quiet. She didn’t seem to be frightened anymore. The ride supervisor, a burly man in a wet shirt, grabbed the side of the boat to stabilize it. He shook his head and grumbled, “That’s the last time you kids get on this ride. Don’t come back.”
As soon as the supervisor tied the boat, Angelo helped Anna Mae onto the dock. He led her to the bench where they had been sitting before the ride. She sat down primly, smiling at him as he sat beside her.
“Well,” said Jake, who stood nearby holding Debbie’s hand, “she sure did get over that fast. What the hell happened in there?”
Before Angelo could respond, Tom said, “I always thought there was something weird about her.”
Debbie shook loose of Jake’s hand. “She’s not weird! She has some problems at home. Big problems.”
Laura began fussing with the mass of red curls that refused to stay on top of her head. “I know,” she said in her most compassionate voice while struggling with a huge hair-clip. “I keep trying to help her come out of her shell. Sometimes it works. Sometimes she gets mad at me.”
“What was she screaming about?” asked Tom.
“Beats me,” said Jake. “Scared me half to death.”
Laura gave up on her hair and let it fall carelessly to her shoulders as Debbie sat beside Anna Mae and handed her the now soiled Teddy Bear.
“Poor Teddy,” Anna Mae said, “How’d he get so dirty?”
Debbie frowned. “He fell into the bottom of the boat.”
Anna Mae turned the bear around in her hands. “Are you giving him to me?”
With a bewildered glance at Angelo, Debbie said to Anna Mae, “Don’t you know he’s yours?”
Anna Mae smiled at her friend, hugged the bear, and said, “Thank you.”
Angelo frowned at Debbie and shook his head. “Leave it alone, Deb. She’s just upset. She’ll be okay. She just needs a few minutes to herself.”
“But…”
“I said she’s okay!”
“Really. I’m fine.”
“But…”
“You go ahead,” said Angelo. “I’ll stay here with her.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Debbie walked away to join the others who had wandered up the path.
She waited for her friends, she watched the groups of boisterous teenagers, smiled at the young couples holding hands, and wistfully gazed at entire families with grandparents and babies. Finally, Debbie and Laura emerged from the crowd. Like Anna Mae, they wore navy blue shorts and white T-shirts, with Warrenvale High displayed tied into a bright pile on top of her head. Anna Mae touched the long blond braid falling over her left shoulder, thinking the style was outdated. She wished she had let her hair hang loose.
Is that Angelo holding me? With every ounce of her strength, she pushed at the pressure that was smothering her—at the descending black umbrella. The shiny material gave way to the pressure. It molded itself around her. She couldn’t breathe. Someone was screaming. Who screamed? Did I scream? She lunged forward, trying to get out of the boat.
“Hey! Be careful!” Was that Jake?
I have to get out of here! This is a bad place. Someone was pulling her shirt. “Let me go!”
The boat rocked violently.
A loud, deep voice penetrated the darkness. “SIT DOWN IN THE BOAT! DO NOT ROCK THE BOAT! SIT DOWN IN THE BOAT! DO NOT ROCK THE BOAT!”
The pounding stopped. The flames vanished. Nothing was real. Where was she?
The shadow people. There they are. Up there—up on the bank—standing—watching—watching me in the brown river. So comfortable. So at peace. In the warm brown water. It will be okay now. I’ll be okay. This was the place where nothing could hurt her. The place where, thirteen years ago, a terrified two-year-old had forged the path to a better reality.
* * *
Angelo’s embrace completely encompassed the girl in his arms as the boat rounded two more curves and then shot out into the sunlight. Anna Mae, her face against his chest, was strangely quiet. She didn’t seem to be frightened anymore. The ride supervisor, a burly man in a wet shirt, grabbed the side of the boat to stabilize it. He shook his head and grumbled, “That’s the last time you kids get on this ride. Don’t come back.”
As soon as the supervisor tied the boat, Angelo helped Anna Mae onto the dock. He led her to the bench where they had been sitting before the ride. She sat down primly, smiling at him as he sat beside her.
“Well,” said Jake, who stood nearby holding Debbie’s hand, “she sure did get over that fast. What the hell happened in there?”
Before Angelo could respond, Tom said, “I always thought there was something weird about her.”
Debbie shook loose of Jake’s hand. “She’s not weird! She has some problems at home. Big problems.”
Laura began fussing with the mass of red curls that refused to stay on top of her head. “I know,” she said in her most compassionate voice while struggling with a huge hair-clip. “I keep trying to help her come out of her shell. Sometimes it works. Sometimes she gets mad at me.”
“What was she screaming about?” asked Tom.
“Beats me,” said Jake. “Scared me half to death.”
Laura gave up on her hair and let it fall carelessly to her shoulders as Debbie sat beside Anna Mae and handed her the now soiled Teddy Bear.
“Poor Teddy,” Anna Mae said, “How’d he get so dirty?”
Debbie frowned. “He fell into the bottom of the boat.”
Anna Mae turned the bear around in her hands. “Are you giving him to me?”
With a bewildered glance at Angelo, Debbie said to Anna Mae, “Don’t you know he’s yours?”
Anna Mae smiled at her friend, hugged the bear, and said, “Thank you.”
Angelo frowned at Debbie and shook his head. “Leave it alone, Deb. She’s just upset. She’ll be okay. She just needs a few minutes to herself.”
“But…”
“I said she’s okay!”
“Really. I’m fine.”
“But…”
“You go ahead,” said Angelo. “I’ll stay here with her.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Debbie walked away to join the others who had wandered up the path.
She waited for her friends, she watched the groups of boisterous teenagers, smiled at the young couples holding hands, and wistfully gazed at entire families with grandparents and babies. Finally, Debbie and Laura emerged from the crowd. Like Anna Mae, they wore navy blue shorts and white T-shirts, with Warrenvale High displayed tied into a bright pile on top of her head. Anna Mae touched the long blond braid falling over her left shoulder, thinking the style was outdated. She wished she had let her hair hang loose.
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