fallen out of Heaven or something, but it looked really cool. Martha laughed when she saw it. I think it was the first time I’d ever heard her laugh. It sounded like Christmas.
“Let’s make some more,” I told Martha.
We lay in the snow next to each other and made our angels. I was going to get up, but Martha took my hand and held it. She was wearing these red mittens they’d found for her, and I could feel her fingers gripping mine through my gloves. We just stayed like that, looking up at the sky while the snow came down. It kept falling, and for a little while it felt like we were flying through space and the snowflakes were stars rushing all around us.
That made me think about the astronauts again, about how the air on Earth smells so bad to them. I took a deep breath and filled my chest with the cold air. It didn’t stink. It smelled great for a change.
Martha and I finally got up and helped the others finish the snowman. We’d brought a carrot for his nose, and Nurse McCutcheon had gotten us two cookies to use for his eyes. Juliet took off the purple scarf she’d found in the clothes closet and wrapped it around the snowman’s neck.
“What are we going to name him?” Sadie asked when he was done.
“How about Frosty?” Juliet suggested.
“Too obvious,” said Sadie. “It should be something unique. Like him.”
“How about Cat Poop,” I said.
Sadie laughed, but Juliet looked confused. “I don’t get it,” she said.
Neither Sadie nor I enlightened her. Sadie’s the only person I’ve told about my special name for the doc, and I kind of like that it’s our secret.
“What about Bone?” said Juliet.
“What about him?” Sadie replied.
“The snowman,” Juliet said. “Why don’t we call him Bone? Or Boney. Like Frosty but different.”
Sadie raised one eyebrow. “Boney the snowman,” she said. “It’s ironic.” She looked at Juliet. “And fucked up. I like it.”
Juliet grinned. Sadie turned to me and Martha. “Are we all in agreement?” she asked.
I nodded, and so did Martha.
“Then Boney it is,” Sadie said. “Welcome to the world, Boney.”
We stood around looking at Boney for a while. Then Juliet started humming. A few seconds later, she started singing to the tune of “Frosty the Snowman.”
“Boney the snowman, was a crazy, whacked-out guy, with tattooed skin and a goofy grin, and he liked to get real high.”
Sadie and I laughed. Then Sadie sang some more.
“There must have been some acid in the soda that he had, ’cause when he went and drank it, it screwed him up real bad.”
“Excellent,” I said, applauding the two of them.
“Your turn,” said Sadie.
I thought hard, trying to remember another verse of the Frosty song. It had been a long time since I’d sung it. It took a moment, but then I sang, badly, “He led them to the psycho ward, right to the dear old doc. And when they asked him what was wrong, he told them . . .” I couldn’t think of how to end it.
“Suck my cock,” Juliet said. “He told them, ‘suck my cock.’”
Sadie turned and high-fived her. It was exactly what Bone would have said. Then all of us threw ourselves into the snow, laughing so hard I was afraid Nurse McCutcheon would think we were having fits. Even Martha did it, although I don’t think she really got why our song was funny.
After that we all went back inside, took off our snowy clothes, and sat in the lounge drinking hot chocolate, just like those goddamn perfect families you see in holiday commercials.
Day 20
I’ve got a little bit of a cold today from being outside in the snow yesterday. That’s okay, though, because it was totally worth it to get out of here for a while. When I looked out the window this morning, I saw Boney still standing in the yard. There was a cardinal sitting on his head, picking at the carrot, and something—probably squirrels—had taken the cookies during the night. But he still looked pretty good. He was still holding
“Let’s make some more,” I told Martha.
We lay in the snow next to each other and made our angels. I was going to get up, but Martha took my hand and held it. She was wearing these red mittens they’d found for her, and I could feel her fingers gripping mine through my gloves. We just stayed like that, looking up at the sky while the snow came down. It kept falling, and for a little while it felt like we were flying through space and the snowflakes were stars rushing all around us.
That made me think about the astronauts again, about how the air on Earth smells so bad to them. I took a deep breath and filled my chest with the cold air. It didn’t stink. It smelled great for a change.
Martha and I finally got up and helped the others finish the snowman. We’d brought a carrot for his nose, and Nurse McCutcheon had gotten us two cookies to use for his eyes. Juliet took off the purple scarf she’d found in the clothes closet and wrapped it around the snowman’s neck.
“What are we going to name him?” Sadie asked when he was done.
“How about Frosty?” Juliet suggested.
“Too obvious,” said Sadie. “It should be something unique. Like him.”
“How about Cat Poop,” I said.
Sadie laughed, but Juliet looked confused. “I don’t get it,” she said.
Neither Sadie nor I enlightened her. Sadie’s the only person I’ve told about my special name for the doc, and I kind of like that it’s our secret.
“What about Bone?” said Juliet.
“What about him?” Sadie replied.
“The snowman,” Juliet said. “Why don’t we call him Bone? Or Boney. Like Frosty but different.”
Sadie raised one eyebrow. “Boney the snowman,” she said. “It’s ironic.” She looked at Juliet. “And fucked up. I like it.”
Juliet grinned. Sadie turned to me and Martha. “Are we all in agreement?” she asked.
I nodded, and so did Martha.
“Then Boney it is,” Sadie said. “Welcome to the world, Boney.”
We stood around looking at Boney for a while. Then Juliet started humming. A few seconds later, she started singing to the tune of “Frosty the Snowman.”
“Boney the snowman, was a crazy, whacked-out guy, with tattooed skin and a goofy grin, and he liked to get real high.”
Sadie and I laughed. Then Sadie sang some more.
“There must have been some acid in the soda that he had, ’cause when he went and drank it, it screwed him up real bad.”
“Excellent,” I said, applauding the two of them.
“Your turn,” said Sadie.
I thought hard, trying to remember another verse of the Frosty song. It had been a long time since I’d sung it. It took a moment, but then I sang, badly, “He led them to the psycho ward, right to the dear old doc. And when they asked him what was wrong, he told them . . .” I couldn’t think of how to end it.
“Suck my cock,” Juliet said. “He told them, ‘suck my cock.’”
Sadie turned and high-fived her. It was exactly what Bone would have said. Then all of us threw ourselves into the snow, laughing so hard I was afraid Nurse McCutcheon would think we were having fits. Even Martha did it, although I don’t think she really got why our song was funny.
After that we all went back inside, took off our snowy clothes, and sat in the lounge drinking hot chocolate, just like those goddamn perfect families you see in holiday commercials.
Day 20
I’ve got a little bit of a cold today from being outside in the snow yesterday. That’s okay, though, because it was totally worth it to get out of here for a while. When I looked out the window this morning, I saw Boney still standing in the yard. There was a cardinal sitting on his head, picking at the carrot, and something—probably squirrels—had taken the cookies during the night. But he still looked pretty good. He was still holding
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