younger than I expected!"
"You did not take
your dirty shoes off!" Evelyn frowned. "What am I to do with a dirty
son?" She produced a rag and scrubbed the corner of the table. "Just
stand right there. We can't have you making a mess. Who is that you brought
with you?"
"My name is
Kit."
"You are just as
filthy as my son. No. You are worse. All girls are dirty things. No matter how
much we clean, we are still dirty. Yes."
"Mom, I came over
to visit for a bit before I leave again," Timothy said.
"If you were going
to visit, you should have cleaned yourself."
"I made him come,"
Kit said. She shifted her feet under the gaze of Evelyn's steady hazel eyes.
"I thought he should talk with you before we go."
"Go. Where are you
going? Where is there to go? There is only one place to go. We all go
there." Evelyn folded the rag and laid it on the table.
"He promised to
take me home." Kit's ears pushed against her scarf.
"Promise? Promise!
He made a promise to you. To take you home." Evelyn quivered. "He
will break that promise. We all break our promises, broken words. There is only
one place to go. Death. Dust. Dirt."
"Evelyn,"
Timothy said.
"Promise. He died.
We all die. Only dirt to go." Timothy's mother thrust a boney finger.
"You." She turned the finger on Kit. "And you."
She jabbed the finger
at one of the empty dinner placements. "And you. Why did you? You
promised! Just words. You left me alone. Words. My son will also leave you,
child. He cannot but break his promises. Only promising to die is true. He
promised to always stay with me. Words, empty. Dust."
"Evelyn…Mom, I
didn't—"
"Sinful boy. We
are all dirt. Made from dirt, we return to dirt. Dirt is death. Dirt is a
broken promise! Lowered into dirt forever. Why did you promise!" Evelyn
shouted at the empty chair. "He left me. My boy left me. I am alone."
"I am here,
Mom."
"Who are you to
me? To break word like he did. Always. Only death is always. He left me! You
left me! You take him from me!" Evelyn clawed Kit's hair.
Kit's eyes saucered as
she pulled back from the woman. Evelyn's fingers caught the headscarf's knot.
The scarf fluttered to
the floor.
Evelyn stiffened, her
gaze on Kit's ears. The woman shrieked. Kit's ears clamped to her head.
"Demon!"
Evelyn scrambled toward
the crisp bed. She huddled in the corner between the wall and the bed, her hand
wiping at the air between them as if to clean what her eyes beheld.
Timothy bent to
retrieve the headscarf and handed it to Kit. "This is why I didn't want to
see her."
Kit grimaced and tied
her scarf. "Let's just go."
Timothy closed the
door. He wanted to slam it.
"I…I'm sorry I made
you go see her. I didn't know." Kit finished knotting the scarf.
Aunt Mae rounded the
turn at the far end of the hall. "I am afraid she has demons only she and
God can face together. I haven't heard her like that since the night we found
her outside. I had hoped a visit would help her state." Aunt Mae shook her
head. "I am truly sorry, Timothy. Had I known, I would have spared you.
She has spoken only of you these last several months."
"She was always
like that?" Kit asked.
"Evelyn was never
in her right mind, deary. Well, she has lucid moments. Some days she is even
somewhat normal. Ever since Sister Marge left for heaven, Evelyn has been like
this. They were close, as close as Evelyn can be with anyone." Aunt Mae
looked at the polished door. "God works in mysterious ways. We cannot see
His purpose sometimes. Those lucid days give me hope. I'm sorry, deary."
She wrapped Timothy and
Kit in a warm, motherly hug. "You did turn out to be a fine man. I never
thought I would have a son, but you are that to me, Timothy. You are a blessing
God decided to trust me with. You are a good man." She cast a look at the
door. "Who keeps his promises."
Timothy felt a single
hot tear slide down his cheek.
"Too good a man,
if you ask me." Kit punched his arm. "It wouldn't hurt if you were a
little less calm all the
"You did not take
your dirty shoes off!" Evelyn frowned. "What am I to do with a dirty
son?" She produced a rag and scrubbed the corner of the table. "Just
stand right there. We can't have you making a mess. Who is that you brought
with you?"
"My name is
Kit."
"You are just as
filthy as my son. No. You are worse. All girls are dirty things. No matter how
much we clean, we are still dirty. Yes."
"Mom, I came over
to visit for a bit before I leave again," Timothy said.
"If you were going
to visit, you should have cleaned yourself."
"I made him come,"
Kit said. She shifted her feet under the gaze of Evelyn's steady hazel eyes.
"I thought he should talk with you before we go."
"Go. Where are you
going? Where is there to go? There is only one place to go. We all go
there." Evelyn folded the rag and laid it on the table.
"He promised to
take me home." Kit's ears pushed against her scarf.
"Promise? Promise!
He made a promise to you. To take you home." Evelyn quivered. "He
will break that promise. We all break our promises, broken words. There is only
one place to go. Death. Dust. Dirt."
"Evelyn,"
Timothy said.
"Promise. He died.
We all die. Only dirt to go." Timothy's mother thrust a boney finger.
"You." She turned the finger on Kit. "And you."
She jabbed the finger
at one of the empty dinner placements. "And you. Why did you? You
promised! Just words. You left me alone. Words. My son will also leave you,
child. He cannot but break his promises. Only promising to die is true. He
promised to always stay with me. Words, empty. Dust."
"Evelyn…Mom, I
didn't—"
"Sinful boy. We
are all dirt. Made from dirt, we return to dirt. Dirt is death. Dirt is a
broken promise! Lowered into dirt forever. Why did you promise!" Evelyn
shouted at the empty chair. "He left me. My boy left me. I am alone."
"I am here,
Mom."
"Who are you to
me? To break word like he did. Always. Only death is always. He left me! You
left me! You take him from me!" Evelyn clawed Kit's hair.
Kit's eyes saucered as
she pulled back from the woman. Evelyn's fingers caught the headscarf's knot.
The scarf fluttered to
the floor.
Evelyn stiffened, her
gaze on Kit's ears. The woman shrieked. Kit's ears clamped to her head.
"Demon!"
Evelyn scrambled toward
the crisp bed. She huddled in the corner between the wall and the bed, her hand
wiping at the air between them as if to clean what her eyes beheld.
Timothy bent to
retrieve the headscarf and handed it to Kit. "This is why I didn't want to
see her."
Kit grimaced and tied
her scarf. "Let's just go."
Timothy closed the
door. He wanted to slam it.
"I…I'm sorry I made
you go see her. I didn't know." Kit finished knotting the scarf.
Aunt Mae rounded the
turn at the far end of the hall. "I am afraid she has demons only she and
God can face together. I haven't heard her like that since the night we found
her outside. I had hoped a visit would help her state." Aunt Mae shook her
head. "I am truly sorry, Timothy. Had I known, I would have spared you.
She has spoken only of you these last several months."
"She was always
like that?" Kit asked.
"Evelyn was never
in her right mind, deary. Well, she has lucid moments. Some days she is even
somewhat normal. Ever since Sister Marge left for heaven, Evelyn has been like
this. They were close, as close as Evelyn can be with anyone." Aunt Mae
looked at the polished door. "God works in mysterious ways. We cannot see
His purpose sometimes. Those lucid days give me hope. I'm sorry, deary."
She wrapped Timothy and
Kit in a warm, motherly hug. "You did turn out to be a fine man. I never
thought I would have a son, but you are that to me, Timothy. You are a blessing
God decided to trust me with. You are a good man." She cast a look at the
door. "Who keeps his promises."
Timothy felt a single
hot tear slide down his cheek.
"Too good a man,
if you ask me." Kit punched his arm. "It wouldn't hurt if you were a
little less calm all the
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