= Jeffrey's Story
  by Guy Belleranti

Ma's sick, Pa's not here, and I'm scared. I took the people to the old well, but there's lots more they still want to know.

Sheriff Lucas asked me to talk into this machine. I can see its insides going around right now, and after I'm done talking I'll be able to listen to my voice come out of it. Someone will even write down what I said and read it back to me. And, if it sounds right, I can sign the paper they write on. I never learned how to write much, but I can do my name okay.

There's lots I'm mixed up about, but Sheriff Lucas says that's okay, that the more I tell the machine the more I'll remember. Maybe he's right. Ma always says there's nothing wrong with my talking.

I guess I better start with when I went out to the kitchen this morning. I don't got a real big house, but there's enough land to grow food for Ma, Pa and me. Ma makes the best pancakes, and I couldn't figure why Pa wasn't at the table to eat some.

"Where's Pa?" I asked.

Ma looked at me, and her eyes were round and red as the tomatoes we grow. "He had to go into town, Jeffrey. To get some feed for the chickens."

I might not know much, but I sure knew we didn't need any feed for the chickens. I just fed them Monday, and there was plenty of feed left. "I heard Pa yelling last night," I said. "And you crying."

Ma didn't say anything, and I began to get all tight inside. I know I'm supposed to love my Pa, but it scares me when he hits Ma.

"Ma," I asked, "Pa won't come back mean and drinking again, will he?"

"Of course not," she told me.

But she didn't look at me when she said it, and my stomach got so tied up and hurting I wasn't hungry no more.

So I put my dish in the sink where Ma likes, and went and got my hat. Then I ran out past the garden to the chicken coops, with Poxy on my heels.

I guess I haven't told you about Poxy. Ma says she's some sort of border collie. Whatever, she can sure run. I call her Poxy because she's got these spots all over her sort of like chicken pox, only her spots are black.

I got to cleaning up the coops, and Poxy chewed on her big bone. After awhile, I was feeling better. Working hard does that sometimes.

I was hungry and thirsty, too, and I started thinking about a couple apples I'd hid away in the garage in an old box. I told Poxy what I was thinking, but when we got to the garage we couldn't get in. Both the big and little doors had got locked somehow. Maybe Pa had found out about me hiding the apples and had locked things up so I couldn't get at them.

Then I heard tires coming up the dirt lane. Pa! I hid real fast around the side. Poxy came with me.

But it wasn't Pa. It was Ted, the big, black-haired guy who helps around the place sometimes. He's youngish, more Ma's age than Pa's, and he's got a red jeep with a crack in the front window. I don't like him a bit.

I've heard Pa tell him not to park where he'll block the garage, but here he'd gone and done it anyway. I went over to tell him to move, but before I could Ma came out.

She gave me a kiss on the cheek, handed me a few cookies, and asked if I'd done my all chores. I don't like to lie so I didn't say anything, just started back to the coops.

I slipped Poxy a cookie, looked back to be sure Ma hadn't seen, and saw Ted and her over by the small garage door. Ma was unlocking it, and a minute later they both went inside.

I couldn't believe it. Just last week Pa had chased Ted from the house with a shotgun, and now here was Ma letting Ted go in the garage. With her.

I hated Ted even more then, and even Ma a little. And I was scared of what might happen if Pa got home before they came out.

I sure wasn't gonna be anywhere close when he did, and anyway, the cookies had gotten me thirstier, so I went down to where the big pipe runs under the road. There's water in the creek there, and sometimes Poxy and me drink it.

We got drinks, and then Poxy wanted to play. But I didn't. I sat under the big sycamore tree and shut my eyes tight. Ted better leave soon, I thought. Before Pa got home and shot him dead.

I guess I fell asleep, because when I opened my eyes and looked around for Poxy she was gone. I was still looking and calling when Ted's jeep tore by.

I ran up to the house. I still couldn't see Poxy. Or Pa's truck.

I looked over at the garage just as Poxy came running out the small door. She dropped a piece of my old blue blanket on my feet and made dog crying sounds. There was this red-brown stuff on it, and I knew what it was. Dried up blood.

"Ma!" I'm sure I screamed it. I headed for the garage, and all of a sudden Ma was there, and I was putting my arms around her, and she was hugging me back.

"We have to leave, Jeffrey," she said finally.

"You mean go to town?" I asked.

She shook her head, and told me she meant somewhere else. Somewhere safe.

I stared down at her, and said, "I won't let Pa hurt you, Ma. No more I won't."

She backed away a little, and I saw her eyes looked red again, just like at breakfast. "Oh, darling," she said, "it's not Pa I'm afraid of. Oh, how do I tell you this?"

I didn't know what she was talking about. Then I saw the dark spot on her blouse. Just like the spot on the piece of blanket. Blood. She'd been with Ted, and now she was crying. And wanting to go away.

Pa wasn't here. It wasn't Pa she was afraid of.

I turned and started running down the lane. Ma yelled something, but I was gonna run 'til I found Ted, no matter where he was.

Soon I couldn't breathe no more, and I had to stop. Poxy had run with me, and now she was acting sort of strange and sniffing back in the bushes and trees. I went after her and saw something red and shiny. It was Ted's jeep. I could tell by the cracked window.

But I couldn't see Ted anywhere. I started looking around and saw some smashed down plants. That was the way Poxy wanted to go.

I followed after her. Then I heard someone gasping and grunting and saying bad words.

Ted. He was bent over the old well, struggling with something. The rest of my blue blanket.

He turned when he heard me coming, his eyes bugging out as I charged him.

I yelled, "You ain't never gonna hurt Ma again!" and crashed into him as hard as I could. I think he was really surprised. He fell over backwards and into the well. I heard him scream and covered my ears.

I sat there a long time, shaking, holding Poxy real tight while she licked my face. Then we started back to the house. Ma needed me.

We were getting there when Pa's truck came out of the garage. I jumped up and down and waved my arms, and it stopped just in front of me. But only Ma was in it.

When she got out I could see tears coming down her face. I hugged her and hugged her, and figured I better tell her the news right away to make her feel better. "We don't have to go nowhere," I said. "Ted ain't gonna bother you no more. I took care of him."

She pushed away from me, looking kind of funny.

"Ted's in the well, Ma," I said. "The old one where I like to play. He won't hurt you no more."

I thought then Ma would give me a kiss, but her eyes just rolled back in her head and she fell on the ground.

I couldn't get her to wake up, so I ran in the house and used the phone like Pa once showed me. I hit that nine button and the two ones and told the voice that Ma was having an attack, but Poxy was watching out for her. I said Pa still wasn't home and couldn't help me, and that the bad man was in the old well, but I was scared cause I didn't know what I should do for Ma.

And I still don't. I'm scared she's real sick, even if everyone says she isn't.

And I don't get how Ma could've been driving Pa's truck. Pa wouldn't ever walk to town. But he's not home either.

Where is he? And why does everybody just shake their heads and look away when I ask?

Guy Belleranti has been writing since 1993. In 2002 his work has appeared in Woman's World, The Saturday Evening Post, Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine, The Funniest, Guide, Pockets, Mature Living, Capper's, Short Stuff, Mystery Time, BOYS' QUEST, Fun For Kidz, Hopscotch, Wee Ones, On The Line, Nature's Friend, Alive!, and Kidz Chat. Forthcoming short stories are scheduled to appear in Orchard Press Mysteries, Wee Ones, Detective Mystery Stories, Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine, and On The Line.

Copyrights (c) 2002 Guy Belleranti

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