“What are we going to do with him? ”
*
I looked in my heart and heard a nightmare singing.
“Who are you?” I almost said but a voice said, “I’m Mr. Gullifer.”
It was darkest in a corner of the room.
The man stepped out of the corner.
He got close to me.
He opened his jaw wide and . . . bit down on my head.
I heard a crack.
I closed my eyes.
It was still a long time till morning.
*
“Lamotrigine three times a day, fluoxetine once. Risperidone—you can give it to him at night if he gets drowsy. If he starts vomiting, call me.”
*
Every night.
I tried not to look at the corner.
I looked.
There was a chair. Mr. Gullifer . . .
He stood up. His hat just about touched the ceiling.
One step.
Two.
He opened his jaw.
I closed my eyes.
He crawled on top of me.
He bit my lips shut.
He bit down hard.
I swallowed hard.
I cried.
No one heard me.
*
“What are we going to do? ”
*
Mr. Gullifer was sitting on my chest. Digging his . . .
“Why do you like me? ” he said.
I was too scared.
“Hey? ”
He dug his fist into my heart.
“Hey? ”
I wanted to cry.
I was too scared.
“Hey? ”
I closed my eyes.
I had a lot of pain in my heart.
I closed my eyes tight.
*
“Doc? ”
“Ma’am? ”
“I’m eighty-four years old.”
“Mmm hmm.”
“I can’t live forever.”
“No.”
“Doc . . .”
“Yeah? ”
“I’m wondering . . .
“Can I donate . . .
“Am I too old . . .
“Is it possible . . .
“Can I give Aiden my brain?
“Doc?
“Doc? Are you alright? ”
*
I looked at the corner.
Mr. Gullifer.
He stood up. His hat touched the ceiling, this time.
One step.
I wanted—I didn’t stop looking.
Two steps.
Mr. Gullifer opened his jaw.
I swallowed the air. All of it.
I wanted to cry.
I didn’t.
I wanted to close my eyes, but . . . I kept looking.
When I looked at Mr. Gullifer’s face, it changed. It was—it didn’t look like anything. It looked like nothing. His hat was a shadow. It changed and changed back. It kept changing.
He covered his face.
One step back. Two.
He sat back down. He closed his jaw.
I blew the air back into the room. All of it.
*
“We love you. We love you. We love you. We love you.”
*
I couldn’t sleep.
I looked at the corner.
Nothing.
I got out of bed.
I looked behind me.
I looked out the window.
The blue night was beautiful.
I looked down. I saw a painted cart with a horse hooked up to it. Mr. Gullifer was getting into the cart. He was sitting down.
He turned his head. He looked up at me. A long time.
There was a pain in my heart.
It faded away.
Mr. Gullifer turned away.
Then he drove away.