a fragile mouse skeleton intact in the finepowderfine dirt
in the crawlspace beneath the front porch of the house he grewup in
originally a farmhouse
turned onehunred during his teens
after the farmer sold his property it
slowly transformed into neighbourhoods of hundreds of homes Dutch Elm-lined streets and curbs electric
lines sewer lines corner lampposts
as a boy each block was dotted one side
of the street and the other with empty lots he called them prairies the last were filled by the end of his freshman
high school year
his parents knew about the crawlspace
under the front porch a 2ftX2
accesspanel was screwed in place
the kids he
the oldest of eight were forbidden to open it
FORBIDDEN is more tempting than told
NO
as the eldest he had no choice
one night when his parents had gone out
on a date after bathing the youngest and put them to bed he and his Irish twin next
two in line were sisters also Irish were going to test the waters
they did not apprise their sisters of
the foray theyd rat them out typical brothers versus sisters contingencies
however
the girls ensconced themselves in their upstairs bedroom door shutYou better knock if you think to come in. Yeah, like we want to come in.
from
their fathers tools his workshop down in the brick-foundation
basement they liberated a flashlight screwdriver
discovered
a pint of Old Crow took wee pulls so not
to be found out then
stealthilysnuck outdoors for their forbidden mischief
he unscrewed the panel handed it to brother
opened the crawlspace exhaled a cool cool breath in
his face
he thought Tomb
entering headfirst flashlight in hand over his
shoulder he told his brother how fine the dirt was It doesnt
look like anyones been in here for a long long time
Yasee anything?
he cast the light left into the corner
of the framed shortwall ran it slowlyup
to the far corner thirty feet off across
that wall into the corner where it
adjoined the brick foundations then
along the bricks to the corner not two feet off his elbow
Nothing Gonna explore
he began shuffling forward on all three really impressed how soft fine the
dirt was talcum
If nothing, what’s to explore?
there was some
rationale in that
I just want to see if there is nothing
Ya said, there’s nothing.
Nothing I can see
From
here
I’m not coming in to see nothing.
Suit yourself
How far in are you intending to go?
Across to the far wall
You’re crazy.
No no
Curious
Awright.
In case the porch collapses on top of you .
. . any last words?
Jah
Tell everyone youre a fraidy-cat
not halfwaystartled him he found the mouse skeleton
they laid on their sideassumed the fetalposition
in that moment he imagined dying alone
of course youd tuck protect your vitals like boxing hands up elbows tucked
he didnt molest the mouse
reversecrawled a couple of feet
then turningturned off the flashlight let his eyes adjust to the darkness
the panel opening was less dark following the freshfurrow he made back
a
little creeped as he crawled
emerging his
brother nowhere to be seen he seated the panel screwed
it back in place
heading on the walk alongside the house
to enter through the backporch the headlights of a car driving in alley sifted
through the neighbours bushes lighting him in its flickering stopped him in his
tracks
no way he could walk into the house
he started patting his pantlegs shirtchoked
on the talcum
Well
he thought Got to do whas got to be done
Irish was watching TV
litup in its bluelight he asked from
the couch
What the heck?
Whawha
the heck Youve seen me naked before
0909approximately, Tuesday, 12 5. 26
