Characters in Fairy Tale

He reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t think who. “Ah,” he said, and smiled. “Our new guest. Come in, please. Aaron, you may leave.” The night soldier who had brought me—Aaron—hesitated. Kellin flapped a good-natured hand at him. He gave a little bow, stepped back, and closed the door.

She sighed. “It’s prostate cancer. Abrams—the orthopedist who worked on him—saw it on the X-rays. Well advanced but not metastasized. Lynparza slows the growth of tumors.

It was me. I was born Adrian Howard Bowditch, in 1894. Which makes me just about a hundred and twenty years old. The house was finished in 1922. Or maybe it was 1923, I can’t remember for sure. And the shed, of course, we mustn’t forget the shed.

Reverend Alice Parker conducted a non-sectarian service at my father’s request—she had also officiated at my mother’s service. Reverend Alice kept it short, but even so, I had plenty of time to think. Some of it was about the gold, but more of it was about the shed.

11 “He could send assassins against us, but he doesn’t. He lets us live, those of us who remain, and living is punishment enough. Aloysius, as I said, never made it out of the city. Ellen, Warner, and Greta have taken their lives.

Present at the funeral parlor service, and at the cemetery, were George Reade, Charles Reade, Melissa Wilcox, Mrs. Althea Richland, a lawyer named Leon Braddock, and Radar, who slept through the funeral service and spoke up just once, at graveside: a howl as the coffin was lowered into the ground.

That wasn’t much, granted, but with those bowlegs, Ammit was no greyhound himself. He swung his stick first at my left side, then at my right. I parried easily now that I was in the clear. And I was angry. Very.

And Mr. Bowditch. 11 Good old Hillview High! Seems like a long time ago to me now. In the winter I rode the bus, sitting at the back with Andy Chen, a friend of mine since elementary. Andy was a jock who went on to play basketball for Hofstra.

“Sorry, sorry.” “Actually you weren’t wrong.” I made my escape and headed for my locker. “Charlie?” It was Arnetta Freeman, looking relatively gorgeous in her skinny jeans and shell top. With blue eyes and blond hair down to her shoulders, Arnetta proved that white America ain’t all bad.

… Third Set Tom to Bult Dommy to Cammit Bendo to Dash NOONS Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth Set Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during the …

The arrestee was identified as Benjamin Dwyer, 44, “of no fixed address.” Which I assumed meant homeless. The proprietor of the Stantonville Pawn & Loan called the cops when Dwyer tried to pawn a diamond ring “of considerable value.”

“You keep doing that, you’ll tear your ass in two,” Bernd said. He was the oldest of us, mostly bald. What little hair he had left was gray. That made me laugh and I had to stop. Hamey was lying on his pallet and chuckling. “There’ll be thirty-two,” Eye said.

I braced myself for a lecture about underage drinking, or a discussion about some of the crap I and my friend Bertie Bird had gotten up to during (and—for awhile—after) his drinking years, but neither of those were what he had in mind.

It’s a big company. You’ve probably seen their ads, the ones with Bill and Jill, the talking camels. Very funny stuff.

The reporter’s name was Bill Harriman. I answered his questions, once again giving Radar most of the credit. Mr. Harriman asked if he could snap a picture of the two of us. “Gee, I don’t know. I’d have to have Mr. Bowditch’s permission, and he’s in the hospital.”

The news article quoted Skokie Police Captain Brian Baker as saying the victim had been unable to defend himself because he had two broken wrists.

… But the one that interested me was from BullGuy19. He wrote: Benjy Dwyer a murder suspect? Don’t make me laugh. He’s been around Shitsville 1000 years. Should have VILLAGE IDIOT tattooed on his forehead .

Eye went at it with Tom, Bernd went at it with Bult, and in the end there was just me and Ammit. My guess is Aaron had seen the shoulder-check Ammit had given me on the running track and wanted it that way.

These are nieces, nephews, and cousins, you understand—the close blood. Do you follow?” “Yes.” I did, more or less. “Burton has become an anchorite, living deep in the woods and constantly praying for Empis’s deliverance with hands he can’t feel when he presses them together.

… Sam Third Set Tom to Bult Dommy to Cammit Bendo to Dash NOONS Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth Set Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during …

Carla Johansson raised her hand and said carpe diem , which meant seize the day. No one else was offering, so I raised my hand and gave one I’d heard from my Uncle Bob, usually when he had to get going somewhere: tempus fugit , meaning time flies.

Call me Woody, if you like, for we live near the woods, don’t we? I and Catriona.” “That’s your cat?” “Yes. And I believe your dog is... Raymar? Something like that, surely. I can’t remember.” “Radar. She was Mr. Bowditch’s. He died.” “Ah. I’m sorry to hear that.”

I’m Craig and this is CeeCee.” “I’m Charlie Reade,” I said. “He’s Mr. Bowditch. I don’t know his first name.” “Howard,” Mr. Bowditch said. They made to lift him, but he told them to wait. He held Radar by the sides of her face and looked into her eyes.

… something that would have made the murder of Charles McGee Reade look piddling in comparison. I was maddest of all—you may not believe this, but I swear it’s true—because the little man’s intrusion made everything more difficult. Was I supposed to report him to the police? That would lead to …

I can’t swear that Christopher Polley was there that morning; I can’t swear he wasn’t. Polley was the kind of guy who could fade into the landscape until he was ready for you to see him. He could have been in the diner, chowing down on bacon and eggs.

His name is Cla. He was found on the shore of Lake Remla after his little boat sprang a leak. He nearly drowned, didn’t you, Cla?” Cla said nothing, only looked at Kellin. “Answer me!” “Yes. I almost drowned.” “Try again. Address me as Lord High.” “Yes, Lord High.

With me were my cousin Claudia, my nephew Aloysius, and my niece Leah. We flew like the wind, Charlie, the wagon’s ironbound wheels striking up sparks from the cobblestones and actually flying in the air for ten feet or more from the top of the Rumpa Bridge.

Coach Harkness wanted me to play basketball as well, but I told him no. I said I needed at least three months a year to do other things. Coach went away shaking his head at the sad state of youth in this degenerate age. I went to some dances.

On the fifth of August, a Monday, I got an email from Coach Montgomery, setting out the schedule for football practice. Before replying to it, I did my father the courtesy of telling him I’d decided not to play my final year.

He introduced himself as Detective Gleason and the two uniformed cops as Officers Witmark and Cooper. Witmark had a camcorder; Cooper had a little case like a lunchbox, which I presumed contained evidence-collecting shit.

I’m Craig and this is CeeCee.” “I’m Charlie Reade,” I said. “He’s Mr. Bowditch. I don’t know his first name.” “Howard,” Mr. Bowditch said. They made to lift him, but he told them to wait. He held Radar by the sides of her face and looked into her eyes.

As the concrete flowed sluggishly out of the mixer I’d borrowed from Cramer to do the job, I kept thinking of Leah standing on the stairs, sword drawn, legs braced in a fighting stance. And of how she had cut open her sealed mouth to cry out her brother’s name.

… Tom to Bult Dommy to Cammit Bendo to Dash NOONS Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth Set Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during the NCAA’s Selection …

He introduced himself as Detective Gleason and the two uniformed cops as Officers Witmark and Cooper. Witmark had a camcorder; Cooper had a little case like a lunchbox, which I presumed contained evidence-collecting shit.

With no mouth it was hard to be sure, but I think she was amused as well as surprised. Falada said, “My mistress’s men, Whit and Dickon, keep them very well.” As in Dick Whittington , I thought. Jaya: “Does that horse—” Leah waved her to silence.

That was Dommy. The women were Jaya and Eris. The waiting night soldier extended a pale finger to me and curled it. His face was stern, but beneath it, coming and going, his skull flashed its eternal grin.

It wasn’t as if I’d forgotten it; I just couldn’t seem to say it. I gave up and asked, “Was Deerie Mr. Bowditch’s friendly name for you, Dora?” She nodded and stood up, dusting her hands. I got up, too. “It was very nice to meet you, Dora.”

… to Cammit Bendo to Dash NOONS Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth Set Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during the NCAA’s Selection Sunday, but in person, …

Melissa hesitated, then must have decided that, having gone this far, there was no point in stopping. “He saw Dr. Patterson, who’s head of the Oncology Department at Arcadia. He laid out the options, and Bowditch refused all of them except the Lynparza.” “Why?”

I told you, they’re experimental. I only have them because they were left over after Dr. Petrie finished a clinical trial. For which he was well paid, I might add—not that I saw any. If they do help, Radar here might get a good month. Maybe two. Probably not three.

Her sisters are dead—Drusilla, Elena, Joylene, and Falada, my namesake. Robert is dead, for she saw his poor crushed body. Elden, who was always good to her, is dead. Her mother and father are also dead. Few of her family are left.”

Leah claimed her brother Elden was also dead, but it was clear that Leah had loved him best (that was straight from the horse’s mouth, ha-ha). Wasn’t it possible that Leah would prefer to believe Elden dead than to believe he had become the Flight Killer?

Her sisters are dead—Drusilla, Elena, Joylene, and Falada, my namesake. Robert is dead, for she saw his poor crushed body. Elden, who was always good to her, is dead. Her mother and father are also dead. Few of her family are left.”

Ellen, Warner, and Greta have taken their lives. I believe Yolande still lives, but she wanders, insane. Like me, she’s blind, living for the most part on the kindness of strangers. I feed her when she comes and agree with the gibberish she speaks.

And from the pool where the dead mermaid lay came Leah’s thrown voice, mournful and trembling: “He would never kill Elsa. He loved her.” Well , I thought, that’s not exactly a no . Time was passing.

The women were Jaya and Eris. The waiting night soldier extended a pale finger to me and curled it. His face was stern, but beneath it, coming and going, his skull flashed its eternal grin. He gestured with his stick for me to walk ahead of him to the door.

… Bendo to Dash NOONS Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth Set Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during the NCAA’s Selection Sunday, but in person, when the …

With no mouth it was hard to be sure, but I think she was amused as well as surprised. Falada said, “My mistress’s men, Whit and Dickon, keep them very well.” As in Dick Whittington , I thought. Jaya: “Does that horse—” Leah waved her to silence.

“The mayor cut a ribbon, Father Coughlin blessed the goddam thing, and that was that,” my father said one night. He was pretty drunk at the time.

“Wasn’t much of a blessing for us, Charlie, was it?” It was named the Frank Ellsworth Bridge, after a hometown hero who died in Vietnam, but the locals just called it the Sycamore Street Bridge.

In the far corner was Franna, the gray woman who had whispered help her to me just before I left the farm of the “googir.” Franna was stroking Falada’s head, which was deep in a sack of grain Iota was holding for her.

FAIR ONE FIRST ROUND First Set Fremmy to Murf Jaya to Hamey Ammit to Wale Second Set Yanno to Freed Jackah to Iota Mesel to Sam Third Set Tom to Bult Dommy to Cammit Bendo to Dash NOONS Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth …

I had a drink from the bucket, then lay down on what I supposed was my side of the cell. In the next one were two men: Fremmy and Stooks. They were young and looked strong. Not big, like Iota, but strong. Fremmy: “Babby go nappie-nap?”

Which would be better than Juicer’s Kid Charlie, but how long before that got into the mix? People on our street already knew that George Reade didn’t go to work anymore, and they almost certainly knew why. I didn’t kid myself about that.

I thought of a girl I went to elementary school with: Georgina Womack. She had a huge strawberry birthmark on one cheek. Georgina was a cheerful little thing, smart as a whip, and most kids treated her decently. Bertie Bird used to trade lunchbox stuff with her.

I had fantasies of singing “Breaking Free” with Gina Pascarelli, who was a senior and gorgeous. A woman bundled up in a tartan coat was standing by my bike. I thought she was Mrs. Ragland. Or maybe it was Reagan. “Are you the one who called the ambulance?” she asked.

“I KNOW YOUR NAME, GOGMAGOG, AND I COMMAND YOU TO RETURN TO YOUR LAIR!” It screamed. The stone floor shook and cracks ran across it. Far above us, graves were once more giving up their dead and a great crevasse was zig-zagging its way across the Field of the Monarchs.

Ellen, Warner, and Greta have taken their lives. I believe Yolande still lives, but she wanders, insane. Like me, she’s blind, living for the most part on the kindness of strangers. I feed her when she comes and agree with the gibberish she speaks.

… Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth Set Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during the NCAA’s Selection Sunday, but in person, when the matchups for the Arcadia Babe Ruth tournament were announced each spring …

Hamey cupped the back of my neck and pulled me close to his mouth. “Pursey said: ‘Don’t wash your hair.’ ” I pulled back. Hamey stared at me, his own eyes—as brown as mine used to be—wide. Then he pulled me close again. “Are you the true prince?

I lashed the horses and they ran as if hell was after them... as it was. Aloysius looked back just before we reached the gate, and Hana swatted his head from his shoulders. I didn’t see that, all my attention was fixed ahead, but Claudia saw. Leah didn’t, thank God.

… NOONS Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth Set Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during the NCAA’s Selection Sunday, but in person, when the matchups for the …

Beat me like a redheaded stepchild.” Not what he said; what I heard. Something my mother used to say after gin rummy with her friend Hedda. Sometimes Hedda beat her like a redheaded stepchild, sometimes like a rented mule, sometimes a big bass drum. There are phrases you never forget.

What do you think, Herbie?” “No problem,” the orderly said. “Right, chum?” I said sure and took one side. Radar scrambled halfway up the steps, paused once when her back legs betrayed her, then got it back in gear and made it the rest of the way.

… Pag to Quilly Fifth Set Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during the NCAA’s Selection Sunday, but in person, when the matchups for the Arcadia Babe Ruth tournament were announced each spring on …

I did pushups to keep the blood flowing, and squat thrusts, and ran in place. “Look at the little prince, showing off,” Eye said once. Iota was a shithead, but I’d developed a liking for him nevertheless. In some ways he reminded me of my long-gone pal Bertie Bird.

She walked past the sign and crossed the bridge. By then it was getting dark and starting to drizzle. She went into the store, and Irina Eliades (of course known as Mrs. Zippy) told her more chicken was coming out in three minutes, five at the most.

When asked if anyone heard sounds of a struggle, or perhaps gunshots, neither Chief Yardley nor Detective Israel Butcher of the Illinois State Police would comment, except to say that most of the businesses at the west end of Stantonville’s main street have been vacant since the advent of the …

Jaya seemed bright enough, and there was a fellow named Jackah who knew a seemingly inexhaustible supply of riddles, but otherwise their talk was desultory prattle. I did pushups to keep the blood flowing, and squat thrusts, and ran in place.

Woody looked surprised. “Does he still keep it? I’m amazed. What does he have to sell, I wonder?” “I don’t know. I just know he gives them new shoes to replace their broken ones.” Woody laughed, delighted. “Dora and James! Up to their old tricks!

Officer James Kotziwinkle found Wilhelm Heinrich in the back room, the door of which was also open. When asked if the motive was robbery, Stantonville Police Chief William Yardley said, “Although this crime is still being investigated, that would appear to be a no-brainer.”

I remember two things especially. Dad said the drinking was because he still missed Janey so much. And Mr. Franklin said, “If booze would bring her back, I’d say fine.

The women were Jaya and Eris. The waiting night soldier extended a pale finger to me and curled it. His face was stern, but beneath it, coming and going, his skull flashed its eternal grin. He gestured with his stick for me to walk ahead of him to the door.

6 There was no electricity in the apartment today, but the scarred man—Jeff, or maybe he spelled it Geoff—had turned the gaslights partway up so he could see to do his dirty work.

An herbage rank and wild , I thought, and that line brought back memories of Jenny Schuster. Sitting with her under a tree, the two of us leaning against the trunk in the dappled shade, her wearing the tattered old vest that was her trademark and holding a paperback book …

It’s a big company. You’ve probably seen their ads, the ones with Bill and Jill, the talking camels. Very funny stuff.

I came back for the last time as Adrian Bowditch in 1969. In 1972, at the age of seventy-eight, I hired a caretaker named John McKeen—excellent older fellow, reliable, you’ll find him in the town records if you choose to look—and went on my last trip, supposedly to Egypt.

Her sisters are dead—Drusilla, Elena, Joylene, and Falada, my namesake. Robert is dead, for she saw his poor crushed body. Elden, who was always good to her, is dead. Her mother and father are also dead. Few of her family are left.”

And the Lord High, who’s he?” “Lord High’s what we call Kellin, chief of the night soldiers. He brought you in himself. I stayed in the corner. Those eyes of his—” A muffled bell began to ring behind the ironbound door at our end of the dungeon room. “Pursey!”

“Take him back but show him the Belts on the way. I want Charlie to see that his lot in the Maleen isn’t the worst lot in the palace where King Jan, may his name be soon forgotten, once ruled. And Charlie?” “Yes?”

Blood was pooling around Hana’s head and running between the stones. Eris stepped forward and took Leah’s arm. Leah turned, and her expression needed no words: How dare you touch me? “Nah, my Lady of Gallien, I mean no disrespect, but stay just a moment. Please. For me.”

Two gray men carried him off after breakfast the next morning, supervised by a night soldier whose name might have been Lemmil, or Lammel, or maybe even Lemuel. It made no difference to me. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill them all.

Leon Braddock, in Elgin. There’s a wallet. Under the bed. Everything else you need is also under the bed. Do you understand that? Under the bed . Take care of Radar, and when you know everything, decide...” He gasped. “Fuck, how that hurts ! Like pig iron in the forge!

Lindy Franklin worked for Overland. He was also a recovering alcoholic. He wasn’t one of the claims agents who was particularly close to my father, probably because Lindy never stopped at Duffy’s Tavern after work with the other guys.

She pointed to one of the hanging mummies and wrote: I think Luddum. My father’s chancellor. I put an arm around her shoulders. She laid her head all too briefly against my arm, then pulled away. “It wasn’t enough to kill them, was it?” I asked.

Then he’ll be facing a fairly long period of convalescence, and he’ll need a lot of physical therapy. Melissa Wilcox will probably be the one to take that on. The leg-break was a particularly bad one, and he also pretty much destroyed his hip. It will need a replacement.

He had a small cut across the back of his hairy left hand. Otherwise he was unmarked. Mesel hurried to him as soon as Ammit’s undead escort stepped back. “What was it like? Is Wale really—” Ammit pushed him so hard that Mesel went sprawling on the tiles.

… at the same school, from the same teacher, Miss Young. He said Mom thought she was cool. By the time my turn came around, Miss Young—who taught French as well as Latin—was no longer young, but she was still cool. There were only eight of us in the class, and …

Mr. Ackerley looked at me with disapproval. “How many times have I told you kids to silence—” I took it from my pocket and saw BOWDITCH. I dropped my gloves and took the call going out of the room, ignoring whatever Ackerley was saying.

I was the kid who smeared dogshit on the windshield of Mr. Dowdy’s car and squeezed Elmer’s Glue in the ignition slot of Mrs. Kendrick’s old Ford wagon when Bertie and I found it unlocked. I pushed over gravestones. I shoplifted.

… oil to Wonder Bread to Little Debbie cakes, but it also sold fried chicken made by the proprietor, Mr. Eliades (known to the neighborhood as Mr. Zippy). That chicken was exactly what the sign in the window said: THE BEST IN THE LAND. I can still …

Period six was a single-semester course called America Today. I had no idea what Mr. Masensik was saying; I was thinking about make-believe. How the carousel in Something Wicked was like the sundial in that land of Other, for instance. The secret of my longevity , Mr. Bowditch had said.

When I went to bed that night, I set my alarm for five AM. Then I texted Mr. Neville, my English teacher, and told him I wouldn’t be there period one, and to tell Ms. Friedlander that I might miss period two as well.

I was the kid who smeared dogshit on the windshield of Mr. Dowdy’s car and squeezed Elmer’s Glue in the ignition slot of Mrs. Kendrick’s old Ford wagon when Bertie and I found it unlocked. I pushed over gravestones. I shoplifted.

… asked Mrs. Ravensburger. “Can you say?” Mrs. Ravensburger and Melissa Wilcox exchanged a glance. Mrs. Ravensburger said, “I’m not comfortable going into detail about a patient’s financial arrangements, but I will say that according to the bursar, he …

I went to the office to get an Excused Late slip from Mrs. Silvius, a nice old lady with scary blue hair. She had to be at least seventy-five, long past the usual retirement age, but still plenty sharp and good-humored.

I really didn’t want that. As sophomores we had been tasked to memorize at least sixteen lines of a poem. Ms. Debbins had given us two dozen poems to choose from.

Then I texted Mr. Neville, my English teacher, and told him I wouldn’t be there period one, and to tell Ms. Friedlander that I might miss period two as well. I said I had to visit a guy in the hospital.

I went back to the desk and asked Ms. Norman if she had Grimm’s Fairy Tales .

Murf had killed one half of the comedy team; if he drew Stooks in the second round, Murf would put him down easily, stabbed shoulder or no stabbed shoulder. Cla was still looking at me, but the grin was gone.

“I’ll have to trust whoever’s behind me—it’ll probably be Norm Richards—but I trust you more, Charlie. We’re bonded.” “That’s great, Dad, but don’t fall out of any trees. Taking care of one guy who took a fall is my limit. Now can I read my book?” “Go for it.”

“Warty, too, I heard,” Ocka said. “Hump on his back,” Fremmy said. “Heard it was a lump on his neck,” Stooks said. It was interesting to me, even illuminating, that they talked about Elden—the ugly, limping, nearly forgotten prince—and the Flight Killer as two different people.

… Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth Set Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during the NCAA’s Selection Sunday, but in person, when the matchups for the Arcadia …

There is a way out of here from the Officials’ Room. It is dangerous. Destroy this if you value my life. Yours in Service, PERCIVAL. Percival , I thought. Not Pursey but Percival. Not a gray slavey but a real man with a real name . I ate the paper.

… there when I turned around to check for Peterkin slinking along in our wake. The rain slackened to a drizzle, but my view of the palace was often blocked by buildings that seemed to grow the moment I looked away, cutting off the view. And there was something worse. When …

“I could send some of the grays out to break it up with sledges, but the Flight Killer would have to approve and so far he hasn’t. Petra’s whispering in his ear, I suppose. She likes that old sundial. Do you know what magic does, Charlie?”

… “The littlest princess of them all, for there were four sisters who were older, and two brothers—princes, if you like. Her sisters are dead—Drusilla, Elena, Joylene, and Falada, my namesake. Robert is dead, for she saw his poor crushed body. Elden, who was always good to her, is dead. Her …

… Another was from someone who ID’d herself as Punkette 44, and like so many on Twitter, she was thoughtful and compassionate: I grew up in Stantonville, it sux. That guy Dwyer could murder everybody in it & be doing the world a favor .

… “King Jan and Queen Cova,” Jaya said. Her voice was soft and awestruck. “My mother had a pillow with their faces on it. We weren’t allowed to touch it, let alone lay our heads on it.”

… Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth Set Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during the NCAA’s Selection Sunday, but in person, when the matchups for the Arcadia Babe Ruth …

Andy had a story about that dog, a German Shepherd named Radar, like the guy in the M*A*S*H TV show. We’d all heard him (not knowing this Radar was actually a her), and had gotten the occasional glimpse, but Andy was the only one who’d seen the dog up close.

Just get the bat down and let the ball hit it. How many times do I have to tell you?” He grabbed the bat, elbowed me aside, and faced Randy Morgan, that day’s tryout pitcher. “Throw! And put some goddam hair on it!” Randy threw as hard as he could.

“You’ll pay for that!” he screamed, shaking a fist at me. “The night soldiers will start by killing your damn dog! I hope they don’t kill you! I want to watch Red Molly rip your guts from your belly in the Fair One!”

Her sisters are dead—Drusilla, Elena, Joylene, and Falada, my namesake. Robert is dead, for she saw his poor crushed body. Elden, who was always good to her, is dead. Her mother and father are also dead. Few of her family are left.”

FAIR ONE FIRST ROUND First Set Fremmy to Murf Jaya to Hamey Ammit to Wale Second Set Yanno to Freed Jackah to Iota Mesel to Sam Third Set Tom to Bult Dommy to Cammit Bendo to Dash NOONS Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth …

He’s turned the people gray, except for a few who are...” I almost said by-blows , a term I’d heard my dad use about Scooter MacLean, a grammar school classmate of mine with unfortunate jug-ears. “Who are whole,” I finished lamely. “And he’s been rooting those out.

Once upon a time there had been a mean little man named Peterkin who had been torturing the Snab with a dagger.

“My name is Stephen Woodleigh. I once had a title—prince regent, as a matter of fact—but those days are gone. Call me Woody, if you like, for we live near the woods, don’t we? I and Catriona.” “That’s your cat?” “Yes. And I believe your dog is... Raymar?

Coach bent and laid down a perfect bunt. It trickled along the third-base line, just fair. Steve Dombrowski charged it, tried for a barehand pickup, and lost the handle. Coach turned to me. “There! That’s how it’s done! I don’t know what’s on your mind, but get rid of it!”

“The way you look and the rest of them sound, it must be playing rough. Even Eye looks banged up.” “You’ll find out,” Stooks said. “But you won’t like it,” Fremmy added. From down the corridor someone began to cough. “Cover it!” one of the women yelled.

“My Tam was a good boy. He was fine when he was born, rosy as the dawn, but then the gray fell on him. Walk your way, sir, and we’ll walk ours.”

FAIR ONE FIRST ROUND First Set Fremmy to Murf Jaya to Hamey Ammit to Wale Second Set Yanno to Freed Jackah to Iota Mesel to Sam Third Set Tom to Bult Dommy to Cammit Bendo to Dash NOONS Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth …

It was at our house. My father was there, greeting people and accepting condolences, and then he was gone. I asked his brother, my Uncle Bob, where he was. “He had to lie down,” Uncle Bob said. “He was really worn out, Charlie. Why don’t you go outside and play?”

… Bernd to Gully Hilt to Ocka Eris to Viz Sixth Set Cla to Charlie I had seen similar seedings not just on TV, during the NCAA’s Selection Sunday, but in person, when the matchups for the Arcadia Babe Ruth tournament were announced each spring on posters at every participating field.

FAIR ONE FIRST ROUND First Set Fremmy to Murf Jaya to Hamey Ammit to Wale Second Set Yanno to Freed Jackah to Iota Mesel to Sam Third Set Tom to Bult Dommy to Cammit Bendo to Dash NOONS Fourth Set Double to Evah Stooks to Hatcha Pag to Quilly Fifth …

Ellen, Warner, and Greta have taken their lives. I believe Yolande still lives, but she wanders, insane. Like me, she’s blind, living for the most part on the kindness of strangers. I feed her when she comes and agree with the gibberish she speaks.

With no mouth it was hard to be sure, but I think she was amused as well as surprised. Falada said, “My mistress’s men, Whit and Dickon, keep them very well.” As in Dick Whittington , I thought. Jaya: “Does that horse—” Leah waved her to silence.

The memo opposite Wilhelm Heinrich’s signature read Personal Services . It looked okay to me. I put it in my wallet and put the wallet in my left front pocket. “He is a stubborn old man who refuses to move with the times,” Heinrich said.

When asked if the motive was robbery, Stantonville Police Chief William Yardley said, “Although this crime is still being investigated, that would appear to be a no-brainer.”

With a spotter. We’ll all do it, except for Willy Deegan, who has a pacemaker.” “Jesus, Dad.” “And we do this.” He fell backward with no warning, his hands loosely clasped at his waist. I wasn’t playing sports anymore, but there was nothing wrong with my reflexes.

He introduced himself as Detective Gleason and the two uniformed cops as Officers Witmark and Cooper. Witmark had a camcorder; Cooper had a little case like a lunchbox, which I presumed contained evidence-collecting shit.

The one exception was when Yanno (I’m sorry to keep throwing these names at you, but you have to remember there were thirty prisoners besides me) swung his fighting stick too hard at Eris. She ducked. He missed by a mile and dislocated his shoulder. This did not surprise me.

I believe Yolande still lives, but she wanders, insane. Like me, she’s blind, living for the most part on the kindness of strangers. I feed her when she comes and agree with the gibberish she speaks. These are nieces, nephews, and cousins, you understand—the close blood.