Things Beyond Midnight (24 page)

Janey slid backwards into the hall shadows. Stood up. Time to go downstairs. In her playclothes. Probably meant she’d get a spanking after Uncle Gus left, but it would be worth it not to have to put on her new dress for him. Spankings don’t hurt
too
much. Worth it.

“Well,
here’s
my little princess!” Uncle Gus was lifting her hard into the air, to make her dizzy. He knew how much she hated being swung around in the air. He set her down with a thump. Looked at her with his big cruel eyes. “And where’s that pretty new dress your Mommy told me about?”

“It got torn,” Janey said, staring at the carpet. “I can’t wear it today.”

Her mother was angry again. “That is
not
true, young lady, and you know it! I ironed that dress this morning and it is perfect.” She pointed upward. “You march right back upstairs to your room and put on that dress!”

“No, Maggie.” Gus shook his head. “Let the child stay as she is. She looks fine. Let’s just have lunch.” He prodded Janey in the stomach. “Bet that little tummy of yours is starved for some turkey.”

And Uncle Gus pretended to laugh. Janey was never fooled; she knew real laughs from pretend laughs. But Mommy and Daddy never seemed to know the difference.

Janey’s mother sighed and smiled at Gus. “All right, I’ll let it go this time—but I really think you spoil her.”

“Nonsense. Janey and I understand each other.” He stared down at her. “Don’t we, sweetie?”

Lunch was no fun. Janey couldn’t finish her mashed potatoes, and she’d just nibbled at her turkey. She could never enjoy eating with her uncle there. As usual, her father barely noticed she was at the table.
He
didn’t care if she wore her new dress or not. Mommy took care of her and Daddy took care of business, whatever that was. Janey could never figure out what he did, but he left every day for some office she’d never seen and he made enough money there so that he always had some to give to Uncle Gus when Mommy asked him for a check.

Today was Sunday so Daddy was home with his big newspaper to read and the car to wax and the grass to trim. He did the same things every Sunday.

Does Daddy love me? I know that Mommy does, even though she spanks me sometimes. But she always hugs me after. Daddy never hugs me. He buys me ice cream, and he takes me to the movies on Saturday afternoon, but I don’t think he loves me.

Which is why she could never tell him the truth about Uncle Gus. He’d never listen.

And Mommy just didn’t understand.

After lunch, Uncle Gus grabbed Janey firmly by the hand and took her into the back yard. Then he sat her down next to him on the big wooden swing.

“I’ll bet your new dress is
ugly
,” he said in a cold voice.

“Is not. It’s pretty!”

Her discomfort pleased him. He leaned over, close to her right ear. “Want to know a secret?”

Janey shook her head. “I want to go back with Mommy. I don’t like being out here.”

She started away, but he grabbed her, pulling her roughly back onto the swing. “You
listen
to me when I talk to you.” His eyes glittered. “I’m going to tell you a secret. About yourself.”

“Then tell me.”

He grinned. “You’ve got something inside.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means there’s something deep down inside your rotten little belly.
And
it’s
alive!
”

“Huh?” She blinked, beginning to get scared.

“A creature. That lives off what you eat and breathes the air you breathe and can see out of your eyes.” He pulled her face close to his. “Open your mouth, Janey, so I can look in and see what’s living down there!”

“No, I
won’t.
” She attempted to twist away, but he was too strong. “You’re lying! You’re just telling me an awful
lie!
You
are!
”

“Open wide.” And he applied pressure to her jaw with the fingers of his right hand. Her mouth opened. “Ah, that’s better. Let’s have a look...” He peered into her mouth. “Yes,
there
. I can see it now.”

She drew back, eyes wide, really alarmed. “What’s it like?”

“Nasty! Horrid. With very sharp teeth. A
rat
, I’d say. Or something
like a
rat. Long and gray and plump.”

“I don’t have it! I
don’t!
”

“Oh, but you do, Janey.” His voice was oily. “I saw its red eyes shining and its long snakytail. It’s down there all right. Something nasty.”

And he laughed. Real, this time. No pretend laugh. Uncle Gus was having himself some fun.

Janey knew he was just trying to scare her again—but she wasn’t absolutely one hundred percent sure about the thing inside. Maybe he
had
seen something.

“Do... any other people have... creatures... living in them?”

“Depends,” said Uncle Gus. “Bad things live inside bad people. Nice little girls don’t have them.”

“I’m nice!”

“Well now, that’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it?” His voice was soft and unpleasant. “If you were
nice
, you wouldn’t have something nasty living inside.”

“I don’t believe you,” said Janey, breathing fast. “How could it be real?”

“Things are real when people believe in them.” He lit a long black cigarette, drew in the smoke, exhaled it slowly. “Have you ever heard of voodoo, Janey?”

She shook her head.

“The way it works is—this witch doctor puts a curse on someone by making a doll and sticking a needle into the doll’s heart. Then he leaves the doll at the house of the man he’s cursed. When the man sees it he becomes very frightened. He makes the curse real by
believing
in it.”

“And then what happens?”

“His heart stops and he dies.”

Janey felt her own heart beating very rapidly.

“You’re afraid, aren’t you, Janey?”

“Maybe... a little.”

“You’re afraid, all right.” He chuckled. “And you should be—with a thing like that inside you!”

“You’re a very bad and wicked man!” she told him, tears misting her eyes.

And she ran swiftly back to the house.

That night, in her room, Janey sat rigid in bed, hugging Whiskers. He liked to come in late after dark and curl up on the coverlet Just under her feet and snooze there until dawn. He was an easy-going, gray-and-black housecat who never complained about anything and always delivered a small “meep” of contentment whenever Janey picked him up for some stroking. Then he would begin to purr.

Tonight Whiskers was not purring. He sensed the harsh vibrations in the room, sensed how upset Janey was. He quivered uneasily in her arms.

“Uncle Gus lied to me, didn’t he, Whiskers?” The little girl’s voice was strained, uncertain. “See...” She hugged the cat closer. “Nothing’s down there, huh?”

And she yawned her mouth wide to show her friend that no rat-thing lived there. If one did, ole Whiskers would be sticking a paw inside to get it. But the cat didn’t react. Just blinked slitted green eyes at her.

“I knew it,” Janey said, vastly relieved. “If I just don’t believe it’s in there, then it
isn’t.
”

She slowly relaxed her tensed body muscles—and Whiskers, sensing a change, began to purr—a tiny, soothing motorized sound in the night.

Everything was all right now. No red-eyed creature existed in her tummy. Suddenly she felt exhausted. It was late, and she had school tomorrow.

Janey slid down under the covers and closed her eyes, releasing Whiskers, who padded to his usual spot on the bed.

She had a lot to tell her friends.

It was Thursday, a day Janey usually hated. Every other Thursday her mother went shopping and left her to have lunch with Uncle Gus in his big spooky house with the shutters closed tight against the sun and shadows filling every hallway.

But
this
Thursday would he all different, so Janey didn’t mind when her mother drove off and left her alone with her uncle.
This
time, she told herself, she wouldn’t be afraid. A giggle.

She might even have fun!

When Uncle Gus put Janey’s soup plate in front of her he asked her how she was feeling.

“Fine,” said Janey quietly, eyes down.

“Then you’ll be able to appreciate the soup.” He smiled, trying to look pleasant. “Its a special recipe. Try it.”