Thing Bailiwick Read online

  “Dinner, D-Dog,” Ty chirped as he reappeared to set the bowl in front of him.

  D-Dog wasn’t interested.

  I checked on him one last time before I went to bed, studying the blanket in the darkness, watching for the gentle rise and fall of breath. Dread set in when I saw no sign, but he stirred in his sleep and gave a muffled whine. I was relieved, but concerned that he hadn’t touched his food. His water looked untouched as well.

  ~~~~

  It was early morning when I checked on him again. The clock told me it was four twenty-five, but Caleb was napping on my bladder, so I figured since I was up to take a pee, I might as well take a peek.

  “Oh, god!” The smell struck me like a brick in the face. I think I even recoiled a few steps. In my sensitive condition, it was almost enough to make me heave.

  He’d moved. The blanket lie in a heap. Poking my head in, I could just make out his dark form sitting in the far corner by the back door. Holding my breath, I slid aside the hamper that was blocking the entrance, and flipped on the light.

  I barely caught the scream in my throat. The floor was smeared in black blood, thick like oil. Bloody globules were scattered about—puppies, I realized, still in their sacs. I snatched one up, but it was a cold, hard rock in my hands.

  “Oh, my god! My god, my god!”

  I entered to check the others, and almost went down on a slimy spot.

  Dead. All dead.

  D-Dog looked haggard. He…she was leaning against the dryer with the wall for support from behind. Her eyes were closed. I looked down at my hands covered in blood. They were shaking. I brushed the hair from my eyes with the back of my hand to take in the horror scene around me, a scene easily capable of haunting my dreams for the rest of my life. I felt like hurling. I didn’t want the boys to see.

  Moving quickly, I gathered what I needed and carefully wrapped each tiny body in paper towels. I placed them side by side in a shoe box, five in all. I only stopped long enough to throw on my coat and slide into my slippers.

  It wasn’t snowing at least, and the moon was shining like a beacon, lighting my way. But the air was frigid, my breaths coming out as harsh misty plumes as I made my way down the back-porch steps and to the shed in the back yard.

  The grave under the maple was way too big, but it would have to do. I worked as quickly as I dared in my condition, shovel by shovelful of icy dirt. Caleb was cold. He gave me a couple of kicks to let me know.

  I tossed the shovel on top of the dirt heap. My fingers were numb and my feet were freezing. House slippers were definitely not appropriate winter wear. I almost went down for the second time, my slippers sliding on the icy deck steps.

  “What? Dammit!” I struggled with the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge. “You are a freaking moron,” I shiver-mumbled as I made my way back down the steps.

  My teeth were chattering by the time I made it around to the front of the house. I fished out the spare key from under the front steps and steadied one shaking hand with the other to hit the keyhole.

  It wasn’t until I shuffled my frozen feet to the laundry room that I discovered I wasn’t just a freaking moron, I was a monumental freaking moron. The back door was ajar and D-Dog was gone. I spotted her sniffing the fence-line back near the shed.

  “Perfect.”

  I went to work cleaning the mess, fighting off the nausea as best I could. Wadded paper towels and a squirt bottle of cleaner took care of most of it. I threw the bloodied blanket in the washer and turned it on. When I went to toss the garbage bag out the back, D was standing with her nose to the door. She trudged in and plopped down on the fresh blanket I’d laid out. She let out a groan as she settled in, and closed her eyes.

  “Here you go, girl.” I draped a freshly warmed blanket over her and patted her cold head. “I’m so sorry. I…God, you really smell.”

  “Cool.”

  I clutched my huge belly. “Ty! You scared the crap out of me!” D-Dog wasn’t startled. She was snoozing soundly.

  “Sorry.” He rubbed at an eye. “Just checking on D-dog. He ate all his food, I see.”

  “Yeah. And he had to go out. Good sign, I guess.” I gave the room a quick once over, making sure everything was in order before I shut off the light. “And he’s a she.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. She, uh…squatted.” I slid the hamper back into place to block her in.

  “Maybe he’s too weak to lift a leg.”

  Caleb was feeling crowded. I rubbed at a knot that felt like two knees pushing against my navel from the inside. “Trust me on this one, Ty.”

  ~~~~

  I told Don everything when he called that morning. I didn’t hold anything back. I burst into tears when I described the puppy scene. I sobbed. I was in hormonal hell. I think he felt sorry for me because he didn’t gripe too much, even when I mentioned the forthcoming vet bill. Or maybe it was guilt. Another week-end was all shot to hell. A tire had gone down and he didn’t make it in time to deliver the load so he was going to have to hang out at the warehouse until Monday.

  “Tell Donny, I’m sorry about the game tonight,” he said.

  I loved my big bear of a trucker man, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. I wasn’t going to get all bent out of shape over it, though. I knew he’d be home for three weeks come Friday. Maternity leave.

  No sooner had I hung up with Don, then my mom was calling. I told her about D, a shorter, less graphic version. She didn’t think I should be taking in strays in my delicate condition. Then she went on to talk about her lunch with the girls from the rose club. I don’t remember much about that conversation. In one ear and out the other. That’s usually the way it was with her. That kind of idle chitchat just didn’t hold my attention. I could only listen politely. It’s different now. If she called me today, I’d hang on her every word.

  No sooner had I hung up with my mom, then Elma was rapping at the front door. She lived at the bottom of the hill, my closest neighbor. She was in good shape for seventy-two, not even winded from the walk up. I was winded just walking to the door.

  “How you feeling, baby,” she crooned as she stomped the snow off her shoes and handed over the freshly baked goods. Cookies this time. Oatmeal.

  “Big as a house. And this doesn’t help.” I motioned to the plate in my hand.

  She grinned as she brushed her feet on the mat. “Them’s the best oatmeal cookies you’ll ever put in your mouth, missy,” she said, pulling off her gloves. “James sent me the recipe.”

  “The reverend?”

  “Yes ma’am. He’s coming to speak on Sunday, you know,” she said, her eyes lighting up. She was very proud of her prestigious grandson. “The congregation is very excited.”

  The breezy morning had teased her hair. It was especially unruly, the frizzy gray tufts reminding me of Albert Einstein. But her senses were sharp as ever. Her nose crinkled as soon as she hit the family room.

  “Yeah, that would be D.”

  I told her the story, a quick version.

  “That black dog I seen over near Hog’s Creek?” she asked, her eyebrows shooting high. “It wasn’t dead?”

  “Nope. She’s right in here. Wanna take a look?”

  “That’s okay, baby,” Elma said when I went to move the hamper. “No need to disturb the poor thing.” She studied D-Dog for the longest time, her wise brown eyes riveted and one hand held to her nose to stifle the stench. D was sleeping comfortably. She shifted with a wet rattling sigh. Elma shifted as well. Her hand went to the chain around her neck. She fumbled with it, pulling the cross from her shirt to fondle it.

  “You okay, Elma?”

  “Why, yes. I’m thinking I might just get that closer look.”

  D shifted as Elma made to move the hamper. Pushing up to a sitting position, she opened her eyes.

  “Lord!”

  “Yeah. I think she’s nearly blind. She may be deaf, too.”

  D’s lip curled up to reveal yellow teeth. She
began to growl.

  ~~~~

  “Boy, she didn’t hang around for long.” Ty took a glass from the cupboard and went for the jug of milk in the fridge.

  “Yeah. She said something about forgetting to turn off the oven, but I think D scared her.”

  “Scared her? I didn’t think anything scared that old crow.”

  “Ty White, that is not nice.”

  “What? She’s a tough old bird, is all. It’s a compliment.” He took a bite of a cookie, chewing past a grin.

  “Well, she was looking a bit spooked when she left here. D growled at her.”

  “She did? She probably got too close to her food, or something.”

  “Oh yeah, that reminds me. She ate all her breakfast.”

  “Already? I just put it in there.”

  “Well, it’s gone. She’s definitely got her appetite back. I was even thinking about putting off the vet until Monday, save myself about a hundred bucks.”

  He shrugged. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “But she desperately needs a bath.”

  ~~~~

  She didn’t growl once. She let Ty lift her into the tub, and stood there with her head hanging as I poured warm water over her.

  “Thanks, hon. I’ve got it from here,” I told Ty when I noticed the water starting to turn pink. It turned my stomach. I quickly slipped on my dish gloves, squeezed out some shampoo and began to lather her up. I almost lost it when the suds turned bloody. I felt flush and my brow started to bead up.

  I rinsed her and lathered again. It wasn’t as bad that time. The suds just had a pinkish hue. She was badly matted though. That’s why I decided to work my fingers into a large clump.

  I gasped when it came loose in my hands and clopped into the tub. I leaned closer and saw a slimy gaping hole on her back. That’s when I almost passed out. I think I actually saw dark spots for a few seconds.

  I quickly rinsed and then draped a towel over her and called for Ty.

  “Man, she lost a lot of fur,” he said, grimacing at the clods of fur at the bottom of the tub as he lifted her out.

  “Yeah,” I said, picking out the clumps with wadded toilet paper and throwing them into the commode. I felt lightheaded. “She might have the mange.”

  I called the vet. The doctor on call said it sounded like she miscarried the puppies due to trauma. He wasn’t sure about the hair loss. He said it was a good sign that she was eating and drinking, but I could bring her in. Emergency calls were a hundred and twenty five bucks just to walk in the front door. Any other treatment and medication would, of course, be added on. I figured I was looking at near two-hundred bucks. I decided it could wait till Monday. I made her appointment for nine A.M.

  I told the boys they were on their own for lunch. There was half a loaf of bread and cans of tuna. I had no appetite for once. I was feeling drained and a bit queasy, so I laid down on the couch for a little nap.

  Next thing I knew, Donny was shaking me awake. It was all I could do to open my eyes. When I did, I found Donny all dressed and ready for the game. The room was spinning when I sat up. “Three thirty!”

  “I’ve been trying to get you up for an hour,” he insisted. “You on sleeping pills or something?”

  “I most certainly am not,” I said, though I felt as if I’d taken about twenty.

  ~~~~

  It was all I could do to sit through the game. Mom was being particularly chatty and her voice was grating on my nerves. Plus, I was big as a whale, and the hard wooden bleachers weren’t doing my aching back an ounce of good, not to mention my aching backside. And I was worried about D. I didn’t feel right about leaving her alone.

  To top it all off, Donny was fouled by a big bully with a beard. He went down so hard, I thought he broke something. I shot to my feet, lost my balance, and almost tumbled headlong down the bleachers. Mom tried snatching at my arm, but I was only saved by grabbing on to the man in front of me, practically ripping the shirt off his back. I apologized as he readjusted with a grumble. I didn’t blame him for being cantankerous. He looked to be about ten months pregnant too.

  But Donny was fine. He actually played better after that, two awesome three-pointers in a row followed by a beautiful lay-up. Fueled by payback, I guess. Even Ty was impressed. He gave a loud whistle through his teeth. Any other time, I wouldn’t have minded this show of brotherly support. But that night it shot straight in my ear to my brain where it ricocheted around for the remaining hour.

  ~~~~

  The harsh lights at Polter’s Grocery didn’t help any. My eyes were sensitive to the light and I could barely maneuver through the aisles. Somehow I managed to find what I needed, tossing cans of dog food, a red collar, and a leash into my basket. At the checkout, I had to squint at the blurry numbers on the credit-card keypad and my fingers felt big as Polish sausages as I tried to punch in my code. I had to try three times before I finally got it right.

  My head was about to split wide open by the time we got home. I told Ty to open a can of dog food, and sat down on the couch to rub my temples. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I remember stirring once and looking at the clock. It was after midnight. I remember thinking I needed to get up and let D out. The next thing I know, I’m being wakened from a dead sleep by blood-curdling screams. They were so high-pitched I couldn’t tell if it was Ty or Donny, or some screeching tomcat that had snuck in the door when I wasn’t looking. By the time I struggled off the couch and stumbled down the hall, Ty was already up and standing in Donny’s doorway.

  “What?” I screamed as I flipped on the light. I didn’t have to ask further. D was sitting next to his bed, staring Donny in the face, seemingly unperturbed by all the screeching.

  “GET IT AWAY!”

  “Just calm…oh, my god!” I clapped a hand over my nose and mouth to stifle the stench.

  It was smack dab in the middle of his room, a brown puddle of vile vomit. Or maybe it was a liquid pile of crap. Whatever it was, it was squirming with worms. That’s all I saw before the room started to spin.

  I grabbed onto the dresser to keep from going down.

  “Mom, you okay?” Ty’s voice sounded far away.

  “Yeah.” I barely pushed the word out past the gorge rising in my throat. I struggled to swallow it back down. “Put D back in her room, Ty. And bring me a garbage bag and some paper towels. The whole roll.”

  ~~~~

  Donny looked pale as he poured a bowl of corn flakes. “Sorry,” he said as he closed up the box. “You know, for freaking out like that.”

  “My fault. I forgot to let her out.”

  “It’s just, I guess the smell must’ve woken me up, and when I opened my eyes, she was right there in my face with those eyes.”

  “I know. Pretty creepy.”

  He fidgeted in his chair and snatched up the milk. “If Ty says one word…”

  “What word might that be?” Ty asked, making his entrance right on cue. He was toting his guinea pig Houdini. Pulling a bowl from the cupboard, he took a seat and swiped the box of cereal. “Wimp? Sissy?”

  “Shut up, barf face! You wake up with those eyes glowing at you, and see what you do. And do you have to put that rat on the table?”

  “Oh, glowing. Glowing eyes. Oooooo!”

  “That’s enough, Ty. Off the table with Houdini, please.” I wasn’t feeling so hot. My lower back was cramping, I had a dull lingering ache right behind my eyes, and I couldn’t bring myself to eat anything, not after the wriggling, writhing mess I’d just cleaned up. D was in bad shape. No wonder she ate like a horse. The worms were getting all the nourishment. Worms, mange. Thinking of the vet bill was exhausting. I felt as if I hadn’t slept in weeks.

  I was taking a nap when Elma rang the doorbell. She was in her Sunday finery. A bonnet laced with embroidered daisies was holding her hair in check and she had on purple lipstick that matched her dress.

  “How you doin’, baby? Lookin’ a might peaked,” she said as she stripped off her coat.

 
“I’m fine. Just tired. How was church?”

  “Good, good. James gave such a passionate sermon,” she said, her purple lips pursing as she slipped off her coat. “His gift for words never ceases to amaze me. He spoke on the different faces of evil. Evil is not prejudiced as to which face it wears,” she quoted as she draped her coat on the rack. “It holds no preference as to color or creed, gender or age.” She put a gloved hand to her crinkled nose.

  “Sorry,” I said. “We gave her a bath, but it didn’t help much.”

  “Well,” she said, reaching into her purse, “that’s why I stopped by. Just wanted to drop this off.” She pulled out a plastic pint-sized jug. “It’s medicine for D. It’s just water, really, with some special ingredients.”

  “What, like minerals?”

  “Yeah, like minerals,” she said, smiling sweetly.

  We heard D growling before we rounded the corner.

  “D, what is wrong with you?” I poked my head in. She was crouched by the back door, her head down, her teeth bared. She snarled when Elma poked her head in by mine.

  “It’s okay, honey,” she said. Sliding off one glove, she poured some water into her palm. “Looky here, just water,” she said, trying to coax D over.

  D went from growling to snarling, and then to gagging, and up came the vomit. There were more worms this time. In fact, it was mostly worms, a writhing mass.

  I think Selma got an “oh” out, before she clamped a hand over her mouth and staggered away.

  “Sorry you had to see that. She’s got some problems. She’s going to the vet first thing in the morning. Do you need a drink of water?”

  “No. No, honey.” But her voice was shaky. So were her hands as she tried to pull her gloves back on. “Promise you’ll give her the water right away, okay.”