One Wish, continued...(part 4)
�Yeah, Phil? Can you send a car around? I need to take one of my patients home for a minute and then I�ll come right back�.the Micheals� girl. She cannot go back and stay with her foster parents, not after the things she told me today�yeah it�ll all be in the report�Oh, she�s there because her mother died. Drowned, I believe�Suicide, maybe foul play�yeah, that�s what made the teacher suspicious, she talked about things her mother tells her to do and says things her mother told her, et cetera�Yeah, a real nutcase, but maybe there�s something to it, anyway, cases of abuse and rape evident�maybe more�Much worse�Look, do you have a box of matches?�Just plain kitchen matches�I promised her that I would give them to her if she would let me hypnotize her�yeah, I did. Well, I know it�s against the rules for me to�she promised she�d be careful, and she�s very reliable in that department�She just wants to light some candles, I assume it�s safe�I don�t know�Look, I gotta go, she�s in my office right now and I�m afraid for her�If you only knew. Bring the car around, anyway�You�ll know what I mean when you meet her�See ya in a few minutes�Love you, too.�
The doctor�s back now, but no matches, �My friend�s bringing them, she and I are going to take you home to get your stuff.� He plopped down in the chair behind his desk, �Do you mind if you stayed with a friend of mine until later this week? I promise that he�s really nice.�
A knock at the door, I wonder who it is, I get up to answer it, They told me not to answer the door anymore because of the salesmen incident, I didn�t know they weren�t supposed to come in, it�s not my fault, it�s not my fault! No, don�t touch me!!! Another autograph across my cheek, no one can see the bruises anyway.
I sat back down, it�s the doctor�s friend, she gave the doctor a hug and set a box of matches down in front of me. �This is Phil. Phil, this is the girl I was telling you about, introduce yourself.�
Flashback: �Don�t talk back to your elders, don�t tell my secrets, go away, you�re an idiot.�
�I don�t want to.�
A shrug, a laugh, �Here are your matches, do you mind if I hold on to them until we get back from your house, I mean the Micheals� house.�
�Who are the Micheals?�
�The people you stay with, they�re the Micheals.�
�The Micheals�hmmmmm�. I don�t like the Micheals.�
�You have good reason to. Come on, let�s go.�
The doctor had a blue car, I don�t like blue cars anymore, �Jim has a blue car. He has a brown car, too, but I don�t like what he does in the blue car, I like the brown car better. I can�t remember what he does in the brown car. Can I have a drink? Is the drink brown? Jim always gave me a brown drink to go with the brown car and a blue drink to go with the blue car. I don�t like the blue drinks very much, I remember the blue car, not the brown one. Yes I like this car better, red is a good color, no red drinks, always blue or brown.� A raised eyebrow from them both, what does that mean?
�Who�s Jim?�
�He�s Brother�s friend, but They�what were their names?�The Micheals don�t like Brother to hang out with him. I can though because I�m not as valuable as Brother is. I�m not worth anything so Jim can have me, if he wants. He doesn�t like me to talk either, he told me it was a secret, and I told him that I wouldn�t tell. I am very good at keeping secrets. You don�t count, though, because you�re a doctor, right? I didn�t spoil my wish when I told you my secrets, did I?�
�What wish?�
�If you tell people your secrets, your wish doesn�t come true, this year I get two wishes. Only one wish a year, but this year I get two. I�ve been a really good girl.� I laugh but they can�t hear me laugh. Laughter isn�t a good thing, it means you�re weak. No one can tell me I�m weak, I�m not weak.
I have to get into the house, but I don�t have a key�what do you do when you want to get into somewhere? The window only works going out, cuz you can�t reach it from the ground. What do you do when you want to get into somewhere?
The doctor and his friend�Phil�they knock at the door, but They told me not to answer the door because of the salesmen, They don�t like salesmen. No one should answer the door, but Jim does anyway; he never listens to Them, that�s why they don�t like him.
�Hey, sweetheart�, his voice sounds a little slurred. �Wanna go for a ride, huh? Come on, it�ll be fun. Remember the beach last time? You had fun, didn�t you? I brought my mom�s car, and I have a surprise for you� �
He grabs my arm and we go, I wave to the Doctor. This time it�s the brown car and the brown drink, �Wanna have a drink/ but remember it has to be gone before we get to the beach..�
�I don�t like the brown drink anymore.�
�Drink it anyway, you stupid Bitch!� Another bruise on my arm, but no one can see the bruises. I drink, my throat burns. The Doctor is trying to get into the car before we go. Why would he want to go to the beach with us? He doesn�t want to drink the brown liquid. Jim doesn�t want to take the Doctor, but the Doctor wants to go. No, the Doctor doesn�t want to go. Jim�s on the ground now, no more Jim, blood comes out of his nose, thick. The Doctor looks mad, Phil is in the house with Them, the Micheals. No more Jim.
�Don�t drink the brown liquid! No more brown liquid for you!� I don�t remember the rest, I don�t remember the brown liquid, my throat burns.
Doctor wants me to go into the house and get my things so that I can go with him to his friend�s house. I told him that I wanted my matches now.
�Okay, here you go, but remember, be careful.� I will, one wish. A smile from us both. I haven�t smiled in a long time. Mother says it�s not a good thing to smile when you�re surrounded by the enemy. Everyone�s the enemy. The Doctor doesn�t count though, he�s not anybody. I smile again. It makes me feel better. I go into the sitting room, Buzz is asleep on the couch so I tiptoe around it to the back, four candles sit in a row along the edge of the trim behind it. I have the candles and now I have the matches. One wish, one wish, this year I get two.
Doctor says it�s time to go, I grab the rug, it is a very comfortable rug, and I can�t forget the matches. No matches, no sparkle, no candles. Can we go to the beach first? I want to go to the beach, the tide�s coming in. I run to the fence and make quick work of it. Now I�m tall enough to get over it without a rope. They won�t follow me, I�m just going to the beach. Mother said that I could have her wish, if I could find the candles, today�s her birthday. Four candles, surely enough to make a wish, surely?
Footsteps in the background, footsteps following me, I didn�t think they would. No cake, but the sand�ll do, the sand likes the candles too. Put the rug on the rock. �Mother would you like a piece of cake?�Yes, so would I, so would I. Here, let me bring you a piece. No, you first, it�s your birthday, mother�. What? No they don�t want me to be here, mommy, they want to take me away, here, I�ll bring you a piece. Do you want a big piece?� Are you going to blow out the candles, or can I?�I know you said I could, but�maybe you changed your mind with all this time? NO?
Well, then, I know what I�ll wish for�..hmmmmmm�two wishes in one year�two wishes two wishes two wishes, what�ll it be?
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