Gray Ghost: Part Three -
The Sacrifice
I put gray Ghost back down in the incubator and fixed the towel that kept it warm. Quickly I went to a chest of drawers in a closet on the opposite side of the room. I took some old clothes out of the bottom drawer and piled them on top of some shoes. I went in the bathroom and got a couple of fresh towels. I went back to the closet and crouched down by the drawer and made a soft but secret compartment. I stole Gray Ghost from his incubator and put him in the little square of toweling in the bottom drawer on the far side in the deep of that closet. I went back to the bathroom and flushed a fake flush. I ran some water in the sink, wet my hands and picked up a towel to dry them. I opened the door walked back up the hall, still drying my hands with the towel. Government Guy stared at the towel, stared at the towel like he knew. I shook some of the water off my wrist. A droplet hit him in the eye. Broke his concentration. I looked at my wife. She started to speak but I shook my head and looked at my hands. Finished drying them with the towel. Then he asked, "Do you understand the trouble that you're in?" with a twinkle in his eye.
That twinkle in his eye surprised me. I knew that twinkle and come to think of it, I knew that look. I said to him, "you're my brother's kid aren't you". He smiled. So did I. Then I started sobbing. My brother, the practical joker sends his kid - the kid we'd never seen - over to torment us. My wife had called my brother's house when we found that bird on the sidewalk that day, seemed as good a reason to "stay in touch" as any.
(c) 1997 L. Van Warren * All Rights Reserved