dreadcrumbs

"Minor Emancipation"

Johnny wakes up on Monday morning at 6:30, just like he’s done ever since he started third grade.  He gets dressed, makes his own breakfast (Froot Loops), packs his school bag, and crouches down to kiss his mother’s head before he leaves. Not on the lips, and not just because they’ve started to peel away from her teeth. It’s because he’s a big boy, and he knows he’s a big boy, and big boys don’t kiss on the lips.

"Changeling"

The boy who took my place in the family visits sometimes. He leaves little pieces of cooked meat on my shoulder when I sleep, just close enough for me to reach with my teeth. He tells me what everyone is doing, about my old friends, and the funny things my baby sister does. He says mom and dad are happier now than they've ever been and that they love him a lot. When I cry, he pats my head and asks if I want more meat. He tells me he has lots of spare meat.