Iodine by Haven Kimmel

Author:Haven Kimmel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 2008-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

She dried her laundry and folded it; stopped at a pay phone to call Candy, who said Skeet wasn’t home, to come on over.

Trace had planned to lay it all out—she’d even made note cards. She would tell Candy about the timeline, the Hills, the template for the accounts that followed. She would explain what happened during the various conditions associated with parasomnia, how an episode of sleep paralysis could convince anyone that something supernatural had occurred.

But when she stepped out of her truck and saw the wind moving the tops of the trees, the way they swayed as if communicating with one another; when she stepped over to the chicken wire fence and saw just the tip of Blue’s nose at the edge of the doghouse; when she called and called him and he remained so still she wasn’t sure he was alive, she rethought what she might say.

The trailer was so clean Trace stopped in the doorway and wondered if she should take another step. The carpet appeared to have been shampooed and every surface was shining. Trace looked over at the table in the dining alcove and the plastic tablecloth was gone; where it had been was wood, polished. “Candy?” she called, prepared to step backward, and leave.

“Hey, Tracey! Just a second,” Candy was down the hallway, probably trying to keep the clothes on one of the boys. When she emerged, though, there were no babies hanging on her, and Trace noticed now the absence of the television noise.

Candy’s Mall Hair was perfectly curled and sprayed, and she was wearing clean clothes—a white sweatshirt and jeans, with white tennis shoes. Both of her eyes were blackened, nearly swollen shut, and her top lip was so huge it had split open at one corner. “Well come in, silly, don’t just stand there.”

“Do you—do you want me to take off my boots? Your carpet looks brand new.”

“No, are your serious? I’ve never asked anyone to take off their shoes in my house. Good heavens.”

“Where are the boys?”

Candy headed into the kitchen, where Trace could smell coffee being made. “They’re in bed.”

“Isn’t it—isn’t it kind of early for them to be asleep?”

“We had a busy day today, wore them out, you want some coffee?”

Trace took off her coat and scarf, draped them over the couch. “Okay.” She carried her bag to the table and sat down, then placed her hands on the wooden surface. It was smooth as glass, not a crumb on it.

Candy carried in two mugs, sat down. “How’d your first couple days go, at school? You gonna make it to the end?”

Trace shrugged. “You never know. What, uh, what’s been happening here?” She looked around the trailer rather than directly at Candy’s face.

“Ugh, I just got tired of it, you know, I wanted to see what it would feel like to live in a clean house for once. Since I got married, I mean. Turns out I like it.”

“I bet. It looks great.” Trace nodded, sipped at the fiercely bitter coffee.

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