Jelly Bean Summer by Joyce Magnin

Author:Joyce Magnin
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2017-03-05T16:00:00+00:00

Twelve

Bubba, the huge, white German shepherd from across the alley, had gotten Jelly Bean.

I scream.

Bubba grabs her by her wiggly, little heinie and tosses her in the air like a toy.

I scream.

Jelly Bean flails in the air. I see every action like it is in slow motion. Her little legs move like she is trying to run away.

I scream.

Jelly Bean crashes to the ground with an awful thud.

Polly—where is Polly? It’s her job to protect Jelly Bean, but she’s not in the yard.

“Polly! Polly!”

I run toward Bubba. “Get out. Get out of here.”

Bubba snatches the pig up in his mouth and looks at me with wild eyes. The hairs on his back are standing on end, his ears are pulled back, and white foam drips from his jowls.

I pick up the only weapon I can find—a jagged, fist-size rock—and am just about to throw it when I hear another scream. It’s Elaine.

I throw the rock. It barely makes the dog flinch as he shakes Jelly Bean side to side.

I run at him and kick him.

He drops Jelly Bean.

She lies on the grass wiggling and shaking.

“No, don’t come near here,” I scream to Elaine. But that’s like holding back a burst dam. I start to cry. I want her to go back to Brian’s. I don’t want her to see. I try to hold her back, but she breaks through my arms.

She pushes Bubba out of the way like he’s a puppy, picks up Jelly Bean’s limp body, and holds the pig to her cheek.

Bubba growls. I holler at him. “Get out. Get out!” I make a move toward him. He lets out a yelp and runs through the side-yard gate.

The gate.

It is swinging open.

I swallow a lump the size of Bubba in my throat.

I look at Elaine and the pig. Jelly Bean is still alive but barely. I can see her little body rise and fall with each tiny, painful breath.

Elaine sobs. And sobs. “No. Nooooooo. Please don’t die.”

My mother and Polly burst out of the house. “What happened? I heard a dog and…”

“It was Bubba,” I say.

Elaine drops to her knees. Jelly Bean is still making noises, but they keep getting fainter. “Please don’t die,” Elaine cries. “Please don’t die.”

Polly nuzzles Jelly Bean. She lets out a low whimper and looks Elaine straight in the eyes.

Tears run down my cheeks. “Please,” I whisper. “Don’t die.”

I listen for the pig noises. I listen until the noises stop.

I swipe the tears from my face. I don’t deserve to cry. It’s my fault.

“I don’t understand,” Mom says, looking straight at me. “How’d Bubba get in the yard?”

“It was me,” I say. “I didn’t check the gate. I thought it was closed tight but…but—”

“You?” Elaine says through an ocean of tears and sobs. “You left the gate open?”

I throw myself into my mother’s arms. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

My mother squeezes me around the waist and tells me to sit on the stoop. “I need to help Elaine right now.”

I sit on the step. My entire body trembles.

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