The In-Between by Katie Van Heidrich

Author:Katie Van Heidrich
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2023-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Eagle Talons

Will the school find out we don’t live in the district?

Is Mom still mad? Will she say anything this morning?

My brain is doing overtime this morning,

which means my teachers and my schoolwork

will have a lot of competition this morning.

I float through the morning distracted,

teachers snapping me back to reality

when they call on me to take roll or to answer questions.

Before I know it,

I’m in Mr. Nelson’s fourth-period science class,

where checking out is typically easy to do.

I don’t particularly like science, or Mr. Nelson.

I mean,

he’s nice enough and

he tries really hard to be a planner

but often struggles to keep his class

from getting out of control.

He’s a stickler for rules

and I wish he’d loosen up a bit,

which is saying a lot coming from me,

because I love rules.

I’m praying for the day he figures it out.

But in the meantime,

while kids are running their mouths full steam ahead,

utterly ignoring

and aggressively derailing

anything Mr. Nelson might have to say,

I am rejoicing that we’re not actually doing any work.

I take out the book I started over winter break,

the one I took from Mom’s shelves,

A Painted House,

and start to read,

frantically jotting down quotes that sing,

quotes that sting,

quotes like I looked at her and tried to speak,

but all I could think about

was how shocked she’d be

if I said what I was thinking,

which makes me think

about Mom and Dad and

just about every other person

in my life

We’re supposed to be learning about ecosystems right now.

I’m not particularly interested

but perk up

when I hear Mr. Smith mention

eagle talons

and how they are able to grip their prey

at ten times the force of the human grip and immediately

I think of Mom

and the way she sinks her talons

into us.

And what I hear Mr. Nelson emphasize,

more so than anything else,

is the fact that sometimes,

an eagle will lose its life clinging to that

which it wants most to hold,

long after it’s become apparent that letting go

would ensure survival.

For example,

an eagle can be pulled underwater

by a creature hell-bent on escaping

the eagle’s hold.

And ultimately,

if the eagle doesn’t let go,

the eagle can drown.

At this,

I think back to Mom

and how tightly she clings to us three,

how adamant she is about refusing to let my father,

or anyone else for that matter,

take us.

And though it is noble,

and though I think I am grateful

to have a mother who is determined

to keep us together,

I wonder if,

like the eagle,

my mother might lose her life

clinging to us,

her children,

long after it’s become apparent

that letting go

might ensure survival—

which reminds me

I still need to ask her

why we can’t move to Dad’s.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.