I guess this is good-bye, Mr. Snigger, Mathew said to the little gray mouse as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
The mouse paused, as if waiting for instruction, and then scampered toward an open box on the bedroom floor. Mathew could easily see the mouses whiskers wiggle as it moved through a patch of moonlight.
Stretching to the fullest length, the mouse peered into the box and sniffed the contents: a heap of crumpled clothes, several bent or creased baseball cards, a worn cap, and a carefully packed telescope. It contained everything Mathew had accumulated over the last ten years except his most prized possession.
Placed on the bed was the astronomy book he won in the seventh-grade science fair two months earlier. It had a hardbound cover and 96 glossy pages with an abundance of galactic photographs.
Even though he read the book enough times to have it memorized, the book looked as if it had never been openedit was impeccable. There was not one page wrinkled, not a single unwanted mark, or a scoff anywhere in the book. Mathew aimed to keep it this way, for the sky, and its infinite freedom, was his passion.
Tonight the Aurora Borealis will appear in the northern sky. Pages 46-48 of his astronomy book taught him that this amazing light show was the interaction of solar wind and the Earths magnetic fields. He had seen this phenomenon many times, but it was never enough.
Now the book was wrapped in a paper grocery bag and taped securely. His literary treasure was ready for the move, more than he could say for himself.
We need to make new arrangements for you, Mr. Snigger, he said to the mouse. Ill be leaving in the morning and therell be no one left here to take care of you.
He tried to be matter-of-fact about the departure, but it was difficult. He wasnt ready to deal with it yet. Even though he had little to offer the tiny mouse, Mr. Snigger had been a constant companion for as long as he could remember. Mushy emotions kept creeping up, requiring him to stomp them back down to avoid a total meltdown.
Leaving Mr. Hollenbeck will be more difficult than leaving the mouse. Mathew couldnt bring himself to think about it yet. At one time Mr. Hollenbeck was only a neighbor, but for the last ten years he was Mathews family. Somewhere deep inside Mathew was thinking about it though; he could sense the pain.
The mouse, being on a tight schedule, ignored Mathews warning and continued to push his nose along the floorboards. Food was scarce in this house, crumbs were almost extinct, and the mouse was hungry.
Snigger! This is serious, Mathew pleaded. He pulled his feet up and swung his shoulders over the side of the bed. His blonde hair, badly in need of a haircut, draped onto the bare wood floor. He made a quick search for spiders. After finding none, he watched the mouse from upside down.
Marcys coming tomorrow. Shes taking Mr. Hollenbeck to a nursing home and sending me away to live with strangers. You need to find another house to live in, another family to take care of you. One with a mom and a dad and a couple of kids. A baby too.
The thin mouse, too intent on finding food, moved on without taking notice of Mathews pleas.
Mathews breath crystallized in the cold room and trailed from his mouth like a comets tail. He pulled his jacket from under the bed, returned right side up, and slipped it ona normal routine for him in the chilly old farmhouse. He had not yet removed his shoes from the day. There were many winter nights that he never did.
The only piece of furniture left in his room was the bed. Marcy tried to take that too, but Mr. Hollenbeck stopped her. It was the only time he did. All the other times, when his daughter wanted to buy something new, fancy, and always expensive, Mr. Hollenbeck stood in the kitchen and watched her take whatever she wanted from his house.
He didnt invite her to take them. He didnt argue with her either. She would barge into the house, stomping around in high-heeled shoes that bulged with overflowing feet flesh, and rummage through their belongings. She scared Mathew on many occasions.
Mathew stood next to Mr. Hollenbeck during her rampages, mostly because he didnt want to get in Marcys way, but also because he thought he might be able to understand what was happening if he saw it from Mr. Hollenbecks view.
They watched in silence, side by side. Mathew stole as many glances at Mr. Hollenbecks sagging gray face as politeness would allow. He watched the old mans wrinkled mouth and searched his dull eyes for answers, but his face did not reveal his thoughts or feelings.
Mathew asked many times why Marcy did this, but not until the last time he asked did he receive the answer. Marcy lives with demons that haunt her, and until she faces them they wont go away, the old man said.
Mathew was surprised to get that reply since Mr. Hollenbecks usual response was, When the time comes for you to have the answers, you will get them. Mathew guessed it had been time to get the scoop on Marcy. Though it raised more questions than it answered, he didnt press for more.
Things were different before Mrs. Hollenbeck passed away. Marcy rarely visited in those days, and when she did the visits were always short and always ended in silent anger, usually after a secret conversation with her father.
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