Cages Read online

  And then she starts crying again

  Which is the weird thing as they hurry along

  How she keeps shifting in and out of sobbing and tears and curses

  One minute she'll be all right talking to him and then she just goes crazy again

  You shouldnt'a fuckin done it you shouldnt'a fuckin done it over and over and over again

  ***

  Without the long lines (and in the night) Smilin' Bob's looks very different, long shadows and soft street light hiding the worst of the graffiti

  And

  You show me the door you went in

  Right there ma

  And she goes up and peers inside

  And then goes crazy again

  Banging and kicking on the door

  And screaming you gimme my little girl back you fuckers you gimme my little girl back

  And is crying again of course

  Sobbing screaming keening

  And banging and kicking and banging and kicking and

  Just the darkness inside

  Just the silence

  You gimme my little girl back

  And then

  She runs around the back and all he can do is follow

  Alley very dark smelling awful as they pass a dumpster

  She opens the dumpster lid and peeks inside and

  Screams

  Freaks and geeks of every kind inside the rejects that they thought they could sell but couldn't

  half-cat half-baby things things with one cyclopean eye in the middle of their forehead things with a flipper-like little arm sticking out of their sternums things that are doll-like little replicas of human beings except in the open eyes (even dead) you can see their stone madness

  And every one of them had been hidden by their mothers till some stupid family member decided to earn some extra money by coming down to Smilin' Bob's or some place just like it and sell off the family shame

  And you didn't have to be legal age because the Smilin' Bobs all got together in Washington and had a bill passed sayin any family member at all of any age could bring in these mutants and

  They lay like fish piled high in a net these dumpster mutants moonlight glistening on their bloody faces and limbs and the stench

  Then she runs to the back door which doesn't even have a window to peer in and starts banging and kicking again

  You fuckers you fuckers

  And him going up to her now and sayin

  Ma I'm sorry ma please don't be like this it scares me when you get like this

  And she turns on him and shrieks

  She's your little sister! Can't you understand that!

  And then she turns back to the doors and starts banging and kicking again

  And then something startling happens

  Door opens

  And Smilin' Bob is standing there and

  Evenin ma'am he says (in his Texas way) help you ma'am?

  You bought my little girl today. You give my boy here $500. I wanna give it back to you and take my little girl home.

  And Smilin' Bob takin off his white ten-gallon hat and scratchin his head says Well now, lemme get a better look at this young 'un here

  And he opens the door and looks down and says 'fraid not ma'am 'fraid I never did see this here kid before and I'd certainly remember if I had, givin him $500 Yankee cash and all like you said

  Tell him (she says) tell him

  And so he tells him

  How he waited so long in line

  How everybody ahead of him got turned down

  How he got $500

  But Smilin' Bob he just looks down at him and nods his head and says Oh yeah, now I remember you. You brung that teeny-tiny girl with three eyes.

  She pushes the money at him.

  Please take it.

  'fraid I can't ma'am. Deal's a deal, least where I come from.

  I just want her back

  'fraid she's gone ma'am.

  Gone?

  Lab guy, he just happened to pop by and we showed her to him and--well, he took her.

  You liar.

  No call for that kinda language, ma'am.

  You fuckin fuckin liar is what you are. She's in there ain't she?

  And suddenly hurls herself at Smilin' Bob and tries to get past him

  And he flings himself at her tryin to get her off Smilin' Bob but as he grabs out he feels Smilin' Bob's arm and

  Smilin' Bob is an android!

  But Smilin' Bob is also somethin else besides--a very pissed off citizen hitting an alarm button to the right of the door

  She just keeps tryin to get inside

  Kickin scratchin hittin even bitin (but with android flesh bitin don't matter much)

  And then footfalls in the night

  Jackboots

  Two three four of them maybe

  Comin real fast

  And then surrounding them there in the alley

  Four android coppers, lasers pulled and ready to blast and

  Two of the coppers go up and pull her off Smilin' Bob

  Sure glad you boys got here

  She hurt you Smilin' Bob?

  Little lady like that? Not likely (Smilin' Bob smilin about it all) But sure would appreciate it if you'd get her out of here so I could get some work done

  You bet we will Smilin' Bob (and some kind of look exchanged some kind of murky android look that no human could ever understand) and the coppers pull her even further away from the door as Smilin' Bob goes back inside

  She your ma (one of the coppers says)

  Uh-huh.

  Then we're gonna put her in your custody. You understand?

  Yessir.

  We're gonna give you a pill.

  A pill?

  (Android nods) She gets all crazy again, you give her this. You understand?

  Yessir.

  You think you can handle this?

  Yessir.

  We already gave her a little juice with a stun needle.

  Yessir.

  So she's calmer now. But if she should happen to get--

  Yessir. This here pill.

  The coppers nod and leave.

  ***

  Halfway home the rain starts up again but this time it's just a mist and the black streets shine with blue neon and red neon and yellow neon and in the shabby little rooms and holes and hallways you can hear the human music of conversation and laughter and crying and sex.

  His mother walks in silence

  The stun needle having curbed her tongue

  Her fingers touching her stomach

  Remembering what it was like to have the little girl in her womb

  And not until it is too late does he realize that as they've been walking

  His mother has been letting the filthy useless money fly from her hands

  And leave a trail of dollars behind them

  In the long sad night

  The long sad night.

  THE END