by A. L. Jambor
“Come on Baby” Mindy said. “Let’s get some food.”
Mindy quietly opened the front door. She couldn’t see or hear anyone. She put Baby Girl’s leash on and they left the house by the side door and walked onto the metal ramp. It was impossible to be quiet on the metal ramp, but it was the shortest way to the shed. Mindy jumped through the railings on the ramp and so did Baby Girl. They walked to the shed that was connected to the house.
Mindy opened the door and checked the floor. The men didn’t see the door in the floor in the dark. Even in the daytime, it was hard to see that door. Grammy had done that. She had made it hard to see. Mindy closed the shed door. She lit the candle on the shelf. Then she opened the door in the floor.
Under the shed was a hole about six feet long and four feet wide. The door was made of plywood that fitted over the hole. Inside the hole were three plastic storage bins. One bin contained guns and ammunition and the other two canned food for people and dogs.
Mindy was careful how much food she took every day, but the stores were dwindling. She was not sure what she would do when it ran out, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it.
Mindy opened the food bin and took out a can of soup and one can of dog food. She replaced the storage bin lid and put the plywood door back in place. She shuffled some dirt over the top and slowly opened the shed door. She still didn’t see or hear anyone.
She and Baby Girl left the shed and walked to the metal ramp. Mindy climbed up the side of the ramp. She put the cans down and reached for Baby Girl. Baby Girl jumped up on her hind legs and Mindy grabbed her and pulled her up. She then picked up the cans and they re-entered the house.
Mindy took a can opener out of the silverware drawer and opened the cans. She filled Baby Girl’s bowl. The refrigerator wasn’t working, so Baby Girl had to eat the whole thing so it wouldn’t go bad. Most times she did. Other times she would wait too long and vomit it up. Mindy just let Baby Girl decide what she wanted to do.
Mindy then opened her soup and put it in a bowl. It was chicken noodle, the condensed kind. Mindy didn’t have water to add to it. She’d run out of bottled water two days ago. The soup wasn’t too thick, but it was salty. It filled her stomach so she didn’t mind too much. It was gone too soon. Now she would have to decide what to do the rest of the day.
Mindy put Baby Girl’s leash on the little dog’s collar. She got out the bicycle pump and went out the door. She thought about closing the windows, but decided it was just too hot. Besides, if someone wanted to get it, they’d just break down the door.
Mindy locked the door behind her. She and Baby Girl went down the ramp to the old three-wheel bicycle with the flat tires. It had been Opa’s bike. The tires didn’t hold air anymore, so when Mindy wanted to use it, she would pump up the tires. She kept a bicycle pump in the basket attached to the rear of the bike.
Mindy pumped the tires up. There was a small chain with a hook on it attached to the basket. Mindy hooked it onto Baby Girl’s leash so she wouldn’t jump out when they were moving. Mindy attached the chain to Baby Girl’s collar and they rode out to the street. Grammy had adjusted the bicycle seat for Mindy so she could easily reach the pedals.
Mindy rode past house after house. She avoided looking at the house across the street. She was headed for the clubhouse. There was a pool table at the clubhouse. Miraculously, the hurricane hadn’t damaged anything, and the pool table was still there and intact. Mindy liked to play with it during the day when there was enough light in the clubhouse.
There were also books and puzzles there. Mindy could while away a whole day reading. Baby Girl liked to roam around the rooms, delighting in seeing and smelling something new. Mindy pulled into the drive that led to the clubhouse. She opened the double doors, used a rock to hold each door open, and pulled the bike in behind her. No one had been in the clubhouse since her last visit.
Mindy detached Baby Girl and helped her out of the basket. Baby Girl trotted off towards the back of the clubhouse. Then she did something she’d never done before while visiting the clubhouse. She growled.
Chapter 2
Mindy stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn’t see Baby Girl, but the terrier kept growling in a low, menacing tone. Mindy slowly walked toward the sound at the back of the clubhouse. She could see Baby Girl now. The little dog’s hackles were raised and she stood very still. Mindy started walking again until she could see what had Baby Girl’s attention.
It was a rat, a very big rat, about the size of a small cat. Mindy could see the rat was frightened and if Baby Girl didn’t back down, the rat would bite her.
What is that called, the thing animals get that’s really bad? Mindy thought. They get shots for it - what, what? Then she remembered - Rabies. What if the rat bit Baby Girl, or Mindy, and gave them rabies? Where would I take her for help?
As her mind worked, she felt the pistol in her pocket. Mindy pushed the thought away. What if she missed and hit Baby Girl?
Fear rose up Mindy’s back. She couldn’t move. Baby Girl was inching closer to the rat. The rat was hunched over and looked like it would go after Baby Girl. Mindy was afraid to speak. She didn’t want to spook the rat further.
Mindy pulled the pistol out of her pocket just in case. The rat turned away from Baby Girl as if to walk away. Baby Girl started to move towards it.
“No!” yelled Mindy.
Baby Girl turned to look at Mindy, and the rat turned and started towards Baby Girl. Just as the rat rushed towards Baby Girl, Mindy fired. The rat dropped like a stone. Somehow, and she would never know how, she had shot the rat straight through its chest. Blood oozed on the floor. Mindy felt as if she might pass out. She had never liked the sight of blood - it made her feel woozy.
“Baby Girl, come here.” The little terrier was going to the rat’s body to sniff, but the sound of Mindy’s voice stopped her and she trotted over to Mindy. Mindy picked her up, walked her over to the bike, and chained her to the basket.
Mindy knew there was a gardener’s shed near the pool behind the clubhouse. She walked to the sliding glass doors that led to the pool area. As she stepped outside she saw the pool. It hadn’t been cleaned for a while and the algae were growing thick. It didn’t smell very good either. Mindy ran past it to the shed.
There were three shovels in the shed. One was large enough to carry the rat. The small one was like a spade. Mindy picked up the spade and opened the gate leading away from the pool to a field where there was grass. The mobile home park had held picnics there. Mindy found a nice shady spot and began to dig a hole. The rat wasn’t very big, so she wouldn’t have to dig very long.
The ground was harder than she thought it would be. She stabbed at it until she could move some of the dirt out of the way. The ground grew softer as she dug. It was just like with Grammy. Grammy had dug a hole for Snowball, her old cat. Mindy stopped digging. She didn’t like to think about Grammy. She felt the tears coming again, but made herself stop.
“You can’t do that all the time. You’re not a baby,” she told herself, and continued to dig the rat’s grave.
Mindy walked past the pool and into the clubhouse. She had the big shovel with her this time. Baby Girl whined from the bike basket.
“Shush” said Mindy. “I have to take care of this and I don’t need you running away.”
Mindy gently picked up the rat with the shovel. The rat was still quite limp. It was a gray rat. It creeped Mindy out, and the blood bothered her.
Mindy carried the rat around the pool and out the gate to the hole she had dug. She shook the shovel until the rat fell into the hole. It fit. Mindy pushed the dirt over the body until it was completely covered. She picked up the shovel and walked back to the shed. She placed the shovel back where she had found it and went into the clubhouse.
As Mindy walked past the empty vending machine in the hallway leading to the main room, her foot knocked into it. She heard something shift inside the machine. Mindy started to feel excited. What if th
ere was food in there? Potato chips, nacho chips, or better yet cookies. Mindy felt her stomach growl. She was very hungry, and the thought of all those carbohydrates was just too much for her.
Mindy ran back to the shed. She looked around, hoping to find a hammer. She spied a crowbar sitting on someone’s small, castoff table at the end of the shed. She picked up the crowbar and ran back to the vending machine. She couldn’t decide whether to break the glass or try to pry it open from the side. Mindy didn’t want to be cut by the glass. She reminded herself again that there was no way to get to a doctor, and set about prying the door open.
The crowbar was too thick to wedge between the door and the machine. She needed a screwdriver or a knife. Even scissors would have done the trick. Mindy walked to the front of the clubhouse. Baby Girl again protested at being left in such a humiliating state.
“Oh, shut up, Baby Girl!” she said. Baby Girl barked, just one bark.
Mindy looked around the room. She noticed for the first time a window and door that sat next to the entrance of the clubhouse. Mindy walked over to the door to inspect it.
The window had sliding glass, like in a doctor’s office. Mindy stood on tiptoes and peeked inside. It looked like an office of some kind. There was a phone and computer. There was also a bulletin board. Inside the office, Mindy could see another door; another room she hadn’t known was there. She walked to the door and tried the doorknob. It turned.
Mindy entered the office and looked around. In one corner was a dead plant. In another, on top of a filing cabinet, were checks that had never been deposited. Mindy crossed to the other door. It, too, was unlocked. Mindy opened the door and stood in wonder at the sight before her.
Chapter 3
Mindy entered the small room. It was lined with shelving from top to bottom, and on each shelf were supplies for the small office. There were other things there, too, marvelous things. Things Mindy had longed for and dreamt of. There were bags and bags of potato chips, nacho chips, peanut butter-filled cheese crackers, pretzels, and cookies. This must have been where they stored the vending machine refills. But that wasn’t all. On the other side of the room the shelves held bottles and bottles of pure, clean water. There were hundreds of them.
Mindy grabbed a bottle and unscrewed the top. She gulped down the water so fast she vomited. When she stopped retching she started drinking again, only slower this time. That water felt so good. It was as if she could feel her cells filling up after months of being dry. Who would believe water could taste so good?
Mindy sat on the floor and finished the bottle of water. She then reached up and grabbed a bag of chips. As she opened the bag, the aroma of grease and potatoes filled her nostrils. Mindy sighed in ecstasy. She took a chip out, looked at it, and she shoved it into her mouth. The crunch felt so wonderful she swooned.
Mindy finished the bag of chips and started on another. Three bags later, Mindy felt overwhelmingly tired. She got up off the floor and took a bottle of water down off the shelf. She found a clean ashtray in the office and filled it with water.
Baby Girl was sitting in the basket looking quite annoyed.
“I’m sorry I left you so long. But I have a treat for you.” She unlatched Baby Girl and put the ashtray on the floor. Baby Girl pounced on the water just as Mindy had. She lapped and lapped until the water was gone. Then she too spit up half of what she drank.
“We really have to slow down, girl.” Mindy smiled. She felt good. She felt full for the first time that she could remember, since before Grammy left. Mindy was tired and decided to take a nap.
There was a long credenza on the far side of the clubhouse, behind the pool table. It had a vent, and was deep enough for a girl and little dog to fit in. Mindy had taken the sofa cushions off the old sofa that sat in the “living room” of the clubhouse and laid them inside the credenza so she could sleep and not be seen. She suddenly felt the need to relieve herself.
“I bet you have to go, too,” she said to Baby Girl. She put on the dog’s leash and they walked out past the pool and the shed to the gate leading to the field. There were some bushes next to the clubhouse fence. Mindy squatted next to them. When she was done, she walked Baby Girl until she, too, squatted. They walked back to the clubhouse and got into her makeshift “bedroom”. After she and Baby Girl were settled, Mindy closed the cabinet door making sure the latch was in place, stretched out, and instantly fell asleep.
Mindy dreamt of her mother. They were sitting in the kitchen of her old house and baking something. Her mother was telling her to wash her hands. Mindy couldn’t so much see her mother as she could sense her. There was such sweetness to the dream, a feeling of home.
Mindy was stirring something in a bowl. She looked at her mother. She wanted to tell her she loved her, but her mouth wouldn’t work. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t speak. Then her teeth began to loosen and fall out. Mindy woke up with a start.
Mindy’s arm had fallen asleep. She shook it a little and then stopped to listen. Everything was quiet. She looked out the vent in the door and could see the bike where she had left it. Slowly she opened the door, and she and Baby Girl got out of the credenza.
“I think we should take some food home and have a party,” Mindy said to Baby Girl.
Mindy walked to the office and opened the door. She picked out three bags of chips, three cheese and peanut butter crackers, three packs of cookies, and four bottles of water. There was a cloth bag on the floor by the computer. She emptied the contents, and put the food and water in the bag. Then she carried the bag to the bike.
She hung the bag on the handlebars, picked up Baby Girl and chained her to the basket. Mindy opened the double doors and pushed the bike outside. She then pushed the doors closed until they snapped. She got on the bike and pedaled towards home.
When they got there, Mindy unchained Baby Girl and kept her on her leash. She walked the little dog to the grass across the street. After Baby Girl had finished, Mindy walked back to the mobile home and lifted the bag handles off the handlebars. Holding the bag and Baby Girl’s leash, she walked up the ramp to the front door. She checked the lock before entering the house. If someone were there, Baby Girl would let her know.
Mindy was excited. She had new food for dinner! She had water to drink! She decided it was a birthday party, and she and Baby Girl would feast. Mindy took the last clean plate out of the cabinet. Without water, she hadn’t been able to wash them so she just left them in the sink.
She opened a bag of chips and packets of crackers. She filled the plate with one bag of chips and one bag of crackers. She placed a sheet on the living room floor and put the plate in the middle. Mindy also brought over a bottle of water. Baby Girl trotted over to see what was happening.
“We’re having a birthday party Baby Girl!”
Mindy was surprised to discover she felt happy. She started singing “Happy Birthday to You”, and a vision of her mother singing came into her head.
“You look like a monkey, and you act like one too!” her mother had sung.
At that time, Mindy had giggled and her mother had grabbed her and tickled her. The memory brought tears to Mindy’s eyes. Then she looked at Baby Girl. The dog was salivating, waiting for the chips to be passed out.
“I’m sorry, Baby Girl. Here you go.”
The little dog grabbed the end of the chip and went under the old bed on the porch to eat it. Mindy tried to recall the happy feeling she had just a minute ago, but now she just felt lonely. After the food was gone, Mindy picked up the sheet and draped it over the sofa. She tried to wipe the plate off. She wouldn’t use what little water she had to clean it.
Mindy felt so dirty. She really wanted to take a bath and wash her hair, but there wasn’t enough water. She had brought home only four bottles. She drank one. Baby Girl would need some too. Maybe she could use one to wash. There wasn’t much in one bottle, but if she was careful and used a washrag, maybe one would be enough. She just wouldn’t use soap.
> She took a bottle into the bathroom and put a stopper in the sink. She poured the water into the sink. First she took a rag and got it wet. The rag had soaked up most of the water, so Mindy rang it out. Then she took her toothbrush and brushed her teeth. After that, she took off her clothes and used the rag to clean herself.
Just that little bit of clean felt so good. She couldn’t wait until she could fill a bathtub again. Her hair would have to wait - that would take too much water. She cleaned her face and ran the rag through her hair. Just getting her hair wet felt so good.
Now it was time for bed. She was tired again even though she’d slept most of the afternoon. She got into some clean clothes that she’d been saving, and decided that she and Baby Girl were going to sleep in Grammy’s bed from now on. That was where the escape door was, and it just seemed right to be in there. Mindy moved her things into Grammy’s room. Grammy wouldn’t mind.
Mindy fell asleep full of food for the first time since Grammy disappeared. She thought about Grammy as she went to sleep. Where was Grammy? Why had her parents left her here so long? Where were they?
Baby Girl snuggled next to her. Mindy began to think it was time to start looking for them at her house. Maybe she and Baby Girl would have to ride to the big street outside the park. She would think about it and ask God what she should do. Then she closed her eyes and was asleep instantly.
Chapter 4
Mindy awoke up with a start. She heard someone in the house. Baby Girl was in the hallway barking. She could see the little dog’s tail as it inched its way back into the room.
"Shhh,” Mindy said quietly.
Mindy was on Grammy’s bed. It was a very big bed, and the little fire door was on her right. The hallway door was on her left. Mindy remained as still as she could. She could hear the people coming closer to the room. She reached into her pocket for her little pistol, but it wasn’t there. She’d left it in the bathroom last night.