Vocal Valentines

Lies Through a Child's Eyes

“Okay. Yeah, I’m taking the girls to the beach. Uh huh. No, I haven’t done that yet. I’ll figure it out. Bye.” My Mama hung up the phone.

“Who was that Mama?” I did not think she would tell me, but I asks anyways.

“No one.” She drives the car and doesn’t even look at me. Why does she hide stuffs from me? All I want to do is know what’s going on.

“Mama, whys is the sky blue?” I looked out the window of the car. It was a nice day. It felt warm and pretty, and there were a lot of puffy white clouds to make shapes out of in the sky.

“Because that’s how God wanted it,” she told me. She was driving the red car. I liked this car the best out of all of the cars we had because I feel the wind breathing on me and like to look at the sky.

“But why?” Riley said. She was in her green car seat next to me. She had a blue bow in her hair. I had a pink one in my hair. We were twins so I think we have to look alike a lot.

“Because he likes blue.”

“But why?” I said. I didn’t understand why the sky was blue and why the grass was green. What if the sky was green and the grass was blue? Why does all things has to be the way it is?

“I don’t know Cynthia. It just is that way, okay?”

“NO!” I screamed. I didn’t like when she did that. Why couldn’t she just tell me? I know she knows. She just not want to tell me and that makes me mad.

“Madison, calm down!” she turned around to look at me.

“NO! Tell me why the sky is blue!” I yelled at her.

“MAAAMAAA!” Riley screamed. BANG! CLASH! The glass in the window broke and all I see is black.

“Oww,” I whined. I felt my head with my hand. It hurt a lot. It felt like I had one of those big bumpies on my face like in loony tunes, but I didn’t see stars around me eyes like there should have been.

“Oh thank God,” my Mama looked at me. Everything was fuzzy like my stuffed animal.

“Mama, why does everything hurt?” she had grabbed my hand. Her head was on my leg and she was crying. I could hear her cries. Even though I couldn’t see her water on her face, I could hear it coming out. I noticed a big white thing on her arm. It looked like a piece of a blanket scott taped to her arm. “Mama, where’s Riley?” my Mama cried harder. She was shaking. I looked at the room. I saw the room better now. It was white like my Mama’s curtains, but it was a bad white. There is too much light in here I think because it was still a hard to open my eyes all the way.

“Do you remember when I told you about heaven?” Mama’s voice was shaky like her body.

“Yes. You said when people die, they go to heaven. And theys happy up there. Theys get to do what they want and it’s pretty.” I didn’t know why shes was talking to me about heaven when I had just asked her a question. I just wanted to know about Elisa and where she was sleeping in this white room so we could go to the beach. Was she here? Was she at home? “Mama, where is Riley?”

“Riley’s in,” she looked at my face. Her eyes were red and puffy, “Riley’s in heaven honey. She died in the car crash.” Her whole body shook now.

“No!” I screamed. I sat up and tried to push her head off my lap. I looked at my arms and strange straws were coming out of my arm. “What’s going on? Where am I? Answer me!” I yelled. She was frozen like a statue looking at me.

“We’re in the hospital. You were hurt in the crash. So was Riley and,” she stopped speaksing, “She didn’t make it.” Water burst from her eyes like rain.

“No. No. You’re lying. You always is lying to me and I don’t like it.” I tried to pull the weird clear things out of my arm. It hurt and stung and I felt the tears come out of my eyes. I was screaming. I did not know when I screamed, I just hear it. This is a dream. It has to be. She’s lying to me. She’s a liar.

“Madison calm down! Please calm down!” She put her hands on mine. I pulled them out.

“NO!” I didn’t want her here. I wanted to wake up from the dream I was having. I wanted to wake up and go to the beach like we were supposed to.

Big people in white long shirts and short green shirts walked over to me. I threw my arms and moved my legs. I just wanted to get out of the white room. The tubes kept me on the bed. I cried and cried and cried, and the green shirt person walked towards me with a needle. I moved back and sat on the wall. I didn’t want her to poke me with that needle. I cried harder. Instead of poking me with the needle, she poked the tube. “No, no, no!” I screamed. My eyes felt tired, but I didn’t want them to close. I wanted to wake up, not go to sleep.

I woke up, but I was still in the white room. I lift my arms, but something was not letting me. I looked down, and saw brown straps. They looked like belts around me like the hand necklaces Mama wears for parties. “Mama!” I wanted her to come so I could get the hand necklaces off and go home. A lady in a green shirt walked in.

“Hi Madison, I’m Lisa. Are you hungry?” she smiled like I was fine.

“I want to go home!”

“I know honey, you can go home soon. How about I take off your straps off and we go for a walk?” she was still smiling.

“Fine,” she started to take the belts off. I hugged myself when she was done. My head still hurt, but all I wanted was to go home.

“Let’s go for a walk,” she pulled me off the bed. My legs felt like the jello I had eaten that morning, like my arms and head were too heavy for them. The lady grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. When we got into the hall I saw people in polka-dotty dresses walking. There were kids and big people. Some looked like my Grandma with white hair and saggy skin.

“Get away from me draconian demons!” a man ran out of a green room.

“Mr. Singer, please come back into the room,” I heard.

“You can’t cajole me into this! The hoi polloi may believe you and your so called panacea, but I never will!” He waved his arms around like he was dancing.

“What’s going on?” Lisa dropped my hand.

“He thinks we’re trying to kill him because we need to give him his insulin shot.” A man walked out of the room. His shirt was green like Lisa’s.

“Have you tried conceding with him?”

“Yes, but he won’t listen. He goes in and out of knowing where his is and who we are,” he put his hand on the man. The man yelled in protest and his eyes looked like the people on the street Mama called crazy.

“Madison, I’m going to help my friend here treat this patient. Can you sit on this bench right here and wait for me please?” she was still smiling. I nodded. As soon as she was gone I took off running. My legs felt better now, like they could carry me. I didn’t know where to go but I saw a lady in normal clothes and followed her. I could see big glass doors and cars outside. I ran at the door.

“Madison!” Lisa called. I ran faster. My head hurt worser but I kept running. The doors opened for me like they wanted me to get outside. “Someone stop her!” Lisa yelled. I heard feet tap dancing on the floor and trys to run fast.

“No! I’m going home!” I yelled. My head hurt worse and everything looked smudgy. My eyes couldn’t see well so I just kept running.

“No! Stop!” A man yelled but I kept running. Everything my eyes sees was black. My feet went down and a car’s horn honked loud. I saw Elisa and she wasn’t smudgy like the outside had been. She put her hand out and I grabbed it. She smiled and I knew everything would be okay.

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