Her little son took a deep breath and turned to the white plastic bag for strength. Then, he nodded and spoke softly.
“Mom…I know beer is not supposed to be on the rocks. I know everyone in your family was terrible to you except for one uncle. Uncle Robbie died when you were ten. Some men beat him up for being different.”
His father told him, Kate. Give him the pill.
“At his funeral, you promised that if you had a kid, you would always believe them. No one believed you when you were little. You told your mom, aunt, and grandmother. But no one stopped it. And when you were a little girl, you were so mad, you thought you could close your eyes and destroy the world. But you never tried because you didn’t know where you would live.”
His father told him. You know that. Be strong.
Christopher’s mother could feel an electricity rush through the house. She could smell ozone. Like lightning. Two clouds bumping together. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Her son felt electric, like a balloon after rubbing it on a sweater.
“It’s okay. We’re going to get through this, honey. I promise,” she said.
“You met Daddy when you were running away from home. You asked him to hit you when you first met because you thought no hitting meant no love. He didn’t do it. He held you instead. You thought you would never stop crying.”
Your husband was crazy, Kate. He told your son everything. Give him the pill.
“Mom…I know Daddy killed himself in the bathtub. I know you hurt a lot and hid most of it from me. You kept moving to get away from the blood, but it would never go away, so you kept moving. You felt really sad when you met Jerry. I know Jerry hit you, Mom. So, you took me away to keep me safe. Nobody ever did that for you.”
“How do you know all that, honey?” she finally asked.
“Because the nice man told me.”
What the fuck is wrong with you, Kate? He’s crazy. Give him the pill!
“He asked me to build a portal to the imaginary world to help him. Because the hissing lady is going to shatter the glass between their side and ours. We have to stop her, Mom! She’s dangerous. I was there in the kitchen with you and Jill. You thought you spilled your coffee, but it was really the hissing lady. She wants me to sleep. She wants me to lead her to the nice man and then kill me because I’m so powerful.”
You want to lose another man? You want to be all alone again?
“But every time I go to the imaginary side, it hurts me. That’s why my nose is bleeding. It’s not my blood. It’s your blood. It’s Dad’s blood in the bathtub. It’s Mrs. Keizer’s blood. Mom, please! I could feel the burn on your hand. I could feel all the old people at the pageant. The people in the hospital. I can feel all of their pain. All of their joy. What I know about people is killing me!”
Did you hear that? It’s killing him, Kate! Give him the pill!
Christopher’s mother stopped. She held her son and looked him right in the eyes.
“What do you know about people, honey?”
“Everything.”
With that one word, Christopher fell into her body and began to weep. She held her son, who was too weak now to resist the pills. This was her chance.
Give him the pill, Kate.
Christopher’s mother held her little boy as he convulsed with sobbing. Shaking from the sleep deprivation. A lifetime of motherhood flooded through her. Every pillow turned to the cool side. Every grilled cheese sandwich made just the way he liked them.
Give him the pill, Kate! Or you’re a terrible mother!
Christopher’s mother stopped. She listened to the voice again.
You’re a terrible mother, Kate. Now give him the pill!
And that’s when she realized that it wasn’t her voice.
It sounded like her. It was almost perfect. The tone was right. She could be negative to herself. She had an internal monologue that had said some ruthless things over the years.
But…
Kate Reese was not a terrible mother. She was great. Being Christopher’s mother was the only thing Kate Reese was ever great at. And some bitch was doing a perfect imitation of her voice to convince her otherwise. Something wanted Christopher to take those pills. Something wanted her son to sleep. Something wanted