Chapter 4

I picked up a bread and held it to Mom's lips, but she wouldn't open her mouth.

I gently opened her mouth and put it in, but she didn't chew.

The teacher at kindergarten said that the food we ate went into our tummies.

I decided if I put food in Mom's tummy, she wouldn't be hungry.

And so, I stuffed bread into Mom's tummy. Her belly got all round and full, like she'd eaten a lot.

I snuggled up next to Mom and fell asleep, feeling content.

Outside the window, day turned into night and night turned into day. I lost track of time.

One day, two mice showed up in the room and started gnawing on Mom's feet.

The mice chewed off part of Mom's toe.

I tried to scare them off by clapping, but they wouldn't budge.

I got close and caught them in my hands, just like grabbing a goldfish.

I was Mom's kitty, so I had to catch mice for her.

In my eyes, the mice turned into big drumsticks. I put the drumsticks in my mouth. They let out a little squeak.

That was the most I'd ever eaten in one meal.

I wanted to give some to Mom, but her belly was still all puffed up. She wasn't hungry.

*****

The next day, I heard Dad's voice.

I pressed my face against the door and peered out through the crack.

It was really Dad.

He was wearing a fancy suit, with a crowd of people around him.

He walked across the rough, uneven ground.

As he hurried along, dust rose up and stuck to his shiny leather shoes.

"Mr. Campbell, this place used to be a warehouse. It's been abandoned for more than ten years, but the whole area has really grown. The future here looks promising," someone said.

Dad nodded.

I opened my mouth to call out to Dad but then I saw a pretty lady rush straight into Dad's arms.

"Adam, this place is filthy. It's all dust and mess. Let's get out of here," she cooed. "Arthur has no idea what he's doing. Why does the boss have to come check this place out himself?"

Dad put his arm around her waist and smiled dotingly at her.

I'd never seen Dad smile that way before. He never smiled at me or Mom like that.

I glanced back at Mom, scared she'd feel sad if she saw Dad hugging someone else.

When I tried to find Dad again, all I saw were their backs fading into the distance.

I shouted, "Dad!"

Dad froze for a second and turned to look my way.

Just one glance. Then he helped the pretty lady into the car.

As the cars rolled away, my cries echoed in the empty room, but it was like the walls swallowed up my voice. Nobody outside could hear me at all.

I was sobbing so hard I could barely stand. I started seeing more than one Mom in front of me.

I crashed to the floor and passed out.

Mom kept sleeping, and I was awake less and less.

Whenever I was up, I'd press my face close to Mom's ear and call her a big sleepyhead.

When I pretended to be asleep, I'd imagine Mom calling me a sleepyhead too, and that always made me wake up smiling.

No one could sleep for this long.

Mom was just super tired from looking after me and Dad, so she was only pretending to sleep.

Once Mom was not tired anymore, she'd wake up, hug me, and call me her baby.

Just imagining that made me smile all over again.

Mom's scent was gone.

Mom and I hadn't had a bath in forever, and we were getting really smelly.

Mom always liked things to be super clean.

If she woke up and saw me all messy, she'd probably wrinkle her nose and call me dirty.

Just like yesterday, I leaned in close to Mom's ear and called out to her. But then I saw tiny white worms crawling out of her ear.

I plucked them out and threw them away.

The next day, they started crawling out of her other ear.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get them all. I got so desperate, I started wailing.

Mom still wouldn't wake up. She loved me the most, and she hated it whenever I cried.

It started raining, and Mom and I ended up drenched.

The rain washed the bugs off her, and they dropped to the floor.

I wanted to give Mom a bath.

Whenever Dad's kitten had bugs, Mom would always give it a bath.

I tried to wash Mom just like she used to do, scrubbing her gently.

I started at her shoulders and worked my way downwards.

When I lifted the shirt covering her stomach, a wave of stench hit me. It was even worse than the kitten's poop.

I couldn't help it and threw up.

But my stomach was empty, so my vomit was yellow and red.

After I threw up, I continued to clean Mom up. No matter how much I tried, her belly stayed black and dirty.

I was so tired that I flopped down on her belly and fell asleep again.

I had no idea when the rain finally stopped.

I started feeling feverish.

Mom used to say that if one got caught in the rain, one would catch a cold and have a fever. Then, one would feel thirsty, and want a popsicle.

But there were no popsicles here. There was only a small pit filled with rainwater.

Mom always said not to drink dirty water, but I was so thirsty I just had to.

I got down on all fours like a puppy, sticking out my tongue to lap up the water.

I couldn't use my hands to drink. There was so little water, and I was afraid it would slip right through my fingers.

I wanted to save every drop, hoping for the next rain to come.

Mom always said that drinking water when one was sick made one feel better.

But after I drank it, my stomach hurt like crazy.

It felt like a bunch of bugs were digging holes inside me, eating me up.

I was sweating and crying from the pain.

I called out for Mom to save me, but she just kept sleeping.