The Wolf and Me: The Seven Sequels

by Richard Scrimger

  Even tho Spencer cant help me Im feeling pretty good. I didnt want to trust Bet but I did and that worked out ok. Skrillex will probly not hit her again.

  I still dont know why Bet broke her uncles arm.

  I come to the edge of town. There is a rink and a couple of kids are playing hockey with an old man. There skates look new.

  I get a sudden strong memory of shopping for skates with Grampa. I was maybe in grade 5 and there was a spotted puppy scratching its ears on the floor. Grampa asked for the best pair in the store.

  Try these Bernard he said. He always called me Bernard witch is my long name. Every one else calls me Bunny because that is frendlier and more like me. I only hear the name Bernard in Grampa’s voice. Your problem is Bernard. What you need Bernard. You shuld be doing this thing Bernard.

  We were shopping for skates because he wanted me to play hockey.

  Your a good skater Bernard he said. A big tuff boy like you shuld be going into the corners. You arent afraid of corners are you?

  I didnt know what he ment. Why would I be afraid of corners? I asked.

  Good for you he said.

  Sometimes I dont know where to go I said.

  A corner means you can go different ways. Choice is tricky I said. But not scary.

  We brought the skates home and Grampa told Mom about me playing hockey.

  Do you want to play hockey? she asked me.

  Sure he does said Grampa. Hockey is a tuff guy sport and Bunny is a tuff guy.

  Am I? I said.

  What do you think we were talking about back there at the store? he said.

  I dont know I said.

  I never know what we are talking about. I was looking at the puppy I said.

  You shuld listen harder Bernard he said.

  Grampa wanted me to do better all the time. What does that mean? If a guy wants you to do better he must think you are not doing very well.

  I wonder what he wuld say to me now. A hoss stage who escaped and broke into a girls jail and escaped again. Who is on his way home without food or money or a phone. And home is a long way—longer than I thot.

  Grampa is dead so of course he wuldnt really say much now. Only whatever you say when you are under ground—its dark in here I gess he wuld say. But if he was alive and standing beside me what wuld he say? Probly he wuld say Do better.

  Maybe he is rite. But I am doing my best. I dont think I can do any better than that.

  The family on the rink are practicing. Grampa is teaching the boy and girl how to pass. Shoot it at me KC he says. Aim a little ahead. And soft KC. Soft! Or I will miss he says. KC is the girl. She fires the puck way ahead of Grampa and way hard.

  You missed she says.

  He gets the puck and passes to the boy. Pass it back he says.

  They talk like the old lady who thot I was God. The guy with the telly scope sounded the same. Like me but not quite like me. Now I know why.

  I hop over the bords and head down the rink. There’s an exit at the far end—a hole in the bords. I head for that. The ice is smooth and clean. Better than the road.

  The family watch me. Hey mister you skate good says the little girl KC.

  I am not used to being called Mister. I spin round so I am facing her and keep going backward. Showing off a little. Thanks I say.

  Do you wanna stay and play with us? she asks. Grampa can he play with us?

  Yah says the boy. Hes good.

  Yah hes good all rite. Dyou wanna play son? he says to me.

  They are all having fun together. I shake my head. Got to get home I say.

  Are you crying? asks the girl.

  No I say. I am thru the bords now.

  Why is he crying Grampa? she asks.

  I am gone.

  I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY SIDE

  heading toward the river witch I know I have to cross. Roads are narrow and icy xept when they are wide and icy. I pass car after car after stopped car. And truck. Some are in the ditch. Some are busted. None of them can go. I gess in the city everything is salted and sanded but out here it is a day for no cars.

  I am feeling ok. Really. I miss Spencer. I miss mom and dad. I miss Jade even tho we havent seen each other in a while. I sort of miss my cousins. DJ is always sure what to do. Whether it is rite or not he is always sure. I culd use some of that now. I wonder if DJ will get in trubble now? Trouble I mean. He was sort of looking after me and I got kid napped. It wuld be 2 bad if he got in trouble—it is not his falt.

  My cousin Adam is from New York. Spencer stayed over at his place when he was on his way to kiss that actress. Huh. I shuld of looked harder at the map in the Joy jail. Maybe I wuld of seen Adams place.

  Swoosh swish. My shadow is to the rite of me and way out in front. It is like I am a huge snake or a train or something. That is what my shadow looks like.

  You know what I do not miss—jail. Creekside or Joy ether. Being locked up is not fun. Flying down the road like this is the opposite of being in jail. Dad sings a song about a river you can skate away on. It is a pretty cool song. If I new the words I wuld sing it now. I dont know them but I know the tune. I hum a bit.

  I keep my rite hand in my pocket. It is the one without a glove. I lost it on the fence at the Joy jail and now I dont have it. My hand is okay in my pocket. Things culd be worse. Some people have no shoes. If I had no shoes I culd not put my feet in my pockets.

  I hear loud noises of scraping and grinding from behind me. I move to the side of the road as here comes a tow truck—the kind with a long flat bed. Sitting on top of the truck is a little car with a camera sticking out of the top. The front of the car is smashed. The sine on the side says GOOGLE. The camera is still working. It turns to point at me as it goes past. I wave. I am going to be on google maps if anyone wants to get here.

  I have to pee. That is easy because I am alone. Nothing but fields all around me. Its a good thing I was not peeing when the google car went by.

  Things do get worse now. My left skate is undone and when I bend over to tie it again the lace breaks. Bang. Or more like Thwap. I end up lying in the road holding a piece of lace. This is not a big bad thing like being kid napped or being cold and late and a long way from home. Witch is also true for me. But it seems really really bad. I was not upset befor but I am now. I am healthy and free and I dont have to pee any more but I almost start crying over a skate lace. Funny eh?

  And then I hear Santa.

  Jingle Jingle Jingle.

  Dammit Rudolf!

  Jingle.

  Stop Rudolf! Stop! I say. Dammit stop!!

  Thats what I hear. Its not really him but Santa is what I think when I hear the jingling and the name. And this is a good place to see Santa—a real old fashioned winter picture with snow and ice and some forest and a lot of quiet. I used to think of him flying down from the North Pole every year on just this kind of evening.

  A horse is pulling a sled toward me. Perfect for the seen. It has those big runner things that bend up in the front. Bells hang on the what are they—the rains. The driver pulls on them and the sled finally stops.

  Want some help? he calls to me.

  I am trying to figure him out. Hes fat and he has a beerd and he drives a sled with jingle bells—but he has a horse insted of rain deer and his sled doesnt fly and his beerd and coat are brown. Hes like Santas poor little brother.

  I think about that for a sec—life at home with a big brother who brings home A+ report cards and gives presents to the poor. His parents and teachers go on about how wonderful he is. That Nickolas is a saint! And mean while this guy is not doing so well. Every body is shaking there heads saying he wont amount to anything. A saint—dont joke with me.

  Hmm. These thots are getting close to my home life. Spencers teachers like him and mine dont think much of me. The only A I ever got was at Creekside this year. Mr Wing liked the story I rote about getting that 15 tatoo.

  When I get back I will rite up this hoss stage and skating story. I wonder
how it will end? I hope Mr Wing likes it.

  All this time the driver stares down at me. You wanna lift there pal? he says. Lemme help you out.

  I need help so I hop over to his sled and climb on and soon enuff we are swooshing down the road with the horse Rudolf clopping ahead. I am trying to fix my skate lace—taking it out and tying a not and putting it back in. It isnt working.

  While we drive the guy tells me all about himself. His name is Steve. I ask if he has a brother named Nickolas and he says no. He has no brothers or sisters or mom and dad. He is 24 years old and lives in a house in the next town witch is where he is going now.

  Are you close to the river? I ask.

  The saint low rents?

  Thats it!

  I dont know the way it is spelled but thats what Bet said when I asked about it. Low rents. I told myself to remember that name and then I forgot.

  Its not far from my house says Steve.

  Great I say and go back to fixing my skate. Witch is not going great. The lace keeps breaking. I have 3 nots now and my lace is getting shorter and shorter.

  You look like you mite need a new lace pal says Steve.

  He calls me pal. That is okay.

  We can get you some in town he says. The store shuld be open. I have to stop there anyway. Its not far he says.

  Thanks I say.

  I check my pockets for money. I had 5 dollars when I went skating. Spencer was going to buy me a hot dog but I was kid napped befor he got back so I never payed him.

  The money is in my back pocket. Good.

  My hand is warm now. It was getting cold after all the time I spent trying to make nots in the lace. I keep it in my pocket and lean over.

  You ok pal? asks Steve.

  Sure I say.

  We are sledding over a field of snow. The road is beside us on the left side. There are woods on the rite. We are coming to a traffic lite—the first in a while. Steve pulls on the rains and tells the horse to slow down. He pulls harder. He yells. We bump off the field and onto the road and past the traffic lite.

  Dammit Rudolf! yells Steve. Why dont you do what I want? You mite as well be my kid!

  I laff. Mom yells at me all the time for not doing what she wants.

  Steves town is called Perivale. We pass the sine. Theres houses and stores and street lites and a big Christmas tree in front of the town hall. And a school and an other one and a donut shop and a Burger King and 2 stop lites. And some pick up trucks driving slowly. Steve tells me that Perivale is the biggest town in the county. He says there are even more people there on Saturdays when the farmers come in for the market.

  The store is called Food Land. It is down the main street from the town hall. We stop. Steve fastens Rudolf to one of the lite posts. We are the only sled in the parking lot.

  Gess what? They sell skate laces. And other things that you dont normally see at a food store—fire wood and nails and socks and glasses and folding chairs and beer. Huh. There are people putting all these things in shopping carts.

  The laces cost $3.95 but befor I can pay Steve takes out his wallet. He is standing behind me in the line holding a big bag of food for Rudolf. Oats I gess.

  All together he says to the checkout lady.

  Are you sure? I ask him.

  I like to help people he says.

  He hands me the laces—and also a mitt.

  I saw you are missing a glove he says. Take it. Its a mitt—it can be left or rite he says.

  Where did you get it? I say.

  I lost the other 1 says Steve. So you shuld have it.

  It is brown with wooly stuff sticking out. It is pretty heavy.

  Well thanks I say. Thanks Steve.

  I hop over to the Food Land door and sit down so I can do up my other skate. Only I cant do it. The laces are in a plastic pack and I cant get it open no matter how hard I try.

  Dont you hate that? Who decides to make a pack so tite nobody can get in it? Who ever he is I wish he was here so I could make him break his fingers and teeth trying to get the laces. Id still be there going crazy xept that Steve hands me a sort of nife. You push the blade in and out with your thum. I nife open the pack and in 5 minits I am ready to go. The other lace is in my pocket.

  Thanks Steve I say. Thanks a lot.

  He tells me to keep the nife for now. You mite need it agane he says.

  We go out of the store together. It is dark now—winter dark witch means afternoon snack time. Summer dark is bed time. Steve asks do I want anything else?

  Like what? I say.

  I dunno he says. Anything.

  I dont have to think very hard.

  Do you have a phone? I ask.

  He smiles. You can call from my place he says. Lets go there now.

  Rudolf makes a horse noise. He smells the oats.

  STEVES PLACE IS TALL AND POINTY

  and takes up a lot of the block. It looks like a fort or a castle xept for the front porch. Not many castles have a porch. An old lady lets us in. This is Onny says Steve. She looks after the house for me. Maybe he means Annie but he says it like Onny and that is what I call her when I say hi. She doesnt call me anything just ducks her head and smiles. Steve asks Onny if her son has come yet. She shakes her head. Steve tells me that Onnys son and his wife live close by and come over every week for dinner. Youll meet them later Steve says to me.

  I didnt know I was staying for dinner. But I am hungry. Sure I say.

  We are in a white and black and red hall with a closet big enough for all the close I ever wore and a ceiling tall enough to be the ceiling on the second floor. Near the closet is a guy in armor. A nite. I say hi because he looks like a person and then I blush. I know hes not real. Im not surprised when he doesnt say anything back.

  Steve asks Onny to take me to a spare bedroom. She ducks her head again and shows me up a lot of stares and down a few halls to a room with everything in it—bed and desk and lamp and bookcase and computer and bath tub and sink and TV and meer. And phone. All rite maybe not everything but a lot. There is a picture of a girl and an other picture of a tiger in a forest. The girl is wearing faraway close and has a jug sitting on her head. The tiger is hidden in the grass. All I can see are the stripes and the eyes.

  There is a cooky jar. Onny opens it for me. Oatmeal—nice. Everybody likes them. I ask if she wants a cooky but she is gone. Her footsteps get softer as she walks away.

  I think about lying down on the bed but I mite sleep forever. I dont want to do that. I want to talk to Spencer. The phone is an old time one with places to put your finger and turn. I check my arm for Spencers number and dial it. He doesnt answer. His message comes on. To leave a message I have to press 9 but there is no way to press a number on this phone.

  I have to go to the bathroom. It is real comfortable in there. The seat is warm as soon as I sit down—like it is heated. One of the books on the shelf beside me is called A Local Hero and it is about Steve. His picture is on the cover. I have never seen a book about anyone I know and here I am in his house. On his toilet. I open the book and read about stuff Steve does to help people. I dont know how long I keep reading but it is after I am finished on the toilet.

  I go down some stares and wander around. It takes me a while to find people. I smell smoke from a fireplace and hear voices befor I get to the room with the talking. Steve says the roads are real bad tonite. If they are still bad next week call me or Onny he says. I can come out with Rudolf and give you a lift.

  I gess the son and his wife are here. I am all set to go in and meet them—and then Steve says a name that freezes me.

  Who is Dusan? he says.

  I stop walking. They are in the room at the end of the hall. The door is open and I can see the flicker on the wall that comes from the fire lite.

  I thot you said Susan at first but Dusan is a guys name. Who is he? says Steve.

  He is the head of our sell says a new voice. A guy. Dusan is our boss says this guy.

  He is disappointed in us rit
e now says another new voice—a woman. Somebody is missing and Dusan blames us she says.

  The voices make my hands clench up into fists and my hart starts to zoom around like a race car. I know the woman and the man.

  Thats 2 bad says Steve. Can I help?

  Dusan is the name Spencer told me about—the guy who called him about Grampa. I wuld of walked into the room if I had not talked to Spencer. But the name Dusan made me stop and now Ive herd Lubor and Vi and I know that the room is dangerous.

  I am the missing person they are talking about. They want me.

  I sneek back the way I came. There is soft carpeting and my feet sink into it. I run into Onny. She is holding a tray with things on it. Drinks and things. She nods at me and makes a move with her tray like she is shooing me along the hall to the living room.

  I dont want to speak because Lubor and Vi mite hear. I hold up my hands to Onny to say wait. I point upstares. Then I spread my fingers to say 10. I shake them at Onny so she knows I will be back down in 10 minits. I hear Steves voice again.

  I wonder where Bunny is? he says.

  Bunny? says Lubor. Who is Bunny?

  Lubor all rite—he says Bunnee.

  Bunny is a new frend of mine says Steve. I ran into him this afternoon on the road. He is an interesting young man.

  He? says Vi. A guy named Bunny?

  Oh crap I think.

  Lubors voice is louder.

  Mama!

  I turn. He shouts from the door way down the hall. At least I gess it is him. Ive never seen him without his red mask. Hes as big as I remember. His face is dark—not like Bets or Jades but dark for a white guy. Like Onnys I gess. His hair grows in a point on his for head.

  Mama! he shouts. Stop that boy!

  Onny moves to block me and her tray tips. The drinks slide. She doesnt want mess in Steves house. She saves the tray and I get past her to the stares. Voices bubble up behind me. Lubors and Steves and Vis. She points at me. Her face is moving around.