filled with water now. Not even soda today. There was nothing but Lyle and me.
He produced a small lighter from his robe and held it up so the Body could see. It was the same kind Sapphire Earrings bought every time he went to the Wine Baron to get his cigarettes. Because of him our apartment had one in every drawer, fallen from the pockets of his jeans left on the floor. I saw Lyle’s hand shake.
He brought the lighter to the bottom of my mother’s organza dress and made a flame. Nothing happened. I gathered the hem up in my arms.
“What are you doing?” I said to him.
“Trust me,” he said.
I looked to Vern, who was sitting cross-legged on his dog bed at the far side of the stage. He wanted Lyle to perform a wonder. I thought of the time Vern had brought in a rattlesnake to handle and when he opened the cage it slithered away down the aisle and disappeared, never to be seen again. I could still hear the sound the rattler made.
“Lacey,” Vern said, reprimanding me with just my name.
I wanted to do the right thing. I looked to Cherry, who would surely call it, come to the stage to get me. Perhaps this was a test of her devotion to me as her granddaughter. All possibilities swam in my head other than what was suddenly happening, a flame licking my leg and the organza blooming with fire.
The flame crawled up the dress bodice and I screamed. I threw myself on the ground and beat the fire with my hands. The Body cheered. Am I hurt? I wondered. My panic had numbed me. Then I was wet. Brown liquid came from above.
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