Nightmares came quickly to Billy. Black depths of fear, falling through space, attacking spiders, visions of the Devil, and always the mystical shrouds of black. His nightmares would shock him awake. Down, down, down into the bed. Escape. Under the covers. Hide, hide. Billy was scared. Billy was alone.
CHAPTER FOUR
The tall impenetrable bamboo thicket grew against the high-board fence separating the Blair's smaller garden from the Baxters' garage. In the center of the bamboo thicket, close to the fence, Bax and Billy found a secret hiding place impervious to anyone passing alongside the Blair's house or on the street. Bax had found it while the two of them had been walking the high board fence. Together they devised a circuitous route to the opening in the thicket which would not leave a give-away trail to their most secretive of hiding places.
First they would climb the tree on the Blair's side of the fence, then work their way out upon a limb hanging over the fence and swing down onto the fence. From there they walked the fence, hidden behind the tall bamboo on one side and the Baxter's garage on the other, to where they could see the open ground below them, and jumped down into the perfect hiding place. They returned the same way, each helping the other to scale the tall fence. Never did they leave a path for others to follow.
From their hiding place the boys could watch the comings and goings of the Blair household, knowing they were secure behind the thick stand of bamboo. Not wanting to give away their trusted secret location, Billy and Bax were always quiet when in their secluded hideaway. Seldom did they stay long, since without something to hide from, the self imposed silence soon grew boring.
"Billy. Billlllly. BILLLLY." The call for him to come became louder and louder, then became filled with frustration. "BILLLLLLEEEEEEEEE."
Billy pursed his lips, and placed his forefinger against them indicating to Bax he was to be quiet. Their eyes told each other they were not going to answer Mrs. Blair's calling. Slowly, with the gentleness of a light breeze, Billy parted the bamboo stalks to view the back porch. There with her hands to her mouth stood Mrs. Blair again calling out his name. "BILLLLLLEEEEEEEEE." He looked at Bax. They both laughed. Billy put his hands over his mouth to stifle the sound and rolled on the ground, laughing.
Soon the calling stopped. "You are going to get the razor strap.” She shouted toward the barn, then turned and entered the house.
Again Billy parted the bamboo stalks. "She's gone." The boys sat wiping the wetness of laughter from their eyes, forever satisfied with the security of their hiding place.
"You want some candy?" asked Billy.
"Yeah, sure, but where ya gon,na get it?" Bax asked.
"At the Neville Corner Store."
"You got any money?"
"A nickel." Billy pulled the coin from his pocket, showing it to Bax.
"Geez, where'd ya get it?"
"I took it. Ya wan’na go or not?"
"Ya, I wan’na go, but who'd ya take it from?"
"God."
The reply was curt and hard. Bax knew to leave it alone. Billy faced the tall fence. "Help me up." Billy raised his foot for Bax to place in his hands. Billy jumped, grabbed the top of the fence as Bax pushed on his foot, and lifted himself out of their hiding place. On top of the fence Billy turned, extending his hand down to Bax for his turn to scale the tall fence. With both of them on the fence they walked the top board to the tree, grabbed the limb and swung down to the ground.
"Quick, round this way, she won't see us." Billy took the lead. They ran round the front of the house and down the graveled driveway. To the north of the Blair's barn was a large blackberry patch growing in the neighbor's neglected back yard. Over the years the blackberry bushes had overgrown and obscured the Conestoga wagon left there from the days of the early West. In later years the wagon would be discovered by the new owner of the property and a fruitless effort would be made to trace how it came to be there. For the moment, it and the blackberry bushes had created a second hiding place. Unlike the bamboo thicket, where they could hide and watch others, the space under the Conestoga wagon provided a sanctuary of privacy. Beyond the Conestoga wagon sat a row of four open garage stalls. Like the wagon, they sat empty and long forgotten. The yellow jackets had taken up residence in the abandoned stalls and their nests hung among the exposed rafters denying Billy the use of the garage and its shady comfort. At the rear of the garage was a hole under the foundation leading to the vacant lot behind the garage, and an escape route to Neville Avenue often used by Billy.
Bax dropped to his knees and peered through the hole. “Geez, can ya get through there?”
Billy responded, “Sure. I’ll show ya.” He rolled onto his back, and with his arms outstretched over his head, he reached through the hole, grasped the outer edge of the foundation, and pulled himself through the tight hole. Bax followed without Billy's help.
Now, safe in their escape, they walked the half block to the Neville Corner Store on 38th Avenue. At the store they equally selected five cents worth of candy from the glass jars lining the counter. Then with Billy holding the bag of candy, they returned as they had come, with Billy again going first through the hole. From there, they crawled under the Conestoga wagon.
Feeling safe with the question, Bax asked, "What did you mean when you said you stole the money from God?"
Billy did not answer right away. He had torn the paper bag open, laid it flat on the ground, and made equal piles of the assorted candies. Finished, he scooped up his half, pushed the other in the direction of Bax, rolled onto his side and looked hard at Bax. "Mrs. Blair puts money in a jar. She says it's for God. I took it out of the jar, so what?"
"Geez, noth'n." Bax immediately realized his question had irritated Billy, and he knew he had best drop the subject.
Billy turned away from Bax, closing out his presence. His thoughts surfaced. "Your soul will turn black." He looked down at his chest wondering where in his body his soul might be. Was it darker now? Five cents worth? That can't be much. Maybe, just a speck. What happens when it turns all black? Maybe I'll blow up and die. Where is my soul? In my stomach, maybe?"
The boys finished their candy, buried the wrappers in the loose soil and wiped their mouths clean. "I got’ta get home," remarked Bax, as he began to crawl out from under the wagon, and through the vine tunnel, being careful to avoid the sharp barbs.
"Yeah, and I got’ta go do something." Billy crawled out behind Bax being equally careful to not become entangled with the blackberry bushes. When clear of the vines he stood, brushed the dirt from his cloths, and sauntered toward the back porch whistling a tune.
She had been waiting. "Where have you been?" she asked, looking down on Billy from the back porch as he crossed the gravel driveway crunching the loose rock under his feet.
"I was playing with Bax." "I have been calling and calling you. Didn't you hear me?"
"No." It was a lie. Billy knew it was lie.
"Come up here." She stood with her hands on her hips watching Billy mount the stairs. "You could not have, not heard me." Her voice was threatening. He moved around to the side of her, staying close the washroom door, prepared to bolt for the kitchen should she
