Eating Memories by Patricia Anthony Read Free Book Online Page B

covered over with fog. The floor hurt him so bad he thought that maybe he could fly to get away from it. He pumped his hands fast and then faster, but it didn’t work. His feet shouted with the burning, so he sat down. The seat stuck to his legs. “Hot! Hot! Hot!” he screamed. He went to the door and banged on it until his palms got red and blistered.
    “Sweetie?”
    Sweet Tooth could tell Jean was crying. She was crying a lot. She was crying so hard he could hardly understand her.
    “Sweetie, please. We have to get home.”
    “Hot! Hot!” Sweet Tooth said.
    “Do you love me, Sweetie?”
    “YES!” But his voice didn’t sound like he loved her.
    “Do you love Larry?”
    “YES!” He coughed. The air was wet the way it was at the ocean.
    “If you love us, sweetheart, then set the controls. We can let you out then, understand?”
    He ran quick, quick, quick, to the console. He could feel home a little nearer, but still far away.
    “Hurry.” Jean said.
    He hurried. Like a bunny. Touching the MANUAL button was like touching the end of a cigarette. “Hurt, hurt,” he said. His voice was miserable.
    “Please, Sweet Tooth,” Jean said. “Don’t you know I love you?”
    He knew. He knew because Jean had taken him to the roller coaster out on the beach. From up at the top he could see for miles and the sea had been blue and gray and green. The roller coaster went up real slow and came down fast; but while it was up on the hill, just before it started to go down, it would always stop for just a minute so that you could think about what was coming. You had time for your heart to go up into your throat and you had time for your hands to sweat on the bar. Then the car would start down like thunder.
    Sweet Tooth put his hand on the lever and held it until he felt home like a bright knife right in the center of his forehead. He held it there so long he heard the computer say MANUAL OVERRIDE MANUAL OVERRIDE.
    When he took His hand off, some of his skin stayed behind.
    “Get out!” Jean said,
    Sweet Tooth ran. Jean opened the door for him and pulled him inside. Martingale closed the door with a bang behind him. The floor was cool, so Sweet Tooth lay down on it. He held his wrist tight as if he could keep the burning from moving up.
    “Look at his feet,” Jean said in a tight rubber-band voice. “Oh, God, Look at his feet.”
    “Let’s get him in the showers,” Martingale said.
    Martingale had to pick him up because Sweet Tooth didn’t want to get up ever again. He carried Sweet Tooth to the bathroom, threw him in the stall and turned the cold water on. “Stay down for a minute, damn it,” Martingale said.
    “Jean!” he shouted. “Get the medkit, will ya? Jesus, he’s burned all over!”
    Sweet Tooth started shivering. Martingale told him to turn over. He did, even though it hurt on that side, too. He was afraid not to. There was something real serious about Martingale’s face.
    Jean came in and Sweet Tooth tried to hide himself because his shorts were all wet and he could see himself through them. He curled up in a ball near the side of the shower.
    Jean bent down towards him, She was saying, “Oh God. Oh God” so much that it seemed more like singing than prayer.
    Martingale shut off the water. Jean sprayed some stuff on his hands and legs, Sweet Tooth was shaking so much that his body went bump against the floor.
    Tile spray made the hurt go away so Jean wrapped him in a blanket. He walked funny out to the bridge because he couldn’t feel his body. They had him sit in a chair. Jean gave him butterscotch pudding and he ate it with his left hand.
    She ran her fingers through his hair. It was still wet. “You’re a hero. Do you know what that is?”
    He shook his head. He couldn’t answer because his cheeks were full of butterscotch pudding.
    “It means you were very, very brave.”
    That made him feel good. When he was finished with the butterscotch, she gave him a chocolate. That made him feel even