doing, both of them flat on their backs and just below the surface in an untouched area of snow. It looked as though they were in convulsions; wafts of snow were kicking up into the air as though from tiny snow blowers as their arms and legs moved rapidly back and forth. They were laughing so uncontrollably they could hardly breathe.
When Alice and Gideon got right up to the girls, they saw that they’d been making perfectly shaped snow angels. Gideon laughed at the sight. He gave Alice a touch on the arm as though she hadn’t noticed. Alice wasn’t laughing, but all the same, she was enamoured with the girls’ creations. She stared at the angels with the same look as when she’d been staring out into the orange-tinged field last night.
“He’s here,” Alice said breathlessly.
“Who’s here?” Gideon said.
“He’s right here.”
She fell backwards. The sensation reminded her of being on the tire swing after she’d gone as high as she could—that moment before coming down to the earth. There was a freedom to it; how her stomach dropped, how her heart began to race, and, most of all, the weightlessness. When her body sank into the snow, it felt as though she were submerging herself in water, the flakes so deep and thick and soft. It felt as though she had never landed, that she never would land. She looked up to the sky, a perfect blue, and began to desperately move her arms and legs up and down and side to side. Her eyes welled up with tears that quickly froze against her skin. She didn’t stop for a long time.
SIX
There’d been another baby before Kathy was born. Back then, Alice’s mother was still alive but suffering badly from diabetes. Her mother was sad all the time. She knew what was happening to her and that she didn’t have much time left. But when Alice told her about the baby the sadness went away. She took Alice into the city and they shopped for baby things together—clothes, a high chair, toys. During that trip, her mother didn’t seem all that sick.
Then, one night, Alice felt cramps in her belly, and when she turned on the lights, she saw blood between her legs. Olive rushed her to the hospital in Innis, but to Alice there was no need for the hurry. She knew what had happened. And as crushed as she felt, because she’d always wanted a baby, she felt worse for her mother. The sadness would be worse than ever.
A few months later, Alice got pregnant again. She spent the first three months praying like she’d never prayed before, even though she wasn’t sure anybody was listening, and was nervous right up until Kathy was born. Kathy got all the things that Alice and her mother had bought for the unborn baby. By that time, Alice’s mother had lost her legs and was fading fast at a hospital in the city. Alice didn’t want to bring Kathy on a trip to the city when she was so young, so Alice had Olive bring her mother a picture of Kathy. Days after the picture’s arrival, her mother passed away. Olive said that the picture had been placed at her mother’s bedside and she’d stared at it for hours on end.
SWEET TOOTH
N EVER BEEN IN JAIL BEFORE, ME. Never really been in trouble about anything, except getting in shit from my grandpa and all that, when I was younger. But, you know, your grandpa ain’t gonna throw you in jail. So there’s a difference there, too. And people always say good things about me. I mean, people don’t go around talking about me all the time, but I think, mostly, folks around here would tell you that ol’ Gideon wasn’t any sort of a troublemaker. Anyway, the fact of the matter is that my sweet tooth got me thrown in jail, and that’s screwed up if you don’t know the whole story. I shoulda damn well known better, and that’s that. Call it a, whaddya say, cautionary tale, I guess.
It was just heading into spring and most of the snow was gone. There were spots here and there of the stuff where it drifted the highest over the winter, but most of it had
When Alice and Gideon got right up to the girls, they saw that they’d been making perfectly shaped snow angels. Gideon laughed at the sight. He gave Alice a touch on the arm as though she hadn’t noticed. Alice wasn’t laughing, but all the same, she was enamoured with the girls’ creations. She stared at the angels with the same look as when she’d been staring out into the orange-tinged field last night.
“He’s here,” Alice said breathlessly.
“Who’s here?” Gideon said.
“He’s right here.”
She fell backwards. The sensation reminded her of being on the tire swing after she’d gone as high as she could—that moment before coming down to the earth. There was a freedom to it; how her stomach dropped, how her heart began to race, and, most of all, the weightlessness. When her body sank into the snow, it felt as though she were submerging herself in water, the flakes so deep and thick and soft. It felt as though she had never landed, that she never would land. She looked up to the sky, a perfect blue, and began to desperately move her arms and legs up and down and side to side. Her eyes welled up with tears that quickly froze against her skin. She didn’t stop for a long time.
SIX
There’d been another baby before Kathy was born. Back then, Alice’s mother was still alive but suffering badly from diabetes. Her mother was sad all the time. She knew what was happening to her and that she didn’t have much time left. But when Alice told her about the baby the sadness went away. She took Alice into the city and they shopped for baby things together—clothes, a high chair, toys. During that trip, her mother didn’t seem all that sick.
Then, one night, Alice felt cramps in her belly, and when she turned on the lights, she saw blood between her legs. Olive rushed her to the hospital in Innis, but to Alice there was no need for the hurry. She knew what had happened. And as crushed as she felt, because she’d always wanted a baby, she felt worse for her mother. The sadness would be worse than ever.
A few months later, Alice got pregnant again. She spent the first three months praying like she’d never prayed before, even though she wasn’t sure anybody was listening, and was nervous right up until Kathy was born. Kathy got all the things that Alice and her mother had bought for the unborn baby. By that time, Alice’s mother had lost her legs and was fading fast at a hospital in the city. Alice didn’t want to bring Kathy on a trip to the city when she was so young, so Alice had Olive bring her mother a picture of Kathy. Days after the picture’s arrival, her mother passed away. Olive said that the picture had been placed at her mother’s bedside and she’d stared at it for hours on end.
SWEET TOOTH
N EVER BEEN IN JAIL BEFORE, ME. Never really been in trouble about anything, except getting in shit from my grandpa and all that, when I was younger. But, you know, your grandpa ain’t gonna throw you in jail. So there’s a difference there, too. And people always say good things about me. I mean, people don’t go around talking about me all the time, but I think, mostly, folks around here would tell you that ol’ Gideon wasn’t any sort of a troublemaker. Anyway, the fact of the matter is that my sweet tooth got me thrown in jail, and that’s screwed up if you don’t know the whole story. I shoulda damn well known better, and that’s that. Call it a, whaddya say, cautionary tale, I guess.
It was just heading into spring and most of the snow was gone. There were spots here and there of the stuff where it drifted the highest over the winter, but most of it had
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