Black Worm

Floral Shorts

We lived in the desert. A place not far from Two-Son in Arizona. I liked the name because it made me think of Billy an' me. He was son number one an' I was son number two. Two-Son.

This summer got drier than ever. The ground even looked flaky, like the over-baked potato pie Mom made last spring an' forced us to eat. (I tasted ash for days afterwards.)

With not a lick of water in sight, today we had no choice but to steal some stuff.

I mean, borrow.

Billy came up with the "borrowin'-from-our-neighbours" scheme. He was smarter than a whip, thanks to his schoolin'. I could finally join him in a coupla months now I was five. Anyway, he was skinny an' tall like an insect. I often admired how he took to runnin' for that clothesline, springin' up like a grasshopper an' then pluckin' off whatever he could before duckin' behind the big blueberry shrub. 

"I got you some shorts." Billy's lips were tight, his brown eyes wide an' dark as oil spills.

"Don't you dare laugh. These got flowers on 'em."

"What do you want? I got you something at least," he said unable to hold his grin back. "Don't pout. No law says you got to wear what I find. I jump, I grab, and I'm gone. It's not always easy to get a good look."

"Fine." I slipped them on an' accepted the yellow t-shirt he handed me next. "But you always get cool things to wear."

Billy buttoned up the red an' white plaid shirt an' rolled up his sleeves. "Yah well, their ol' man isn't far off from my size."

"How come the neighbours don't catch on to us? Do they think their clothes just blow away?" I giggled.

"They know. If I had a guess, I'd say they allow it 'cause they pity us."

"Oh." I lowered my head for a bit. "Get me any blueberries from that shrub?"

"Nope. It was looking pretty sad this year for berries." Billy twisted his hips, looking at himself forward an' back. "I can probably wear my own jeans. They're not real bad, are they?"

I leaned in an' smelled 'em. "No, not really. Little like onions an' butter."

"Mmm, Dad's favorite." Billy rubbed his belly. "Speaking of the devil, where is he?"