Throwaway People

The Coyote Spirit

Green Acres, Camp: 10:00 AM

The wanagi had a name. Andy. He had showed Key where her Mommy was. Andy led Key back to her bedroom to be punished for getting out of bed. Key told Andy he was touching her in the 'bad place'. He laughed at her. He did worse than that. Key cried for her Mommy. Who didn't come.

Because she was bad.

"You dirty girl." Andy laughed. "Mommy will never come for you."

Key cried.

"You made me dirty." Key said.

"It's your fault. You should have stayed in your room. You deserved what you got."

Key remembered. There was no more hiding from it. She remembered. Key wanted to forget. All this time Key knew it was her fault. That Andy had made her dirty. He had taken his finger and painted Key's face with her Mother's blood. After that the bastard had raped her. That was when Key had become Kitty. Gatita Sexa. That was when she became garbage.

Green Acres, Camp: Dream World, Non-Linear.

Key woke up crying. The adults were gone. The chairs were still sitting by the couch.

If the adults weren't here, they were either in the master bedroom or downstairs. Key wanted comfort from Patty. She needed the odd sense of security that she felt from having Jim around. As Key went down the stairs she noticed that the storeroom was darker than usual. There were voices in the office. Key opened the door.

Beyond the door sat the dog in the office chair. Terri sat on the edge of the desk. Instead of the old metal desk that was in the room there was a solid looking wooden desk. In place of the 1987 calender was one that dated to 1944 with a drawing of a girl in skimpy clothes from that time. There were oil cans and other things scattered about the room.

"You understand that you were a victim of a cruel, evil man?" The dog asked.

"He killed my Mother." Key said, holding back tears. "I hate Andy."

"He didn't just kill your Mother." Terri said.

"No, he raped a little girl too." Key said. "At that moment he killed everything she might have been."

"That is very astute." Replied the dog. "Andy didn't just violate you, he murdered who you were and changed who you would be."

"He made me disgusting." Key said. "Made me feel dirty. Turned me into garbage."

"You aren't any of those things, you know." Terri said. "I loved you. Patty loves you. Jim loves you too. How can someone who is disgusting be so loved."

"Patty and Jim consider you so important that they are risking their lives to keep you safe. They are trying to protect you from being sent to juvenile hall or a group foster home." Terri told Key. "You are worth more than the most precious diamond."

"You don't talk like the Terri I knew." Key said. "Who are you?"

"You tell me who I am."

Green Acres, Camp: Real World, Linear: 10:14 AM

Key looked into Terri's eyes. They were her Mother's eyes. It was her Mother. Seeing her Mother startled Key awake. She woke up in the same main room. Everything where it was before. Only this time she was awake. She saw Jim and Patty setting at the kitchen table talking quietly.