From the Top of the Stairs (370 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 1.2 on 6 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Sarah Prejean <derivablezero.at.gmail.com> (View user info) at 2005-04-24 20:37:09 EDT
He painted lines. Straight lines. He could not speak, and only gurgled noises from deep inside his throat. Sometimes, Nurse Wilma would ask him what he was painting. He would frown and sob at her, and sometimes get the brown paint on her uniform. Then, he'd keep on painting. Across. Down. Across... and when the page was full, he stopped.
Once a month, Caroline came to visit. She would sit across from him and ask "Eddie, why don't you paint something nice for me. Paint some dolphins." And Eddie would coo at her, even though they both knew he could not paint dolphins.
People often wondered what Eddie would say if he could speak. James, the large black orderly, talked to him every day. All he wanted was one word, but Eddie would not give it up. Eddie always stared right into James' eyes, and that was okay. James made Eddie smile, and Eddie reminded James of the privelage to speak. Each time that James' eyebrows moved up, or his smile got wider, Eddie screamed with delight. He wanted to talk. He wanted to tell James everything that he painted--everything he had seen and heard, everything about Caroline and the family and everyone; but even if he could, he would not.
***
Every morning, Eddie watched Mamma braid Caroline's hairhe crouched at the top of the stairs, and wmammagave Caroline and Rodney their lunches and walked them out hte door. Caroline and Rodney were going to school. Eddie did not know what school was, but it only happened on weekdays; Caroline and Rodney always came home at the same time Daddy did, but the time in between was best spent watching Mamma.
At nine each morning, Mamma turned on the television in the kitchen to watch wahat she called "stories." They were not as much fun as Eddie's stories. Mamma read them to himevery night, just after his bath. His favorite story was about a tree and a boy. Eddie could not climb trees. The boy in the story could talk, too. He tatlked to the tree.
When Mamma bathed Eddie at night, she would always rub his hair with soap that smelled like eggs. She said it was for the flakes on his head but even though she called them flakes Mamma always fussed when he tried to eat them. And then, she would smile. She rubbed his neck, always, and said "One day, you will open your mouth Eddie. Then the wisdom of the world will come out."
User Reviews
Submitted by bluegoddess (user info) at 2005-04-26 18:37:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I liked this.
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2005-04-26 03:58:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
No Comment
Submitted by shitfuck (user info) at 2005-04-24 21:35:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I fucked the living hell out of my girlfriend lastnight.
Submitted by stevie_says (user info) at 2005-04-24 21:28:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Needs more cowbell.
Submitted by Adona (user info) at 2005-04-24 20:50:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked it.
Submitted by DerivableZero (user info) at 2005-04-24 20:37:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Goddamnit. I hit the fucking tab then the enter key then screwed myself. :|