Steven

Mary Ivans didn’t like the tea set when Katy’s grandmother first bought it, but she was grateful for it now. She surfaced occasionally from her article on celebrity hair tips to peek at the scene in front of her, then submerged again, happy that Katy was entertaining herself for a change.

“More tea my dear?” Katy asked her Teddy Bear. She wasn’t quite four, but she was already a polite hostess. She was careful to fill Mr. Booby’s tiny teacup before her own, and even remembered that he liked his tea with two lumps of sugar. She paused for a second for Mr. Booby to reply, then put the teapot down on her little table. She frowned a little and nodded, then looked over at her mother.

“Who’s Steven, Mommy?”

“What’s that, sweetie?” Mary answered. Her eyes were fixed on hair tip number four.

“Who’s Steven?”

Mary sighed and put the magazine down, then glanced at her wristwatch. It was still an hour until Katy’s naptime. She looked over at Katy and wondered how her own mother had managed to raise three children, when she could barely manage one.

“I don’t know, sweetie,” Mary finally answered. “Is he one of your friends from school?”

“No. He’s not from around here, Mommy,” Katy said.

“No, I suppose he isn’t,” Mary said. “Maybe we can ask Daddy when he gets home. He might know.”

This answer seemed to satisfy Katy, and she picked up Mr. Booby and climbed onto the couch to sit by her mother.

“Mommy?”

Mary sighed and put her magazine down again.

“Why are you always mad at Daddy?”

The question caught her by surprise.

“I am not mad at daddy,” she said too quickly, then after a pause, added “I think it’s time for your nap.”

Katy didn’t react to the warning. “I love my daddy,” she said matter-of-factly.

Mary put the magazine on the couch and started to get up. “Okay, naptime. Let’s go.”

“No!” Katy’s forehead showed the beginning wrinkle of a tantrum, and Mary inwardly cursed. She was getting ready to threaten a time-out when the storm suddenly passed.

“Read me a story Mommy?”

Mary grabbed her magazine and marched Katy into the bedroom. She put Katy into the bed, opened the page, and pointed at a picture. Katy described it, and the process repeated itself until she finally yawned and closed her eyes and fell asleep.

By the time the blue Volvo pulled into the driveway, Katy was wide awake. She ran to the door to meet her father, hugging his knees as soon as he walked in the door.

“Ho ho, what’s this?” Phil said and lifted Katy up and kissed her on her forehead. “How’s my little girl today?”

“Active,” Mary answered. “Did you remember to pick up the dry cleaning?” Phil winked at his daughter before putting her down.

“Yes, and I picked up the milk and put gas in the car.”

“Did you bring home a pizza?”

“Fried Chicken,” Phil said, and pointed to a big plastic bag next to his briefcase.

“Yummy!” Katy yelled out from across the room. Mary thought chicken was fine, too. It was one of the four things that Katy would eat without any fuss.

Phil changed, and Mary unpacked cartons and poured Katy’s apple juice.

After dinner, Mary cleaned up the table while Phil cleaned up Katy. Mary could hear peals of laughter and splashing coming from the bathroom and she pictured Phil making that stupid rubber duck voice that Katy found so funny. At least he was keeping her entertained for a change.

When her bath was done, Katy tromped in the living room wearing her little pink nightgown with the moons and stars on it that Mary had found at a sale just before Christmas. Mary still thought it was cute.

“Good night Mommy,” Katy said with enthusiasm and hugged Mary.

Mary kissed her. “Did you brush your teeth?” she asked.

“Yes Mommy.”

Mary thought about the bathroom. “Did Daddy remember to hang up your towel?”

“Ummm. I think so.”

Mary doubted it. “Okay sweetie, off to bed with you. I love you.”

Mary watched Katy climb up the stairs and disappear around the corner. She imagined Phil running through the rituals of bedtime, first kissing Katy, then kissing Mr. Booby. She was glad that Katy never gave too much fuss at bedtime.

Mary was already engrossed in her television program when Phil came down the stairs. “Everything all right?” she asked over the rim of her wineglass.

“Just fine,” Phil answered. “I think she’s already asleep.”

Mary laughed at some joke on the screen. “Good. She should be sleepy, with as much running around as she did today.”

Phil smiled and sat down on the couch next to Mary. The program went to a commercial.

“Who’s Steven?”

“Who?” She reached for her wineglass.

“Steven. Katy said he was supposed to be coming over, but she didn’t know when.”

“I don’t know. Some friend from daycare I guess.”

“She seemed pretty sure about it,” Phil said.

“Don’t you think I’d know it if one of Katy’s friends were coming over?” Mary said and yawned loudly.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Phil laughed. “I was a little concerned that maybe I had forgotten something. Things have been pretty busy at work lately and--”

“Shhh,” Mary said. “The show’s back on.”

Phil kissed his wife on the cheek, and went upstairs to bed. He was snoring softly by the time she got there. She took two tablets from the bottle on her nightstand and crawled in beside him. Eventually, she fell into a deep, dreamless, sleep.

***

Mary was doing the breakfast dishes when she heard the doggie door slam shut downstairs.

“I’ll get him mommy!” Katy called out, and rattled down the stairs and out the back door before Mary could turn the water off.

She followed the duo outside and was greeted by a patient Golden Retriever and a stern little girl. She smiled in spite of herself.

“I didn’t let him smash the flowers mommy,” Katy said.

“That’s good sweetie,” Mary said. “Your daddy is supposed to close that door at night.”

Katy let Sam go, and followed him on the sniffing tour of the back yard. Mary watched the two of them, enjoying the warm sun on her face and the break from the housework. After a moment, she called out “Katy, you and Sam can play outside until I’m finished in the kitchen, okay?” Katy was already trying to find Sam’s tennis ball.

When she was finished, Mary found Katy under the big pine tree, busily decorating a cake made out of mud and pine needles. Sam watched her intently, probably in the hope she wouldn’t try to have him test another one. She was talking to herself.

“Katy baby,” Mary said and walked up to the scene. “Time to get dressed so we can go to the park.” Katy looked up surprised, then smiled.

“Look mommy, I made a cake,” she said with obvious pride. She waved a muddy hand over her creation.

Mary scowled at the muddy prints on Katy’s pants, then caught herself.

“That’s nice sweetie,” she said. Katy looked disappointed.

Mary tried again. “Oh, that is a beautiful cake. Is it for Mr. Booby?”

Katy giggled and shook her head. “Nooooooo.”

“Not for Mr. Booby? Is it for me?”

Katy let out another peal of laughter. “No Mommy.”

“Well, who is it for? Sam?” Then, suddenly remembering, she looked down with a sly smile. “Is it for your new friend Steven?”

Katy looked puzzled.

“Why not? Is it too big?” Mary suggested.

She sat thinking for a moment, then said “Steven doesn’t eat cake.”

“No cake? Oh, poor Steven,” Mary added in her most sympathetic voice. “What does he eat?”

Katy’s plump fingers picked up a small white stone and placed it on the top of her masterpiece. “People,” she said plainly.

Mary’s face darkened and she grabbed Katy by the arm. “Okay, that’s enough. You’re being silly.” She hoisted Katy to her feet. “Let’s go get you dressed so we can go to the park.”

Mary drove to the park in silence, grateful for the adult voice coming through the radio. She pulled into the empty parking lot, struggled with Katy and the jogging stroller, then locked the car door and pushed off on her morning jog.

“Ummphh,” she said as she leaned into the gentle slope out of the parking lot. “I think someone’s been eating too many cupcakes.” Katy giggled and Mary pushed harder, the rubber wheels building momentum until she was lost in the steady rhythm of her feet padding on the asphalt.

“Faster Mommy,” Katy said from the front. “Faster!”

Up ahead she could see another jogger. Instinctively, she slowed and tried to make out whether it was one of the regulars. It was a man, but someone she had never seen before. Sunglasses hid his eyes, but Mary could tell he was looking at her as he approached.

“Hi!” Katy blurted out.

Embarrassed, Mary pushed the stroller over to one side.

“Thanks,” he said with a slight wave. Mary eyed him as he passed, but he didn’t look back.

She set out again, breathing deeply and trying to reestablish her stride. Clouds began patching over the blue sky, and she felt clumsy and slow in the warm, humid air.

“Mommy’s tired today,” Mary said between breaths. “Let’s take the short loop.”

She slowed her pace and pushed the stroller off the main trail and onto the entrance on her right. The trail narrowed and curved off into the shadowy woods, following along the bank of a large muddy pond. She wrinkled her nose as she jogged closer.

“It stinks,” Katy said.

“Water’s low,” Mary offered. She tried to hold her breath for a moment, but gave up and quickened her pace past the scummy green mud and the clouds of buzzing, clicking insects it had attracted. They were swarming over the carcass of a dead raccoon.

She glanced upward at the darkening clouds, then leaned forward to push again, trying to gain some speed on the flat stretch before the next hill. She began to breathe in time to her pace, left, left, breath, left, left, breath. Katy brought her out of her runner's trance.

“Who was that man Mommy?”

“What?” Mary said and slowed down.

“The man you saw on the road.”

She remembered the sunglasses, and stole a glance behind her. There was no one there.

“No one we know,” she said. “Just some man.” She jogged a couple of paces more, then looked behind her again. The woods seemed darker somehow, and she caught a whiff of the pond. She shook her head. There was still no one there.

“Let’s go.”

She shoved the stroller in front of her, struggling with the load and angry that she had slowed down before the hill. She leaned forward, and with a sudden burst of energy and determination, sprinted to the top. The stroller rolled to a stop, and Mary raised one arm with a whoop of self-congratulation. She turned around to survey the field of victory. And screamed.

“Mommy!” Katy strained against her harness to see what was wrong. “Mommy!”

Mary gasped. Below her a yellowish portal of shimmering air closed behind an elongated brown-black thing. It hesitated for a moment at the base of the hill, feelers twitching, then it turned towards Mary. She screamed again. Hundreds of claw-like legs began to propel it up the hill with astonishing velocity.

“Mommy!” Katy cried again. “Mommy what’s wrong?”

In an instant, Mary reached around the stroller and felt for the buckle and strap that held Katy. She yanked it towards her, snapping Katy back in her seat and cinching her in place.

“Hold on!” Mary replied. She crouched down slightly, then pushed off with all her strength. Just behind her, she could hear a deep hiss and the sound of claw-legs clicking in unison on the asphalt.

She focused on the road in front of her, willing herself to move faster and letting the weight and momentum pull her down the trail.

“Run Mommy!”

Mary glanced back. The creature lowered its shovel-shaped head and locked its tiny black eyes on the both of them, jagged mandibles open slightly. Its mouthparts were quivering.

“Oh God!” Mary said. She pushed harder, breathing in ragged gasps and trying to lengthen each stride.

“Go Mommy, go!”

Cold sweat stung her eyes. Ahead she could see the oak tree that marked the last turn of the trail. There was still a quarter of a mile to go.

Thunk! The shovel-head and front claws crashed down just behind her feet.

“No!”

She dodged to one side, trying to keep up her speed without toppling the stroller. It lunged again.

Mary twisted her body and pushed forward, grunting with the effort. Claws brushed by her shoulder then smacked into the asphalt.

“Mommy!”

She rolled around the curve and onto the flat part of the trail. If she could just make the parking lot.

She looked back. The creature raised its front body segments and hissed. Then it lowered itself and began rushing forward, each claw-leg alternating in clicking precision.

Katy shrieked.

Mary looked forward just in time to see the tree limb lying across the trail. The stroller bounced over it and came down hard with Mary in tow. She struggled to hold it, but it turned over, pulling her down and sliding both of them across the trail and down the embankment into the muddy grass on the far side.

Stunned, she lifted her head to hear the clicking of legs coming down the trail. With a grunt, she rolled over and balled her fist. She lifted her head to see a man in sunglasses figure sprinting towards her.

“Hey! Are you alright?”

She looked up, wild-eyed. The jogger lifted his sunglasses.

“That was a nasty fall you two took back there.” He smiled at Katy who wriggled like a beetle on its back. “Let me help you up.”

He reached out his hand and helped Mary to her feet, then righted the stroller. He crouched down and looked at Katy who seemed more surprised than hurt.

“Wow. I’d always heard that these things were safe, but I guess now we know for sure.”

Mary’s eyes darted back and forth.

The jogger regarded her for a few moments then said “You might want to rest here a second before you try to walk back.”

“No!” she said.

The jogger stepped back with a start.

Mary softened. “No. Thank you. I think--” She looked up and down the trail. “I think we just need to go home.”

After a few more insistences that she was fine, the three of them walked back to the car. Katy waved as they drove off.

At the stoplight, Mary’s hands trembled on the steering wheel. What in the hell just happened? That thing was there. She saw it! And then it was gone. Like a nightmare. Her mind drifted back to a doctor’s visit and the bottle on her nightstand. She shuddered. Why didn’t he tell her this could happen? They were just supposed to help take the edge off.

“Are we going to the Starbucks now mommy?”

She stared at the earnest blue eyes in her rear view mirror. Katy hadn’t seen it either, she decided.

“I think we need to go home today.”

Katy sighed. “Okay.”

Mary braced herself for a tantrum, but Katy only looked thoughtful.

The light changed, and Mary checked her mirrors, then looked both ways before turning left towards home.

“Mommy?”

Mary focused on the traffic in front of her. “Hmmm?”

“Can we have ham for lunch?”

***

At home she dropped her purse and bag on the kitchen counter and walked Katy upstairs to the bathroom. By the time she had cleaned them both up, she was ready for lunch herself.

Standing at the kitchen counter, she sliced a thick piece of bread from the crunchy loaf, then cut open the package of rosemary ham. She used the large knife to spread the mustard evenly on both pieces of bread, before covering them with lettuce and several slices of ham.

“Katy, do you want milk or juice?” She turned to open the refrigerator.

“Milk or juice sweetie?”

She closed the door and walked around the corner to the living room. Katy stood perfectly still, staring out the window.

“Hey, can’t you hear me calling you?”

She reached out and tapped her gently on the shoulder.

“He’s here Mommy.”

Mary felt a cold bead of sweat run under her arm and down her side. She looked down at Katy’s placid face, hoping to see a smile or some sign of teasing in her eyes. Instead they seemed strangely adult-like, calm and serious. A familiar knot tightened in her stomach.

“Who’s here?”

“Steven.”

Mary’s face twisted in anger and she grabbed Katy.

“Stop it! Stop it right now!” She shook her shoulder hard back and forth.

Katy looked up at her like some terrified small animal. She began to sob.

“Outside Mommy!” She pointed her small hand towards the window. “He’s here.”

Mary looked out the picture window. A bright yellow spot hovered in the air beside the maple tree in the front yard. Slowly, it began to grow in size. The air around it began to shimmer and the spot grew larger and larger until a manhole sized disk floated a few feet off the ground.

“Oh my God!” Mary said. She grabbed Katy’s hand and pulled her away from the window. Her eyes darted around the room.

“Where’s my phone?”

Katy looked stunned and didn’t answer.

Mary glanced back out the window. The disk pulsated with bright light for a moment, then a dark spot appeared in the middle of it. A spiny brown-black feeler emerged from the darkness and into the cloudy sunlight of the front yard.

“Come on!” She pulled Katy with her into the kitchen and saw her purse sitting on the counter where she had left it. She tore the zipper open and pulled out the tiny phone. Downstairs, Sam barked wildly.

She flipped open the screen and dialed 9-1-1. “Please please please” she whispered to herself.

“Emergency.”

She hesitated. What should she say?

“Hello? Is anyone there? What is the nature of your emergency?”

“I need help. Police. Please come.”

“Ma’am? Are you in danger?”

The doggy door slammed shut.

“Yes. I, uh,” She looked down for Katy.

The sickening realization hit her just before she heard the small voice calling up the stairs.

“I’ll get him mommy!”

She screamed into the telephone. “Oh God, please come. Hurry. Please!”

“Ma’am, stay calm. What is your location?”

Enraged barking echoed along the side of the house, racing towards the front. Mary dropped the telephone and scanned the kitchen, her mind reeling.

“Sammy! Come back!” Katy shouted.

Mary snatched the knife off the counter and ran to the living room. She could see the long black shape and the twitching legs through the window. She could see Katy too. Grasping tighter to the knife, she flung open the door and rushed onto the porch.

Sam got there first. She watched in horror as the creature reared up and turned to face its snarling opponent. It arched its segmented back and hissed.

“No Sam! No!”

It struck. Two dagger-shaped claws plunged through Sam’s back, momentarily pinning him to the ground. He twitched and whimpered under the weight of the creature’s body, then fell silent. The creature retracted its claws and reared up again, feelers vibrating slightly. Its massive mandibles clicked open and shut as it slowly turned its head away from the dog and looked back to the porch. Then it swayed and turned to look at Katy.

A wave of adrenaline and anger surged through Mary’s body. No. No! She raised the knife high and bounded across the lawn, thrusting the blade deep into the shiny carapace behind the creature’s head. It roared in pain and dropped flat, the knife still stuck in its body. Black oily liquid pulsed out of the wound behind its head.

Mary stepped back, unsure what to do.

“Stay back!”

Katy stood off to one side by the fence. She seemed frozen.

The creature writhed violently for several seconds then slowed. It began to curl its body, its twitching legs touching each other at the claws. Its jaws clicked open slowly, then stopped.

Katy moved closer. Mary looked at her, then back at the creature and Sam’s mangled body. After a few seconds, a pale blue light circled the creature. It pulsated gently, then enveloped it. In a few seconds more, the long body dissolved into the light, leaving the knife on the ground. Mary reached down and picked it up. It was still warm. She stared at the dark stain on the blade, entranced.

“Drop the weapon and step away from the girl!”

Two policemen crouched behind the doors of their squad car, pistols drawn. Mary could see the shiny barrels pointing at her chest.

“What? You don’t understand--”

“Drop the weapon. Drop it now!” They were using the loudspeaker.

She glanced at Katy then back to the blue flashing lights of the squad car. She dropped the knife.

“Now step away from the girl.”

She raised her hands in front of her and took a few steps towards them.

“You don’t understand. She’s my daughter. I’m the one who called you!”

One of the policemen moved over quickly, placing his large body between Katy and her mother.

“Put your hands on top of your head.” He pointed his gun directly at her.

“You’re making a mistake.” Tears of frustration started down her face.

Before she could say anything else, the policeman had twisted her arms behind her and snapped the cold handcuffs around her thin wrists.

“What are you doing?” she asked. “Katy!”

The other policeman crouched down and looked at the girl.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She shook her head yes.

Mary turned to her daughter as the big one pushed towards the waiting car. “Katy! Oh my god Katy. Tell them what happened.” She jerked hard against the handcuffs, straining to turn to look at her daughter. “Katy, tell them about Steven!”

Katy looked up at her mother, then back to the policeman. Her brow crinkled and her bright blue eyes clouded over for a moment. She tilted an ear up slightly, listening. Then her eyes cleared and in a calm, quiet voice she answered.

“Who’s Steven Mommy?”