“I love you, little Nanny.”
“I love you, little man.”
“May we visit the park today, Nanny?”
“Of course we may.
Unless you’d rather visit the zoo.”
He thought on it a second. “Did we visit the zoo yesterday?”
“The day before yesterday, my little man. Yesterday we went to the library.”
“Ahhh yes … the library … was lots of fun.”
“We could go to the library again if you like.”
“No. The park I
think. Will we play some games? Can you think of some games?”
“I can think of some games, but you can think of some games
too. You’re wonderful at games.”
“It’s true I am.” He clapped his hands. “I will think of some
games. But you think of some games too,
little Nanny. You’re wonderful at games
too.”
“So much fun at the park.” He held her hand tightly. “May we
catch fireflies?”
“Not today, I’m afraid.
You can only spot fireflies at night, when they’re lit up. On a bright sunny day like today, we will not
see any.”
“Oh. Then maybe we can
come back at night?”
“Maybe sometime.”
“When you don’t have a date?”
She smiled at him. “Probably when I don’t have a date. Or
maybe you will be my date.”
“I will be your date?
That sounds like a good game.”
“You like that?” She smiled at him.
“I like that. I love
you, little Nanny.”
“I love you, little man.”
“The fireflies die.” He looked grumpy.
“What’s that?”
“The fireflies die.
Don’t they.” He’d obviously been thinking on fireflies and their plight.
“Their lights go out eventually, yes.” She moved her jaw
thoughtfully. “Same as with all of us, eventually.”
“Even you and me?”
“Eventually. Not for a
long time though.”
“NO! That’s horrible,
little Nanny! I don’t want our lights to
go out!”
“I’m sorry I’ve upset you,” she began to stroke his back.
“But there’s really nothing to be upset about.
That’s just part of life I’m afraid.
And not for a long, very long time.”
“Not for a long time? When
we’re old?”
“Exactly.”
“Very old?”
“Exactly. Very, very
old.”
“Okay.” He seemed satisfied. “We will still kill the
fireflies?”
“We can catch some and have fun and learn from them.”
“They will be dead after.”
“Eventually, sadly.
But that’s not the point of catching them. Understand?”
“Their lights will go out,” he said. “I understand.”
She sat working on her face in front of the mirror.
“Date night tonight, little Nanny?”
“Yes little man, I have a date tonight. I sure do.”
“What about fireflies?”
“What about them?”
“I thought we were going to catch some.”
She watched him in the mirror, sensing his play for her
attention. “We are going to, but some other time, okay?”
“At night,” he said.
“Yes, at night.”
“It’s night right now, Nanny.”
She clicked closed this little case and clicked open that. “We’ll
have to do it some other night.”
“Because it’s date night tonight.”
“Because it’s date night tonight, exactly, my little
man. You understand that I have plans,
don’t you.”
“Date night, date night,” he groused. “I hate date
night. I hate date night little Nanny.”
On a typical day he would wake and find his Nanny in the
kitchen and together they would eat breakfast.
This morning the kitchen sat empty and he found Nanny in her robe on her
bed, catching a few extra winks.
“Good morning, little man.”
“Good morning. Little
Nanny back from her date?”
“Yes I’m back from my date.”
“Was it a fun date, Nanny?”
“Oh, it was fun. It
was …” She lost her train of thought amidst the recollection.
His put-off stare brought her back and made her blush.
“Out late again,” he said.
“Yes. Out late again.”
She grinned. “Am I being grilled? We got
you a present.”
A smile came to his face and she was glad to see it.
“A present? A present
for me?”
“Yes it’s for you.
Would you like to see what it is?”
“Yes I would, Nanny.
I’d love to see my present.” He clapped
his hands.
She reached off the side of the bed into a shopping bag on
the floor.
In doing so her robe shifted and the collar slid down
exposing a red mark on her neck.
His eyes caught it and he frowned.
After pawing about the bag she came up with a jar and held it
out to him as a trophy.
“See? Just like you
wanted. Fireflies. See them in there?”
“You got fireflies with the date?”
“Yes, we got them together.
For you.”
“I wanted to get them together,” he growled. With you.”
“I thought you would like it.
It’s especially for you.”
Evil on his young face, he muttered. “Horrible little
Nanny. Horrible little Nanny.”
Continuously as he stalked from her room, drumming into her
as he always was in earshot.
“You seem like you’re feeling better, little man.”
“I am feeling better, thank you.”
She smiled. “Your favorite lunch having something to do with
it?”
“Cheese sandwich is my favorite. Little Nanny knows.”
“And here’s some milk to wash it down.” She set the plastic
cup on the table in front of him with his sandwich.
“Ooh … nice and cold.”
“That’s the way you like it.”
“That’s the way I like it.
Nanny knows what I like.”
“Yes she does.”
The doorbell rang.
She perked-up.
He looked at her, glowing there. “Who is that, Nanny?”
“It’s for me, little man.”
“A package?”
“Of sorts.”
She left him in the kitchen with his cheese sandwich and
milk, dancing through the home to the door as if flying by fairy wings.
Peeking through the peephole first, then hurriedly opening
the door.
“Hello,” She breathed through her beaming smile. “Come
in. I’ll introduce you to my little
man.”
He grinned. “I didn’t notice you having one of those.”
He caught her and pulled her close at the same time she was
falling into his arms.
They both felt the electrical charge, for a moment they were magnetized
as one.
The attraction was disrupted by the chaos of shattering
glass.
In the kitchen.
She bolted in that direction, not more than several running
strides to get there.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes Nanny. I am
okay.”
The smashed remnants of the firefly jar were scattered on the
tile floor.
“But you are not okay.” He grinned. “If you are a
firefly. If you are, you just lost your
house.”
“What happened?” Her date had followed, a few steps behind.
“If you are a firefly,” little man said, “you just lost your
house.”
“I’d better get this cleaned up before someone gets cut.”
“Do you have a broom?” their guest asked.
“Yes it’s in the broom … closet.” She rolled her eyes at the silliness
of her response.
“And appropriately so.” He winked at her and turned to go.
“I’ll find it.”
The little man seemed disinterested in much besides his
lunch, half-eaten. “You don’t want to get cut.” He sang it under his breath.
“You don’t want to get cut.”
“How did this happen?”
“How did this happen, little Nanny?”
“I’m asking you a question.
How did this happen? The firefly
jar smashed?”
“It must have slipped.”
“Slipped?”
“I probably should not have glass jars to play with.”
Her eyes detected a hint of a smirk. An evil little smirk. “Did it slip on
purpose?”
He took a bit of his sandwich, and drank milk from his cup.
Their guest returned with broom inhand. “You were right about
this. In the broom closet, right where
it out to be.”
“I had a strong feeling,” she said as he took her into his free
side.
“I’m glad to hear that.
I hoped you would.”
“You don’t want to get cut,” the little man said. “Horrible
little Nanny. Hor-rib-le little Nanny.”
“Thank God for naptime,” she said. “I love that little man
with all my heart but ...”
They were holding each other again.
“All of your heart?” he asked.
“You know what I mean.”
“It takes a lot of energy to do your job.”
“I have a little energy left.” She smirked. “Want to see my
bedroom?”
“I thought you’d never ask.
I’ve seen the broom closet, so your bedroom ought to be the next stop on
the tour.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, usually.”
“Just a minute.” She disappeared and returned with two
bottles of wine and a pair of glasses. “Now I’m ready to show it to you.”
“I can’t wait,” he said. “It’s been hours.”
She led him down the hall and opened a door. “Be my guest,”
she waved him in. “We just have to leave it open a crack so we can keep an ear
out.”
Popping corks and giggling.
Moaning and whimpering.
Bedsprings creaking and squeaking.
The raucous carried down the hall.
“Horrible little Nanny.” The little man stared at the ceiling
rather than sleep. “Horrible date.
Horrible little fireflies.
Horrible noise. Horrible little
nap.”
In good time the sounds of passion gave way to the sounds of
silence.
He lay there awhile staring at the ceiling. Little wheels turning.
Then he got up out of bed.
Quietly.
He crept to Nanny’s door, left open a crack.
Nanny and her date were having a nap too. He was snoring. So loud.
Little man crept into the kitchen.
Quietly.
Only the opening drawer interrupted the silence.
And then the steel on steel of the longest sharpest blade
being drawn.
And the closing of the drawer.
So quietly.
He crept back to Nanny’s room and pushed the door open.
Approaching the bed where they napped, he was careful to step
over the empty bottles on the floor and the wine glasses too.
The date continued to snore.
Nanny was closest. On
her back. Her date was on the other side
of her, his face stuffed into a fluffy pillow.
Little man was at the bedside.
Quietly.
Horrible little Nanny.
So horrible. So horrible.
He raised the blade in one smooth motion and lowered it slicing
deeply into Nanny’s soft throat. She
opened her eyes and gurgled a little as the sharp steel cut down to bone. She continued to look even as blood sprayed
from the wound, even as it sprayed in her eyes.
She was still.
Quietly.
Horrible blood.
The date began to snore even louder.
Little man crept over to his side of the bed.
He put the handle of the bloody knife in the snoring man’s
hand. The hand closed around it.
Wonderful blood.
Horrible little Nanny. Horrible
little Nanny.
She awoke with a gasp.
Her date was still snoring next to her.
Her hands flew to her neck and then she looked at them. No blood.
She felt her neck again. All normal. She sat up in bed. No blood.
No blood at all.
A dream? She
sighed. A horrible dream.
Nanny let herself out of her room gently, quietly. Her head swam with the remnants of
intoxication and the beginning throbs of a killer headache as she peered down
the hall.
Not a sign of life besides the man’s snoring from her
bedroom. She smiled. Somebody put him to
bed right. Or he’s just passed out.
A drink of water, then she’d like to rejoin him. She pulled her robe more tightly closed and
eased her way toward the kitchen, bare feet padding along the hallway floor.
Her spirits lightened with every step she put between herself
and the horrible dream.
The notion of reawakening some passion had even entered her
fancy as she reached kitchen, nibbling lightly on her bottom lip.
She slipped in just as her little man was drawing the longest
sharpest blade from the silverware drawer. “Nanny.” His voice was sweet but his eyes burned with
something else.
She watched stupefied as he placed the blade back in the
drawer and climbed down from the chair he was standing on. He pushed the chair back to the kitchen table
it had come from.
They watched each other a moment. She felt goosebumps and a terrible
shiver.
He yawned. “Back to bed.” He turned and started to go. “Back
to bed, Nanny.”
She had not words.
She heard him in the hallway. “Back to bed. Sweet dreams, Horrible Nanny. Horrible little Nanny.”
Harlowe Pilgrim’s books are available at Amazon, iBooks, Smashwords.com, Books-A-Million, and most other online booksellers.
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