Salt

The courtroom was stuffy. This was partly due to the synthetic warmth of the building’s central heating system that hummed softly in the ceiling but far more suffocating was the silence of the crowd that sat stiffly on the padded benches exactly as they had done every day for the past few weeks. Cunningham stood for a moment and let his eyes slide across the wall of sombre faces still flushed from the morning cold then settle on the small space left empty just behind him. He shook his head and focused on straightening some papers on his desk. Of all the days for them to be late. He tried to loosen his tie a little but his fingers were sweaty and he fumbled at the knot, his face growing hot with frustration, until he finally gave up and left it looking like a small prune. He looked out the window and watched a lone raptor slowly make its way across the brittle blue Salt Lake sky. The bird rode on the crisp air with seemingly no effort and after describing a few lazy circles above the salt flats and apparently seeing nothing of interest it passed from view.

Cunningham stood there motionless until a gurgled laugh from the seat next to him broke the silence of the courtroom. He looked down at a pair of eyes set too far apart that were crinkled up like little raisins. The boy was laughing at something and his lopsided grin revealed a fat tongue sitting squashed up against the few small teeth placed haphazardly about his mouth. Cunningham always thought of him as a boy, despite the fact that he was nearing twenty-seven and was possibly close to as old as he would ever be allowed to be. The boy’s laughing eyes were fixed on him and Cunningham wondered what joke he was missing but before he could consider it further the Judge cleared his throat and looked up from his papers. He had a kind but surprisingly young face.

Mr. Cunningham, he said. Call your witness if you please.

Cunningham nodded and stood up a little straighter.

Yes Your Honour, he said. If it please the court, the defence calls Wilbur Young.

The Judge nodded and picked up a pen to note something down. Cunningham looked back at the boy but he had stopped laughing now and was tugging at the sleeves of his suit which was several sizes too small for his pudgy frame. The rest of the courtroom was still and quiet and Cunningham quickly looked over his shoulder at the crowd. None of them gave him so much as a glance and the hollowness in the pit of his stomach returned. It had started during the first few days of the trial and had never really stopped. He was used to hostile words and even physical threats from the friends and families of victims and he’d always been able to shut himself up behind his lessons from law school about the ethics of his profession and the vital role he was playing in the machinery of justice. Even when he knew his client was guilty of some despicable act and he wanted more than anybody for the degenerate piece of filth to fry he buried those thoughts in the details of his work, but these few weeks, as he’d argued and questioned and lectured before the Judge, the calm silence of the crowd had unnerved him. It was as though the outcome of the trial was a matter of little importance to them and they were simply waiting for it to be over. Their clothes were clean and neat and new, even though the women’s dresses looked as though they’d been salvaged from an earlier century, and all the men wore their hair parted neatly on the right.

The Judge looked up from making his notes and frowned.

Well, Mr. Young? he said looking at the boy.

Cunningham leant down to whisper in the boy’s ear. The boy just grinned back at him until Cunningham grabbed his elbow and steered him out of his chair. He lumbered out from behind the desk and after a final nudge began to make his way towards the witness stand. As he was seating himself, the large courtroom door creaked open and Cunningham turned to see three figures slip in quietly, two men and a woman. They made their way down the aisle to the empty space behind where he stood and took their seats. The two men wore patterned shirts without ties and both had arms too long for their bodies. They nodded at Cunningham, peering out from beneath heavily lidded eyes, then sat down either side of the young woman, who was chewing her bottom lip and trying not to meet his gaze.

Cunningham sighed with relief and turned back towards the Judge. He leaned forward and braced himself on the desk in front of him. The boy was seated in the dock now, opening and closing his mouth slowly as he studied the jury. Suddenly he caught sight of the newcomers and his face split apart in its lopsided grin and he started bouncing up and down in his chair a little. Cunningham cleared his throat but the boy didn’t pay him any attention. He walked around the desk and approached the dock and as he got closer the boy squirmed in his seat, trying to see around him. After a while the boy gave up and their eyes met. Cunningham nodded slightly and took a deep breath.

Mr. Young, do you recall—

There was a gooey something in the ashtray. Warm like the leather on the door but softer and sort of pink and sticky like His legs were sticky on the seat and it got stuck under His nails as He picked at it and made long stretchy bits that blew apart in the wind coming in through the open window. He leaned His face into the buffeting gusts and opened His mouth and started chewing the dry air happily as He watched Wendover Will get bigger and bigger where he stood by the side of the road. He squinted through the breeze and the brightness trying to see home but beyond the giant cowboy’s boots the sky went less blue and the sand went less brown and there was nothing but white glare. A girl was singing a song He’d heard before and He looked over at Barbie to see if she’d sing along with Him but she was staring at something out the window so He sang along by Himself.

—see ‘Barbie’ in the courtroom today? he asked.

The boy grinned and nodded excitedly. Cunningham waited but the boy made no movement and he realised he’d forgotten this part.

Could you point her out to me please? he prompted.

She right there! the boy said and pointed a single chubby finger at the woman sitting between the two men and occasionally brushing away the loose wisps of mousy hair that fell to try and frame her face. She gave him a timid smile.

Let the record—

Hush it Will barked Awesome from behind the wheel. A body can’t hear theyself think over that goddam catterwaulin’! There was a click and the girl stopped singing so He stopped singing and everything was quiet except for the rumbling wind.

—has identified Barbara Goodyear. And tell me Mr. Young, do you also see ‘Awesome’ in the courtroom today?

The boy nodded and without prompting pointed to the taller of the two men. The man sat with his head bowed as if furiously trying to determine the structural integrity of the floor and didn’t give any indication he had noticed the weight of the court’s attention shift and come to rest on him. Cunningham nodded and turned to the Judge.

Let the record show that Mr. Young has identified Orson Young.

Cunningham took a deep breath. He could see the twelve jurors all watching him out of the corner of his eye. It could have been lack of sleep or his frayed nerves playing tricks on his mind but for a moment he thought he saw a flash of eager anticipation on their faces and he began to fidget with his tie again. He’d known all along that this was going to be his only shot and as far as he could tell he was doing the best he could for the boy but even so sometimes he couldn’t help but feel as though he was the one on trial and his guilt was already written in the eyes of everybody in the courtroom.

Somebody towards the back coughed delicately. Cunningham blinked and realised they were all waiting for him to go on. Even the boy seemed puzzled. A small frown was crinkling up his pudgy face as he waited for the words that had been painstakingly drilled into him. Cunningham hurriedly cleared his throat and continued.

Mr. Young, he said. What were the circumstances of your first—

Mama always told Him not to look at the sun because when it didn’t have no clouds to nibble on it got hungry and might just steal the eyes right out of your head and eat them. So on days like this when the sky was specially empty and blue and the sun on the back of His neck felt like it was close enough to just reach out and grab Him He always got a little bit nervous and kept His eyes to the ground. He got out and went into the front yard leaving Awesome and Barbie by the car where they started saying something loudly about a book or a look or maybe a bike. His favourite yellow rubber boots left footprints in the dust and each had a little smiley face in the middle. The ones on the left like they were winking at Him because half the smile and one of the eyes had been worn off. All the little yards in front of the matching trailers were prettied up with a plastic red tricycle lying on its side or broken bottles planted in the dirt or a pair of old folks with crumpled faces sitting in canvas chairs and gumming their lips like they were chewing a lemon as they watched the people go past. He looked around and Barbie was gone and Awesome was walking towards Him muttering something. He spat into the dust as he went past and up the trailer’s rickety stairs with his big brown boots making the whole thing shake. Hurry your ass up Will he said then he disappeared into the dark inside letting the screen door clack shut behind him. Whenever people like Grandma or old Mrs Wycombe went away Mama always told Him they were on their way to the moon and that one day everyone in the world would live there together and it would be soon because the guv’ment had already gone and put a man up there and as He stared at the perfectly round dome of spittle sitting neat and shiny on the soft little dust dunes He thought it looked like the home of that lonely settler waiting for the rest of the world to come up and join him. Two strangers in clean white shirts and shiny black shoes walked past and He looked up and they waved to Him and He waved back and then they went to Barbie’s trailer on the other side of the dirt road and knocked on the door. He watched them for a moment and then He turned around and followed Awesome inside leaving the hungry sun behind Him.

—the border from West Wendover at approximately 3 pm on the afternoon of August 23rd, as we have already heard from the testimony of the prosecution’s witnesses. They then proceeded to the residence of Miss Goodyear where they stayed until approximately—

Awesome lay on the couch with his hat over his face and his boots up on the armrest and there was a big brown footprint on the cushion. There was a yellow square of sun on the kitchen floor but the rest of the trailer was dark and cool like a cave. He went and stood in front of the humming box on the wall and closed His eyes and felt the cold dry wind on His face and it smelled like the place where He went when He was sick. Outside there was a banging sound. He was getting hungry and Awesome didn’t move and didn’t say anything so He went out the back door to see if Jo-Jo would get Him some food. It was still hot but the sun was sitting on the other side of the trailer and there was a long shadow over the ground where the scraps of engines lay about like injured soldiers blown apart and left for the birds. The sharp sound of metal on metal was coming from somewhere in the shade but on the other side of the little fence at the back of the yard was the salt flat shining pale and bright and He had to squint to see anything in the darkness. Jo-Jo? He called and the sound stopped. Yeah? He heard the voice come from near the fence but He still couldn’t see him. It’s dinner time. There was silence for a moment. Ok, I’ll be in in a minute. The metal sound started back up again. He went back inside and Awesome was gone and there was a big brown footprint on the couch cushion and the sheets that Jo-Jo had left folded up were crumpled on the floor.

—and Joseph Young have both stated they were attending the unauthorised drag racing event known locally as the Wendover Derby until the early hours of—

He woke and the night was bright in his window. There were crickets and there were owls and there were voices a long way off then there were engines tearing strips off the silence of the flats. He sat up in bed and looked out the window and there was a little city burning out on the desert. He lay back down and yawned once then twice. His eyes banged open. It was still dark. There were heavy steps in the trailer and loud breathing. The bedroom door opened and a big shape stood in the doorway. The light was on in the big room and the shape was big and black and it moved towards Him. The light went out again and somebody was bumping around and swearing. He stayed quiet and eventually the shape fell onto Awesome’s bed and didn’t move.

—Young, on the morning of Sunday the—

He went on down the empty street whistling a lullaby with clouds of dust puffing about His favourite yellow rubber boots. The trailers were quiet and still. He was almost always the first one to wake up and He wished people wouldn’t snore so long because there wasn’t nothing to do til they got theyselves up out of bed except sail His boats in the creek or throw rocks at any cats out looking for breakfast. In his hand He carried his red and blue tugboat that had real bumpers made of rubber. He was passing the last trailer where old Mr. Calahand lived with nobody but his fat cat Ronald when He saw a man standing in the middle of the street with his head titled back and his mouth hanging open like he was shocked by the empty sky so that he looked sorta like a scarecrow. The man was wearing a woolly blue jumper that was too big for him and fell down over his legs almost to his knees so you couldn’t tell if he was wearing shorts underneath or not and in his hand that was long and thin like a bird’s foot he was holding a dark brown bottle. He heard a sound behind Him and then a red truck came past down the street. The man didn’t move or seem to notice as the truck came up then without slowing down moved to the right to go around him and drove on. He kept walking past the scarecrow man and after a while He came to where the ground fell away towards the flats and scrabbled down the rocky slope. The creek dribbled out the mouth of a big pipe that peeked from under the dirt hill The Park was built on and the smelly water trickled along in the middle of a dark stain that got smaller and smaller and then disappeared into the salt flat which lay white and empty as far as He could see and even further. The big empty desert scared Him a bit but He liked playing with His boat and there was no other water near home. The sun was still only peering sleepily over the edge of the world and as it slowly warmed itself up it turned the salt flat to rusty red. For a moment He just stared at the big fiery sea all still and angry and then He noticed a lonely shape to His left sitting next to the pipe with its arms wrapped round its legs and its knees up under its chin. Hiya Barbie! He shouted and stumbled over the slope to where she sat. She looked up and smiled a little smile. Hiya Will she said. He sat down next to her in the dust and went to brush His hands off against His old jeans then remembered Mama always scolded Him for getting filth on His clothes so He scuffed them together instead. Barbie was quiet for a minute then she leaned her little brown head on His shoulder and wrapped her skinny arms around His pudgy one in a warm cuddle. He held His tugboat with rubber bumpers tightly in His other hand. She watched the sun climb up the sky and He watched its light pulsing through the tiny hairs on her arms and the smooth brown skin of her legs shining below her shorty-shorts. He could feel her breathing against Him and they were quiet like that for a long time. It’s pretty He said finally. Barbie didn’t answer and her breathing was long and slow and He thought maybe she fell asleep. Her shirt was too big and it had slipped down onto her arm and He moved His head a little so He could see where her naked shoulder bended up and became her neck. A few loose hairs floated across her skin in the shadows there. In His bottom drawer at home He had a picture of a big white bird Mama told Him was called a swan and He thought about it now and how it sat with its head bent down like it was looking for something under the water. He leaned a little closer and He could smell her and she smelled like Walmart dry hair shampoo and Fruit Loops and He could see the warm curves just under her shirt. She took a deep breath. Pam sent me a letter she said. Do you remember Pam Will? He opened His mouth to say something but she kept going so He closed it again then had a funny idea and went on opening and closing it and pretending He was a big fish. You always liked her. Remember she taught you how to whistle? It must have took her a month but she was stubborn as a damn mule and I don’t think I ever saw her as happy as when you finally got a noise outta all that huffing and puffing. It was starting to get hot but she shivered and hugged him closer. She sniffed and rubbed her cheek against His arm and it was soft and a little bit wet. She’s getting married Will. My baby sister’s gone and got herself a husband. She says he’s a banking man and she met him out in California last June and he’s gonna take her to Hawaii for a honeymoon. She told me in the letter. The wedding’s in February and she wants me to go out and be her Bridesmaid. She said her banking man will pay for me to go out and stay in a big hotel and everything. She was quiet again and He stopped pretending to be a big fish and tried to think of something to say. The sky was empty of clouds again today and the sun was getting hot. You know that trailer’s mine now? she said. Ever since Ma died it’s been mine but you know I never even bought any new knives or forks or bowls or sheets or nothing. I just used the same ones we always had since I was born. He thought about this for a moment frowning. We got lotsa knives and forks at our place He said. You can have some if you want. And a bowl with all little bunnies running round inside. They was Mama’s too. A little ant was struggling and stumbling towards His tugboat with the rubber bumpers. It only had little legs and the dirt was soft and deep and it was scrabbling about trying to get to the safety of the boat. He watched it reach the rubber bumpers and then stop for a moment. It was still except for its antennas waving slowly about its head and then it found its way and rushed off into the empty dirt again heading for food or home or just another little ant somewhere. He watched it struggle on its way and then Barbie was saying something and so He looked at her and her shirt had slipped further down her arm. You ever read the Bible Will? she asked. He nodded slowly and looked for the ant again but He couldn’t find it. Mama read me some bits He said. I liked the bit with the man in the whale. It done ate him up and he sat there all by hisself and I told Mama I didn’t like it but she said to keep listening and I did and then the whale spit him out again and he was OK. He looked over at the creek squirming its way onto the flat. It must be awful smelly in a whale. Barbie was quiet again for a long while. The colour was mostly gone from the flat now and it was burning hot and pale like a ghost. He looked at the top of her head and thought about her eyes that were brown and sad and hid behind her falling hair and her little nose that wrinkled up when she laughed. A dry breeze was coming off the flat and sending the loose strands of her hair waving and flapping about angrily. Nothing else moved. The sun was getting hot in the sky and He started to feel sweat tickling down His back and down His sides. After a while Barbie silently unwrapped herself from around His arm and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She turned and smiled at Him. C’mon Will, let’s go get you some breakfast. He grinned and nodded. They went back up the slope and then past the sleeping trailers and then up the rickety steps to home. The curtains were all closed so inside it was dark and orange. Barbie went to the fridge and started taking things out and piling them up on the bench. She got the fire starter and poked it at the stove. There were a few clicks then there was butter hissing in the skillet. He went over to the kitchen window that looked out on the street and took a tight hold of the curtains then leaning His face up close and putting on an ugly look He yanked them back hard. There was nobody there but He gurgled a little laugh at how they would of got a bit of a fright if they had been.

—again some time after 9 o’clock.

Cunningham paused and glanced nervously over at the table where the prosecutor was jotting down some notes. The man looked up and gave him an unreadable smile then turned his eyes towards the jury. Cunningham followed his gaze and quickly scanned the men and women sitting there in judgement. A few were watching him with vague interest but most were staring into space or doodling on their notepads. He took a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and dabbed at his neck. Sweat was starting to dampen the collar of his shirt and make it itchy. He said a quick prayer under his breath, thanking Christ that it had all gone smoothly so far.

It had taken over fifty man-hours to get the boy to be able to pick up all his cues and stick to telling his story without babbling. He could only handle an hour or so of coaching at a stretch before his eyes began to glaze over and the saliva pooling behind his bottom lip threatened to spill over so Cunningham would have him come into the office once in the morning and once in the afternoon and each time they started again most of what Cunningham had patiently drilled into his mind was long gone, evaporated and carried away by the dry winds blowing outside. For the first couple of days the boy kept getting distracted by things; the hackneyed motivational poster on the wall, a paper weight shaped like a cannon, the sickly pot plant in the corner, so in the end Cunningham cleaned out the place until there was nothing in the room but the two of them staring at one another across the table. Only then could he start to make a little progress.

He glanced down at his hand-written notes. A couple of lines were smudged where his sweaty fingers had rested on the page and he leaned forward, squinting to try and make them out but most of the words were illegible. He frowned, straightened up and wiped his hands on his trouser leg to try to get rid of the ink stains.

Mr Young, he continued. At around ten-thirty that morning, two men—

He did the same at the other windows til the trailer was bright and sunny and smelled like bacon. Barbie stood by the stove in her shorty-shorts with her hip tipped to one side and the other leg bent and lazy and slipping its flip-flop on and off. The sound of metal on metal suddenly started up from outside and He looked out the little living room window but He couldn’t spot Jo-Jo anywhere. There was a groan and the sound of sheets moving from the bedroom and then feet shuffling about. The bedroom door opened and Awesome stood there rubbing his eyes and scratching hisself. Barbie smiled up at him. Morning ya big lump! she said. Awesome grunted and went over and grabbed the orange juice off the bench and took a long gulp. Barbie watched him. There was a tap tap at the trailer door and Awesome put the juice down and went over and opened it. A happy voice started talking while Awesome stood leaning on the plastic frame with no shirt on and his arms crossed. The bacon was hissing and He went over to Barbie and picked up some eggs and He handed them to her one at a time while she cracked them in the skillet. He turned a bit and looked past Awesome and He could see the strangers standing in the dust in their clean white shirts and shiny black shoes. Barbie looked over her shoulder then quickly back at the eggs. She aint here said Awesome. If she aint at her place then I don’t know where she is. There was some more talking and He could smell the bacon starting to burn and He could see it bouncing about in the butter. Barbie was staring hard at the skillet but she didn’t turn it over. Yeah, I’ll tell her. But I’ll tell you right now she ain’t no goddamn Mormon so I don’t know why she needs to know nothing about that. The door clacked shut and Barbie quickly grabbed a fork and started scooping up eggs and bacon onto the plates. He grabbed one and took it over to Awesome but he was staring at Barbie and didn’t see it. It’s breakfast Awesome He said and Awesome looked down at the plate then up at Him. Yeah thanks Will he said slowly taking the plate. Barbie made it He said. Awesome looked over at her then back at Him then without a word sat down on a stool behind the kitchen bench and started eating.

—see them again at any stage during that—

The wind was blowing hard off the salt flat and little bits of dust and sand were nibbling His legs where they poked out above His favourite yellow rubber boots. Jo-Jo was behind Him working and Awesome was still inside with Barbie. He bent down and picked up a piston that was lying half buried in the dirt. The top had a big hole blown in it and as He held it a long thin bug crawled out and buzzed its wings a couple of times then jumped up and went away on the wind. He looked in the hole and there was a little nest made of dried mud tucked inside and so He put the piston back down carefully and covered it with some dirt just like it was before. The yard was quiet. There was a bang from the trailer and then a shout and then it was quiet just like the yard. The clouds had come back and so shadows were speeding across the flat and rolling over the roof without a sound. Not like the rain. When the rain came the roof hummed and shouted and banged about. Mama always said it was a Unholy racket but He liked it because it sounded like the bowling alley and He liked the bowling alley. Jo-Jo had taken his shirt off and his back was all shiny and pink in the sun. He was bent over the giant body of Big Red that was all opened up with its insides spread across the ground all black and silver and smelling like oily death. The back door of the trailer opened and Awesome came into the yard. He had a shirt on now. How’s she coming Einstein? he said. Jo-Jo stood up and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. Ok. Awesome wandered over to the carcass and poked around inside. Jo-Jo watched him. Seen Jim last night Awesome said without looking up. Said there might gonna be another meet in three months. Jo-Jo picked up a rag and started wiping a bit of pipe but didn’t reply. There’s a cash prize. Two grand. He leaned forward and peered into the bright red shell and his elbow knocked over a spare piston that fell clanging through the belly of the beast and disappeared. He swore and looked up squinting. You finally going to let me put this goddamn heap to some use? Jo-Jo studied the bit of pipe then put it down. There’s still a fair bit of work to do yet he said slowly. Awesome sucked his teeth and spat into the dirt. The wind was blowing and Jo-Jo leaned in to retrieve his piston. Awesome looked over at Him. Get inside Will. Them dishes need doin’. Awesome stared at Jo-Jo for a minute then turned and went back inside. He went in and Awesome was leaning on the sink and staring out at the street. A truck was rolling past slowly and the man driving was dangling his arm out the open window and tapping on the door and the door was white with long rusty tears running down it. The trailer was starting to warm up but it was still cooler than outside. He went up behind Awesome and gave him a hug with His cheek resting against his back. They stood still like that while the truck disappeared down the street. He looked out the window again and the people in clean white shirts and shiny black shoes were waiting outside Barbie’s. They looked almost the same from behind except one was a little bit shorter and fatter and his shoes had picked up some dust from the street and he was wiping them on the back of his black pants while he waited and so now there was a light brown smudge on them. The door opened and the strangers went in. Goddamn piece of shit sons of bitches said Awesome softly. His back was hard and shaking under his shirt and his shirt was warm and a bit wet and the dust was rippling down the street like little waves in the wind. Jo-Jo started up a drill. It screamed and then stopped for a moment they gonna poison her and then went on screaming only pausing goddamn Mormon every now and then horse shit to catch its breath. Awesome was muttering. The drill whirred to a stop. They gonna fucking poison her Will. The white truck from before came rolling back down the street and there was a dog in the passenger seat. A new drill started up louder than the other one and He sneezed and it went all over the back of Awesome’s shirt. There was a big gob clinging to his shoulder but before He could wipe it away Awesome gently pried apart His hug and went into the bedroom. There was water in the sink and He put a dirty plate on top and let it float there. It bobbed around like His boat with the real rubber bumpers and then He gently poked one side with His finger and the water flooded over it and it slowly sank to sit and hide on the bottom of the sink. Out the window He could see the metal fence at the front of the yard that was all pushed over and He could see the spidowebs shining in the sun. He scrubbed and there were snores coming from the bedroom and banging coming from the yard and His fingers were prunin up. Mama always said that fingers pruned up in the washing water because they was working and work makes you growed up. There was a tap tap tap at the door and He looked over His shoulder but there was nothing but snores coming from the bedroom and nothing but banging coming from out the back so He went and opened it. Outside was bright and His eyes hurt and He squinted and put His hand up and looked through His fingers to try and see who was there but the sun got broken into little shiny pieces in the soapy bubbles still on His hands. A big shape moved slowly towards Him and He stepped back a bit until He was inside and the shape was standing on the steps. Warm air followed the shape inside and light brown dust snuck in on the breeze and settled on the floor and He could smell a heavy smell that was sorta like a bad dream where there are friendly faces but they switch and change and He blinked a couple of times and then He saw the legs like knobbly twigs come slowly in out of the light and the big hanging belly and the shiny bald head and He grinned and said Hiya Mr. Calahand! There was a scratching sound behind the knobbly legs and then the fat cat Ronald slid past and sat with its ginger tail twitching. The old man grinned and dug something out his ear and flicked it away. Mornin’ mah boy! he said. He had a scar on his left cheek that stopped at his eye and the eye drooped and didn’t move and so he had to turn his head a bit to see whatever he was looking at and sometimes that made him lean a bit to the side and stumble. His blue singlet shirt was stretched but it still didn’t cover all of the hairy belly that sagged and hid the top of his old army shorts and his feet were bare and dusty. Where are them brothers of yours? he asked. Sleepin’ and workin’ He said and the old man scratched his belly and sniffed and looked around the trailer slowly with his turned a little to the side. The box on the wall coughed and started to hum and He saw a dog going past outside the window. Mr Calahand was digging around in his shorts pocket. He frowned and swore and dug deeper and then he grinned. Gotcha! he said and he pulled something out and unfolded it. He waved the crumpled dollar bill like a tiny flag. You want to see a trick mah boy? he asked. Before He could say anything the old man made a fist with one hand and started poking the dollar into his fist with his finger. When it was all inside he looked at Him and winked with his good eye and then he clapped his hands together and opened them and they were empty. They both stared at his empty hands and then the old man looked at Him sort of strange and came closer. He peered at His ear then slowly reached out a hand and pulled the dollar bill out and gave it to Him. You go ahead and keep that he said and winked with his good eye and scratched his belly again. The cat was staring at Him with its yellow eyes that didn’t blink and its ginger tail was twitching. He looked down at the dollar in His hand and the picture of the funny old man on it who had hair sorta like Mama’s and then He folded it up and put it in His pocket beside the little wooden statue of a dolphin He always kept there and a bottle top He’d found near the front gate the day before. The trailer was sorta quiet and He looked up and Mr. Calahand was watching Him. The old man coughed and looked away. Well it looks like you’re getting plenty to eat anyway he said and leaned down to give the fat cat Ronald a scratch behind the ears. There were footsteps on the carpet and He turned around and Awesome was standing outside the bedroom. Hiya Awesome He said. Mr. Calahand given me a dollar. Awesome frowned at Him for a moment then looked at Mr. Calahand. What you think you’re doing here old man? he said. Mr. Calahand grinned and spread his arms wide so they stuck out from his body like knobbly winter branches. I’m just visiting with my young friend here he said. Awesome’s eyes narrowed. He don’t need your fucking money. Mr. Calahand sniffed and his arms fell back to his sides. The sunlight was still carrying dust in through the door and hiding it in the folds of the carpet. Well of course he doesn’t he said. He’s got his superstar racing driver brother is taking good care of him. Mr. Calahand looked over and winked at Him. How’s that tasty little thing you were sticking it to? She got a ring on you yet? He chuckled through his teeth and it made a rattling sound. None of your fucking business said Awesome. Mr. Calahand shrugged and picked at his teeth with his fingernail. He looked at a piece of something he’d found and then put it back in his mouth to chew on. Well she looks like she’d go off like a firecracker he said. She got those sad eyes that look up at you just begging for it like a little puppy dog. He paused and licked his lips to hide a little smile. Your old Ma had ‘em too. Awesome’s face went all still and hard. Get out he said and his voice was like the sound of Jo-Jo cutting a bit of pipe with his special saw with the tiny teeth. Mr. Calahand spread his arms wide again and raised up his eyebrows. What? You think your Ma never got the boat a-rockin’? Where’d you think you came from then? Shit out from a low flying snow goose? Mr. Calahand chuckled through his teeth again and his belly shook and He could see pale skin and a trail of curly hairs peeking out under the blue singlet shirt.

—the argument a weapon, which has been confirmed as the firearm appearing as Exhibit 3, was produced, though not discharged. Following the altercation, Arthur Calahand left the premises, followed by Orson Young. Mr. Young…

Cunningham paused as he became aware of a whispered argument behind him. He turned around and the two Young brothers were leaning across the young woman, Barbara, who sat between them, their faces intent but their lips barely moving. The girl had slid lower in her seat and was chewing her bottom lip while glancing between the floor and the two men simmering before her.

After a while Orson seemed to make a decisive point as Joseph fell silent, stared at him for a moment, then leaned back in his seat. Cunningham glanced at the crowd on the other side of the room but none of them seemed to have noticed the disturbance; they just sat watching him, patiently waiting for him to continue. He shook his head and was about to turn back towards the witness dock when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Orson’s lidded gaze fixed on him. Cunningham met his stare and gave him a quick nod but it wasn’t returned. Neither of them was quick to look away and as the moment stretched on and the rest of the court waited in silence Cunningham began to feel exposed beneath the other man’s glare. Orson’s face was expressionless but something smouldered behind his half-open eyes. Cunningham cleared his throat and turned back towards his client, feeling his face grow hot. The boy was busy trying to lick the end of his nose. Cunningham cleared his throat again and the boy looked up. His tongue was curled upwards towards his nose and it put Cunningham in mind of some kind of lizard; a gecko perhaps.

Mr. Young, he said. After the altercation you just described—

He’d taken his yellow rubber boots off and He could feel crumbs of something on the kitchen floor. He lifted His feet one at a time but the crumbs stuck to His skin like they were hungry or something so He didn’t brush them off. The sun had climbed up above the trailer now and everything outside had lost its shadow and the colours were brighter and He thought the window looked just like a painting. He put the last fork in the wooden rack and dried His hands on His green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt. Outside a little boy appeared running down the street with his bare feet slapping on the ground and his shorts that were too big flapping around his knees and his face hard like a little pebble. Barbie’s trailer sat on the other side of the street with its front door shut tight and the curtains with pictures of yellow cats on them covering the windows and He figured the people with clean white shirts and shiny black shoes were still inside. Something started banging and He went and looked out the back door and Jo-Jo was kneeling over a blanket hammering at a piece of metal. Behind him the salt flats were white and empty and moving like water. Hiya Jo-Jo He said and came down the back steps. He started across backyard with His toes sinking into the dust but then He trod on something sharp and stopped. Jo-Jo put his hammer down and squinted up at Him. Hi Will he said and his voice was sorta soft like he was sick or sad or really tired. The wind started to blow a bit and the trailer door shut with a loud clack. Can we go to the bowling alley? He asked. Mr. Calahand given me a dollar. Jo-Jo picked up his hammer again and started tapping at the piece of metal real carefully. Maybe later. He put His hand in His pocket to feel His new dollar and wiggled His toes in the dust. Later when? Jo-Jo put the hammer down again and He could see him take a big breath. Why don’t you go and see if Barbie wants to take you down to see a movie? The backyard was quiet and the only noise came from a truck a long way away and He watched Jo-Jo stand up slowly and walk over the body of Big Red with the piece of metal in his hand and then He turned and went back inside. The box in the wall was humming and His Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt was sweaty and it started to get cold. He stood on the carpet and looked down at His feet and they were brown up to His ankles and it looked like He was wearing socks even though He wasn’t. Mama always said a boy didn’t need much else if he got a plate of food and a clean pair of socks. He went and looked in the fridge but there was nothing there but some jars of red stuff and some jars of yellow stuff and a tomato that was getting wrinkled. The bedroom was dark because the curtains were closed but He could see the wardrobe open and a shoebox sitting on Awesome’s bed. He was starting to get cold in the trailer and He didn’t know how to stop the box in the wall blowing the cold air and He thought about what Jo-Jo said about asking Barbie to take Him to a movie. He’d already opened the front door when He saw it on the kitchen counter. He picked it up and it was heavier than His red and blue tugboat that had real bumpers made of rubber and even heavier than His model car that was as big as a shoe and had doors that opened and shut but it sat comfy in His hand. He put it down again and went outside. Awesome’s car was sitting in the front yard and He could see the scratch near the front where one time out in Nevada somewhere Awesome swerved to miss a cat and ran into a wooden fence on the side of the road and He and Jo-Jo were in the car with him and when they’d gotten clear of the fence and were back on the road nobody said anything for a long while. The sun was shining off the driver’s window and someone had left it wound down a little bit so the car didn’t get too hot. He squinted over at Barbie’s trailer but the front door was still shut tight and the curtains with pictures of yellow cats on them were still closed. The wind was blowing hard and as He stepped down into the dust He remembered He’d forgotten to put His yellow rubber boots on.

—you, Mr. Young.

Cunningham closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air smelled of leather and photocopied paper and clothes fresh from the dry cleaners. He tried to take himself away from the courtroom for a moment; away from the awful silence of the patient eyes behind him; away from the judge’s kindly disinterest; away from the boy whose crooked grin seemed all too eager to see their last card face up on the table. His palms were sweaty and he resisted the urge to fiddle with his tie again. The moments ticked by as he waited for some clap of thunder or some riot of voices to usher in the climax of his months of work and worry but the only sound that he could hear was the electric hum of the air conditioning. When he opened his eyes again the courtroom was the same as it had been. He blinked a couple of times to adjust his eyes and then focused on the boy, who was watching him carefully now.

Mr. Young, he said and he was relieved to hear that his voice was steady. Can you please tell us your memory of the events that—

His green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle t-shirt got caught on a piece of wire sticking out of the front fence and He had to stop and walk backwards to unhook it and when He did He saw there was a hole in it big enough to stick His thumb through. He gave the fence a little kick and it made a rattling sound and shook all the way to the end and then He watched it as it slowed until it was just swaying back and forth like an old man in a rocking chair. He was about to head across the road when He saw a brown lump at the end of the fence and as He walked towards it He saw the lump had fur and He grinned and trotted over to it. The dog was lying on its side with its legs straight out and its head at a funny angle and the wind was lifting its light brown fur in little waves across its body. He stopped a little way from it and waited but it didn’t move and then He saw a dark brown patch on the side of its head where the fur was all stuck together and He turned away and didn’t look at it any more. The sky was blue and empty but the wind was blowing hard and His green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt was sticking to Him on the front and blowing out like a sail behind. He left the dog and went across the street to Barbie’s trailer and while He walked He tried to whistle but the wind carried the tune away. Barbie didn’t have a fence out the front of her trailer and the front yard was empty except for a short fat cactus in a pot next to the front steps. The front door was shut and He tapped on it but there was no answer and the curtains with the pictures of yellow cats on them didn’t move. He waited for a while and then He went around to the back of the trailer where there were clothes flapping about on lines hung between the trailer and the wooden fence at the back of the yard. The sun was getting low and the fence cast a long shadow almost up to the trailer. His yellow rubber boots made footprints with little smiley faces in the dust but the wind was blowing the dust about and the footprints got covered up quickly. He fumbled through the flapping clothes with the silk and cotton tickling His neck until he got close to the trailer’s back window. The curtains were open and He stood up on His tippy toes to try and see inside but it was too high and all He could see was a bit of the trailer’s ceiling and the arms of the fan sliding past again and again. He was about to tap on the window when He heard a noise inside and so He stopped and stood there on His tippy toes and listened while pink and white underwear flapped about His head. First there were voices but He couldn’t hear whose they were because they were talking really quiet and then He heard something hit the floor hard. The voices got a bit louder and He could hear there was a man’s voice and a woman’s voice and the woman sounded like Barbie and she was saying something about the sky or the lie or going high and she was talking sorta fast. His feet were getting sore from standing on His tippy toes but He didn’t move and then He heard a different noise and it sounded like a squeaky toy like the pink elephant He had one time that had lost an eye but squeaked when you pushed its belly. The man started speaking and his voice sounded sorta angry and there was some banging about and then the squeaking noise again and then Barbie was talking and she sounded scared and He stood as tall as He could to try and see inside but He still couldn’t reach and His legs were getting sore and the squeaking noise got louder and there was more banging and He grabbed hold of the washing line to pull Himself up and Barbie was whimpering like a puppy dog and then she was crying out and then she was screaming like she was hurting really bad and He could hear the man’s voice too but there weren’t any words and then the wooden bar the washing line was tied to broke and fell to the ground and He fell down with it and there was a loud voice coming from inside and some banging about and He stumbled out of the pile of clothes and started running as fast as He could to get home with a pair of pink underwear caught in His yellow rubber boots and then it was in His hand and then He came around the side of Barbie’s trailer and in the shadows there was a face in front of Him and another shape and then there was a really loud bang and then another one and they echoed for a long time.

The courtroom was quiet. Cunningham counted up to ten in his head, letting the silence stretch on for effect. He glanced quickly at the jury and saw they were all studying the boy carefully and he allowed himself a little satisfied smile. He gave it another moment then cleared his throat.

Thank you Mr. Young, he said.

The boy was sitting quietly, opening and closing his mouth while staring at the floor, and didn’t bother to look up when his name was mentioned. Cunningham turned his head and peered at the three behind him out of the corner of his eye. They were all watching the boy and Barbara was wearing a strange expression, as though she had just been given a gift that she didn’t really have any use for. The faces of the other two were unreadable. Cunningham turned back towards the judge.

No more questions Your Honour, he said.

The judge was busy writing something and didn’t reply straight away and so Cunningham eased himself back down into his chair. Eventually, the judge looked up and nodded to him.

Right you are, Mr. Cunningham, he said.

He looked at his watch and pursed his lips.

The witness may step down, he said. The court will recess for lunch and recommence at 2 o’clock this afternoon. He rapped his gavel.

Everyone rose as the judge stood up to leave and Cunningham gathered up his papers while the crowd behind him filed slowly and quietly out the doors at the back. He looked up and the boy was still sitting in the witness dock, opening and closing his mouth. The judge exited via a door behind the bench and it was left to the bailiff to coax the boy out of the witness box. Cunningham stood unmoving behind his desk while the boy was led, shackled hand and foot, towards a side door that would take him back to the court’s cells. He watched him cross the floor with his shuffling gait but the boy didn’t look back. The last of the crowd left silently and the large wooden doors swung shut behind them with a dull thud. Cunningham tucked his papers under his arm and with a quick look out the window to see if the clouds had closed in yet he walked up the aisle between the rows of leather benches and out through the door.

When Cunningham returned the last few people in the crowd were just seating themselves. He’d spent the lunch recess in a park a couple of blocks from the courthouse eating the lunch he’d packed for himself that morning and his hands and face were pink from the cold. He shucked off his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair as the bailiff walked to the front of the room.

All rise for the Honourable Judge Triplehorn, he announced in a deep African voice and the crowd stood as one.

After a short wait the judge came in, straightening his robes. He sat down and there was a sigh from the leather benches as the crowd settled themselves. Cunningham took out his pen in readiness. During the recess, while he was biting into his apple and watching cars crawl trailing clouds of steam, he’d mulled over what the boy had said and he’d begun to grow a little nervous. They’d rehearsed the broad outlines of the testimony but the boy’s mind wandered when it came to details and so he’d largely left these up to chance. The boy was led in, still shackled, and directed to the witness stand. The judge looked up and nodded towards the prosecutor.

Your witness, Mr. Harrison.

The prosecutor stood up, smiling.

Thank you Your Honour, he said. He stood peering down at his notes for a moment and then looked up at the boy.

Mr. Young, he said. I would like to start by noting an apparent discrepancy in your testimony if you don’t mind.

Cunningham leaned forward in his chair and his pen hovered over the page. The boy was watching the prosecutor curiously with his mouth open a little way and his tongue visible behind his teeth. His smile grew wider as the prosecutor continued.

When you were describing the events of the afternoon of August the 24th, there seems to be a significant amount of time missing.

Cunningham felt his face tighten. They boy had always given vague accounts of time during their preparation sessions. Hours would disappear and then resurface again as time spent picking burrs out of his socks or staring at a photograph and Cunningham had worried on occasion about this buried time. He listened carefully as the prosecutor continued.

According to your testimony, when you left your residence and proceeded to the residence of Barbara Goodyear it was early afternoon. However, you also stated, and this is consistent with the testimony we have heard from other witnesses, that just prior to the fatal events of that day it was getting late and heading towards evening. Can you account for this apparent inconsistency?

—He squinted over at Barbie’s trailer but the front door was still shut tight and the curtains with pictures of yellow cats on them were still closed. The wind was blowing hard and as He stepped down into the dust He remembered He’d forgotten to put His yellow rubber boots on. He went back inside and found them in the kitchen and He put them on. His feet were still wearing their dusty socks and they rubbed inside His yellow rubber boots and got sore and so he went into the bedroom and took a pair of Awesome’s socks from the drawer. He went out to the kitchen again and He saw it sitting on the bench. It was still light outside and Barbie’s trailer was shut tight so He picked it up and tucked it into His shorts underneath His green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt and opened the door. Outside He jumped down the steps and headed for Barbie’s trailer. His green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle t-shirt got caught on a piece of wire sticking out of the front fence and He had to stop and walk backwards to unhook it and when He did He saw there was a hole in it big enough to stick His thumb through. He gave the fence a little kick and it made a rattling sound and shook all the way to the end and then He watched it as it slowed until it was just swaying back and forth like an old man in a rocking chair. He was about to head across the road when He saw a brown lump at the end of the fence and as He walked towards it He saw the lump had fur and He grinned and trotted over to it. The dog was lying on its side with its legs straight out and its head at a funny angle and the wind was lifting its light brown fur in little waves across its body. He stopped a little way from it and waited but it didn’t move and then He saw a dark brown patch on the side of its head where the fur was all stuck together. He edged around to the other side to get a better look and He saw its eyes were open but not moving and He leaned in closer and He could smell something awful sweet. He sat looking at the dog for a long time and then He turned away and didn’t look at it any more. The sky was blue and empty but the wind was blowing hard and His green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt was sticking to Him on the front and blowing out like a sail—

I see. I might come back to this in a moment, Mr. Young. But first, if I may take you back a little way to when you were at your residence, what was it exactly that possessed you to take the firearm with you when you left?

—car was sitting in the front yard and He could see the scratch near the front where one time out in Nevada somewhere Awesome swerved to miss a cat and ran into a wooden fence on the side of the road and He and Jo-Jo were in the car with him and when they’d gotten clear of the fence and were back on the road nobody said anything for a long while. The sun was shining off the driver’s window and someone had left it wound down a little bit so the car didn’t get too hot. He squinted over at Barbie’s trailer but the front door was still shut tight and the curtains with pictures of yellow cats on them were still closed. The wind was blowing hard and as He stepped down into the dust He remembered He’d forgotten to put His yellow rubber boots on.

Thank you, Mr. Young, said the prosecutor. He was smiling and Cunningham grew wary. He couldn’t see where the questions were leading and his pen still hovered over the blank page. The boy was sitting up straighter now and watching the prosecutor carefully. Somebody in the crowd sneezed. The prosecutor peered down at his notes again before continuing.

Now, if we can return to your journey to the residence of Barbara Goodyear. According to the statement you submitted to police, you didn’t encounter anybody between the time you left your residence and the incidents of later that afternoon. If you could, I’d like to ask you to think back and try to recall if you saw anybody at all during this time who might be able to verify your whereabouts.

The prosecutor paused and gave him a reassuring smile.

I’m only asking because this might help to clear up the remaining discrepancies about the time.

—He stopped a little way from it and waited but it didn’t move and then He saw a dark brown patch on the side of its head where the fur was all stuck together. He edged around to the other side to get a better look and He saw its eyes were open but not moving and He leaned in closer and He could smell something awful sweet. He sat looking at the dog for a long time and He thought about the time when He was little and Jo-Jo had a pet bird called Jessie and one day she was lying in the bottom of her cage and not moving and so Mama put her in a shoebox and tied it up with a red ribbon and they buried it in the backyard and while they were filling up the hole He asked Mama if birds went up to live on the moon as well and she told Him not to be silly. He reached out a hand towards the dog and a shadow moved over Him and He looked up into the sun and there were two shapes standing over Him. I think that one’s a gonner friend said one of the shapes and He stood up and the shapes turned into two men with clean white shirts and shiny black shoes. They both had short hair and no beard and the one on the left was a little bit shorter and fatter and he held out his hand. My name’s Bill and this is George he said. He shook’s Bill’s hand and it was warm and damp. I’m Will He said and the men smiled. He looked down at the dog and watched the way the fur stood up in the wind while the body didn’t move. It smells sorta funny He said. George looked at Him for a moment then turned around at looked at the sun. Say that’s rude of us he said. We got you staring into the sun. The three of them did a little dance until He had the sun at His back and the two men were squinting at Him. Bill pointed over to Barbie’s trailer. You wouldn’t happen to know the young woman that lives over there would you? he asked. He followed his finger and nodded. Yeah that’s Barbie’s place He said. Bill smiled and his teeth were straight and white. Wonderful he said. We’ve just been sharing the Good Word with her. She’s a mighty fine young woman. I can definitely see her going places in the Church. Do you know if she’s home? He shrugged. Maybe. Her curtains are all closed up. Bill frowned and nodded slowly then looked at Him for a moment. Tell me have you heard the Good Word? I heard lots of words He said. Which word’s the Good Word? Bill’s eyebrows went up so fast they looked like they were about to fly off his face and he stepped a little closer and patted a little black book that was sitting in his shirt pocket. There’s only one Good Word he said. The Word of Jesus Christ our saviour. Have you ever read the Bible Will? Mama read it to me sometimes He said. I liked the bit about the man in the whale. It was scary when the whale ate him but mama kept reading and then the whale spit him out again. Bill nodded. The story of Jonah. That’s a great part of the Bible but to really understand the message of Jesus Christ our saviour you need to Ahoy mah boy! said a voice and Bill stopped talking and his face looked sorta sad. Mr. Calahand was coming down the street with a bouncy walk and his belly poking out beneath his blue singlet shirt every time he took a step. Hiya Mr. Calahand He said and Bill and George took a step back and looked up the street and the figure coming toward them. Mr. Calahand was puffing on a crooked little cigarette and the fat cat Ronald was trotting along just behind his bare feet and the sun was shining off his bald head. I see you’ve made yourself a couple of new friends here he said and squinted at the two men in clean white shirts and shiny black shoes. He nodded. This is Bill and George He said. Bill took a deep breath and held out his hand to Mr. Calahand. Hi there he said. I’m Bill. We were just talking to young Will here about the Good Word. Mr. Calahand tilted his head and studied Bill’s hand for a moment with his good eye and then a big grin spread across his face and he looked up. Were you just he said and took the crooked little cigarette out of his mouth long enough to spit into the dust. The fat cat Ronald sat in the dust licking himself. Bill let his hand fall and smiled at Mr. Calahand. Yes sir he said. If you ever want to hear the Good Word yourself just give us a holla. George turned to Him and shook His hand. Nice to meet you Will he said. We’ll be around for a few days yet but if you see your friend Barbie around let her know we’re leaving on Saturday so she’ll have to make her mind up soon. Walk with Christ. Bill and George went off down the street and He stood there next to Mr. Calahand and watched them go. Bible bashing freaks muttered Mr. Calahand and he threw his crooked little cigarette away. They stood there for a little while and the wind was blowing the dust across the street so it looked like all the ground was moving and then Mr Calahand coughed and spat into the dust again. Listen he said. I hope me and your brother didn’t scare you before. I just like to stir him up a bit and sometimes my old mouth gets the best of me you know. They were quiet again and then Mr. Calahand gave Him a slap on the shoulder. C’mon he said. Give me a walk home. It ain’t safe for an old man to be walking the streets alone. He gave Him a wink with his good eye and then they walked back up the street towards Mr. Calahand’s trailer with the fat cat Ronald slinking along behind them. The sky was blue and empty but the wind was blowing hard and His green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt was sticking to Him on the front—

I see, said the prosecutor and nodded then glanced down at his notes again.

Cunningham chewed his pen absently. He wondered whether the boy had been trying to hide these events or if they’d just been forgotten and only resurfaced thanks to the prosecutor’s probing. He decided the boy wasn’t built for that sort of deception and that worried him even more. He’d tried to be as thorough as he could in the preparation, questioning the boy for hours, but he started to wonder if he’d dug as hard as he should have. The boy was looking up at the ceiling now and humming softly to himself. The prosecutor looked up from his notes and strolled around to the front of his table. He gave the jury a winning smile and his teeth flashed for a moment.

Mr. Young, he said. A couple more minor points I would like to clarify with you if I may. When you were giving your account of the night of August 23rd you mentioned that somebody returned to your residence at some stage during the night, presumably Orson Young since the individual proceeded to sleep in his bed. Do you have any recollection of Joseph Young returning at any point?

—His eyes banged open. It was still dark. There were heavy steps in the trailer and loud breathing and He could hear someone’s voice in the kitchen talking softly. The bedroom door opened and a big shape stood in the doorway. The light was on in the big room and the shape was big and black and it moved towards Him—

So if there was somebody speaking in the trailer, presumably there was more than one person present.

The prosecutor stood watching the boy with his eyebrows raised. He didn’t wait for a reply before continuing.

If you please, Mr. Young, can you recall at all what might have been said or who might have been doing the speaking?

—were heavy steps in the trailer and loud breathing and He could hear Barbie’s voice in the kitchen talking softly. The bedroom door opened and a big shape stood in the doorway. The light was on in the big room and the shape was big and black and it moved towards Him and then the shape came apart and it was two shapes and there were voices in the room with Him—

Again, Mr. Young, I must ask, the prosecutor persisted and a small smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. Do you have any recollection of Joseph Young returning at any point?

—the shape came apart and it was two shapes and there were voices in the room with Him and then the light went out and somebody was bumping about and swearing and then there was a sound like a squeaky toy like the pink elephant He had one time that had lost an eye but squeaked when you pushed its belly. There was a little bit of light coming in the window and He could see the shapes on Awesome’s bed and He could hear someone saying something and He could hear Barbie arguing with him softly and then there was heavy breathing and the sounds of shoes hitting the floor and He closed His eyes and He could hear the squeaking noise and the heavy breathing and it went for a long time—

The court was distracted for a moment by a ruckus in the crowd. Cunningham turned to see Orson Young storming down the aisle towards the doors at the back of the room. Barbara was chewing her bottom lip and glancing between the boy and the retreating back of Orson and after a few moments of indecision she stood up and hurried down the aisle behind him, leaving one side of the courtroom empty but for the lone figure of Joseph Young sitting with his shoulders hunched and eyes downcast. There was a sound like a small dog yelping after being trodden on and Cunningham turned to see the boy standing up behind the witness dock and bouncing up and down on his toes. He stayed that way while the large wooden doors thudded closed and then had to be coaxed back into his seat by the bailiff, still clearly agitated. The prosecutor watched the going on with a bland expression and as soon as the boy was seated he launched back into his questions.

Mr. Young” he said, and his voice was loud and sharp. After the shooting, what were—

He opened the driver’s door and the keys were in the keyhole. The street was still empty and the echoes had gone and He climbed in behind the wheel and tried to turn the key but His hands were slippery and wouldn’t do what He wanted them to do and so He wiped them on his green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt and tried again and this time the key turned and the engine started and He roared over the fence and out of the front yard. He had to turn hard to stop from running into Barbie’s trailer and He looked out the window and the door had opened and Awesome was standing there with no shirt on and staring at the car as it went past up the—

—Young, are you sure that you had no assistance in—

—couldn’t find how to turn the lights on and a hand kept falling on the handbrake and He tried to move it back behind His seat but it kept dropping right back like it was trying to stop the car and get out and it was all red and slippery and He didn’t want to touch it anymore and so He kept His hands on the steering wheel. He drove out of the park and onto the big road and there were cars coming both ways and some of them had their lights on and He pressed the pedal hard and the car squealed and then it was out on the big road and heading towards—

—we could go back for a moment, can you remember if there was anybody else present at the moment—

—was sore all the way from His hand up to His shoulder and there was a funny smell in the air. He blinked and there was a noise like tiny bells in His ears and the street was empty except for the two people lying on the ground with clean white shirt and shiny black shoes except the clean white shirts weren’t—

—difficult to believe, Mr. Young, that in a close-knit residential area, nobody appeared after hearing gun shots.

The prosecutor was standing with his hands clasped behind his back and was leaning towards the boy intently. Cunningham shifted uncomfortably in his seat. There were too many things surfacing that he hadn’t known and he couldn’t quite work out what they might all mean. The boy was bouncing up and down in his seat and his eyes, set too far apart in his head, were wide and wild and frightened and Cunningham felt the patient eyes of the crowd behind him pressing down on him. The prosecutor kept peppering the boy with questions as he became more and more agitated.

Where did you take the car once—

—the road for a while and then He saw the salt flats stretching off to the right and He turned off the road and went gliding along the smooth white ground. He pressed the pedal as hard as He could and soon the car was flying over the flat and the sun was going down behind Him and up ahead He could see blue and white and orange and pink and purple and black in layers like a cake in the sky. He kept the car going straight and He didn’t know exactly where He was going but He knew it was over this way somewhere and if He kept going with the sun behind Him He’d get there and then He wouldn’t have them bumping around in the back seat anymore and His hands wouldn’t be all red and slippery and He could take Awesome’s car back and maybe he wouldn’t be mad—

The courtroom doors creaked open and a lone figure slipped in quietly. He didn’t come down the aisle but remained standing at the back of the room. A few of the crowd who were closest to him turned their heads and gave him a disapproving look but none of them said anything and they soon turned their attention back to the court proceedings. Cunningham studied the old man’s strangely lopsided face and his tattered jacket, which was obviously borrowed since it failed miserably to cover his heavy gut, and thought he looked somehow familiar. The old man didn’t seem to have noticed that he had wandered into a courtroom but just stood gazing up at the ceiling. The prosecutor was still persisting with his questions and Cunningham turned his attention back to the boy, who had stopped bouncing up and down and was staring straight ahead.

Mr. Young—

—door opened at the end of the street and Mr. Calahand came out of his trailer. He stopped at his front fence and looked down the street at Him and He looked back at Mr. Calahand and neither of them moved and for a while everything was still and the wind kept on blowing. Then Mr. Calahand started running towards Him down the street and it looked like he was shouting something but the wind took the words away and He couldn’t see the old man’s face very well because it was a long way off but as he got closer it made Him scared and not like the scared He got when He walked under a tree with birds in it but more like the scared He got when Mama wouldn’t wake up and so He grabbed hold of a clean white shirt that wasn’t clean anymore and pulled as hard as He could—

—where exactly did you—

—found the little knob for the lights and turned them on and He could see the salt in front of the car and even though He could feel the car shaking and bumping and He could hear the wind rumbling through the open window the patch of salt in the headlights didn’t change for a long time. Up in the sky He could see a few stars starting to come out but there were grey and sick looking clouds up there as well and they covered up some of the stars and He thought the sky looked like it was getting awful crowded. Soon He could see a road up ahead and He joined it and the car squealed as it came off the salt and the steering wheel jumped in His hands. He followed the road and it went up and down for a while and then it came down one last time and up ahead there was a wide blackness covering the ground and up in the sky the moon was full and it leaked all over the clouds and He could see the clouds and the moon reflected in the lake. He stopped the car near the water and it made a crunching sound and He turned off the lights and lots of new stars appeared in the sky. Mama always said you could make a wish on the first star every night and He looked up but there were lots there now and He couldn’t tell which one had been the first one and so He got out of the car and His yellow rubber boots made footprints in the white ground and each had a little smiley face in the middle. The ones on the left looked sort of mean though because half the smile and one of the eyes had been worn off. He opened the back door and grabbed hold of a clean white shirt and pulled as hard as He could and it landed with a thump on the ground—

—you were found—

—hold of both and pulled as hard as He could towards the water. He stood out on a rock and pushed and there was a big splash and then another one and the clouds and the moon in the black water went all quivery like the sky was being shook and He watched the shapes on the water and he waited for them to go down underneath but they didn’t and then He heard a sound behind Him and He turned around and there were footsteps and a light was coming towards Him and so He jumped into the water and it was cold and His arms and legs were aching and He got some of the water in His mouth and it tasted funny and made His nose sting and His eyes water and He swam until His arm bumped against something floating there and He grabbed hold of the clean white shirt and climbed on top of it to try to make it go under but it wouldn’t and His hands were getting numb but He could feel arms and a chest under the clean white shirt and they felt like cold uncooked cookie dough and they kept bobbing up from the water like His red and blue tugboat with real rubber bumpers did. The grey clouds were sliding over the moon and He could hear the footsteps over His splashing now and then the light appeared on the rock where He had been standing before and the water all around Him lit up and there was a voice shouting and He stopped splashing about and squinted up at the light.