Read Dry Spell: A Mercy Watts Short for Free Online

of questioning was going to drive me up a wall. Time to move on.
    “Can you tell me anything else about where she is?” As I spoke, I saw a shadow, too big to be Ellen, fall across the hall wall opposite Janine’s door. I was glad I left the door open. Maybe it would make Jeremy feel better to hear what his little girl had to say.
    “There’s lots of people and music,” said Janine.
    “Like a party?”
    “A big party.”
    “Is there a party all the time?”
    “It goes away.” Janine scratched her nose and gestured to my paper. I was falling down on the job.
    “Do you know where the water is?”
    She shook her head and drew an extra horn on her new unicorn. I gave her a big hug and a kiss.  
    “Are you happy?” she asked.
    “Yes, I’m very happy and you’re my special sweetheart.”
    We talked about her preschool, who was nice and who was not. She colored in my bugs and we sang some Faith Hill songs. Finally, she rubbed her eyes and I went to get Ellen. The moment I entered the hall, I felt lightheaded. The air was thick and oppressive like I was outside. My heart began to beat faster and faster. I bumped into the wall and out of the corner of my eye I saw something move and something brushed my cheek like a fingertip. I felt my way along the hall, every detail in the texture came out at me and I couldn’t stop staring at it. My nose was touching the wall and the air became an unbearable pressure. I felt myself sliding down the wall like I wasn’t in control of my own movements. Then I was sitting on the floor, my cheek now raw from the sliding. The pressure disappeared and in its place was a faint sound that grew steadily louder. I closed my eyes and willed the bile coming up my throat to go back down. I swallowed spastically as the sound became clear. It was music, several kinds mixing and weaving together. A country twangy song was the loudest, under it was a faster beat with a dance groove, and the distinctive melody of an oompah band, beneath them all the unchanging sound of a carnival. Rides with singsong music and a constant ringing of bells. I closed my eyes tighter and I could almost see the lights. As suddenly as it started; it stopped. The pressure and music and the carnival were all gone. I sat on the floor with my face and body damp. A bead of sweat rolled down from my armpit into my bra. I swallowed again, my eyes focused.  
    I walked into the living room with my hand bracing me on the wall. Ellen and Jeremy sat on the sofa watching Downton Abbey . They looked up and my knees buckled. Jeremy was off the sofa and at my side before I hit the floor. “What happened? Where’s Janine?”
    “In her room,” I said, walking with Jeremy to the sofa.  
    Ellen ran past us and yelled back, “She’s fine!”
    “You look like you’re going to throw up. Do you want a pail? What happened to your cheek?” Jeremy asked.
    “Nothing. Jilly loves her loofah. I need to go. I think I’m coming down with something. I just want to go to bed.”
    Jeremy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You scared me. Are you sure?”
    “Sure. Tell Ellen I’ll call her later.”
    I got out to my truck before Ellen came out. She knew me too well to buy that loofah story. I don’t know how I drove home. I threw up on the way. Luckily, I keep a lot of old fast food bags handy. Mom always says that’s gross, it’s a lot less gross than barfing on one’s self.  
    I went straight to the sofa looking for Pete. Naturally I found it empty, unless you count Skanky. He was elegant as usual, laying on his back in a C with four paws in the air.  
    I plopped down next to him and scratched his fluffy belly. “I think I just had a supernatural experience.”  
    Skanky opened a disinterested eye, then rolled off the sofa, and sauntered toward the bedroom.  
    “A dog would listen to me,” I called after my worthless feline.  
    He twitched his tail and disappeared around the corner. Cats. Sometimes I appreciated the