Hush Puppy

Little Billy always had it rough. Ever since his parents died he almost never knew what it was like to relax. When he was seven his parents had gone out to a Christmas party that they were invited to from friends and they knew at work and even their bosses as well. Arrangements were made to where both companies would have the party up at a huge cabin someone had rented out just for the occasion. They left Billy alone with the babysitter and were very self-conscious about it at first but learned that if anything went wrong the sitter was sure to call as soon as possible.

It took them a while to get ready but when they began to head out they stopped to review the whole emergency proceedure once more so that they were completely satistfied. They got into the car as fast as possible since it was below ten degrees out and to top it off snowing harder than ever. Billy's mother turned on the heater only to squeal and shut it off just as quickly from the sharp cold that jetted out from the vents. "Hon, the car isn't even warmed up yet! You need to wait a little bit!" Billy's father stated a little too late. She was shaking and hated the cold but not near as much as she hated leaving Billy alone with some stranger for over four hours. With the car started and the chains already on the wheels, they headed out into the cold, dark night not knowing the horrible fate that awaited them.

The car was almost half-way to the cabin, which was positioned in a nearby mountain along with its own private road for the way, when the car swerved slightly on an icey patch that had gone unnoticed by the father. At first it didn't seem all too serious since he quickly gained control of the vehicle before it went all over the road. He was too busy setting the car back in place to notice the bigger puddle up ahead. As soon the car hit it the chains slapped the ice with enough force to take pieces out of the flat puddle and send them up against the car itself. It only lasted a second before the chains took enough punishment, along with the ice, and snapped off the front left wheel. Due to deterioration over time, the frozen temperature, and the force from each rotation of the tire, the metal bond broke and sent itself in various pieces against the car with the largest chunk wrapping around the axle in an awkward position. The steering wheel was useless by now since the car was twisting itself to the left until it hit a large rock place at the edge of a curve in the road to keep people from running off of it. The rock slowed the vehicle but didn't stop it. The car made a horible shrieking sound as the metal frame grinded into the jagged piece of stone pushing it over the edge and then following after it. Billy's mother was too busy screaming and gripping the door handle to feel the frame of the car cut into her leg from the rock. Panic took her over and she was left completely oblivious to the warm blood soaking through her dress and coating her leg along with the cold outside the was being let in from the hit of the rock. The father tried his hardest to turn the car another way until it hit the stone which took him by complete surprise and shattered his wrist against the steering wheel.

The fall down the cliff was unusually quiet with the only sound of the air whipping past them as thier car twisted and plumeted through the cold. The screams stopped and the pain began to set in for the both of them but came a moment too early as the rock hit the ground below sending up some of the white powder as it hit along with a dull thud then quickly followed by the car itself. The metal prison was upside down as the roof of it slammed directly into the same rock it hit just a moment ago. Billy's mother died instantly by being crushed directly between both objects while his father had the steering wheel crammed against his throat. Glass shattered, metal contorted, and the car rested itself atop the four foot rock. Billy's father squinted through the tremendous pain he was in as he tried moving himself from his position. Nothing seemed to work for him as his breath was slowly being stopped and the cold hand of death took him as well in the end.

The babysitter didn't leave Billy alone since she remembered she was strictly told that until they called or came home, she wasn't suppose to leave. Billy was in his room sleeping which was fine by her since it meant she had less she had to do while she was here. It was around twelve o'clock when the phone rang and the babysitter got up from the couch, stretching and casually taking her time. She picked the phone up off the reciever and cleared her voice, "Hello?" "Hello," an unfamiliar voice said in response, "We have some grave news about Billy's parents." The babysitter listened the man on the other end of the line explain what happened and her stomach turned at the thought of it all playing through her mind. She didn't know how to tell Billy what had happened and also didn't know exactly what to do. The man on the other end explained that they had just phoned Billy's grandparents and that they were on their way to pick him up. Apparently he was a police officer who had heard the news broadcasted over a CB radio and quickly searched up the home phone number, knowing they had a kid. Billy's babysitter confirmed a few things then set the phone back into its resting place and dropped back down onto the couch. She was pale and cold even though it was around eighty degrees in the house. All she could do was wait for the grandparents to pick up Billy and then leave. All that happened a little over three years ago.

Billy settled in quickly with his grandparents, Nana and Papi as he called them. They had told him that his parents had gone away for a long time and might come back if he was a good boy. Hearing that made Billy anxious to go back home so he did everything he was asked to do no matter what it was. All he wanted was to see his mom and dad again. He cleaned the house, did the dishes, chopped a little wood, cleaned the shed, and got rest in turn. His grandparents knew he wasn't going to believe the story forever and it occured to them that he might stop working all together if he doesn't get some kind of reward for being such a good boy.

One day, Billy was out in the wooden shed which was only ten feet from the side of the house but very small and compact, when Nana called him in for lunch. Billy dropped the tools he was organizing and ran happily to the front door to greet Nana personally. "I've been doing good, huh, Nana?!" Billy asked, panting a little from the short run since he was only ten. She looked down at him and smiled her wrinkled face at him and then replied, "Yes, you have, Billy." It almost hurt her to say it but he had been good and only because he thought he was going to see his parents sometime in this life. Billy ran inside and washed his hands as best as he could then pulled out a chair and sat down at the table while Nana handed him a plate consisting of a ham sandwhich, some potatoe chips, and a small cup positioned in the middle filled with chocolate milk. Billy ate and drank his meal as fast as possible and thanked his grandmother for it as he ran back outside and into the shed to finish organizing the tools he had previously started on.

His grandfather came in through the back door carrying his shovel and a glass bottle, which was now empty but contained Jack Daniels. He knew he had a drinking problem but it never got out of hand so nobody really complained since he never lashed out against anyone, mainly because he was too old for it. He had just got done digging several holes for some plants that Billy's grandmother had purchased recently. Now she had something else to do besides making meals and taking naps during the days. Papi sat down at the table and let shovel bang against the hard-wood floor loudly causing Nana to jump slightly. "Billy asked me what a pick ax was today while I was trying to dig your holes," Papi said as Nana sat down across the table from him. "You know he won't believe that good boy routine for the rest of his life so why don't we just tell him the truth?" she asked. Her question was met with only a cold stare and then, "If we tell him that then he'll never do anything for us! We need him. We're too old for some of the things we're making him do." "Then you know that he's too young for them! He should be in school!" she cried out. Papi shook his head and sighed deeply as if he was more annoyed by her refusal to accept this instead of him being tired. He considered an alternate path that they could both agree on and explained it, "We could reward him next week with something that he asks for besides seeing his parents to make him think he's getting closer to that prize." Nana now seemed interested and asked, "Like what? He hasn't asked for anything but his parents since he got here and you know that." He thought for a moment and suggested, "Ask him what else he'd want besides seeing his parents. Who knows, maybe he'll want a dog."

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A few weeks later, Nana had pried an answer out of Billy from asking him every time he came in for lunch or dinner since breakfast was always spent in silence. Billy did want a dog and it was more than likely for some form of companionship since he had basically nobody. He nad no friends since he never went to school, practically no family for obvious reasons, and nobody to sit and listen to him or talk to him for any reason. The dog would seem to be a perfect gift but Nana and Papi had to choose the right time to give it to him. He wasn't about to be rewarded for nothing, Papi had thought.

A couple more days passed and Papi led the dog from the truck into the house and held onto the leash tightly. It was a gorgeous dog and sat up at about three feet which was almost as tall as Billy. Nana called Billy in for his usual routine stop at lunch when Papi came into the kitchen and pulled the dog along the way. "Billy, we've decided to give you a nice reward for being so good for the past few days!" Nana said as Billy turned around to see the dog. His eyes lit up and both arms went around the furred neck of the creature giving it a tight hug. Papi leaned down and handed the leash to Billy then told him not to let go of it unless he was sure it tied tight onto a pole or tree. Billy nodded, understanding, and snatched the leash from the elder's hand and ran out the door with the dog following and barking loudly yet playfully.

Papi sat at the table and sighed deeply knowing that he'd probably have to tell Billy to watch the dog carefully. It was about that moment when he looked on the table and noticed Billy was so caught up in having his reward he forgot to have lunch. "Billy! Get in here right now and eat your lunch!" Papi shouted, already aggrivated. Billy called back in a happy and cheerful voice, "I'm not hungry!" Through all the yelling, Papi could hear the dog growling and the rough housing he was putting Billy through. From all the laughs, Billy seemed to be enjoying his new dog and being able to actually play with someone instead of nobody. Papi could tell he had made a mistake by buying him that dog but he just needed the right moment to show before anything could be done about it. That moment came only two days later.

Billy came to the table for lunch with the leash to the dog in hand as he sat down and tied the leather strip to one of the table legs. Not much later he began feeding the dog his own food and eventually ignored his plate completely. The dog was wanting to play which Billy obliged to, happily, and began wrestling the dog to the floor as it growled playfully and layed on its back. Papi slapped down the newspaper he was reading and grabbed the dog's leash from the table leg, untying it, and forcefully dragged the dog outside. Billy sat on the floor wondering what just happened until he heard his dog yelp loudly in the only form of pain he could tell of. Silence ensued for a few minutes after leaving Billy to wonder what happened just then. He was too afraid of going out to check because Papi could be extremely mean when Billy wasn't wanted around him. Long minutes stretched themselves out farther apart and finally Papi stepped back inside the house with only a brown wash rag in his hands.

"What happened to-" Billy got cut off before he could ask his question in full to Papi and was greeted with, "Don't you EVER ask about that damned dog again!" Papi pointed an accusing finger at the boy and stomped his way to the kitchen sink washing his hands thoroughly as streams of faint crimson ran from them and down the drain. Before exiting the kitchen, Papi looked back at Billy gave him a stern look then answered with, "Go pick up my tools in the yard then go straight to bed." Billy nodded in response not sure whether he should cry or be frightened at the moment.

The rest of the day was spent just as Papi had instructed him to, picking up tools. Billy wasn't tired since it was only two in the afternoon and he was already close to finishing his chore when he realized the door to the shed was ajar slightly. Everybody was told to shut it completely but apparently Papi must've been so angry he forgot. Billy was close enough to the shed he could see inside of it slightly though it was still rather dark since no lights were in it. What he saw instead of the normal dirt floor was a mound that wasn't there before and it was covered in something like fur. The reality of the situation hit Billy so hard he found himself struggling to keep breathing. The dog was lifeless which made Billy shudder and almost cry. Next to it was what Papi had described to him as the pick ax one day which was used to loosen tough dirt and rock for easier digging. The pointed end of the tool looked as though it was dipped in some red paint then set on the floor judging from the pool of red beneath it.

As Billy moved closer he could smell the horrible stench that drifted from the dead carcas. It must've smelled so bad from being in the hot weather for the few hours Papi had left it in. The front door of the house moved out of the corner of Billy's eye and he quickly ran towards the shed, slamming his shoulder into the door to shut it and then reached up and locked it closed then ran back towards the nearest tool and reached down just as Papi poked his head out from the front door. Billy acted as if he hadn't seen anything and kept his eyes to the ground as if searching for more tools. Papi stepped out onto the small porch and watched him with a close eye before finally giving him permission to go and take a bath then get into bed. The rest of the day for Billy was spent lying in bed and wondering what to do now that he had no companion and even Nana hadn't tried to stop Papi from taking his beloved dog. Anger swealtered and most emotions began moving aside as Billy tried thinking of a fair way to express his building aggression. The thought came to him not too long after and then he waited and stared at the clock until he knew Nana and Papi had gone to bed. He wasn't going to sleep for a while unless he evened out this little battle.

At precisely ten at night, Billy sat up and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. Monsters under the bed no longer troubled him for he had bigger things to think of at the moment. He quitely made his way down the hall and when he got to the front door, he eased it open and ran to the shed. The dirt hurt his feet but he urged himself on and unlocked the door to the shed. To his suprise, the dog was gone and in it's place was a slight dirt mound. Billy wasn't sure what had happened but he found what he wanted and picked up the pick ax where it had been laying since earlier. It was a lot heavier than he thought but he heaved it onto his shoulder and made his way back to the house.

On his trip back through the house he had to stop several times and put the tool down to rub his shoulder. After all, he was still a child. The weight of the tool was already taking its toll on him and he had to resort to dragging it through the carpeted areas. When he reached his destination he nudged the door open with his shoulder while dragging the pick ax through the doorway with him. He took a moment for himself to discover which side of the bed he needed to be on then finally brought himself up to the right side. Listening closely, he made sure he chose the right side instead of the wrong one then hoisted the pick ax over his head and took another moment for himself to aim. This was the only fair way, since Papi took his dog's life. The only possible solution would be taking his now. After a minute of thinking it through more than once, he lowered the ax to make sure the pointed end was facing ahead then raised it once more, feeling his arms getting sore fast. Then, with one quickly motion, he threw it down making sure he hit his target. Not a second later, the lamp on the left side of the bed came on and a shrill scream echoed out through the house and, for one moment, Billy actually thought this deed would let him see his parents again.