KATRINA’S MONSTER

By

Adora Mitchell Bayles

A Halloween Story

“And the blood was dripping from his knife,” Vera Campbell said into the telephone in a trembling voice. “Link, I don’t know what to do with him! He’s standing out there in a trance and I can’t get him to budge! I had a horrible time getting the knife out of his hand. He had a death grip on it!”

“What kind of knife was it?” Link said, turning away from the background noise of New Orleans’ reconstruction.

“I don’t know, honey.” She walked quickly to the kitchen and stood at a fearful distance from the blood-encrusted knife, which she had dropped on the counter in a frenzy.

“Look at the knife, Vera! Look at it.”

“Ewww!”

“Now, don’t get creepy on me woman! Dammit, you bleed every month so stop your squeamish noises and observe the knife. What kind of knife is it? What does it look like?”

With a shuddering sigh, she began, “It has a rough handle, like tree bark…”

“What else?  Is it a pocket knife, you know, the kind you fold?”

“I, I think so. It has a funny button on it…”

“Ah, shit. Vera, the kid has been into my tool box! That is an illegal switch blade he was playing with! And you say it’s bloody? Is Larry hurt? Is he bleeding?”

“No,” she whimpered. “Link, would you please come home? I’m really scared! Please!”

“Vera, do you have any idea what my responsibilities are on this job? I can’t come home right now. I’m sitting on a backhoe with a jawfull of bricks.”

“Honey, please. Just tell them it’s a family emergency. The kid is like a zombie!”

There was a moment of silence. Then, Vera spoke again, “He nearly burned the kitchen up when he heated the skillet with butter in it. There was so much smoke in here I was choking.”

“When was that?”

“Right after you went to work at five this morning. Honey?”

“I’ll be home in a few minutes.”