Casey said something to him and snatched the brush away. The little boy got up and went back to the flower bed. He squatted down, peering under the plants, maybe looking for more dead birds to show her. Fanning her pink skirt around her legs, Casey began to talk to the doll as she brushed its hair.
My heart was pounding. Seeing the dead chick and knowing all the diseases it must have crawling over it had made me feel worse. Even though I was watching from next door, the majority of my brain was overloaded with worry that germs were spreading around my room and sneaking into all the little gaps here and there. One speck of dirt can quickly escalate to a whole infection, nobody realizes that. These things have a domino effect, and if I’m not careful I could be cleaning all day. I turned away from the window and concentrated on taking each book off the shelf and wiping the cover and spine.
I was on my third book when there was a scream from outside. Teddy was flat on his back and Casey was dragging him off the blanket by his ankle. Once he was on the grass, she dropped his foot with a thump and went back to her doll. Teddy lay there for a moment, staring up at the dazzling blue sky before scrambling to his feet and lunging for the porcelain doll. Grabbing a fistful of its hair, he raced toward the pond, pulling it along the ground. Stunned, Casey sat openmouthed. There was a few seconds’ delay as her brain caught up with what was happening, and then she shouted with all her might: “GIVE HER BACK TO ME, NOW!”
The little boy turned, the doll dangling from his fist with its legs jutting out at awkward angles. No one moved.
“No, Teddy! Mum gave her to me!”
Casey’s voice shook as she pleaded with him.
Maybe Teddy wanted revenge for not being included in her game, or maybe he was just a kid who wanted to see if the doll sank as quickly as the dead chick; either way the temptation was too much. With a large swing of his short, chubby arm the toddler threw the doll into the air, where it hung for a moment before plummeting into the dark, green water.
Splash!
Casey froze as the doll lay on the surface like a doomed heroine. Its cream dress ballooned and for a moment it looked as if it was going to float, but then the fabric deflated and it slowly disappeared beneath the surface.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” I said to the Wallpaper Lion.
Casey’s body went rigid, her hands splayed at her side. If I’d been watching a cartoon, white steam would have erupted from her ears. Teddy was facing the pond, hypnotized by the water, maybe wondering if the doll had landed on top of the dead bird. Stretching her arms out as if she were about to do a conjuring trick, the little girl ran at her brother. Her hands hit him with such force his little head jolted back, and then he toppled forward, straight into the pond.
It didn’t seem real at first. It was as if my window were a TV screen and any minute now the commercials would kick in. Casey stood and watched as her brother splashed desperately in the deep pond.
“Where’s Mr. Charles? Why isn’t he coming?” I said to the Wallpaper Lion. I thumped my gloved hand against the window.
“Help him!”
Casey jumped and her head slowly turned as she tried to work out where the sound was coming from.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
“Get your granddad! Go and get your granddad! Now!”
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
My hand slapped hard on the glass, but Casey just glared up at me, her arms hanging by her sides as her brother’s splashes rained around her. I ran out of my room and nearly tripped over Nigel, who was stretched across the landing in a square of sunlight. Standing at the top of the stairs, I fixed my eyes on the front door. I could just run down, pull on my trainers, sprint over, and pull Teddy out of the pond. But I couldn’t move. The thought of going outside, let alone putting my hands in that dirty pond water, made me feel sick. Instead I ran into the office, the elephant mobile spinning around as I brushed past.
A hose snaked along the pathway of number eleven, but Mr. Charles wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
“Where’s he gone? Where is he?!”
I looked around the close, and then I saw him, chatting with Penny and Gordon at number one. The three of them were laughing about something, and Mr. Charles was red in the face. I banged loudly on the glass.
“Mr. Charles! It’s Teddy! Quick!”
He stopped laughing and looked around at the other houses, trying to work out where the noise was coming from. Then Penny spotted me and pointed.
“MR. CHARLES!! QUICK! HE’S FALLEN IN THE POND!”
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
For a moment Mr. Charles looked dazed, as if he couldn’t make sense of what I was saying, but then he seemed to come to his senses and ran toward his house. His spindly arms and legs looked like they were traveling in slow motion. I ran back to my bedroom window. Teddy was still splashing as Casey watched. The old man appeared and Casey grabbed her brother by the arm, yanking him half out of the pond.
“What’s happening? Teddy!”
“He fell in, Granddad! I couldn’t reach him! I called for you but you didn’t come!”
She began to sob as her brother coughed and spluttered on the grass. Mr. Charles rubbed his back.
Penny appeared with Gordon right behind her.
“Oh my goodness,” Penny said. “What’s happened?”
Mr. Charles jabbed his finger at Casey. “Can’t I leave you for a second? What were you doing playing near the pond? I’ve got fish in there!”
Her crying became louder, but he ignored her and scooped the boy up under his arm.
“Have you got any blankets?” said Penny, waving her arms about. “We’ll need to keep him warm. He’s probably in shock! Gordon, go back home and get some blankets. Grab at least three!”
Gordon sloped off around the corner without a word.
Mr. Charles looked up at me as he walked toward the house. I was expecting a grateful nod, but his face was blank. Teddy stretched his hands in front of him like Superman.
“Bird, Granddad! Dead bird!”
Considering he’d nearly drowned, he didn’t look too bad at all.
After they’d gone inside, Casey instantly stopped crying and grabbed the stick from the garden that Teddy had used to poke the bird. She stuck it into the pond and fished around for a bit until something bobbed to the surface. Kneeling, she pulled the object out and clutched it to her chest. Water poured out of the doll. Its golden hair was now dirty brown and it was missing a shoe. Kissing its face, she tried to smooth its dress and hair and make it look neat again. She took a couple of steps toward the house, then suddenly looked straight up at me. My heart thumped. Not wanting to duck away and make myself look stupid, I held her gaze. Her mouth circled into an O shape and she slowly smacked her lips together three times. Just like a fish. I shivered, then turned away and carried on cleaning.
That night I lay awake in the silence.
Tap, tap, tap.
Somebody was tapping on my bedroom wall from next door.
Tap, tap, tap.
I guessed it was Casey trying to torment me. I didn’t move, listening to the silence.
It started again, harder this time.
Tap, tap, tap!
I rolled over and turned my back to the wall.
Things had certainly changed since they’d arrived, and I wasn’t sure I liked it.
Every day Mum delivered my meals to my room on a tray. Lunchtime’s selection consisted of one prewrapped ham-and-cheese sandwich, one sealed carton of orange juice, one banana, and three unopened bottles of water to drink throughout the day. Very safe. Very sterile.
Food was always accompanied by Mum trying to have a chat from the doorway. I tried not to say much and to avoid her eyes if I could.
“Mr. Charles’s grandchildren look sweet, don’t they? It’ll be nice having some kids next door for the summer, won’t it, Matthew?”
“Yep, I guess so.”
I had decided not to say anything about the pond episode or the tapping on my wall.
“His daughter is in New York for a month. She’s some hotshot banker, apparently. It’s odd. I’ve never known her to visit him, have you?”