Outtakes

Xavier

  by Tessa Blue Jones

  The wind howls through chinks between the heavy timbers of the tiny log cabin. Xavier presses a face up close, ignoring the freezing needles of cold against his right cheek. Peering through the crack, he watches as red and yellow leaves, tiny whirling dervishes, skitter through dying stalks of corn.

  "Xavier - sweetie? Come see what I'm making!" says the voice from across the room.

  Mommy.

  He doesn't really need to see what she's making. He can smell it as it cooks, filling the room with a slightly scorched, syrupy sweetness: butter, milk, sugar. His tummy growls and he turns from the crack in the logs and goes to watch as mommy pours the thick golden liquid into a pale yellow bowl. Apples line up along the length of the table like fat red soldiers ready to march.

  "I'll do this part. It's still hot. You can decorate, okay, my little man?" Mommy spears one of the waiting apples with a popsicle stick and swipes it inside the bowl. Gold covers red as she gives the stick an expert twirl. She puts the apple on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. She picks up another apple and repeats the process, spear, swipe, twirl… spear, swipe, twirl. Soon all the red soldiers are now gold, glistening in long lines, ready for new orders.

  Xavier wanders back to the rear of the cabin and peers once again through the crack in the wall. The day begins to fade, the sun an orange ball slipping behind the cornfield, turning dead stalks into spears of crimson. He watches between those spears, waiting. Where are they?

  A startled squeak escapes as mommy picks him up and carts him back to the table, plunking him atop a booster chair. Candies crouch in little bowls on the table in front of him, nonpareils, candy corn, Runts, Skittles, chocolate chips. Mommy hands him one of the caramel apples.

  "Time to make monster faces, Xavier. The caramel is still soft; just push in the candy." She shows him how on one of the apples, yellow banana Runt for a mouth, nonpareils for eyes, candy corn ears. "See? You try it."

  Xavier accepts a gooey apple and holds it gingerly by the stick. Obligingly, he presses bits of candy into the caramel. His monster face is unrecognizable, mouths where ears should be, eyes on chins. He smiles and puts it on the wax paper, picks up another blank canvas, awaiting its turn for a face.

  "Now what kind of a monster is that?" Mommy asks later as he works on his third apple. "Here, let me help you."

  Xavier yanks his apple back as Mommy begins to rearrange the face.

  "Okay, okay, have it your way, but that is one ugly critter, young man. Remember who these are for! Oh, no matter, we have plenty," Mommy mutters as she picks up an apple and begins to design a classic monster face, leaving Xavier to restore nonpareil eyes on the chin.

  "All done! Now don't these look pretty," Mommy says later. "We'll be sure to have lots of little friends come by for these. I did promise, right? They won't be able to resist monsters like these. And then… and then when the perfect child comes along… oh, Xavier, you'll have a brother or sister! Won't that be exciting?" She laughs and touches Xavier's nose with one long finger, gives it a little wiggle before lifting him out of the booster chair. She gives him a big hug and puts him down.

  Immediately Xavier goes to the chink in the cabin wall and resumes his watch. The remaining sun slides away and night overtakes the corn. Shadows weave within shadows as he waits, and watches.

  There. Two points of light coming from the field. Xavier shifts his eyes, looks to the right as two more wink on. Minutes later, the dead corn is alive with lights in sets of two, all lined up between the rows of neatly planted stalks, looking like tiny headlights of miniature cars caught up in a traffic jam.

  Xavier smiles and nods his head.

  A sudden scrabble, a knock at the door. Mommy squeals, and says as she rushes to open the door, "I hope you're ready, Xavier, the children are here!"

  Xavier is almost ready. He grips the log wall and grunts as a sudden, ripping sound signals the change. He turns toward her as she flings open the door.

  She gasps and her eyes go wide as dinner plates as her guests rush in through the door and crowd around her, their monster faces unrecognizable, mouths where ears should be, eyes on chins. They stare at her, unblinking.

  "Xavier! Run! You must get…" Mommy trails off as she whirls around to face him.

  He feels the teeth from his dual mouths elongate, razor sharp and ready. His tummy growls.

  Mommy.