 
LADY BUG

By Dante D. Ross

Copyright © 2013 by Dante D. Ross

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Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. - Romans 5:12

"Let me play!" Ronald screamed at his sister Latoya as she and her friends jumped rope in the street. It was a warm Los Angeles day and most of the children in the neighborhood were in the street riding bikes, skipping rope, or playing tag. Only stopping when the occasional car drove through hoping for them to get out of the way.

"I'm gonna tell mama!" Ronald stood with his face inches away from the whooshing ropes. He had no ability to jump rope but when you are a child little things like inability rarely enter your thoughts.

"Go and tell, crybaby!" Latoya shouted back while jumping, her barrettes clicking and hitting her face in time with her steps. "She ain't my mama anyway. She can't do nothing to me." Latoya began jumping as her two friends Tamika and Pearl turned the rope. Though she was good at ignoring her brother, Latoya was having trouble concentrating with him so close to the ropes. His complaining was not helping.

"She both our mama's," Ronald said. "And she gon' beat your butt when I tell her you said she ain't!" he yelled as he ran towards the front yard of the house.

"Wait" Latoya said. "You can jump. Come on" she said while motioning him over. "Go slow for him" she told her friends while winking. They smiled and stopped turning so Latoya could step out. She walked over to Tamika and took the rope. "You ready?" she asked Ronald.

"Yep," he said. It was summer and they had nowhere to go. Their father had left a few weeks ago and had not been heard from since. Latoya did not like her father very much but he was easier to be around than Ronald's mother, Lucia. Lucia would find any reason to hit the kids and if Ronald told her that Latoya would not let him play with her she would hit her later on. She figured that if she was going to get hit that she would give Lucia a reason to.

"Okay, Ronnie. Jump!" she said. As Ronald jumped as high as he could, which wasn't very, Latoya and Pearl swept the rope underneath him mid-leap and tripped him. Ronald crashed to the ground with a loud smack. He started screaming immediately.

"Ow! My arm!" he shouted as he ran to the house.

"Your arm ain't hurt!" Latoya hollered. Ronald got to his knees and turned towards her and held his arm up. It was dangling from the elbow down very unnaturally. "Oh..." she said, images of beatings from the future dancing in her head.

"Ooh, Lucia gon' beat yo ass," Tamika said.

"She ain't touchin' me," Latoya said but not with very much confidence. She had just broken Ronald's arm and knew that not only would she get her ass beat but that she would also get punished by not being allowed back outside for a few days. When you're a child being trapped indoors is the worst thing that could happen next to being hit followed closely by being embarrassed in front of your friends. Being trapped indoors with Lucia was Hell itself.

Down the street about four houses down Miss May was in her garden as always turning dirt. She appeared to be in her mid nineties. Very thin, almost as if she were just dark black skin stretched over a skeleton, her straw gardening hat low over her head. The only thing visible was her mouth. A row of crooked, yellow teeth occupied the bottom half of her mouth. As for the top half there were no teeth to speak of. Her red dress with black polka dots gave the illusion of a very large ladybug. Her gardening claw in one hand and a large pickle jar in the other, she appeared to be some sort of pirate with no sense of purpose.

Miss May slowly rose to her feet. She pulled her hat further down on her face and looked up at the afternoon sky. Smoke slowly escaped her lips as she smiled.

"Almost sundown, Lord" she said as she bent back down and continued digging. Suddenly she stopped. Quickly removing her gloves she stuck her hands deep into the dirt with speed that defied her age. "Gotcha!" she said triumphantly as she held a worm in front of her face. "Just lookit you" she said as she placed it in the jar. Three young boys on bikes stopped in front of her yard grinning in the way young boys do.

"Bug Lady!" one of them shouted as they all rode off. Miss May just smiled and stood. She looked towards the boys and the one that shouted at her suddenly fell off his bike, crashing into a nearby chain-linked fence, slashing his arm. He screamed as his friends peddled away even faster. Miss May smiled and slowly made her way up the front porch. As she neared the front door she heard the sound of feet running away throughout her house.

"I know ya'll ain't..." she said as she threw the door open. She dropped her gardening claw on the floor and seemed to travel through the house almost as if she were floating. "Where you hidin'?!" she screeched. "What I tell you about playing 'round my house?" She walked from door to door in a long, dark hallway turning each doorknob, making sure they were locked.

She stopped in front of a closet and grabbed a shovel. She dragged it across her hardwood floor leaving a thick white scratch. Slowly made her way back around the house pausing in front of every doorway. "I know you hidin'" she spoke into the air. "The longer it takes to find you the later you gon' be outside" she said. She turned the hallway and saw a pair of small feet sticking out of the closet. She began walking towards them and they slid into the darkness in the hopes that they had not been seen.

Miss May walked with the large shovel behind her like a loyal pet. She opened the closet quickly and there was a small whimper. She threw the shovel into the dark of the closet handle first and there was a small cry as hardened wood met a small skull.

"Start diggin'," Miss May said as she walked away humming a song older than America to herself.

Latoya sat at the edge of her bed holding a can of Shasta to her cheek. After Ronald had told on her Lucia, their mother, spent more time slapping Latoya than she did trying to take care of Ronald's arm.

"I'm not done with yo little nappy headed ass, girl!" Lucia had screamed at Latoya. "When I get back it's gon' be time for round two!" She then grabbed Ronald by his broken arm and sped away in her Rabbit, hopefully to a hospital.

"I hope you crash," Latoya said to herself as Lucia drove off. She looked at the posters on her wall and sighed. "Daddy, where you at?" she asked aloud. "You know I don't like that woman." She walked over to her window and looked at her friends playing.

She rolled her eyes, a habit that was yet to be slapped out of her, and went to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and smacked her lips when she saw what was inside. Nothing but beer and old potato salad from last week. Lucia was not the cooking type by any stretch of the imagination.

Latoya was 12 years old. Her brother Ronald was 7 and looked every bit of it. While Latoya would occasionally be mistaken for a high school student on account of her height, Ronald would be confused for a 3 year old that spoke well for his age. She left the kitchen and went out into the backyard. Hearing crying coming from a few backyards down, she walked over to the fence and squinted while looking in the direction of the cry.

Miss May's house.

"Sorry, kid," she said as she quickly went back indoors and bolted the three locks and chain. She knew about Miss May, or Mother May as everyone at church called her, and knew that whatever happened in her house stayed at her house. She had been living with Lucia and Ronald for about two years and every week or so another new story would surface about Miss May. Everything from "I heard she eats kids!" to "She's a witch!" For some reason Latoya believed both stories and everything in between.

As Latoya sat in the living room torturing herself by watching the kids playing outside she heard the sound of a car screeching down the street.

"How is she back already?" Latoya thought to herself as she placed the TV Guide back where it was when Lucia left. She ran into the kitchen and unlocked the dead bolts but left the chain on as it was before. She dove onto her bed and placed the soda back on her cheek.

"I ain't payin' all that goddamned money just cause yo arm sprained!" Lucia screamed from the driveway.

"It ain't sprained! It's broken!" Ronald shouted.

"Boy, what I tell you 'bout talkin' back? Now get in ya damned room and sit down! I'm gon' be back later to fix it. I gotta go get some cigarettes from up the street" Lucia said as she threw Ronald into the living room and locked the door. Latoya entered the room after Lucia drove away.

"You okay, ugly?" she asked Ronald.

"No" he said. "Lookit..." he said while holding his arm up. It was swollen at the elbow and dark at his wrist. "I think its gon' fall off," he said sadly.

"It ain't fallin' off, stupid!" Latoya said. "Let me fix it" she said as she led him to the kitchen and grabbed a plastic bag and some ice. "Sit down. I'm gonna get something to hold your arm still with" she said as she looked under the sink. She found some large garbage bags.

"How old are you, 'Toya?" Ronald asked.

"Why?" she said.

"'Cause the kids say you too big for 12," he replied. "I don't think you are but that's what they be sayin'," he said as he winced while the ice was placed on his arm.

"I was born in 1973, so I am 12. Now shut up and keep still" she said. She hated having to explain that her age was what it was to everyone. The fact that most of the kids in school made fun of her and the teachers laughed behind her back was bad enough. She did not want to deal with it at home. "Guess what I heard?" she asked Ronald to change the topic.

"What?" Ronald replied.

"Somebody cryin' over at Miss May's house," she said while smiling. She knew how terrified Ronald was of Miss May. "You wanna go and see why?"

"Nuh-uh!" he screamed while trying to pull his arm free.

"Stop movin', stupid!" Latoya shouted at Ronald. "I don't wanna take your scared butt over there anyway. You'll end up getting stuck in her yard and then I'll have to save you."

"Would you really save me?" he asked.

"No," Latoya said as she tightened the garbage bag around his arm. It stuck out straight at his side.

"This look stupid," Ronald said.

"So does your face."

"What in the fuck do you have on your arm?" Lucia asked Ronald after returning from the grocery store. "Did that dumb ass girl do this?" Lucia never tried to make an attempt to hide her disdain for Latoya. Her boyfriend, Latoya's father Nathaniel, had vanished a while back and she knew he wasn't returning. "Where is she?" she asked while fingering a Newport 100.

"No, mama! It feel better. Lookit," Ronald said while flapping his arm. "See?" His arm hurt very much and he could barely feel it the wrapping was so tight but he did not want Latoya to get into trouble again. He felt bad when his mother slapped her around earlier.

"Hmm," Lucia said. "At least I ain't gotta waste no money on you now." She left and went into her bedroom and closed the door. Ronald waited a few moments and then ran to Latoya's room.

"Can I come in?" he asked standing in front of her room.

"No" Latoya said. "Go play with your goofy friends or sumthin'," she said.

"I don't got no friends," he said while staring at his arm. He tried to wiggle his fingers but only his small finger moved. Slightly.

"That ain't my problem," she said before turning her stereo on loudly.

Ronald sighed and went into the kitchen to check the refrigerator. He saw the collection of beer and old potato salad and slammed the door shut. He looked at the back door leading to the yard and thought of what Latoya said earlier about the Bug Lady. He had met her in church a few years ago and cried so much his mother spanked him in front of everyone. One time he said he saw her smoking in church but his mother did not believe him. "Ain't nobody smokin' in church!" she had screamed at him. He unchained the door and quietly slipped into the backyard.

Like Latoya had said earlier he did indeed hear someone crying. It sounded like a girl. A little girl. Ronald's need for companionship outweighed his fear and common sense momentarily and he climbed the neighbor's fence, Mrs. Watson, and landed hard in her yard. Thankfully she kept her lawn in better shape than his mother, otherwise he would have done even more damage to his arm. He climbed the next fence and was only two houses away from the Bug Lady's place and possibly his new friend.

He had seen many children come and go from her place. They would be there a few months and then new kids would appear. They never came outside to play or even went to school. At least not to any school he knew about in the area. He scaled another fence and the crying was even louder now. It was a girl for sure. "Maybe she would be my girlfriend!" Ronald thought to himself.

Now he was just at the fence that led to the Bug Lady's house. One of the few old fashioned wooden ones in the neighborhood. Suddenly common sense and fear roared at him like a caged tiger. He tried to run back home but his legs refused to work. "Please try again later" they said to him. He tried to say something but the only sound that came out was so low that even a dog would not have heard it. Suddenly the voice on the other end of the fence gasped. Ronald felt the middle of his jeans get wet.

"Is someone there?" the voice asked. Ronald tried to reply but again he got the same response from his throat that his legs were giving him. "Help us" it whispered before yelping.

"Who you talkin' to, girl?" a raspy voice said. Ronald had never heard the voice of evil. But he guessed that if the Devil had a wife, this is what she would sound like. Like a car on a gravel road driving very slowly. Like glass being crushed under the foot of a giant too large to feel pain. Snot began running out of his nose as his eyes began to well with tears. "Is sum'body over yonder?" Miss May asked. Ronald could hear her shuffling towards the fence. He tried to run but only one leg worked. "Who's there?" Miss May asked. Ronald could swear he heard her sniffing the air.

"I wasn't talking to anyone," the girl said.

"You ain't got to lie, chil'," Miss May said. Suddenly a hand reached through the fence, grabbing Ronald by his broken arm. He held in his scream as he tried to get away. He did not understand how an old lady could stick her arm through two inches of wood. He tore his arm free but not before Miss May yanked a piece of the garbage bag off.

Ronald ran over the fences with a speed that seemed unreal. He barely touched the fences as he scaled them. He crashed into his yard and ran into the house. He burst into the kitchen and tripped on his skates, slamming against the floor. Latoya stood at the refrigerator staring inside as if food would magically appear if she stood there long enough.

"What happened to you?" she asked Ronald.

"The Bug Lady!" he screamed as Latoya slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Be quiet!" she hissed. "I don't want yo mama to hear you yellin' 'bout the Bug Lady!" Suddenly the doorbell rang. They both jumped and looked towards the living room. Ronald looked at Latoya and she shrugged. The doorbell rang again and again they both jumped.

"Get that goddamn door!" Lucia shouted from her bedroom.

Latoya looked at Ronald and grabbed his broken arm to check out his "cast." She dropped it and he followed her into the living room, holding onto the back of her shirt. The doorbell rang again. Ronald jumped but now Latoya was too annoyed to be afraid. She walked over to the door, slapped Ronald's hand away from her shirt, and swung it open; ready to face anyone that was there.

Except her.

"Is yo mama home, little one?" Miss May asked.

Latoya almost gasped when she saw Miss May standing at the door. The only thing that separated her from what many considered to be evil incarnate was a screen door. Latoya felt that even if the door were made of steel that Miss May would find a way to get through it with no effort. She could feel the room getting colder the longer she stood before Miss May who, to her credit, did not seemed the least bit concerned with the child's fear.

"My mama is busy, ma'am..." Latoya whispered.

"Who is at that damned door?!" Lucia shouted from her bedroom. "Is it a collector? It sure as hell betta not be no Jehovah's Witnesses!"

"It's nobody!" Latoya replied. "That was my aunty" she lied to Miss May.

"Lyin' is a sin, chil'," Miss May said. She smiled; her yellow teeth seemed sharper than they should be to Latoya. "I jus' need to ask her a quick question."

Ronald peeped around the doorway and saw Miss May standing at the door. The front of his pants got wetter. Lucia walked out of her room and stumbled to the living room. A mark was on her arm from where a belt had been tied around it. She smacked Ronald on the head as she passed him and shoved Latoya out of the way.

"May I help you?" Lucia slurred at Miss May.

"Oh, I was just walking by and thought I would say hello. Don't speak to my neighbors much," she said. "Mind if I come in?" she asked. She lifted her head slightly and smiled at Lucia.

"Okay" Lucia said. "Move, girl!" she said pushing Latoya to the side who was shaking her head furiously. "Come inside." Latoya had read in some books and seen in movies where once you invited an evil vampire inside your house that they could now enter whenever they wanted to. Now she did not feel safe in her own home. She wasn't positive that Miss May was a vampire but she could not say with a hundred percent certainty that she was not.

Miss May entered, a small wisp of smoke billowing from her mouth. She barely made a sound as she slid inside.

"I'm sorry, but I don't allow smoking in my house," Lucia said. Miss May looked at the pack of Newport's in Lucia's hand and smiled.

"Neither do I," she said as the smoke disappeared just as fast as it appeared. "That's a sin." Miss May stepped into the living room and sat down silently on a small couch. She looked over at Ronald and he gasped. Lucia sat down on a love seat facing Miss May. Latoya stood at the doorway waiting for something to happen in which case her exit would be hasty.

"Girl, stop bein' rude and sit down!" Lucia shouted at Latoya.

"Sit down, little one" Miss May said to her while patting the cushion next to her. Latoya shook her head "no" and Lucia gave her a look that said "Whether or not you sit I am gonna beat your ass." Latoya slowly made her way to the seat. Her arm brushed against Miss May and it felt like ice-cold glass. It made her shudder which caused Miss May to smile.

"What's your name, pumpkin?" she asked Latoya.

"Latoya..." she replied. She was trying her best to keep her teeth from clicking together.

"Ronald, get in here!" Lucia screamed. "Stop bein' rude!"

Ronald slowly walked into the room. Seeing Latoya next to Miss May made him swallow so hard it hurt his throat. He sat next to his mother and stared at Latoya who looked as if she were on the verge of either crying or screaming.

Maybe both.

"Have I seen you before?" Miss May asked him. Ronald felt the temperature of his blood drop a few degrees.

"No," he said quickly.

"I think I have..." Miss May said while rubbing her chin. She had a few gray hairs that stuck out very brightly in contrast to her dark skin. "I never forget a face. Ever. Either way, my name is Miss May. Some call me 'Mother May'" she said as she stuck her hand out to shake Ronald's. Ronald looked at his mother and she squinted at him. Ronald stuck his hand out and Miss May took it in hers. Ronald gasped and snatched his hand back, rubbing it to warm it up. "Sorry, but with my bad circulation my hands get cold easily."

"So how you like the street?" Lucia asked Miss May.

"Oh, it's nice. So many chil'ren and happiness," she said while looking around the apartment without raising her head. Latoya thought that she looked like a snake entering a room. Slowly surveying but without the forked tongue. But she would not have been surprised if Miss May had one.

As if Miss May read her mind she looked at Latoya and smiled. "Well, it was nice meetin' y'all," Miss May said as she slowly rose from the chair. Lucia tried to shake Miss May's hand and she just smiled at her and nodded. "Have a good day, Lucia. See you 'round the neighborhood, Latoya and Ronald." Miss May slipped out of the house and was gone before Ronald made it from the couch to the front door.

"I don't 'member tellin' her my name..." Lucia said aloud. "Y'all go do somethin'. I'm goin' back to my room. I don't feel good." Lucia stumbled back to her room, slamming the door. Ronald looked at Latoya who was now getting some of the color back in her face.

"This is your fault!" she hissed at Ronald. "If you hadn't went to her yard she wouldn't have come over!"

"Leave me alone!" Ronald shouted as he ran to his room, slamming his door as well. A few moments later he screamed. Latoya ran to his room and kicked the door open. She saw Ronald staring at his bed with his mouth wide open.

"Is that what I think it is?" Latoya asked. Ronald just nodded, tears streaming down his face.

The small piece of plastic torn from his "cast" lay on the bed with a bit of dirt underneath it.

That night Ronald and Latoya slept in the same bed. Neither of them felt safe after Latoya told Ronald about the rule of inviting a monster into your home. That was a bad move on her part she now saw. Their mother never returned from the room after saying she did not feel well. At some point during the early morning Ronald needed to use the bathroom. He slowly climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom. He never forgets how dark the house is at night.

Just as he was about to sit down he heard a creak. It was very faint but he was sure that he heard something. He pulled his underpants back up and walked into the living room. He scanned the room and went to the kitchen confident it was safe. He saw that the locks on the back door were all undone. Even the chain was not in place. He was just tall enough to put them back on. He went into the living room again and checked the front door, making sure it was secure  
It was.  
Right?

He sighed silently to himself and began to walk to the bathroom when all of a sudden there was pounding at the back door. Ronald screamed and ran towards his bedroom but tripped on a phone cords, yanking it to the floor with a loud crash and ringing from the bell inside.

He scrambled to his feet and hit his broken arm on the doorway of his bedroom. Latoya was not in bed. She was in her room where they had fallen asleep! Again a loud pounding made his heart skip a few beats. He was about to run back into the hallway leading to Latoya's room when suddenly his door slammed shut. He crashed into it face first. Sitting up and rubbing his now bloody nose he felt a chill run down his spine. He looked towards his bedroom window and saw a figure standing in front of it. It began pounding on his window. Ronald screamed so loud that it woke Latoya up.

She jumped out of her bed and raced to his room. She tried opening the door but the knob would not even turn. She tried kicking it but it would not budge. She took a few steps back and threw her shoulders into it. She was thrown back against the floor, the wind flying out of her and stars dancing in her vision.

"Ronald, open the door!" she shouted. She could hear him on the other side panting heavily. "Ronald, are you okay?!" Silently the door opened. Ronald was sitting on the floor; a puddle of urine soaked the carpet around him.

"It was her..." he whimpered as his eyes rolled back and he slumped, his head thudding against the floor. Latoya walked over to him and caught a glimpse of a shadow running from the window. She quickly ran to the kitchen, grabbed a large knife, and tried to take the locks and chain off of the door. She ran into the backyard and looked around. The cold air turned her breath into smoke.

She looked towards Miss May's house but saw no movement. Suddenly she felt someone behind her. She spun quickly, throwing her leg high. She was going to put her junior high cheer leading exercises to work. She moved so quickly that by the time she saw who her foot was aimed at it was far too late to stop. The kick hit her under the chin, knocking her on her ass. Her legs going straight in the air.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Lucia screamed. "First you lock me outta my own goddamned house and then you kick me?!" Lucia slowly got to her feet rubbing her jaw. She swung her fist at Latoya but she ducked it and slapped Lucia across the face. "What the fuck you think you doin', girl?" she asked Latoya. "Don't you know I will break you in half?"

"Today I found out that there are way scarier things in the world than a crack headed ass step-mama" Latoya said. "I swear to God that if you hit me again I am gon' kill you." Latoya locked eyes with Lucia, refusing to look away or blink. Lucia rubbed her chin and smiled.

"I got you, bitch," she said to Latoya. "Just you wait. I got you, don't worry" she said as she walked back into the house. Latoya stood and caught her breath and let her heart slow down as she heard all of the locks turning inside and the chain being placed into its slot.

She walked over to Ronald's window and saw Lucia grab him off of the floor and hit him across the face. A muffled "Next time open the fuckin' window!" was heard before the door was slammed.

Ronald walked over to his window and cracked it open as quietly as he could. He stuck his hand out and motioned for Latoya. She walked over and took his hand. He was trying his best to keep from crying.

"Wanna come in?" he asked her in between sniffles.

"No," Latoya said. "We'd both get into trouble" she replied. "I'm jus' gonna sleep in the car." Ronald released her hand as she walked in the driveway towards Lucia's car.

As she approached it she saw a figure standing next to it. After the day she had she thought that nothing could scare her but she was wrong. The figure waved her over.

She felt herself walking towards it before she even knew that she was moving. She tried to will her legs to stop but they would not listen to her. As she got closer to the car and the figure she tried to grab the hood but succeeded only in taking hold of the antennae, breaking it in the center. "Another whippin'," she thought to herself as she continued moving. The figure smiled at her. Yellow teeth glowing like a wolf the moment before attacking its prey.

"What you doin' up so early, sweetie?" Miss May asked as she raised a large shovel into the air.

Latoya woke up on the couch in the living room. She had no idea how she got inside. She tried to sit up but her head was aching. The room began to spin and she lay back down. She opened her eyes and Ronald was standing over her.

"How you get back in?" he asked her. She tried to speak but only a gasp came out. She looked over Ronald's shoulder and raised her eyebrows. "Mama went to church," he said. "She saw you on the couch and got mad so I tol' her I let you in," he said while lifting his shirt. He had a hand print on his chest. "I didn't want to get you into trouble no more."

"Thanks" Latoya said. She felt that it was okay for her to sit up after the room stopped spinning. "I saw her outside."

"Who? Mama?" Ronald asked.

"No, stupid. The Bug Lady" Latoya said as she stood. She felt the back of her head and it was sore. "She was waitin' by your mama's car last night. She hit me with somethin', I think." Latoya tried to remember what she saw but when she was close to getting a clear image of Miss May the pounding in her head grew stronger. She grunted and sat down quickly on the couch. "I am gonna go to her house today."

"You can't do that!" Ronald protested. "I'm gon' tell mama if you do!"

"I don't care" Latoya said. She stood and walked to her bedroom with Ronald following closely behind. Even in the daylight of a bright summer morning he still did not feel safe from the Bug Lady. "I need to find out what her problem is. She two-faced. Actin' all sweet to mama then turnin' 'round and hitting me in the head." Ronald saw the back of Latoya's head as she bent down to grab her backpack.

"'Toya, you got sumthin' on your neck" he said to her. Latoya went into the bathroom and positioned the mirrors so she could see the back of her head. She grabbed at it but it would not budge. She took Lucia's tweezers and picked at it. "Ew!" Ronald screamed. It was a large grub. Blood dripped from the back of Latoya's neck where the grub had been

"Yeah. I'm goin' to her house," Latoya said firmly.

Ronald kept quiet as she packed her bag with supplies. She took a flashlight, a small pack of Oreo cookies, a plastic bag, and a knife from the kitchen. Everything a child would need to take down an unholy spirit. Since Lucia never cooked she figured that the missing knife would go unnoticed. "I need to hurry and do this now," she said.

"Why right now?" Ronald asked.

"Because she at church with Lucia. I gotta do this while they gone. And while it's light out" she said as she peered out her window. "Stay here," she told Ronald. "And if Lucia asks where I went tell her I went to the store to get some ice or something." Ronald nodded and watched as Latoya exited the kitchen and began to climb the back fence towards Miss May's house.

"Be careful," he told her.

"You, too," she said as she hopped over the fence and ran towards the next fence. Ronald watched as she neared Miss May's fence. He felt the crotch of his pants begin to moisten and ran inside. Latoya looked back and saw him running back inside. "Chicken," she said to herself.

At church Miss May sat next to Lucia. Lucia was wearing a dress that was barely appropriate for a lady of the night let alone the house of God. Miss May sat smiling as she looked around the church at all the small children. One young girl in a bright yellow dress locked eyes with Miss May. The girl stuck her tongue out. Miss May smiled and smoke appeared to come out of her mouth. The girls mouth snapped shut so quickly that she bit the tip of her tongue clean off. She began screaming as her mother swept her into her arms and exited the church, blood dripping in the aisle.

"'And they were bringing children to Him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them'" the pastor said. "'But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them 'Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.' And He took them in his arms and blessed them, laying His hands on them."

"Amen," Miss May said. She looked over at Lucia and smiled. Lucia tried her best to smile back but could only find a smirk. Miss May stood and began to clap slowly. The pastor looked over at her. It was never hard to find her in a crowd with her ever-present bright red dress with black polka dots. Always a different dress but with the same pattern.

"Are you feeling it, Mother May?!" he asked her, his question causing many to clap or scream aloud.

"Yes, I am," she replied. She then tilted her head down and raised her hands.

Lucia clutched the back of the pew in front of herself so hard it split two of her nails. Miss May raised her arms higher, beads of sweat forming on her chin. Lucia opened her mouth to ask for help but nothing came out but a wisp of smoke. Her eyes bulged out of her head but no one seemed to notice. Her mouth shut too quickly causing her to shatter her teeth. Miss May brought her hands together, clapping so loudly many in the church jumped or gasped.

"'I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or His children begging for bread'" Miss May said as she looked down at Lucia. "Psalm 37:25" Miss May whispered to Lucia. "' All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children'" she then said aloud. Many of the children began to cry. "Isaiah 54:13" she whispered to Lucia. Lucia threw her head back violently, blood spewing from her mouth. All the parishioners nearby either screamed or moved quickly to avoid the blood.

Miss May slid past Lucia who was finally able to breathe and walked out of the church. Lucia fell into the aisle and turned her head towards Miss May. As she closed the large double doors of the church Miss May waved to Lucia and smiled.

"Suffer the children" Lucia heard Miss May say through lips that did not move.

Latoya climbed Miss May's fence and landed hard on the ground rubbing her knee as she looked around the yard. It was huge. Twice as big as Lucia's. There were beautiful flowers lined all around the house in colors she knew she couldn't pronounce. She looked at the windows and saw a small face pressed against the glass. Latoya waved to it and it disappeared.

She slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked around the yard. She noticed several large mounds on the ground. One of them was new, the grass not as long or green as the others. Most of them were small, about her size but two of them were large enough to hold a grownup.

She walked to a gate leading out of the back yard and tried to open it. She then noticed a large deadbolt with a lock in it. She frowned and went to a side window. She could not see inside. All she saw was her reflection. Her hair braided back with colorful beads that ran down to her shoulders. Cut off jean shorts with a yellow top and white Nike's that her father bought her a few weeks before he vanished.

She walked closer to the window and placed her hands on the glass, cupping them around her eyes to reduce the amount of light. She heard a loud slam and the sound of multiple footsteps running around. She jumped back and landed hard on her butt. The sound of a car approaching in Miss May's driveway got her attention.

"She can't be back..." Latoya moaned to herself. She turned towards the fence and suddenly it looked far higher than she remembered. "The long drop" she thought to herself. Miss May's back yard was built on a slope. It was easier to get in than it was to get out. She began to panic as the car engine was turned off. She wanted to run and attempt to grab the top of the fence but the sound of her body slamming against it would draw attention for sure. She looked over at the gate when she heard a ring of keys jingling.

Back at the church Lucia was in a small room surrounded by the pastor and his wife. She had a towel pressed to her mouth and a cup of water next to her. She tried to sit up but the pastor's wife laid her hands on her shoulder and pressed her back down.

"Don't try to get up yet," she said. Lucia shoved her hand away and rose from the floor. Luica had never liked coming to church but she wanted a break from Ronald and that damned girl. She wish that Nathaniel had taken his girl with him when he decided to leave. She spit blood on the floor and stumbled out of the room. Church service had ended and people were still exiting. She pushed her way through the crowd. She tried to run to her car and almost tripped on the curb, losing her shoe. She stopped and spat more blood on the ground. Her keys slipped from her hands twice as she attempted to open her door.

"I don't know what that bitch did..." she said as she tried to start her engine. The engine turned over a few times and then stopped. She tried again and smoke began to rise from under the hood. Lucia jumped out of her car and popped the hood. "Goddamn it."

Waving away the smoke she coughed. People from the church ran over to her, checking out what was going on. She began screaming and ran away from the car. A few members walked over to her car and some gasped. Others screamed. Two fainted.

The engine was covered in sizzling worms.

Ronald sat in his room biting his nails. He changed his pants as soon as he got inside. He was worried that the Bug Lady would capture his sister. He was about to go back outside and watch for her but the fear of being caught by his mother kept him firmly planted on his bed.

After about half an hour Ronald jumped from his bed and ran through the kitchen into the backyard. He couldn't let his sister be captured even though she didn't like him and broke his arm. When he opened the door Latoya was standing there covered in dirt. Ronald screamed when he saw her and almost slammed the door. She fell to her knees and began crying.

"What happened?" he asked her. She tried to open her mouth and tears flowed from her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Say sumthin'!"

"I..." Latoya said before placing her hands on the ground in front of herself. She coughed a little bit. Suddenly she wretched hard and vomited worms all over the back porch. Ronald screamed and slammed the door, peeking out the small window at his sister. She was starting to gag on the amount of worms coming out of her mouth. Ronald opened the door and slapped his sister on the back. She gagged again and one very long worm came out her nose. She spat up a bit of blood and wiped her mouth. "What's wrong with me?" she asked Ronald.

"I dunno," he replied. "What happened at her place?"

"I don't know. I mean, I got to her yard and the last thing I remember was the gate was locked. I wanted to jump the fence but something happened." Latoya clutched her head and a bit of blood ran from her nose. "I can't remember what else happened after that."

"I wanna call daddy," Ronald said.

"Daddy ain't here," Latoya said while standing and looking at the pile of worms on the ground. "Let's clean this before your mama gets back home," she said while kicking the pile into the patch where flowers should grow. "Help me do this."

"What's that?" Ronald asked suddenly. He ran into the kitchen and saw his mother trying to open the front door. Latoya kicked the rest of the worms onto the dirt that passed for the lawn and followed him, opening the door for Lucia. She walked past the two of them and sat on the couch. She lit a cigarette and exhaled it quickly, hands shaking. She hissed and the kids saw that her front teeth were missing. Latoya went into the kitchen to grab some ice for Lucia. She returned and Ronald was sitting next to her holding her hand.

"I don't want neither one of ya'll goin' over that lady's house," Lucia said. "Ever." Latoya could not even begin to imagine what happened to Lucia but seeing the look of fear in her eyes was more than enough proof as to how strong Miss May was. Latoya forgot about the pain she was still in.

"What happened, mama?" Ronald asked.

"I looked the goddamn Devil in the eye."

Miss May drove home slowly. She looked in her rear view mirror and smiled to herself. She had wanted to do something to Lucia for years now. She knew of her drug use and prostitution. She knew that God did not approve of Lucia's lifestyle.

"'A prostitute is a deep pit; an adulterous woman is treacherous. She hides and waits like a robber, looking for another victim who will be unfaithful to his wife," Miss May said aloud to herself. She turned onto her street and slowed down when she passed Lucia's house. She saw no movement inside and smiled as she continued on her way home.

Miss May was not a large woman. If you were to see her brown Oldsmobile Brougham it would appear to be driven by no one, her large hat and dark black knuckles clutching the steering wheel.

Inside Lucia dropped her cigarette on the carpet and covered her eyes as she began weeping. Latoya looked at Ronald who in turn looked at her. They had never seen Lucia cry before. Latoya took a step forward to place an arm around Lucia but thought better of it. Ronald placed his arm around her instead but Lucia swatted it away. Ronald placed his hands on his lap and sighed to himself. Latoya rolled her eyes.

"That crazy old bitch did this to me" Lucia said while pointing to her teeth. "Did ya'll do something to her?" she asked. Ronald looked at Latoya who was at a loss for words. "If ya'll did say sumthin' now or I am gonna beat the shit outta of the both of you!" she screamed at them.

"We didn't do nothin'," Latoya said. "For real."

"I went into her yard" Ronald said silently. Lucia looked at him and slapped him hard across the face. Latoya took a step forward and Lucia picked up her now half burnt cigarette and pointed it right in her face.

"Take anothuh step and I will burn the fuck outta you!" she screamed. "I ain't payin' for yo fuckin' mistakes! Look at me!" she shouted while holding up her cracked nails. "I don' need this shit..." Lucia said as she stood and ran to her room. Ronald followed her. Latoya sat on the couch and stared at Lucia's door.

"She's lost her mind," Latoya whispered. Ronald stood at Lucia's door and scratched at his cast.

"What you doin', mama?" he asked.

"I am getting' the fuck out of her!" she said as she shoveled clothes into a shopping bag. "I don' know what ya'll did but I need to be gone till this shit's over!" Latoya ran into the room knocking Ronald out of the way.

"So you gon' jus' abandon us?" she asked Lucia. "First daddy now you?"

"Shut up, girl!" Lucia screamed. "You ain't even my chil'!"

"So are you takin' Ronald?" Latoya asked.

"Jus'...shut up" Lucia said as she ran past the two of them and went outside. She walked to the front yard and stood there before falling to her knees.

"Where's ya car, mama?" Ronald asked from the front door. Lucia turned around and burned holes through him. Latoya looked down the street and saw a police cruiser slowly approaching. Lucia stood and wiped her knees off. The cruiser stopped in front of the house. The pastor was in the passenger seat and his wife was in the back seat. Ronald stepped back inside while Latoya took a step on the porch.

"This is jus' perfect," Lucia muttered to herself. The officer stepped out of his car and held the door open for the pastor's wife. He looked at Lucia as if she were a roach that he had discovered at the bottom of his bottle of cola. The pastor just shook his head in shame at Lucia.

"May I speak to you for a moment, ma'am?" the officer asked Lucia.

"Do I got a choice?" she asked.

"Not really," he replied as he stood in place near the front of the yard, waiting for Lucia to make her way towards him. The pastor waved to Latoya but she did not return it. She rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her hip.

Lucia slowly made her way towards the officer. She licked her lips, the sting of her gums finally hitting her. She wished that she had drank something to kill the pain. The officer smiled at her. Ronald thought he looked like a cat that had cornered a small mouse under a porch.

"What?" Lucia asked.

"My name is Officer Stevens. Your pastor here..."

"He ain't my pastor. He's my boyfriend's pastor" Lucia corrected him.

"Right" Officer Stevens sighed. "Either way, he said that you left the church service in quite a state. Can you tell me what happened?" Lucia looked down the street towards Miss May's house. Miss May was in the front yard watering her lawn. She looked over at Lucia and waved to her.

Lucia gagged for a moment.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Officer Stevens asked.

"Yeah," Lucia replied. She gagged again and turned away from the pastor, his wife, and Officer Stevens. She looked at Latoya who stood at the porch. Latoya knew what was about to happen and covered Ronald's eyes. Lucia looked over at Miss May again who was still waving politely. Latoya covered her own eyes just as Lucia fell to her knees and began spitting out small worms.

"Jesus Christ!" Officer Stevens said as he crossed himself. "What is wrong with you?" Lucia looked up at him as a worm slowly crawled out of her nose.

"The Bug Lady..." Latoya said as Lucia arched her back while still on her knees, her spine popping loudly as if someone cracked their knuckles against a wooden door, and lurched forward, worms pouring out of her mouth too quickly. She tried to cough but her throat was too full to get air though.

Officer Stevens took a few step backs as the pastor jumped back into the cruiser. His wife began gagging and covered her mouth with a napkin she pulled from her purse. Lucia began clawing at her throat. Her jagged nails scrapping her raw gums. Now blood and worms poured onto the walkway. Ronald moved Latoya's hand away from his eyes and screamed.

The front of his pants wet once again.

Latoya looked over towards Miss May's house but she was now gone. Ronald ran over to his mother and began patting her on the back. Lucia shoved him away and rolled over to her side. Officer Stevens stood frozen in place. He had never seen anything like this before and hoped that he never would again. Lucia now rolled over to her back, her eyes bulging almost out of her skull. Her hand kept pulling worms out as she kicked at the ground. Latoya walked over and pulled Ronald way from her. He did not protest.

"'You shall sprinkle me, O Lord, with hyssop, and I shall be cleaned'" the pastor's wife said. "'You shall wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, according to your great mercy! Glory be to The Father, and to The Son, and to The Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.'"

"She ain' t dead!" Latoya screamed.

"Yet," Officer Stevens said as he removed his gun and aimed it at Lucia.

"Stop!" Latoya shouted at Officer Stevens. Latoya ran over to Lucia and rolled her back onto her stomach. Lucia continued gagging, the flow of worms seeming to never stop. Officer Stevens cocked his gun and shoved Latoya away with the heel of his boot.

"She is dying!" he screamed. He could not stop staring at the worms that would not stop coming out of Lucia's mouth. "Haven't you ever heard of a 'mercy killing'?" he asked Latoya. "Now move back!"

"There has to be something else we can do," the pastor said. He was still near the police cruiser, refusing to get any closer. His wife was sweating profusely. The pastor knew that she would be talking about this for months afterward  
He knew that he would not be able to sleep for months after this.

"What? Do you know how to perform an exorcism?" Officer Stevens asked. Just as his finger was squeezing down on the trigger he dropped his gun. He fell to his knees and gagged. "No..." he said just as spit a worm out onto the ground. "Please, God..." he muttered to himself. One worm. That was all he needed to be convinced not to shoot Lucia. He quickly got to his feet and ran to his cruiser, his tongue feeling for any more visitors.

"Get away!" he shouted at the pastor and his wife. They looked at him in stunned disbelief. "I am not kidding!" he said as he waved his gun back and forth between the two of them.

"What are we supposed to do?" the pastor's wife asked. She still had her hand on the doors handle, ready to leap in. Her husband had his hands in the air, afraid to put them down for fear of being shot.

"Pray," Officer Stevens said as he sped off, pulling the pastor's wife to the ground as he left. Pastor stared as the car vanished, hands still in the air.

"Mama, stop doin' this!" Ronald said as he squatted over Lucia. Her eyes rolled behind her head, her chest starting to rise and fall too quickly. "Mama, stop!" The pastor's wife tried to stand and fell back down. Her knees were bleeding and her husband still had his hands in the air as he finally noticed that his wife lay on the ground.

"What happened?" he asked. "Are you okay, Terry?"

"No!" she shouted as she finally got to her feet and rubbed her raw knees. "What were you doing? Why didn't you stop him?"

"What was I supposed to do? Fight him? I am a man of God!" he said. He noticed his wife looking at Lucia. He ran over to her and sat her up, more worms spilling out onto her chest. "This is impossible..." he said to himself.

"She did it!" Ronald screamed while pointing towards Miss May's house. "She did this to my sister, too!"

"Miss May?" the pastor said. "She has been a member of the church for over fifty years, boy! She wouldn't hurt a fly!" Latoya rolled her eyes and smacked Lucia on the back. The stream of worms doubled. "Let me pray for your mother..."

"She ain't my mama," Latoya said.

"It doesn't matter! She is dying and needs help! Call 911!" the pastor's wife said. She approached, covering her mouth. The amount of worms on the ground was far greater than seemed possible. Lucia weighed no more than 100lbs. The pile of worms on the ground had to weigh at least a quarter that.

"I'll do it!" Ronald said as he ran into the house, jumping the four steps in one leap. Latoya walked over to the porch and sat down. She placed her arms on her knees and looked at Lucia. She did not know how to feel about what she was seeing. It was something out of a bad movie for sure.

Worms? She knew that if it had not happened to her less than half an hour ago that she would have been more afraid. One of the joys of being a child was the "been there done that" mentality one could afford to have.

In her kitchen Miss May was washing off collard greens and boiling water. She looked over at the young boy sitting in his high chair a bit to her right. She smiled at him and he stopped swinging his legs in the air. She walked over to him and smiled again. He frowned and began sniffling. Miss May laughed lightly and went back to the sink. Another child, a boy perhaps 9 years old lightly tapped on the doorway. Miss May wiped her hands on her red apron and faced the child.

"Can we eat today?" he asked her. His face was swollen around the eyes as if he had cried for days at a time only pausing long enough to ask for food.

"I'll thank about it" Miss May replied. "Where are the rest of 'em at?"

"Upstairs," he said. "We're so hungry..." he whispered as he began to walk away.

"Who tol' you you could leave?" Miss May said. "I didn't say I was don' talkin'! That's rude." She grabbed a large pan from the counter and let it hang low at her side. "Give me your hand." The child shook his head "no" while slowly backing away. "Did you say 'no' to me?" The child shook his head "no" once again. "So I'm lyin'? You sayin' I'm lyin', boy?" she asked no one. "Give me both hands now" she said, slowly approaching as the child backed into the living room.

Suddenly he sprinted up the stairs. Miss May threw the pan at him, just missing his head as he rounded the top of the stairs. She heard multiple doors slamming. She smiled to herself and looked at the ceiling.

"Lord, grant me the strength" she said as she slowly made her way upstairs. She stopped at the third step and snapped her fingers. Walking back into the kitchen she grabbed an even larger pot and began filling it with water. She turned the stove on and placed the pot on the fire.

"'And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating.'"

Ten minutes later and not a siren could be heard. In this part of Los Angeles the police were never around when you needed them. Even at the age of 12 Latoya knew that. Lucia had stopped struggling to get the worms out of her mouth six minutes ago. The pastor and his wife stood over the body. They would look at each other, talk low, look at Latoya, and then back at Lucia.

After fifteen minutes and no ambulance or other form of assistance arrived Latoya stood and walked into the house. She saw Ronald on the phone. The look on his face seemed very strange to Latoya. She walked over to him and pulled the phone away. She was about to put her ear to it when she saw a small grub crawl out. She threw the phone down and grabbed Ronald by the shoulders. His face was blank. His eyes were full of tears that would not fall. Latoya wanted to scream for help but did not want the pastor or his wife to come inside.

She figured that what they were talking about was taking them away from home. Yes, Latoya hated this place but it was better than where she would end up. She doubted that orphanages were as lively as that movie "Annie" made them out to be. She ran Ronald into the bathroom and threw him into the shower. She turned the water on and let it run all over his head, specifically his ear. Small grubs poured out and down the drain. Latoya gagged a few times, not from another invasion of worms, but from the sight she was witnessing. She left him and grabbed Lucia's tweezers from her bedroom.

"Another butt whippin'," she said to herself before remembering that Lucia would no longer be hitting anyone ever again.

She did not know how to feel about that.

When she returned to the bathroom Ronald was smacking the side of his head, clearing out the last of the grubs. Latoya tilted his head this way and that just to make sure all was clear. Ronald coughed and spit water on the floor. He looked at Latoya, his eyes asking, "Is mama okay?" Latoya just looked down. She handed him a large towel that hung on the door. Ronald jumped out of the shower and ran outside. The pastor saw him and grabbed him before he could reach Lucia.

"Lemme go!" Ronald screamed as he kicked at the pastor.

"There is nothing you can do, son!" he said. "Calm down and I will let you go."

Latoya stood at the doorway watching Ronald cry. She had never felt close to him. Growing up with her father she was used to being bounced around from place to place, woman to woman. She never allowed herself to get too close to anyone. But right now she felt close to Ronald. She believed it was the kind of closeness that men like her uncle Ronnie talked about when he spoke about Vietnam. She and Ronald were bonded by anger, hurt, and blood. But now she felt as if they would soon be bonded by revenge as well.

"Let him go," Latoya said. The pastor looked at her and released Ronald. He bent over his mother's body and touched her cheek. As a worm slithered out from her nose he gasped and fell backwards. He looked at Latoya and she motioned for him to come inside. He ran to the porch and took one last look at Lucia.

Miss May sat in the kitchen staring at the heating pot of water. Completely ignoring the old saying of "a watched pot never boils" she would walk over to the pot and stare at it before sighing and returning to her stool, alternating between humming to herself and digging in between her teeth with her nails. After a few minutes she saw smoke rising from the water. She walked over and placed her hand in the boiling water.

"Not yet," she said as she sat back down, the steam from the water rising off of her hand.

Miss May looked towards the stairs and smiled. For the last six decades she had adopted children from all over Los Angeles. The city, never short on children in need, always sent them her way. She would show up quoting the Bible and talking herself up as the second coming of Mother Teresa. The children would always be too terrified to speak of their fear of Miss May until it was too late.

The state rarely ever checked up on the children after they were in the care of Miss May. If they did she would put on quite a show. They were at Disneyland with her "sister." They were at camp. They were all resting and could not be disturbed. Once a child called Child Protective Services. When they arrived Miss May told them that the child had run away. They just shrugged and left, not knowing that twenty feet away in the backyard the child was indeed still there.

Not alive, but there.

The water was boiling. Miss May turned the fire off and grabbed the pot by its metal handle. A sizzle could be heard as it seared her hand, the skin cracking and peeling. Miss May just hummed to herself as she slowly made her way upstairs. As she turned the corner near the stairs she closed her eyes. The hallway was long and almost pitch black. The only light coming through a small opening in the curtains.

There were eight doors, four on each side. She shuffled past all of them before stopping at the last on the left. She heard the sound of a chair being propped against the door. She smiled and placed her hand on the door, lightly tapping it with her knuckles.

"Go away!" the small child screamed. He made sure that the chair would not budge and ran under the bed. He heard a lighter rapping on the door and covered his ears. "Stop!" He closed his eyes and placed his face on the floor. "Why are you doing this to us?" He removed his hands from his ears and there was silence. Feeling it was safe for now he opened his eyes. He could not see Miss May's feet underneath the door. He waited a few moments more and slid from underneath the bed and stood up, brushing dust from his shirt and pants. He walked to the door and placed his ear to it.

"Both hands!" Miss May shouted as her arm burst through the door.

The child screamed and tried to jump away from the door. Miss May caught him by his collar and yanked him back against the door, his face slamming against it breaking his nose. She began pulling him through the small hole, the wood splintering as he came through. It appeared as if the door were giving birth.

The child continued screaming as Miss May pulled him until just his feet were left in the room, at which point she dropped him to the floor. Now in a very vulnerable position, hanging by his feet, Miss May sat the boiling hot water on the floor. "Hush" she said as she bent down and slapped the child across the face. She then took the water and poured it slowly on the child's body starting from the crotch.

The child yelled so loudly that all of the other doors opened. Three children in every doorway. Twenty-one of them watched as the child struggled to free his feet unsuccessfully. Miss May smiled and a large cloud of smoke issued from her mouth. Even in his pain the child was still in awe of the smoke that appeared from Miss May's mouth though he'd never seen her with a cigarette.

"We should do something," a young girl, perhaps 14 years old, said to the two smaller girls with her. They looked at her as if to say "Well, you first!"

Miss May ran out of water just as the child fainted. She then took the pot and smacked it hard against his stomach. The pot left a circular burn on his exposed stomach. She then struck him again, smiling.

"Don't!" Smack. "Evuh!" Smack. "Dis!" Smack. "Obey!" Smack. "Me!" The sounds of sirens were in the distance. Miss May smiled and disappeared from the hallway. She was gone before the pot finished clattering on the floor. The doors all slammed in unison. Miss May went to her front porch and watched as an ambulance arrived at Lucia's residence. She smiled as she looked at her hand. The pot had left a deep, dark burn.

"'Jesus said to her 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever believes in me will never die.'" She rolled her hand into a tight fist. When she looked at it once more the burn was gone

"Amen."

Latoya went to the front door as soon as she heard the sirens approaching. She stepped onto the porch and sat down at the top of the steps waiting for bad things to happen. The pastor and his wife stood over Lucia's body, occasionally kicking a worm away. Ronald stood at the doorway and looked at his mother's body.

"Where are they gonna take mama?" he asked Latoya. "She goin' to the hospital?" Latoya sighed heavily and stood up, wiping dust from her behind. She looked at the ambulance and motioned for Ronald to come closer. As he took her hand she looked down at him.

"Remember when Mother Elsie died last year?" she asked him. He nodded that he did. "That's what they're gon' do with her" she said while pointing to Lucia. Ronald buried his face in Latoya's ribs and cried silently. The EMT's climbed out of the ambulance, obviously in no rush and made their way towards Lucia. They both jumped back and gasped when they saw the worms surrounding her body. They looked at the pastor who could only shrug. They then looked at the pastor's wife who also shrugged.

"What happened?" one of them asked. He was a short Black male with short permed hair.

"Looks pretty obvious to me," the other EMT said. He was a tall White male with a blonde ponytail that was held back with a purple Scrunchie. "Worms."

"I know that, fool, but how she eat so many?" the first EMT asked.

"She didn't eat them," the pastor said. "They just...came out."

"Well, they had to come from somewhere else first," the Scrunchie EMT said. "You don't just have worms come out of you. At least not like this."

"You didn't see it," the pastor's wife said. "You weren't here."

"Can you all not do this in front of my brother? That's his mama" Latoya said. They all looked at her as if they had forgotten that kids were present. The pastor whispered something to the EMT's. The EMT's looked at each other for a moment and Scrunchie went back to the ambulance and patched a call through. He walked back to the yard a moment later. "The police and a social worker will be here soon."

"A social worker?" Latoya asked. "What for?"

"Well, your father is nowhere to be found and Lucia..." the pastor said before cutting himself short. "You can't just stay here by yourselves. That's against the law."

"We'll be fine," Latoya said in protest. "We've been taking care of ourselves even when Lucia was...alive." She looked at Ronald who had his eyes locked on Lucia's body.

"I hate her," he said.

"Don't say that," Latoya said.

"I want her dead," he said, venom in his voice Latoya had never heard before. She knew his childhood was gone.

"You're talkin' 'bout her, huh?" Latoya asked. Ronald nodded. "Don't worry. We'll get her."

Miss May stood in her yard as more and more neighbors gathered outside. They whispered to each other and shook their heads, eyes full of judgment. Hearts full of expectancy. Miss May listened to them all. Their hate making her beam with joy.

"I knew she'd die from them drugs one day!"

"Did you hear what happened to her boyfriend?"

"I bet some John finally got her."

"It was God's will."

"We should pray for them poor kids."

"They better off without her."

"The Lord giveth..."

"I bet it was drugs."

"Did you hear what she did at church earlier?"

"Can't be murder."

As she walked to her front yard to join the crowd of neighbors Miss May saw one neighbor in particular that stood out from the rest. Mrs. Watson. She was Lucia's neighbor. A large Black woman that rarely spoke to anyone. She had tried having kids many times with many different husbands with no results. Miss May never liked her. She saw Mrs. Watson as an insult to God.

"Be fruitful and multiply."

She knew that Mrs. Watson was quite fruitful, all right. But she lacked multiplying skills. She would sneak food to Latoya and Ronald when Lucia would disappear for days at a time only to return home with new bruises. Mrs. Watson loved children. Miss May did not like Mrs. Watson.

As if she read her mind, Mrs. Watson looked right at Miss May. Miss May waved and Mrs. Watson rolled her eyes at her. The neighborhood slowly made their way towards Lucia's house. Their chatter slowly building into a cacophony of accusations. Latoya could only make out some of what they were saying. She knew all about Lucia's lifestyle. She lived with her after all. She saw the needles. She saw the parade of men that came and went faster than Lucia's welfare checks. But there was a difference between knowing the truth and having the world say it aloud to you. Mrs. Watson motioned for Latoya to come closer when she caught her attention. Latoya walked over to her. Mrs. Watson smiled.

"Don't you listen to those fools" she told Latoya. "It only matters what you believe."

"But they ain't lyin'," Latoya said.

"Still" Mrs. Watson said, smoothing Latoya's stray hairs down. "You going to be okay?"

"No" Latoya replied. "I don' think so."

"Let me know if I can help" Mrs. Watson said.

"Thank you," Latoya said as she walked back over to Ronald.

"What she say?" he asked.

"Nothing," Latoya said, "Nothing important." She sighed as she placed her arm over Ronald's shoulder. He leaned into her and they stood as the crowd gasped and crossed themselves over Lucia's body. "Let's go inside.

Two hours later...

Latoya sat on the couch with Ronald as a social worker, Ms. Davis, filled out a clipboard. She would ask the pastor a few questions and then sit for a few minutes nodding her head as she wrote down information she deemed vital to placing the children, as they were now known, in a new home.

"So where is your father?" Ms. Davis asked. She had the look of a character you would see on television Latoya thought to herself before responding. An older White female with horn-rimmed glasses and her hair pulled back into a bun so tight it seemed as if it made her squint. "How long has it been since you've seen him?"

"A few weeks" Latoya said. "We ain't leavin' here. Like I said already, we have been takin' care of ourselves jus' fine." Ronald looked down at his legs the entire time Ms. Davis and Latoya spoke.

"What happened to your arm?" Ms. Davis asked Ronald.

"My sister broke it," he replied. Latoya rolled her eyes and smacked her lips.

"It was an accident," she said. Ms. Davis nodded and wrote something down on her clipboard. Latoya tried to peer over and see what was being written but Ms. Davis just tilted it towards herself to stop her from seeing. "We was playin' and..."

"I think I have all the information I need" Ms. Davis said. "Could you step outside with me, sir?" she asked the pastor. They both went out on the porch, just out of hearing range of the children.

"What is going to happen to them?" the pastor asked.

"Well, the boy is bright but there is nothing particularly exceptional about him. He could be adopted tomorrow or spend the next few years bouncing from home to home" she said as the pastor nodded. "The girl on the other hand is very smart. Perhaps too smart for her own good. And her tendencies towards violence will make it very difficult to place her in a loving home."

"I have an idea" the pastor said. "There is a very kind, sweet older member of my church that takes care of children. She has adopted many of them over the years. As a matter of fact, she lives right down the street." Ms. Davis raised her eyes as if to say "Oh, really?" The pastor continued. "Her name is Miss May. The kids call her Mother May. She is a sweet, nurturing little thing. Wouldn't hurt a fly. Perhaps they could, I don't know, stay with her until this is all taken care of."

"That sounds like a good idea. Do you know if she is home right now?" she asked. "Maybe we can pitch this idea to her."

"I believe she is. I saw her earlier at service," the pastor replied.

Mrs. Watson was standing on her side of the fence and watching the pastor and Ms. Davis speak. She did not feel comfortable with the fact that they were looking at and motioning towards Miss May's house. If they were planning what she thought they were then there was no hope for the children.

Miss May stood on her lawn and smiled. She knew what was happening even as the pastor and the social worker continued speaking. She thought to herself of the things she would do to the girl. It had been decades since a child had drew the ire she felt for Latoya. The fate that awaited the boy. He was a crier and she had a special room just for boys like him. Smoke seeped from her nose in excitement of the possibilities the day held. She looked toward her upstairs window and it suddenly closed.

"How many times do I have to tell them kids to stay away from the window?" Miss May asked herself. She waved at the pastor and the social worker as she headed back indoors. A butterfly landed on her hat as she stepped onto her porch. A large, beautifully colored butterfly. Its wings a mosaic of colors. Reds, oranges, blues, and greens. It flapped three times after landing on Miss May. Then died promptly. She brushed it away and then stepped on it, scraping it off on her step.

Latoya looked at Ronald and punched him on the shoulder. She stood and looked out the front door at all the neighbors still gathered outside. Lucia's body was covered with a white sheet now as police occasionally peeked underneath it. Each time it was lifted the neighbors would swarm around trying to catch a glimpse of their own personal horror story.

"This is like one of them bad movies," Latoya said.

"Like which one?" Ronald asked.

"I don' know. But it ain't good when that any people stand outside your house," Latoya replied. "In these kinda movies they never believe what the kids be sayin' and then somethin' stupid has to happen before they do."

"Stupid like what?" Ronald asked, the sound of fear and concern rising in his voice.

"One of 'em dies," Latoya said.

"Die how?" Ronald asked while simultaneously not wanting to hear the answer.

"Take one guess," Latoya said.

"Worms," Ronald said. "I don't like worms."

The pastors' wife entered the living room and sat down next to Ronald and took his hand. He looked at Latoya with a look of concern on his face. Latoya quickly sat down on the couch, sandwiching the pastors' wife between the two of them. She tucked her hands in between her lap before the pastors' wife could take her hand as well.

"Today has been so rough for the two of you," she said. Ronald nodded while Latoya kept her eyes fixed on her. She knew where this ride was going and planned on crashing the car before it made it there. "But they say that God doesn't close a door without opening a window." She smiled to herself, proud of her quote.

"We ain't leavin'," Latoya said.

"Listen, child" the pastor's wife said firmly and flatly. She sounded like a lawyer from television Latoya thought to herself. That cold, calculated sound that hit men have when you try and explain to them why they should not and can't kill you. Just when you think you have convinced them to spare your life because you have a wife and kids they smile and shoot you. Latoya saw that in a movie she wasn't supposed to watch once. "You are going to have to learn how to hold your tongue. You cant just run around talking to everyone like this. If you do you're going to have a very rough life."

"Like living with a drug addict, having my father missing for a few weeks, having my real mother die, and seeing Lucia die from throwin' up worms kinda rough?" Latoya asked. The pastors' wife just stared at her with her mouth wide open in shock. "If life gets any harder than this then you can jus' have the Bug Lady kill me right now." As if on cue the pastor and the social worker opened up the front door.

"Great news, kids," the pastor said. "We think we found someplace for you two to go."

"Mrs. Watson?" Ronald asked with a smile on his face. He liked Mrs. Watson. She always gave him candy when she saw him and food when Lucia was not around.

"No," the pastor responded with a tone too close to confusion but far from certainty. "Miss May."

Latoya grabbed Ronald by his broken arm and ran into the kitchen and straight into the backyard. There was a police officer there looking around. He turned quickly when the door flew open, drawing his gun in one fluid motion. Ronald pulled his arm away from Latoya and raised his hands in the air. The police officer sighed and put his gun back in its holster.

"What are you kids doing back here?" he asked.

"We live here," Latoya replied. She heard the backdoor opening and broke into a sprint towards Mrs. Watson's house. The pastor and his wife burst through the door and saw them climbing the fence.

"Stop them!" he shouted to the police officer. The officer immediately gave chase. Latoya pounded on Mrs. Watson's door, as the officer was about to grab Ronald. Latoya gave up on the door and climbed the next fence.

"Stop!" the officer shouted at the children.

"Keep up!" Latoya shouted at Ronald. "We can't let them catch us!" Ronald was panting heavily. He was not as fast or athletic as Latoya.

"I'm tryin'!" Ronald replied. "Where we even goin'?"

"Anywhere but here," Latoya said as the climbed the next fence. She had to pull Ronald over. They were just one fence away from Miss May's yard before Latoya realized that they were out of places to run with the police officer just one yard away. "Crap."

"Hello, children" the kids heard silently behind them through the hole in the fence caused by Miss May grabbing Ronald's cast earlier. Miss May was peeking through and smiling. "Welcome home" she said as Latoya grabbed Ronald again they headed to the front of the neighbors house.

The police officer was just clearing the fence as Latoya and Ronald made it to the front yard. Latoya could see the crowd still gathered around Lucia. Ronald tugged her arm and pointed towards the police officer about fifteen feet away from them.

"Let's go!" Latoya shouted as they both began to run again. Just as they were passing Miss May's house the sprinklers started, causing them to slip and fall. The police officer stopped and walked over to them and grabbed them by their arms.

"What is wrong with you two?" he asked. "Don't you see we are trying to help you?"

"If you really wanna help us, just let us go!" Latoya shouted at him.

The officer motioned to the pastor, his wife, and Ms. Davis. They quickly made their way over. The neighbors, smelling more drama in the air, quickly followed. As the parade got closer Latoya looked at Ronald, whose eyes were welling up with tears. She looked up at the officer who was still waiting for everyone to arrive and kicked him hard in the shins. He shouted and released his hold on the two of them.

Latoya and Ronald ran off down the street, disappearing around the corner.

The crowd arrived, bursting with excitement at the new turn of events. The pastor made his way to the front of the crowd and grabbed the officer by the arms.

"Why did you let them get away?" he shouted.

"Get your goddamn hands off of me!" the officer screamed in his face. The pastor slapped the officer across the face.

"How dare you use the Lord's name in vain?!" he hissed as he turned to address the crowd. "Now everyone let's just settle do-" he said before the officer kicked him in the back of his knees, causing him to collapse to the ground. The pastors' wife gasped and made a move towards him, only stopping after noticing that the officer had his gun drawn.

"Everyone needs to get back to his or her homes now!" he shouted as no one made an attempt to move. "I am not playing! Get back to your ho-" he said before suddenly gagging.

"Not again..." the pastors' wife moaned as the officer fell to his knees. He dropped his gun and began pulling worms out of his mouth. The crowd screamed and moved in closer for a better look. At this point the other policemen and EMT's noticed the commotion and ran over, shoving people out of the way. They slapped the officer on his back but that did nothing but make more worms come out.

From an upstairs window Miss May stood shaking her head in disgust. She could not believe that the children got away. She was so close. She looked down at her hand and dropped what appeared to be a clump of hair with some skin attached to it to the floor. She sighed and walked away, shutting her shades. Suddenly the policeman stopped gagging and spat out a few more worms.

As he got to his feet he walked right past everyone watching and headed straight to his patrol car. He sat behind his wheel and closed his eyes as he began to cry.

Images of every wrong thing he had ever done played before his eyelids. He opened them, too ashamed of what he saw but they would not stop. On his windshield he saw himself climbing into his daughters bed. He saw himself buttoning his pants back while leaving his little sisters room as a teen. He saw the look of horror on his wife's face as he tried to explain what he was doing with their niece. He began screaming and pounding the steering wheel.

"I didn't mean to! God help me, I didn't!" he shouted as a few officers ran over to him. He embraced one of the officers who tried to console him. Suddenly he grabbed the other officers' pistol placing the gun into his mouth, digging so hard that it cut his tongue before pulling the trigger. The crowd, who had been watching from a distance all shouted. They were halfway to the scene before his body hit the ground. This was the most action the street had seen in years.

A few blocks away Ronald was heaving so hard that Latoya finally decided that they were at a safe enough distance. As they ran she noticed that no one was still in pursuit of them.

"I can't run no more," Ronald gasped.

"Let's go in here," Latoya said while motioning towards the liquor store. As they entered Ronald's eyes suddenly lit up bright. He broke free from Latoya and ran up to a large Black man in a gold Adidas track suit with white Nike's and hugged his legs.

"Daddy!" Ronald screamed.

"What the fuck ya'll doin' here?" Their father, Nathaniel, asked. "Lucia gonna beat ya'll asses when she finds out you here."

"Lucia dead, daddy," Latoya said. He placed his beer and cigarettes on the counter and knelt down so that he was eye to eye with Latoya.

"What I tell you about sayin' shit like that?" Nathaniel asked. "When she do die you gon' feel bad."

"Well, she is and I don't," Latoya replied. Nathaniel looked at Ronald and he had his head down. A tear rolled down his cheek and fell on his cast.

"What happened to your arm?" Nathaniel asked Ronald.

"That doesn't matter," Latoya said before Ronald could respond. "But there is police all over the house. Lucia got killed by the Bug Lady! The city people are tryin' to make us move in with her! We gotta keep runnin'!"

"What is she talkin' about, Ronnie?" Nathaniel asked.

"Mama had worms comin' outta her mouth and she couldn't breath so she is gonna be like grandma and everything" Ronald said. His father just looked at him and then at Latoya.

"Fuck," he said. "Fuck. I picked the wrong time to bring my Black ass back home."

"Daddy, we gotta go now" Latoya pleaded. Even though they were blocks away from home Latoya felt like any second either the police or even worse the Bug Lady would show up. She began looking towards the door nervously. Nathaniel hugged the two of them.

"Lemme get to the house and see what's happenin'," Nathaniel said.

"Did you hear anything I jus' said?!" Latoya screamed. "I swear my life is turnin' into a bad movie!"

"Dontchu raise your voice and me, Latoya," Nathaniel said. "I'm goin' back to the house and you two are comin' with me."

"Latoya said that one of us has to die before anyone believes us" Ronald said.

"Everything yo sister say ain't true" Nathaniel said. "Now come on. Ain't nobody dyin'."

Nathaniel walked the kids over to his car. A long green 1983 Cadillac. Latoya sat in the back seat while Ronald sat up front with his father. Latoya wanted to sit in the back so she could duck if the pastor, his wife, the social worker, or that policeman saw her. Ronald was too happy to see his father that he didn't care what happened. He smiled as if he no longer feared the Bug Lady. "That stupid kinda confidence that gets kids killed in movies," Latoya thought to herself.

As they pulled onto their street Latoya sank down into the back seat. Ronald waved at the social worker and stuck his tongue out at her as they passed. Nathaniel slowed down but did not stop, for which Latoya was very grateful.

"There mama," Ronald said while pointing to her covered body. "I don' know who that is though" he said while pointing to the police officers body. "I bet the Bug Lady got 'em though."

"Can we hurry up?" Latoya asked. She was peeking over the seat at the crowd that gathered. Suddenly someone pounded on the rear window causing Nathaniel to slam on the breaks. It was the pastor. "Drive, daddy!" Latoya shouted.

"Why is Pastor Jones actin' a fool?" Nathaniel asked as he climbed out of the car.

"I am so sorry about Lucia" Pastor Jones said. "Me and my wife tried to help her but..." he said, not quite sure how to bring up how Lucia had died. "There was no pain" he lied.

"What?!" Latoya shouted. "What do you mean 'no pain'? It looked painful to me!"

"Ya'll saw her die?" Nathaniel asked. "Pastor, how you let the kids see that kinda shit?"

"They insisted," he said.

"But they jus' kids" Nathaniel said. He was beginning to get angry and Latoya, as much as she did not like the pastor, did not want to see what would happen if he got angry. "You tellin' me that you can't stop a few kids?!"

"Now just calm down, Nathan," Pastor Jones said while holding his hands up and backing away.

"No, you calm the fuck down!" Nathaniel screamed.

"Daddy..." Latoya said as three officers made their way towards the commotion.

"It's okay, baby," Nathaniel said as he slowly backed away from Pastor Jones.

"Is there a problem here?" one of the officers asked as his hand slowly slid towards his nightstick.

"Not at all," Pastor Jones said. "He is just upset about his wife, that's all."

Nathaniel looked at the officers as they turned around and walked back towards the second covered up body. Ronald got out of the car and stood next to his father. He looked like a miniature version of Nathaniel. Latoya looked exactly like her mother who had died a while back. They all walked towards Lucia's body. Nathaniel scratched at his beard and tugged on his earring. This was something Latoya knew he did when he was nervous. She had seen him do it whenever they got pulled over or when a police car was behind them. She took his hand and squeezed it.

"Thanks, babygirl" Nathaniel said as they neared Lucia. One of the coroners on scene was about to stop them when Pastor Jones waved him away. The coroner shrugged and back away. Nathaniel lifted the sheet and jumped back. "What the fuck happened to her?!" he screamed.

"Worms," Pastor Jones replied.

"Ain't no worms do this shit!" Nathaniel shouted.

Pastor Jones walked a little closer and saw the condition of Lucia's face. He gagged and crossed himself before grabbing the kids and running back towards Nathaniel's car. Nathaniel tried to cover her face but was afraid to touch her. He face was completely swollen and black. Her lips were bright pink with grubs crawling around her eyes. The coroner walked back to the body, only his frightened eyes visible over his mask.

He ran over to a policeman, frantically removing the mask.

"Her face didn't look like that a minute ago!" he shouted. This caused the crowd to once again explode with glee. They pushed their way past the police, attempting to catch a glimpse of next weeks biggest story.

From her side window Miss May smiled as she headed downstairs to the kitchen to boil more water.

"Fuck this!" Nathaniel shouted. "I'm gon' fuck that old bitch up!" Nathaniel ran towards Miss May's house while Latoya chased after him.

"Daddy, stop!" Latoya shouted. "You don' understand her! She got powers!" Latoya caught up to her father and grabbed him by his jacket. "Daddy, she is gonna kill you!"

"Ain't no old ass lady gon' kill me, Latoya! Now let me go!" Nathaniel pulled away from her causing her to fall to the ground and continued. By now the crowd had caught up and waited to see what could possibly happen next. Some of them wondered aloud how fun church next week would be. The neighborhood kids actually wished that it was not summer and that school was in session so that they too could discuss what was happening.

"Daddy, don't die, okay?" Ronald said.

"Boy, I am gon' beat that lady like a drum" Nathaniel said while patting Ronald on the shoulder. "Jus' you see." Nathaniel continued towards Miss May's house.

"Stop!" an officer shouted. "I hope you don't expect us to just allow you to attack an old lady while we just sit back and watch."

"I wasn't expectin' you to," Nathaniel said. "But I would strongly suggest you do." He had a look of pure hate in his eyes. He had never been in love with Lucia. He met her about six years ago. She was on Normandie selling herself for enough money to get her next fix. But he saw that she had once been beautiful. He felt that he could change her. He believed that if she were pregnant that she would finally settle down. He thought he was right until he saw her back on the corner he had met her. She was four months pregnant.

Nathaniel floated in and out of Lucia's life after that. He was not there for Ronald's birth but stopped by every once in a while to check up on him. Nathaniel was not even sure that Ronald was his child until he was about five and his features became more dominant. Since then he has been as good a father as he could be. Right now he felt that his son's life was in danger and the only way he knew how to respond to a threat was to attack it until it stopped moving. The police stepped aside. Nathaniel mouthed "thanks" and continued towards Miss May's house.

"What do you think you're doing?" someone asked. Nathaniel turned and saw Mrs. Watson right behind him. "If something happens to you your kids are going to be in the same spot they were in ten minutes ago: No parents. Is that what you want?"

"What kinda man would I be if I didn't do something to help my kids?" Nathaniel asked.

"What kind of man would you be if you beat an old lady?" Mrs. Watson responded.

"The kind that beats two for the price of one if you don't get out my way" Nathaniel said as he continued walking. He arrived at Miss May's with the crowd behind him and his children at his side. He ran to the front door and pounded on it. After a moment it slowly opened. Miss May stood with her arms crossed and water dripping down her apron.

"Nathaniel? I didn't know you were out" Miss May said as she opened her arms wide for a hug. Nathaniel looked at her and spat in her face. "That wasn't nice at all" Miss May said as the saliva rolled down her brow and over her lips. A small wisp of smoke came from her mouth, startling Nathaniel.

"What the fuck are you?" Nathaniel asked as he backed away slowly.

"Where you think you goin'?" Miss May asked. "I'm jus' gettin' started." Nathaniel's eyes got large as he grasped his throat.

"No!" Latoya screamed. She tried to run towards her father but Pastor Jones grabbed her by the arms. Ronald was frozen where he stood, the front of his pants getting wetter by the moment.

"You're the Devil, ain't you?" Nathaniel gasped. He could feel something trying to work its way up his throat unsuccessfully.

"Not even close" Miss May replied. She scratched the stray hairs on her chin and Nathaniel fell to his knees. "Ya'll wanna help him?" Miss May asked. No one approached. Even Latoya who was now free from the grip of Pastor Jones did not approach. "Scared of a little old lady?" Miss May smiled, her yellow teeth causing a few to gag. The police did not even dare reach for their weapons for fear of the same fate that befell their comrade.

"Goddamn demon!" Nathaniel shouted as he threw a punch connecting with Miss May's jaw. She rolled with it and took a step back. Many winced at the sound as his fist met her jaw. Nathaniel fell in her doorway, collapsing to her hardwood floor. "Demon..."

"That punch should've killed her," one officer said as he crossed himself.

"I don' think she can die," Latoya said.

"Lord help us all," Pastor Jones said as he slowly backed away.

"Are ya'll finished?" Miss May asked.

"I think so!" one of the neighbors shouted from the crowd.

"Good" Miss May replied. "I got some greens cookin' and I don' want 'em burnin'," she said as stood over Nathaniel's unconscious body. "Somebody come get this fool off my porch." No one made a move. Miss May sighed and reared back and kicked Nathaniel in the ribs. He flew off the porch and tumbled down the stairs, landing hard on the lawn.

"Daddy, you okay?" Ronald asked as he knelt down near his father. Nathaniel moaned and rubbed his ribs.

"Ya'll need Jesus" Miss May said as she slammed her door.

The next day the street was quiet. No children played. No adults worked in the yard. The spot where Lucia had died had been hosed down multiple times and sprinkled with Ajax. Ronald stood in the living room peeking through the curtains. He saw a neighbor stuck their head out their door, quickly grab the newspaper, and vanish back inside.

"It's too quiet," Ronald said aloud. He closed the curtain and sat down on the couch. He looked at a picture of Lucia that sat on the coffee table. Nathaniel had put a candle down next to the photo. It was a very old picture of Lucia, long before she had a child or let her life fade into the sad story it had become. "What we gon' do today?" Ronald asked Latoya who sat on the floor with her legs crossed and a notepad on her lap.

"We are gonna get rid of the Bug Lady" Latoya said without looking up from her notes. "Did you notice anything crazy about what she did to daddy?" she asked.

"What'chu mean?" Ronald said.

"Like, when she made me throw up them worms I didn't die. Then when she did it to yo mama she did die" she said, counting the instances off with her fingers. "But when she did it to daddy he just kinda choked, right?"

"Yeah" Ronald replied. "He didn't even spit no worms out."

"Exactly" Latoya said. "When that happened I thought of sumthin' Mrs. Watson had said."

"But you said she didn't say anything important" Ronald said, looking at his sister suspiciously.

"Well, it wasn't important until now," Latoya said while looking up from her pad to let Ronald see that he was annoying her. "She had said 'it only matter what you believe.'"

"So?" Ronald asked. He was not following where Latoya was heading with her train of thought.

"When was the last time you saw daddy in church?" Latoya asked.

"Once, but I think he was lookin' for mama," Ronald replied.

"Daddy ain't religious the way few people is" Latoya said. "He believe in God but he ain't scared of God. Am I makin' any sense?"

"Not really," Ronald replied. "How can he believe in God but not be scared of Him?"

"Most of the people at church are scared of God the way you are...well, were or Lucia" Latoya said. "You do bad stuff sometimes and hope she don't find out and while you doin' it you hope they will forgive you. See?"

"Kinda," Ronald replied. "Like when we would sneak an' get food from Mrs. Watson and not tell mama?"

"Yeah, like that," Latoya said. She was visibly relieved that Ronald finally understood her. "Now daddy does bad stuff sometimes but he never asks to be forgiven. I don't think he is afraid to die."

"What that gotta do with the Bug Lady or Mrs. Watson?" Ronald asked. Latoya could see she was losing him again and had to slow down.

"Remember yesterday we heard some of the people on the street say that that policeman did the worm thing?" Ronald nodded. "They said he kept screamin' 'bout bein' sorry. Lucia couldn't scream but I bet she was tryin' to ask for forgiveness." Latoya sat quietly for a few moments before continuing. "I think the Bug Lady uses God against people somehow."

"How?" Ronald asked. He was scared enough of the Bug Lady with worms as her weapon. He did not want to imagine what she could do with God as her own personal machine gun.

"Faith as a weapon," Latoya said. "I think she can only really get you if you have what Pastor Jones called 'shaky faith.' Daddy barely got any so she couldn't do to him what she did to Lucia an' that policeman."

"I don' wanna stop believin' in God just to stop the Bug Lady" Ronald said with panic in his voice.

"You won't," Latoya said. "Let's go over Mrs. Watson house. I think she can help us."

Miss May stood in her kitchen staring at the stove. She had three large pots of water boiling and sighed as she sat waiting for more steam to rise from them. She slowly made her way to the hallway and listened for a sound. She heard nothing and grunted. Miss May walked upstairs and looked at all of the closed doors. Suddenly the last one at the far end on the right swung open and three young girls rushed towards her. She smiled and let them continue running by her.

They were halfway down the stairs before they saw Miss May waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. Miss May smiled and suddenly she was in their faces, smoke bellowing out of her mouth like a locomotive out of control. She grabbed on of the girls and pitched her the down the last half of the stairs. She landed with a loud smack half on the stairs half on the floor, her body at a terrible angle. The other two stood frozen in place.

"Where you thank you goin'?" Miss May asked. "I give ya'll a home, food, and love. This is how ya'll repay me?" She grabbed each of them by their necks and threw them down next to the first girl. One of them tried to get back to her feet but her leg made a very loud cracking sound and she collapsed back onto the pile. Miss May walked back to the kitchen and checked on the water. "Good," she said as she grabbed one of the pots, the handle sizzling as it touched her skin. "'But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.'" She dumped the first pot all over the girls as they screamed. "Oh, stop bein' such babies," Miss May said as she threw the pot down and went for another one.

As Latoya and Ronald were about to make their way over to Mrs. Watson's house their father Nathaniel came out of Lucia's bedroom. He looked at them and smiled, relieving Latoya. She was afraid that he would be upset that they were going anywhere so soon after what had occurred the previous day.

"Where ya'll headin' off to?" Nathaniel asked as Latoya tied Ronald's shoes. "It ain't like any kids' is out there."

"To Mrs. Watson's," Latoya replied. "We think she can help us fight the Bug Lady."

"For real?" Nathaniel asked. "And how you plan on doin' that?" Nathaniel asked. Latoya could see that he was not taking them seriously. She bit her tongue and pulled her backpack over her shoulder. "I'm serious. How ya'll gon' try an' fight that crazy old bitch? By yourselves?"

"How you feelin', daddy?" Ronald asked.

"Better" Nathaniel replied. Since what happened the day before at Miss May's house he had not coughed up worms or any other form of insect. "Actually, I haven't felt this good in years!"

"Really?" Latoya asked suspiciously.

"Yeah," Nathaniel said. "I ain't felt this good since I was little."

"Hmm," Latoya said. Ronald could see that she was thinking of something but could not figure out what. Ronald always wished that he were as smart as Latoya. Or at least as tall as her. He felt like his father did not quite love him as much as he should because of the way he looked. Nathaniel was a big, strong man. Confident and charming. Ronald was the complete opposite of those. He was small, weak, shy, and all the girls at school hated him.

"Any police stop by today?" Nathaniel asked.

"Nope," Latoya said. In fact there had not been any form of policemen in the neighborhood. There were at least three patrols in the neighborhood before noon on a regular day. But today she and Ronald had not seen any.

"I ain't surprised after what happened yesterday," Nathaniel said. "Well, ya'll go over Mrs. Watson, but don't be bringin' up any of this crazy Lady Bug shit."

"'Bug Lady'," Ronald corrected him.

"Whatever" Nathaniel said as he headed back to the bedroom. "I'll go to the sto' later to get some food. Ain't shit in that fridge."

"Okay," Latoya said. "We'll see you later." With that they went next door to Mrs. Watson to share their theories on Miss May and how they thought she could be defeated.

In the backyard Miss May was patting the dirt flat on three fresh new graves. She looked at the upstairs windows and none of the curtains moved. She smiled to herself as she spat on each of the graves. She bent down and dug a small hole in each grave with her bare hands. When the hole was about one foot deep she placed worms from a large pickle jar into them. Once that was complete she placed the dirt back in the holes and wiped her hands off on her apron.

"My own little Valley of Achor, Lord," Miss May said aloud. "It's been quite a while since I had the time to speak to you, Lord" Miss May said while looking at her hands. The day was a bright, beautiful perfect Los Angeles summer. In moments dark clouds rolled over the city. Clouds pregnant with water waited in anticipation. A slow rumble, deep and as menacing as any childhood fear, soothed the clouds into submission. "One on one, I mean," she said as she chuckled to herself. "All's I wanna know, Lord, is when am I done? When do I get to come back home? Hmm?"

The sky crackled with lightning as rain poured down on the city. Miss May removed her large brimmed straw hat and let the rain wash over her. Her hair, a few stray strands of gray, clung to her face. Rain ran over her eyes, but unblinkingly she stood and let the water soak every inch of her.

"'Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.'" Miss May placed her hat back on and spat on the ground once again, a trail of smoke following the brown liquid to the ground. "I was not His whore, Lord. And I won't be yours either." Miss May grabbed the large jar of worms and flung it against the side of her house. Worms slithered here and there. Some did not move at all. Miss May looked at the curtains. This time they moved. She smiled as she grabbed the shovel and dragged it towards the front door.

At Mrs. Watson's house Latoya and Ronald sat opposite her in a very large living room. There was a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a large pitcher of milk on the table. Ronald crammed two cookies into his mouth as Latoya fumbled with one than ate it. Mrs. Watson sat patiently waiting for the children to speak.

"I wanna ask you somthin'," Latoya finally said.

"Okay," Mrs. Watson said. "You know you two can ask me anything. Well, almost anything" she added while laughing to herself.

"What do you know about the Bug Lady?" Latoya asked.

"I know her name is Beatrice Eleanor Hannah May" Mrs. Watson replied. "Not 'Bug Lady'."

"That's a lotta names" Ronald said between mouthfuls of cookies.

"She's a 'lotta' woman" Mrs. Watson said. "She has been in this neighborhood for well over sixty years. I remember her when I was a little girl."

"Man, how old is she?!" Latoya asked with far too much enthusiasm. Mrs. Watson raised her eyebrow. "Sorry."

"No offense taken, Latoya," Mrs. Watson said. "The thing is that she looked as old now as she did then." Mrs. Watson sat forward, leaning closer to the children and speaking in a lower voice as if even from the comfort and safety of her own home Miss May would be able to hear her. "I am talking about when I was a little girl Miss May was around 70 years old."

"That doesn't make no sense though," Latoya said. "That would mean she is way over 100 years old."

"I'm not saying anything. Just that she was old when I was young" Mrs. Watson said while leaning back on her sofa. "And I am now over 60 and she still alive and well. Take that however you want."

"Last night and this mornin' I was thinkin' about what happened yesterday," Latoya said.

"I am so sorry about what happened to Lucia," Mrs. Watson said.

"Thanks, I guess," Latoya said, shrugging . "Uh, anyway, I got to thinkin' 'bout how she couldn't kill my daddy with the worms like she did with Lucia and that policeman."

"Uh-huh," Mrs. Watson said.

"Well, I think its 'cause he ain't scared of God and ain't religious like Lucia was" Latoya said.

"Hmm. You're very bright," Mrs. Watson said.

"Thank you," Latoya said, trying not to blush.

"But you're wrong," Mrs. Watson said, the smile vanishing from Latoya's face. "No, child, you are on the right path. Do you know what those worms represent?"

"No," both children replied.

"Sin," Mrs. Watson said. "Well, sins more specifically."

"I ain't never sinned and I did the worm thing," Latoya said.

"Baby, we all done sinned at some point in our lives," Mrs. Watson said.

"Even you?" Ronald asked.

"Yes, even me," Mrs. Watson said. "You ever notice how Miss May looks at me? Its because she knows that I know more than I should. I have watched kids go in her house and never come out for decades now. I don't pretend to like her like most people at church do. I know in my heart that she is evil."

"Then how come she ain't tried to kill you?" Ronald asked.

"Because I have made peace with the Lord," Mrs. Watson said. "She could not kill me if she tried. Lucia, well, led a life that is not favored by the Lord." Latoya nodded while Ronald shoved another cookie into his mouth. "Who knows what that policeman did with his life? Nathaniel, as much as he has done, did everything he did for you two and Lucia. Just because a man steals bread for his family does not make him a thief."

"I think I get it," Latoya said. "Since Lucia was the way she was she, like, choked on her sins. Same for the policeman."

"Exactly" Mrs. Watson said. "'Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

"What's that?" Ronald asked.

"Matthew 5:1,12," Latoya said. "Come on, Ronald. Thank you, Mrs. Watson" Latoya said as she shoved her notes back into her backpack.

"What do you plan on doing, Latoya?" Mrs. Watson asked.

"Somethin' good I hope," she replied. Ronald hugged Mrs. Watson as they left. Mrs. Watson waved and closed the door after them.

"Or something none of us succeeded at," Mrs. Watson said as she watched the kids walk towards Miss May's house. She wished she could tell the kids more but already felt she had said too much.

As they neared Miss May's house Ronald grabbed Latoya by the hand and turned her around. She looked at him with impatience as he danced in place. She knew that he was about to wet himself and did not want to run back home and let him use the restroom. She had a feeling that if they did not go to Miss May's house right now that her mind would find a reason to put it off for another day.

"Don't!" she screamed at Ronald.

"Gimme a second!" he said as he grabbed the front of his jeans while dancing in place.

"You know I stopped peein' myself when I was like 2, right?" Latoya said.

"I ain't you, so leave me alone!" Ronald said. After a few more moments he stopped and took a deep breath. "Okay."

"You sure?" Latoya asked.

"Yeah," Ronald said.

"Then let's go," Latoya said as they made their way towards Miss May's house.

They arrived and looked at the home. It seemed much larger than either of them remembered. As soon as Latoya took a step on the walkway the sprinklers came on. Latoya smacked her lips and continued forward. A few drops of water hit her arm and legs and she screamed and jumped back onto the sidewalk.

"It's hot!" she said while rubbing her legs. "Like, hot hot!"

"Won't that kill her grass?" Ronald asked.

"If she kills people I don' think she will have a problem killin' her stupid grass" Latoya said. "Let's see if we can get aroun' some other way."

They went to the side door that led to the backyard. Ronald stopped mid-step and listened. Latoya put her ear to the fence and listened as well. She heard nothing but Ronald stayed where he was. Latoya motioned for him to come closer but he shook his head and pointed towards the door. Latoya turned around and saw the outline of someone behind the gate.

"What ya'll thank ya'll doin'?" Miss May asked before the gate exploded off its hinges. Latoya grabbed Ronald and he fell to the ground. She tried to pull him up be he would not budge. She grabbed him by his broken arm and he screamed. Suddenly he was on his feet and making his way back home. "I don't want him anyway," Miss May said. "I want the daughter of the whore."

"I wasn't her daughter," Latoya said. She tried to look Miss May in the eye but could not because of her large hat. "She was my step-mama."

"You still stink of her," Miss May said. "That's close enough for me." Miss May flew towards Latoya far too quickly for any human to have been able to. Latoya ducked, just missing a garden claw that Miss May pulled from no place Latoya could see. Latoya landed on her knees and spun just in time to see Miss May turn to face her. Smoke bellowed from her mouth and nose. "You sho' is fast."

"So are you, Bug Lady" Latoya said as she ran into the backyard. She tripped on a mound of dirt and landed hard, smacking her chin on the ground. She rolled to her back and saw Miss May slowly coming towards her.

"Your mother was not a very good woman" Miss May said. "No shame. Bringin' men into her home at all hours of the night."

"She wasn't my mama!" Latoya screamed.

"I got sumthin' special saved up for you, chil'," Miss May said. "It won't be the hot water or the worms like it was with the others" she said as she seemed to glide towards Latoya. "I am gon' savor this. I am gon' take my sweet time."

"You ain't gon' do nuthin'," Latoya said while rising up and holding her fists up.

"You gon' try an' fight me?" Miss May asked. She smiled and placed her hands in her pocket. She pulled them out and threw fistfuls of worms at Latoya. She ducked and ran towards Miss May. At the last second she ran to the left and out of the backyard. "If it was that easy dont'chu thank them kids' woulda got away from me?" Miss May asked. The sprinklers shot water out at twice the previous force. The water was now so hot that there was more steam than liquid coming out.

"My daddy said you were a demon," Latoya said, trying to keep some distance between her and Miss May. "But you ain't a demon."

"You're right, chil'," Miss May said. "I ain't."

"You're an angel," Latoya said. Miss May stopped walking towards her and smiled.

"That's so sweet of you to say that," Miss May said before she continued to approach. "But I'm still gon' get you." Latoya threw her backpack down and pulled out some scraps of paper. She found one and read it aloud.

"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" Latoya quoted. Miss May smiled. "Samyaza, Urakabarameel, Akibeel, Tamiel, Ramuel, Danel, Azkeel, Saraknyal, Asael, Armers, Batraal, Anane, Zavebe, Samsaveel, Ertael, Turel, Yomyael, Azazyel..." Latoya shouted rapidly as Miss May got within three feet of her.

She hoped that by saying the names of the original fallen angles, cast from heaven for revealing to man the sins of astrology and lust would do something to Miss May. Turn her to dust or make her burst into flames. But Miss May continued living.

"Ain't heard them names in a long time, little one," Miss May said, "What you know about them?"

"I know that you are evil and that God will help me get rid of you somehow," Latoya said as she tripped and landed hard on her bottom. The steaming water burned her hands as she grabbed at the grass and mud.

"Penemue!" someone shouted from behind Latoya.

"I suggest you run along home," Miss May said. "This ain't none of yo business."

"But it is" Mrs. Watson said. Ronald stood behind her, clutching her hand. "This has been going on long enough. It's time you went Home."

"I am home, you whore!" Miss May shouted as she glided towards Mrs. Watson. "Shamsiel?" Miss May said as she stopped within inches of Mrs. Watson's face. "No. You ain't Shamsiel. But you some kin, ain't you?"

"They nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen. I will take vengeance and I will not meet thee..." Mrs. Watson said. "...as a man."

"You won't be doin' nothin' to me, 'Mrs. Watson'," Miss May said. The smoke coming from her mouth so thickly now that even her face was obscured. "You teach these people sacred gifts and have the nerve to judge me?" Miss May laughed as she took a few steps away from Mrs. Watson.

"What the hell is goin' on?" Latoya asked aloud. "Are you an angel, too?" Latoya asked Mrs. Watson. Ignoring the question Mrs. Watson walked over to Latoya and helped her up. When she touched her arm Latoya felt a warmth she had experienced only once before.

When she was maybe 3 years old she had gotten separated from her mother at a grocery store. Just when she thought she would never find her again she appeared around an aisle and ran to her. She picked her up and gave her a hug that seemed to absorb her. There was so much love in that contact. Pure love. This is what she felt right now. Her eyes began to roll into the back of her head it felt so good.

Miss May smiled and screams could be heard from inside her house. Everyone looked up and saw flames licking at the curtains like hungry snakes.

"You do a lot of talking for a scribe, Penemue" Mrs. Watson said. She moved Latoya behind her and closed her eyes.

"'Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church'," Miss May said while smiling.

"You twist your own words" Mrs. Watson said.

"'If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son then shall his father and his mother bring him out unto the elders of his city. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die'," Miss May said while looking at Ronald who ducked his head behind Mrs. Watson.

Latoya stepped from behind Mrs. Watson and looked directly at Miss May. "You changed so much of it to make it look like He was the bad one, huh?" she asked.

"As only an entrusted scribe could," Mrs. Watson said as she looked at the children. "I want you two to go and help those kids inside, okay?" Latoya and Ronald nodded. "I don't want you to see what is about to happen." She knew that she was only delaying Miss May for the time being.

"What's gon' happen?" Latoya asked.

"Sumthin' cool," Ronald said with a tinge on disappointment.

"Go now," Mrs. Watson said.

"You let them go an' they ain't comin' out alive" Miss May said. She removed her hat and dropped it to the ground. "How long you know sumthin' 'bout me? Huh? You stay 'round lettin' all those po' kids die, for what? You too scared to stop me? Yeah, that's it." Miss May rubbed the back of her neck and coughed into a cloth. She dropped it, worms dripping over the sides. "Thang is...you don't know everything 'bout me."

Suddenly a flash of light hit Mrs. Watson. She was being bombarded with so many images and sounds that she almost prayed for death. Miss May wasn't just an old servant of God. She was a plague on humanity.

She saw Miss May naked in what appeared to be Africa. She saw her being burned alive, laughing, as hundreds of villagers called her a witch.

She saw Miss May, hunched over, covered in filth, but smiling being brought over on slave ships to America.

She saw Miss May standing alone surrounded by hundreds of dead slaves as the ship arrived. Miss May being whipped by slave masters and not only smiling, but laughing.

Miss May being hung yet not dying.

Miss May buried alive and digging herself free.

Miss May at the funeral for Abraham Lincoln's son.

Miss May hiding in the hills watching the country expand West. Miss May settling in a young Los Angeles.

Miss May's multiple marriages.

Miss May digging hundreds of graves and humming to herself

Miss May watching Mrs. Watson as a child.

Inside the house Latoya and Ronald held hands as the smoke began to fill the downstairs area. They heard shouts and screams from upstairs and slowly made their way up. Holding onto the handrail they found their way to the hallway where all the children were kept. Ronald grabbed one of the doorknobs and pulled his hand away screaming. It was so hot it glowed red.

They felt the house shake. Latoya thought she heard Mrs. Watson shout. Latoya ran to a closet and found some towels. She almost dropped it when she saw it was crawling with grubs. She shook off as many as she could and wrapped it around the doorknob and twisted. It would not budge. Ronald tapped her on the shoulder. Latoya turned and saw he had a large ax in his hand. She took it and reared back, holding the ax over her head.

"If you by the door, get back!" she screamed as she brought the ax down on the center of the door. It made a vertical hole in the door. Immediately it was filled with crying eyes. Pleading eyes. Dying eyes. "Move back!" she shouted as she hit the door again. Hands began pulling away at the crack in the door.

"Do it again!" Ronald shouted as he began to cough from the smoke. The house shook once more. Latoya motioned for the children to move as she swung the ax so hard the handle broke in the center. The door cracked even further, enough to allow arms to reach through. She and Ronald now helped the children pull the door apart at the hole. Suddenly a small boy of maybe 3 was shoved through. He lay limp in Latoya's arms. The hole got bigger. Two more small children were shoved through. Latoya kicked the door making the hole large enough for the four children inside to squeeze their way through.

"Who left?" Latoya asked while covering her mouth. Not just because she could barely breathe due to the smoke. But also because the children smelled so terribly.

"That's all of us," a boy of maybe 13 replied. "She took the others last night."

"How many others?" Latoya asked. She did not actually want to hear the answer.

"Ten," a small girl said. Latoya felt tears well in her eyes. Not so much from the thick, choking smoke that filled over corner of the house than from the fact that if she had done something sooner ten more kids would be alive right now.

"Everyone make a chain," Latoya said. "Don't let go, no matter what!" They all held hands, Latoya holding one of the smaller children and the older children holding the others under their arms. They slowly made their way down the stairs.

"This is the part of the movie where the stairs buckle underneath us and we all dangle above some huge hole filled with fire" Latoya thought to herself. But the stairs held fast. They made it towards the front door when suddenly there was a scream from the back of the human chain. It was Ronald. His pant legs were on fire. "Somebody grab some water!" Latoya shouted as she handed a child to one of the children and ran to her brother

"Help me!" Ronald shouted as he tried putting the flames out with his hands and his "cast." The plastic on his "cast" burst into flames as well. One of the children shouted from the kitchen and ran back into the living room.

"The waters too hot!" he shouted.

"I can't let my brother burn to death!" Latoya screamed as she tried to put the flames out with her backpack. Ronald rolled on the ground as he was taught in school to do if you ever found yourself in a situation many prayed they never would. "Stop it, Ronnie! You jus' makin' it worse!" A large beam from the ceiling cracked from the extreme heat and landed on Ronald's back, just missing Latoya. The flames burned her eyebrows it was so close. Ronald stopped moving. His face was frozen in fear. His mouth moved a few times like a fish that had been suddenly removed from its tank. His eyes fluttered and his mouth closed as his head thumped against the floor.

"We gotta go!" one of the children screamed as he stood near the door. "It's about to burn down!"

"Not without my brother!" Latoya shouted. "Help me! Somebody...help me" One of the boys grabbed her by her underarms and dragged her through the front door and out onto the porch. She tried to punch and kick herself free but the boy held her. They all landed hard, coughing and spitting soot from their mouths. Some blowing it out of their noses. All around the front yard neighbors stood and watched. None of them had intentions of helping.

People still talk of that day. The day it rained fire and thunder on one street in Los Angeles. Over time it became more of a myth than of a day where lives were lost far too soon. On that day one child died saving seven. Latoya still visits Ronald's grave every month to place new flowers. She still sees Mrs. Watson sometimes but it is not the same.

Latoya is in college and it gets harder and harder to make time for lengthy conversations. Coming to her old neighborhood always fills her with dread and regret of what happened that day. Her father Nathaniel told her to never speak of what happened. At least not what really happened.

"They'll lock yo ass up in the puzzle factory talkin' that crazy shit!" he would say.

Once in a while Latoya will go to the spot where Miss May's house was. A church was built in the location where Miss May's house stood was burned down before the first sermon could be spoken. The city tried building a playground there but no child who knew of the Bug Lady would play there and the stories of her kept new kids from even attempting to venture further than its fence. After much searching and investigations they discovered the remains of over seventy-eight bodies. Two adults believed to be Miss May's husbands.

The rest children.

Years later at her fathers funeral Latoya sat with Mrs. Watson. She looked much older than Latoya remembered. She still had the same smile but the warmth she had felt that day so long ago was not the same when she touched her.

"It's almost time for me to go Home," Mrs. Watson said to Latoya.

"Are you scared?" Latoya asked.

"No," Mrs. Watson replied. "No one should ever be afraid to go home." She sighed and took Latoya by the hand and looked her in the eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. "No one."

About the Author:

Dante D. Ross was born in Los Angeles, CA. After being spat out onto Earth he decided to spend most of his free time reading, podcasting, blogging, drawing, and avoiding the pitfalls of boredom. He hopes to one day grow up to become Batman.

And he writes. He writes a lot.

E-mail:

DanteDRoss@gmail.com

Blog:

www.dantania.blogspot.com

