Roping Dolls
Prologue:
Stacy Heath was a doll. At least, that’s what Johnny Jay called her. Wavy, Barbie-blonde hair, pinkish lips, volumptious body, she had it all. But dolls ain’t so hot dead, and Barbie doesn’t come in a “Hang me Barbie” box. Stacy was stuck in a box, though, after they got the body down from the closet panel.
It’d happened around 6:00 PM, right after homework hour. And there it was, sitting in an organized manner on her desk. Calculus homework, 500 word essay, Psycology terms and Animal Farm, page marked 93.
Stacy’s boyfriend, Mark Anthony, known better as Andy, didn’t show at her funeral. The hanging had a bad effect on him, partially due to the fact that he had been the one to discover the body; Stacy’s cockeyed, lifeless form staring him in the face. Swollen tongue, blue lips, bulging eyes and broken neck-she wasn’t the sweet sisteen-year-old he’d been hoping to bone.
Stacy must have gotten the rope from the garage. Her father recognized it as the substitute dog-leash for Elmo, their Jack Rusell Terrier.
Her father was broken; having lost his wife just three years before to breast cancer.
Elmo went to Beck, Stacy’s best friend, and Mr. Heath moved away three weeks later.
Life returned to normal, until, one stormy November evening, Tammy was found in her closet. Estimated time of death—Between 6:00 and 6:15 PM.
Chapter 1
Beck walked Elmo down her block, arm constantly jarred by the smallish dogs constant jerks. The harsh wind picked up dirt and debris, and blew back Beck’s stringy black hair.
“Back, El!” Beck shouted. “Down, boy!” Elmo moved rambunctiuusly along, uyipping at the occasional stray cat.
“Why I agreed to tak you in, I’ll never know,” Beck said, but she was lying. She and Stacyhad shared everything from milk cartons in kindergarten to first bra-shopping experineces to crushes and boyfriends. Of course Beck took in Elmo, she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Beck couldn’t have hoped to understand Stacy…And she had always considered herself an expert on the goings-on in Stacy’s mind. Yet the unexpected, morbid form of death still hurt Beck every day, if only for the fact that she couldn’t grasp it.
She had lost her best friend, next-door-neighbor and study-buddy in one clean sweet. Ut was hard to walk by Stacy’s door on the way home, where they had drunk hot cocoa and shared secrets. Beck knew that there was a pair of her jeans in Stacy’s closet, the ones she’d loaned Stac for her date with Andy.
Neighborly rumors confirmed that Stacy’s father had run out with nothing but a single suitcase. The still unpacked house was up for sale.
Beck dragged Elmo into her driveway and up the concrete patio. The dog barked and tried to get away.
“Ugh, Elmo, come on!” Beck moaned. “Just get up here—Stacy would kill me if I let you run off.”
No she wouldn’t, Beck contradicted herself bitterly. But she sure had no problem killing herself.
She pulled Elmo’s leash and he immediately began hopping a round the carpet and chasing his tail.
Beck sighed. She didn’t remember Elmo being this hyper with Stacy. Maybe he missed her too.
The teachers at school sure missed her. They spoke of her once or twice a week, though that didn’t stop them from assigning abhorrent amounts of homework.
Beck considered this: The smell of sugar cookies coming from the kitchen, the call of calculus from her bedroom. Hmmm…
Beck walked into the kitchen. It was warm and cozy, decorated with chickens and farm designs. Funny, Beck thought, for her big-city mother to be intent on designing their home in a modern farm environment.
Sure enough, there was a tray of sugar cookies on the edgy steel stove. Beck smiled, picked up the spatula and pulled off ac ookie. She poured a glass of milk and bit into the sweet cookie. Her mom walked in a moment later.
“Couldn’ hold off, huh hon?” Beck’s mother said, spatulaing the cookies onto the countertop.
“Hmm mm, mom,” Beck replied with vigor as she enveloped the cookie in her mouth and grabbing another.
“That’s all right, me neither,” the other woman said, grabbing a cookie and dipping it in Beck’s milk. “And how’s the mutt?”
“Elmo is fine. I took him on a walk.”
“Hmm.”
Beck finished her cookie. “Well, homework calls.”
“Have fun hon.”
Sure. Calc. Fun, Beck thought, shuffling up the hard-wood floor and up the stairs. Beck’s flight of stairs led to a virtually un-used second floor. Besides the odd storeroom that no one got into for dust bunnies, and the pink-pony guest room, Beck’s bedroom was the only used room on the floor. She liked it that way.
Beck walked across the hall and into her bedroom, then plopped onto her bed. “Carrot,” she called. A small gray kitten meowed on her bed.
“Oh. There you are.”
Beck sighed, and looked at the clock next to her bed. 5:30 PM. She went to her desk and started on her homework.
5:45
Beck looked out her window, onto the road. A man in a black jacket was walking through the rain. His coat was bunched up like he had a tire around his waist.
6:00
Beck was only halfway through her homework. Who even knew what a quadratic formula was? She scrunched her forehead and her hair fell into her face. Annoyed, she grabbed a hair-tie from her nightstand and pulled it back.
6:15
The man was walking back. Beck saw him as she grabbed Carrot off the windowsill. Or was that the same man?
Same black hat and jacket. But he certainly seemed to have lost weight. Particularly around the waist.
After all. it only stated in the story the dad left the house with a single suitcase. Sure, it may be for sale, but is that going to stop him from seeing his daughter again?
I just didn't want to put too much up the first time. Thanks so much for the crit. FOR THE RECORD:::
