Paranoia and Chidren

She had no idea what was living inside Robert’s skin
She didn’t care
She hoped the real little boy was gone
She did not wish to be a murderess

“Today we’re going to have a Test”

Miss Sidley said

They smiled empty smiles
“I will call you down to the mimeograph room and give it to you.
Robert will you come first?”

They went down the empty echoing corridor
Past sleepy drone of classes
Mimeograph room at the far end of the hall
Sound proofed two years ago,
The machine was noisy

“No one can hear you”

She took the gun from her bag
Robert smiled innocently

“There are lots of us. Lots more”

Robert said

Miss Sidley shot him
Once
In the head
He fell against the shelves
Slid to the floor
A little dead boy with a round black hole above his eye
Miss Sidley stood over him, pale
The huddled figure didn’t move
It was human.
It was Robert.

It was all in your mind. All in your mind.

She went back to the room
One by one
She killed twelve of them
It could have been all of them

If Mrs. Crossen hadn’t come down

Mrs. Crossen eyes got very big
She began to scream

“It had to be done. It’s terrible, but I had to.
They are all monsters.”

Gaily clothed little bodies scattered the mimeograph room
The girl whose hand Miss Sidley was holding began to cry
It was in your mind. All in your mind.

The girl continued to weep

“Change! Dirty child, dirty crawling, filthy unnatural child! Change!”

Miss Sidley screamed

She raised the gun
The little girl cringed.


[NOTE: Found Poem found in “Nightmares and Dreamscapes,” Suffer the Little Children by Stephen King]

Rewind