The Girl Behind the Glass Read online

Where would the bats go? Where would they sleep? Where would they belong?

  When the men reached the attic, they slid the masks over their mouths and noses. The bats stirred uneasily in their sleep as the men tramped around.

  “Wow,” the tall man said.

  “Must be nearly a hundred of them,” the wide man said.

  “Look at all that guano.”

  “These bats have been here for years.”

  Yes, nearly eighty years ago, the first bat had come.

  I had been in the attic. I had nowhere else to go. I was trying to get my book. The dark shadow scared me. I didn’t know what it was. Or what world I was in. More bats came. Only I didn’t want them. I wanted my family.

  I hated the bats until they had their babies. Then there was something I could love in the house. Something with life.

  The tall man waved his arm and startled a few bats. They flew outside into the glare of unfamiliar light.

  “Let’s get it done,” the wide man said.

  No!

  A wind blew a cloud of brown dust in their faces. All they thought was that they were glad to be wearing those masks.

  The men tramped downstairs.

  Mr. Zimmer’s music got louder. Drums banged, instruments screeched, and women’s voices wailed.

  The bats wrapped their wings around their furry bodies and went back to sleep.

  The attic was dark except for a faint ring of gold around the edges. A hint of sunlight marked the places where the bats could come and go and return again.

  SLAP. A piece of wood blocked the crack by the corner and shut out the light. Could a wind blow away the wood? No. BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP. A gun spat sharp bits of metal into it.

  BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP. The whole house shook from the attack. The mice fled in terror. The spiders abandoned their webs.

  BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP.

  It was too much to bear. But I couldn’t leave the attic. I had to stay with my beautiful bats.

  BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP.

  They huddled in the rafters. Mothers spread their wings around their babies.

  BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP.

  Bit by bit, the darkness grew. Piece by piece, those men took away the light.

  And then it was finished. The attic was black except for that one small place where the bats would leave and never ever return.

  Where was Hannah? If she came home, she could plug the hole. Then the bats couldn’t leave.

  Where was Hannah?

  Those men were downstairs. Mr. Zimmer paid them.

  “It’ll cost you another five hundred to clean up that guano,” the tall man said.

  “You got a lot up there,” the wide man said.

  Mr. Zimmer shook his head. “We’re just renting. We won’t be here that much longer.”

  Of course. The Zimmers would leave too. They would put Hannah in the car and take her away from me.

  Then there would be nothing.

  I went back to the attic. The bats still clung to the rafters. If only there was some way to plug the hole. If they didn’t leave, they could stay with me in the attic.

  If they didn’t go out to hunt, eventually the bats would die.

  Where was Hannah? Why didn’t she come home?

  Selena did. She squealed with delight when her father told her the news. Then she called Marcus to tell him. It was easy to hear her voice through the attic floor.

  “I was thinking you could come over tomorrow night. To study.” She laughed.

  It wasn’t fair that she should be so happy. She should suffer for what she had done. If only she could.

  “See you tomorrow,” she said.

  No one would see the bats tomorrow. They were waking up now. They unfurled their wings and stretched. Then they let go of the rafters. The great gray beast swirled through the empty space. Could it really be their last dance with me?

  The bats tried to leave. They were confused that most of the holes were gone. They were hungry. They had to find a way outside so they could eat.

  No!

  Where was Hannah? Why wasn’t she here to stop them?

  One by one, the bats squeezed through the small hole.

  Wait!

  Did they all have to leave me?

  Yes.

  They weren’t as cruel as the family who drove away nearly eighty years ago. The bats didn’t know they wouldn’t be able to return. They didn’t know that a selfish teenage girl had robbed them of their home.

  She had driven away the good. Now only the filth remained.

  A breeze began to blow toward the northeast corner of the attic. Toward the place above Selena’s room. Anger always made that breeze stronger.

  There was a pile of bat dirt above Selena’s bed by the time the car stopped in the driveway. The front door opened. Anna’s voice called out, “We’re home.”

  The wind didn’t stop blowing.

  The voices from downstairs sounded far away.

  “The bats are gone. Isn’t that wonderful?” Selena said.

  Wasn’t it wonderful how the filth piled up on the attic floor?

  “Where have you been?” Mr. Zimmer said.

  “I took the girls to look at the new house,” Mrs. Zimmer said.

  “Mom picked us up so Hannah wouldn’t have to ride the bus,” Anna said.

  “Why?” Mr. Zimmer said.

  “She was worried that Georgia might tease me. But Georgia has nothing to tease me about because I’m not crazy,” Hannah said.

  “Nothing unusual happened to you today?” Mr. Zimmer said.

  “No.” Hannah spoke firmly.

  She was pretending. I knew that. I knew that was why she laughed and talked so loudly with her parents.

  After their dinner, she could have found me. She knew I had had a horrible day. A friend would say how sorry she was—even if that wouldn’t bring back the bats.

  Hannah didn’t come looking for me. And I couldn’t go to her. I had a lot to do in the attic before Marcus came on Saturday night.

  Shortly before dawn, the bats tried to come back. I hated hearing their cries of confusion as they bumped against the house.

  The wind swirled across the attic floor. The mountain of filth got bigger. Still it wasn’t quite heavy enough—yet.

  Just when the bats would have begun their nightly dance, the doorbell rang.

  No one answered at first.

  The doorbell rang again. Marcus was impatient. I was too.

  Then the front door opened and Selena said, “Hi.”

  “Hi,” Marcus said.

  Their voices echoed through the silent house.

  “Come on up to my room.”

  The steps creaked as they climbed. She giggled. They thought they had privacy. Their voices were easily heard through the attic floor.

  “Nice room,” he said.

  “Shall we study?” she said.

  “I am. I’m studying you,” he said.

  He thought he was so funny.

  A creaking sound as first one person and then another sank onto the bed.

  “Study hard. I’m going to give you a test,” she said.

  “I bet I get an A-plus,” he said.

  The bed creaked again.

  “What’s that splotch on your ceiling?” He sounded worried.

  “That’s always been there,” she said.

  Had it?

  “Dad won’t paint it. He never does anything I want him to,” she said.

  “He did get rid of the bats, didn’t he?” he said.

  Yes, Mr. Zimmer did. Because Selena asked him to.

  They were silent. They must have been kissing. Like Mildred and her beau, so busy with each other, they couldn’t care about whether anybody else lived or died.

  The wind in the attic blew harder. It got its fingers in the cracks between the floorboards. It found the holes. There was always a weak spot. A place that couldn’t stand any more. It had been pushed too hard for too long. Where was that spot?

  The wind whist
led across the floor.

  “Ruth.”

  Hannah’s head appeared at the entrance to the attic. She had come to see her friend after all. Only she wasn’t thinking sympathetic thoughts. She was worried.

  “I heard a noise. What’s going on up here? What are you doing?”

  Had she forgotten about the bats? I hadn’t. Maybe others could ignore a crime. But I would make sure the guilty people got punished.

  The cloud of dust made Hannah cough. “Stop it, Ruth.”

  Stop it, Ruth. That was what Mildred always said. No matter what I did. Dancing around to show her a book. Begging her to fix my hair. Asking her to hunt for treasure like the Bastable children so we could restore our family’s fortune. No matter what I wanted, she always said, Stop it, Ruth.

  “Stop it, Ruth.”

  Hannah shouldn’t have said that to me. Why should I stop? No one else did. Everybody did whatever they wanted to spoil the things I loved.

  So I didn’t stop.

  Hannah came toward the dust cloud. Her feet shook the floorboards. The ceiling plaster cracked.

  Now there was a small hole. I could see some dust drift down on the lovebirds.

  His nose wrinkled. He smelled something foul. She smelled it too. She thought it was his socks. They stopped kissing.

  He looked up at the ceiling. A lovely fear filled his eyes when he saw a chunk of plaster swing loose. He jumped up just as the huge mountain of guano buried Selena on her bed.

  When disaster struck, you found out who really loved you. When you were covered with bat droppings, or tangled with weeds underwater, would someone come to your rescue? Would someone hold out his hand to pull you up from death? Or would he step farther away and brush the brown filth off his black shirt?

  Selena hadn’t moved. Was she dead?

  No. She was waiting to be saved. She raised one hand, pleading for help from her beloved. Her palm was covered with a small heap of dark brown droppings.

  “What happened?” Marcus said.

  Selena didn’t know. Besides, she couldn’t scream or even speak without getting bat dirt in her mouth.

  Mr. and Mrs. Zimmer rushed up the stairs and knocked on the door. “Selena?”

  They came in, with cries of amazement and concern. Anna quickly followed her parents. She stared through the gaping hole in the ceiling. What did she think she would see?

  Mrs. Zimmer hurried over to help Selena stand. As Selena struggled to rise from the chunks of ceiling and mounds of bat droppings, she resembled a rotting corpse rising from the grave.

  This was too much for Marcus. He took a step toward the door.

  “You’re not going, are you?” Selena spluttered through the brown.

  Marcus shook his head no, then nodded yes. He ran from the room so fast that he tripped and stumbled all the way down the stairs. His car’s engine roared loudly to life. The Zimmers all listened to the sound fade as it traveled along Hemlock Road. This time that boy would be gone for good. Ha!

  Selena buried her face in the towel Mrs. Zimmer gave her and sobbed.

  Mr. Zimmer walked around the rubble.

  Anna wrinkled her nose. “That’s what we smelled in the closet. You see, there is an explanation. Hannah?”

  Hannah wasn’t there.

  “The men said we needed to get that guano cleaned up,” Mr. Zimmer said.

  “Why didn’t you? Now Marcus will never come back. He’ll never even speak to me again after seeing me like this!” Selena cried.

  “He can’t blame you. It’s not your fault,” Mrs. Zimmer said.

  Yes, it was.

  Hannah came in. She didn’t accuse Selena. She said, “Are you all right?”

  “No!” Selena wailed.

  “You’ll feel better after you have a shower. Girls, get some clean clothes for your sister,” Mrs. Zimmer said.

  Hannah went to the dresser and got a shirt. Why was she helping Selena? She should want her to be miserable.

  “You need clean clothes too. What’s on your shirt?” Mrs. Zimmer said.

  Everyone stared at Hannah.

  “You were in the attic,” Selena said.

  Hannah couldn’t deny it. Bits of guano fell from her hair.

  “What were you doing up there?” Anna said.

  “You wanted to play another trick. You made the ceiling collapse,” Selena said.

  “Oh no,” Mrs. Zimmer said.

  “It was an accident,” Hannah said.

  “Didn’t we make ourselves clear?” Mr. Zimmer said.

  “I tried to be so nice to you because you’re having a breakdown and everything and look what you do. You ruined my entire life,” Selena said.

  At least Selena still had a life. She didn’t think of that. Or what she had done. She just stood there, shouting at poor Hannah.

  Who wasn’t defending herself. I had to do something. I went back up in the attic and blew a nice fresh pile of dirt down on all that golden hair.

  “Stop it, Ruth!” Hannah shouted.

  She realized what she had said. She clapped her hands over her mouth. It was too late. She couldn’t pretend I wasn’t there anymore.

  “Oh no.” Anna was disappointed.

  “I suppose you think if you act crazy no one will punish you. You’re wrong. You’re in so much trouble. Isn’t she, Dad?” Selena said.

  Mr. Zimmer looked at Mrs. Zimmer. He didn’t know what to think. He raised his hands. Then he let them fall. “I better get a broom and clean this up.”

  “You have to punish her,” Selena said.

  “Hannah,” Mrs. Zimmer said.

  Hannah looked at her mother like she was going to cry.

  Then Mrs. Zimmer said, “Go to your room.”

  Hannah ran before her tears could fall.

  “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to do? Look at this mess. Where will I sleep? What will I wear?”

  Hannah didn’t go to her room. She knew Anna would follow her there. She went outside and sat next to the house, under the chokeberry bush.

  Of course I went too.

  I blew on her cheek.

  She turned her face away. “You shouldn’t have done that to Selena.” She was thinking I shouldn’t have done it to her.

  Only I hadn’t done anything to her. I wouldn’t. She was my friend. I was the only one who really cared about her. I was the only one who understood her.

  A few bats swooped past the hemlock trees. Hannah pointed to them. “You see? The bats weren’t killed. They survived.”

  They can’t go home.

  “They’ll find a place to live nearby and you can still see them.”

  They won’t be with me. Didn’t she understand?

  Actually she did.

  “I’m sorry. When we leave, I’ll make holes so they can come back in the attic. Would you like that?”

  No. I would not like it when the family left. But being with Hannah, and watching the bats circle in front of the moon, made me feel peaceful and hopeful. Maybe Hannah wouldn’t leave. Maybe something would happen. Maybe I could think of what to do to keep her from leaving me. Maybe I wouldn’t have to be alone again.

  The front door banged. Anna came outside to ruin everything. “You were supposed to go to our room. You better go before Selena finds you.”

  “She won’t find me unless you tell,” Hannah said.

  Anna sat down next to Hannah. Right where I had been.

  “I would never do that.” Anna thought how she didn’t want to make things worse. She broke a branch off the bush and snapped it into smaller bits.

  “So, are you still hearing things?” Anna said.

  “I don’t hear things, I hear Ruth,” Hannah said.

  Anna sighed.

  “I know what she’s thinking. She hates Selena. I think because Selena reminds her of her sister Mildred. I haven’t figured out what the soldier has to do with it. I just know something terrible happened to Ruth and she’s very unhappy.”

  “You’re unhappy.” An
na thought that was why Hannah thought these things.

  “That has nothing to do with it. Ruth is real. She’ll prove it to you. She’ll make the branch wave. Ruth, show Anna.”

  I started to, of course. If your friend asks you to do something, you do it.

  Then I stopped.

  “Come on, Ruth. I know you’re still here. Why won’t you show Anna?”

  Hannah’s voice was desperate. I held completely still. I didn’t want to reveal myself to Anna. I didn’t want Anna as a friend. I only wanted Hannah.

  “She’s playing a trick. She likes to do that. Don’t you, Ruth?” Hannah was getting frantic.

  Anna pitied Hannah so much she patted her sister’s knee.

  Hannah pushed her hand away and shouted, “Show her, Ruth!”

  Selena’s face appeared in the living room window. “Mom! Hannah didn’t go to her room. She’s outside with Anna. I heard her. She isn’t sorry one bit. You have to make her suffer like I’m suffering.”

  That was what Mildred said—right before they took away all my books.

  “Hannah Zimmer, you are in big trouble now,” Mrs. Zimmer said.

  Two sets of angry feet stomped down the stairs and out onto the porch. Mother and father stood right by the chokeberry bush. Would Hannah have to cut a switch?

  “Tomorrow you will clean up Selena’s room. Tonight Selena will sleep in your bed and you’ll sleep on the sofa. Now go get your pajamas on,” Mrs. Zimmer said.

  “It isn’t nine o’clock.” Hannah thought how humiliating it was to be punished.

  “You’re going to bed right this minute. And there will be no reading,” Mrs. Zimmer said.

  “Not even a little?” Hannah badly needed the comfort of a book that night.

  “You heard your mother. Now march,” Mr. Zimmer said.

  Hannah dragged her feet up the stairs.

  Selena said, “Mom, she isn’t marching.”

  “Hurry up, Hannah. Stop daydreaming. It’s no wonder …”

  Mrs. Zimmer didn’t have to finish the sentence. Hannah knew her mother thought Hannah had lost her mind. She started to wonder how she could tell if she had.

  Oh, everyone was feeling worse and worse—including me. How could they treat Hannah this way? Obviously her family didn’t care about her at all. Not like I did.

  Upstairs the yelling continued. “Brush your teeth. Put on that nightgown. Don’t even look at that book.”