Chapter 8 - "What you reap is what you sew" - Skipper's Story
April 16th, 2000 - Tulsa, Oklahoma

"Our Aaron, who art in Florida, crazy be thy name," Elizabeth and Kestrel said, their eyes closed and hands pressed together. They opened their eyes and giggled.
We were all on our way home from church, like every other Sunday. It seemed that as the years went by, there were less and less children in the car when, considering how much sex Fergie and I were having, there should have been more and more. Neuton had gone back to college, where he was studying accounting, and now, after Grubbery's disappearance, Elizabeth was the oldest person in the car.
"Stop it Elizabeth!" Fergie said impatiently. "You shouldn't take God's name in vain like that."
Elizabeth removed her eyeliner from her handbag and smiled. "But Aaron is godly. He getting taller every day. He'll be five foot tall soon."
How I wished Grubbery was here. Sure, he was badly behaved, but he'd put Elizabeth in her place, with Aaron and the eyeliner. Fergie smiled. "But honey, aren't you 5'1"?"
It was up to me now. "Elizabeth, put the make-up away!" I said, giving her a nasty look through the rear view mirror.
"Why Daddy?" she said, smearing pink lipstick across her lips.
"I told you to put it away!" I yelled. Elizabeth quickly put it the lipstick back into her bag. "You're not even twelve years old, for goodness sake. No one your age wears makeup!"
"Makeup is for sissy girls," Kestrel said.
"Like Aaron Carter," added MacArthy. Even I had to laugh at that one.
"Aaron is 100% male," Elizabeth pouted.
Fergie smiled at her warmly. "I'm sure he is, honey. The reason your daddy doesn't want you to wear makeup is because you look so beautiful already without it."
"Can I have an ice-cream Mommy?" Mozzie asked, piping up from the back part of the van.
"When we get inside, sweetie," Fergie replied, as we pulled into the driveway.
We all got out of the car and walked up to the house. Kestrel ran ahead and, as she usually did, turned the knob. What was unusual was that the knob opened. Had someone broken in? "Kestrel! Don't go into the house!" I called. She ignored me and I ran after her into the house. There was no one there. I picked her up and she squealed. "Kestrel! Don't you ever do that again!" I said, hugging her. "When I tell you something you obey, okay?"
"Okay Daddy," she said and I put her down.
The others came into the house. "Is everything okay?" Elizabeth asked.
I nodded. "No one's here."
"Ice cream!" Mozzie nagged, tugging on Fergie's dress.
"Okay hun," Fergie said and we all walked into the kitchen. Fergie walked over to the freezer and was about to open the door when -
"Oh my God!" she said urgently. "Skipper!" She pointed towards the freezer door. The cross that we usually hung there was hanging... upside down.
"Oh my God," I said, walking over. I moved the cross so that it was facing the right way.
"Mommy, Daddy, has the devil been here?" MacArthy asked nervously.
"Uh, no, no, no honey," Fergie, said ushering him away. "Go on kids, go play." Fergie ushered the children out of the room. She turned to me. "Skipper, do you think he knows what we -"
"Mom," Elizabeth asked. She was still standing in the doorway. "Now that Grubbery's gone I think it's really unfair that me and Mozzie and Kestrel have to share a room and MacArthy has one all to himself. Can Mozzie move in with MacArthy?"
"Elizabeth! Now is neither the time nor the place-" I began.
"Sure sweetie. Would you mind leaving your father and I to talk now?" Fergie asked sweetly.
Elizabeth shrugged. "Sure. You might be interested to know that all the other crosses are upside down too," she said, walking away.
"He knows," I said. "First the blood, then the candles, now this!"
"He knows about the incest and the abuse," Fergie sighed. "Oh God! Why did you leave it until now to punish us????" she said, falling to the floor and looking up at the sky. "Is there anything we can do to make it all better."
I looked down at her with disgust. "Oh for God's sake woman! Get up." She obeyed. "What's done, is done. We must do something for repentance. Show the Lord that we are sorry."
Fergie nodded. "Lord we are sorry for what we have done. Sorry we sent Michaela away, sorry we put the twins in the attic, sorry we corrupted Neuton, sorry we had sexual relations, sorry we put Grubbery in a coma, sorry we forgot to teach our children about -"
"Daddy?" MacArthy asked, walking into the room.
Fergie stopped apologising to God. "What's wrong Mackie?" I asked.
He ran over to me and started to cry. "It's Mama! She's gone! I've looked for her everywhere, but she's gone." MacArthy had been looking after Mama for the past couple of years, ever since Tweedle-Tay had left.
"She's probably just gone for a walk," I comforted him.
"Cats do that sometimes," Fergie added.
MacArthy shook his head. "No, I locked her inside before we left. She couldn't possibly have gone for a walk. Someone stole her!" he whined.
"It's okay, sweetie," Fergie replied. "She'll be home soon. I'll bet she's back for dinner." She played with his hair. "Your hair's getting a bit long, isn't it? It's past your ears. Time for a trim!" she said cheerfully, leading our son our of the room.
Had God stolen Mama when he turned the crosses upside down? No. That couldn't be. It must have been......