The Anything Box

'Yes, Splinter?'
'That fence is to keep them in, isn't it?'
'Yes,' said Serena.
'It doesn't feel like that to me,' said Splinter. 'It feels like it's toshut me out.'
Serena suffered through the next days with Thorn. She lay wide-eyed besidehim in the darkness of their bedroom, praying as he slept restlessly,struggling even in his sleep— groping for a way.
Tight-lipped, she cleared away untouched meals and brewed more coffee. Herthoughts went hopefully with him every time he started out with new hope andresolution, and her spirits flagged and fell as he brought back dead end,stalemate and growing despair. And in-between times, she tried to keepSplinter on as even a keel as possible, giving him the freedom of the QuartersArea during the long, sunlit days and playing with him as much as possible inthe evenings.
One evening Serena was pinning up her hair and keeping half an eye onSplinter as he splashed in his bath. He was gathering up handsful of foamingsoap bubbles and pressing them to his chin and cheeks.
'Now I hafta shave like Daddy,' he hummed to himself. 'Shave, shave,shave!' He flicked the suds off with his forefinger. Then he scooped up a bigdouble handful of bubbles and pressed them all over his face. 'Now I'm Doovie.I'm all over fuzzy like Doovie. Lookit, Mommie, I'm all over—' He opened hiseyes and peered through the suds to see if she was watching. Consequently,Serena spent a busy next few minutes helping him get the soap out of his eyes.When the tears had finally washed away the trouble, Serena sat towelingSplinter's relaxed little body.
'I bet Doovie'd cry too, if he got soap in his eyes,' he said with a sniff.'Wouldn't he, Mommie?'
'Doovie?' said Serena, 'Probably. Almost anyone would. Who's Doovie?'
She felt Splinter stiffen on her lap. His eyes wandered away from hers.'Mommie, do you think Daddy will play with me a-morrow?'
'Perhaps.' She captured one of his wet feet. 'Who's Doovie?'
'Can we have pink cake for dessert tonight? I think I like pink—'
'Who's Doovie?' Serena's voice was firm. Splinter examined his thumbnailcritically, then peered up at Serena out of the corner of his eye.
'Doovie,' he began, 'Doovie's a little boy.'
'Oh?' said Serena. 'A play-like little boy?'
'No,' Splinter whispered, hanging his head. 'A real little boy. A Linjenilittle boy.' Serena drew an astonished breath and Splinter hurried on, hiseyes intent on hers. 'He's nice people, Mommie, honest! He doesn't say badwords or tell lies or talk sassy to his mother. He can run as fast as Ican—faster, if I stumble. He—he—,' his eyes dropped again. 'I like him—' Hismouth quivered.
'Where did—-how could—I mean, the fence—' Serena was horrified andcompletely at a loss for words.
'I dug a hole,' confessed Splinter. 'Under the fence where the sand is. Youdidn't say not to! Doovie came to play. His mommie came, too. She's pretty.Her fur is pink, but Doovie's is nice and green. All over!' Splinter got
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excited. 'All over, even where his clothes are! All but his nose and eyes and
ears and the front of his hands!'
'But Splinter, how could you! You might have got hurt! They might have—'
Serena hugged him tight to hide her face from him.
Splinter squirmed out of her arms. 'Doovie wouldn't hurt anyone. You know
what, Mommie? He can shut his nose! Yes, he can! He can shut his nose and fold
up his ears! I wish I could. It'd come in handy. But I'm bigger'n he is and I
can sing and he can't. But he can whistle with his nose and when I try, I just
blow mine. Doovie's nice!'
Serena's mind was churning as she helped Splinter get into his night
clothes. She felt the chill of fear along her forearms and the back of her
neck. What to do now? Forbid Splinter's crawling under the fence? Keep him
from possible danger that might just be biding its time? What would Thorn say?
Should she tell him? This might precipitate an incident that—
'Splinter, how many times have you played with Doovie?'
'How many?' Splinter's chest swelled under his clean pajamas. 'Let me
count,' he said importantly and murmured and mumbled over his fingers for a
minute. 'Four times!' he proclaimed triumphantly. 'One, two, three, four whole
times!'
'Weren't you scared?'
'Naw!' he said, adding hastily, 'Well, maybe a little bit the first time. I
thought maybe they might have tails that liked to curl around people's necks.
But they haven't,' disappointed, 'only clothes on like us with fur on under.'
'Did you say you saw Doovie's mother, too?'
'Sure,' said Splinter. 'She was there the first day. She was the one that
sent all the others away when they all crowded around me. All grownups. Not
any kids excepting Doovie, They kinda pushed and wanted to touch me, but she
told them to go away, and they all did 'cepting her and Doovie.'
'Oh Splinter!' cried Serena, overcome by the vision of his small self
surrounded by pushing, crowding Linjeni grownups who wanted to 'touch him.'
'What's the matter, Mommie?' asked Splinter.
'Nothing, dear.' She wet her lips. 'May I go along with you the next time
you go to see Doovie? I'd like to meet his mother.'
'Sure, sure!' cried Splinter. 'Let's go now. Let's go now!'
'Not now,' said Serena, feeling the reaction of her fear in her knees and
ankles. 'It's too late. Tomorrow we'll go see them. And Splinter, let's not
tell Daddy yet. Let's keep it a surprise for a while.'
'Okay, Mommie,' said Splinter. 'It's a good surprise, isn't it? You were
awful surprised, weren't you?'
'Yes, I was,' said Serena. 'Awful surprised.'
Next day Splinter squatted down and inspected the hole under the fence.
'It's kinda little,' he said. 'Maybe you'll get stuck.'
Serena, her heart pounding in her throat, laughed. 'That wouldn't be very
dignified, would it?' she asked. 'To go calling and get stuck in the door.'
Splinter laughed. 'It'd be funny,' he said. 'Maybe we better go find a
really door for you.'
'Oh, no,' said Serena hastily. 'We can make this one bigger.'
'Sure,' said Splinter. 'I'll go get Doovie and he can help dig.'
'Fine,' said Serena, her throat tightening. Afraid of a child, she mocked
herself. Afraid of a Linjeni—aggressor —invader, she defended.
Splinter flattened on the sand and slid under the fence. 'You start
digging,' he called. 'I'll be back!'
Serena knelt to the job, the loose sand coming away so readily that she
circled her arms and dredged with them.
Then she heard Splinter scream.
For a brief second, she was paralyzed. Then he screamed again, closer, and
Serena dragged the sand away in a frantic frenzy. She felt the sand scoop down
the neck of her blouse and the skin scrape off her spine as she forced herself
under the fence.
Then there was Splinter, catapulting out of the shrubbery, sobbing and