I took another step, but my toe hit something hard. I yelped and both my eyes went open in a mistake. I didn’t mean to spy, but then my eyes got ideas of their own. When I looked around I couldn’t find the big surprise. There was just an old black couch and a closet jammed up with winter coats. There was a pile of red and blue plastic milk crates, and sitting on the floor next to those was the hugest fan I ever saw. It was making that bad whish sound.

Chicken kept barking. I crept around just a tiny bit. I thought I’d see something good. I didn’t understand what Gloria was doing. Where was the surprise? Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I made it all up in my head. I did that too much and it always made Gloria mad. My middle felt heavier and heavier and the lump on my head hurt.

I felt it. It was like a tiny egg under my hair. The same kind of eggs that were in cartoons. Then I knew why everything looked funny. I was having a dream. A strange funny kind of scary dream. I had to just keep going until it was done.

I found the ball behind the milk crates. It was gross and slimy and had green grass stuck in the slime. I picked it up with my hands. It seemed real, but I knew it wasn’t.

Chicken was beside the bathroom door. The fan was right next to him. His fur was ruffling all over. He barked, and each bark made his paws leap off the ground. With his nose, he pushed away a blanket that was folded against the door. Then I saw rags stuck in the gap. He was scritching them with his claws and they came out. I think they were some of Telly’s old T-shirts, but they didn’t say Telly J. They didn’t say nothing.

There was a little spot between the door and the cement. Chicken whined and whined.

“Come here,” I said. “It’s okay.” I don’t know if he heard me because the fan was so loud. I smoothed his fur. I let him lick my face. His dirty spit didn’t bother me because none of it was real.

Then I saw a lock on the door. It was shiny gold. The metal bar it was attached to was screwed in, but parts of the screws were still sticking out. Whoever did that didn’t do a good job. I pinned the ball under my arm. I touched the lock. I touched the door. Then I reached for the handle.

A mouse on the floor. All skittery. Right by my foot. I jumped like Chicken did when he barked.