Ring Around the Rosie

"Mommy and Daddy usually scream at night, when they think Bobby and me are sleeping, but last night they sounded scareder." I told the two police officers on my porch. They looked at each other slowly. They seemed confused.

"They didn't like each other very much. They yelled all the time!" I finished. The policemen let out a huff of air, which made me giggle.

"Now Rosie," The policeman said, all of the sudden, very serious, "I'm going to take you to the police station. Okay? We need to ask you some questions about what happened. You need to tell us everything. Don't leave anything out. It's very important. Alright?" I nodded my head up and down and up and down so long that I forgot why I was nodding!

"She must be in shock," I heard them say, "She seems hysterical."

* * *

I sat in a really quiet room with a camera in the top corner. My feet couldn't touch the floor so I swung them back and forth and back and forth until I forgot I was swinging my legs at all! I started to hum 'Ring Around the Rosie' because the policemen were taking so long to get in here. But I still waited. Mommy and Daddy made me wait on everything. My mommy used to call me her good little girl because she said I was so good at waiting. I missed my mommy.

Finally, the police officers came into the quiet room with the camera in the corner! I was so tired of being alone.

"Miss, I need you to answer a few questions for me. Okay? Can you tell me your name?"

"Rosie is my name! My mommy named me after Ring Around the Rosie. She loved that song and she sang it to me every night before bedtime. Well, except last night. She forgot last night because her and Daddy were screaming at each other again."

"How old are you, Rosie?"

"I'm turning seven next February! I can't wait!" I smiled real big to the policemen, "Except," I started, losing my smile, "my daddy said that he had to go to Japan in February, for his job. I didn't want him to go, though. I didn't want him to miss me turning seven," I sighed, remembering when he said he couldn't stay. That made me sad, and kind of mad too. Why couldn't he stay with me?

"I understand you have a big brother. Right? Where was he last night?"

"Oh yes! Bobby's my brother. He was at his friend's house for a party."

"Okay, Rosie. But now to the real questions. Are you ready for them?" I nodded my head. "Do you remember last night?" the policeman continued, "Do you know what happened to your parents?"

"Of course I do! How could I forget?!" I asked shocked. How did they think I would forget something like last night? "Mommy and Daddy are gone forever because of last night. They won't come home, now. But at least they won't fight anymore."

"Did you see what happened to Margaret and Harold, your mom and dad?" The policeman asked.

"Yep!" I said popping the "p" like my daddy always used to do, "It happened right in front of me."

"Dear God, Smith," The taller policeman whispered to the shorter one under his breath, "She's clearly confused. The poor child doesn't fully understand what happened." He turned back to me and smiled a little. "Can you tell me everything then?"

Last night "replayed in my mind", as Daddy used to say. I knew Mommy and Daddy went to God but it was suddenly hard to breathe. I was sad, very sad, so I just nodded my head slowly and whispered, "Everything."

* * *

I told the policemen everything that happened that night. Daddy was first to go. He slept on the couch because of the fight him and Mommy got into earlier. I couldn't fall asleep because I couldn't stop thinking about how Daddy wouldn't be able to see me turn seven and how Mommy didn't sing to me because of the fight they got into. I tiptoed down the hall with my favorite teddy bear to the living room to see if Daddy was asleep. I couldn't go to Bobby's room because he was at a birthday party. That reminded me how Daddy couldn't go to mine and made me sad.

We keep a giant mirror in the living room so Mommy can look at herself to see if she's pretty enough to go out to town. I always think she's pretty enough, but when I tell her that, she just smiles at me and looks in the mirror anyways. I saw someone in the mirror. I saw a knife and Daddy's throat being cut open. He was dead right away, or at least I think he was. I saw the knife go into Daddy's chest. In and out and in and out, the knife went! My Daddy died pretty quickly.

I knew my mommy was going to die next, so I hurried into her bedroom. I wanted her to sing to me and tell me that the world is still okay. That it's okay that Daddy's gone. I saw the same person in the reflection of Mommy's bedroom window. Mommy was tapped on the shoulder, to wake her up, I think. Mommy slowly opened her eyes but screamed when she saw all of the blood!

It's alright, Mommy, I wanted to say, The world is still okay. I didn't like seeing her so upset. Her screams made me really scared. I didn't like hearing her scream.

"What? What's happening? Harold! Harold, get Rosie out of here!" Mommy yelled.

Mommy, I wanted to say, I am safe. And Daddy can't get me out. Daddy's gone!

A "Shhh," was whispered, and a hand was put over Mommy's mouth. I saw the knife being slashed at Mommy. Back and forth and back and forth, the knife went! Mommy's screams got louder and more terrified. She was babbling nonsense. And then it all stopped. Everything became quiet. The next thing I remember is running to my neighbor's house, my teddy bear still in my arms.

"Dear Lordy, Child! What happened?!" my neighbor gasped. "Oh dear! Mikeal, call the cops! Something's happened!" Then the police came, and I talked to the first police officers. That's what I told the policemen in the quiet room. That's what happened.

* * *

My brother Bobby and me had to go to somebody else's house for a while. There was lots of kids to play with, so I was happy. Bobby was really sad all the time though. The house we stayed in was really big, so we all got our own rooms. Bobby was happy about that.

"Ring around the rosie.." I started to sing to myself like my mommy used to do when I wanted to go to sleep. I kept singing as I started to play with my teddy bear.

"A pocket full of posies..." The police wanted to help me wash it off but I wouldn't let them touch him. I loved my teddy.

"Ashes, ashes..." I sang as I turned my teddy bear around. I saw a hole in the back of him and pulled out the bloody knife that I used to kill Mommy and Daddy.

"They all fall down."