Mrs. Ferguson was never late.

In fact she could not remember

when she had ever been late.

She often said to herself.

Why cant people be on time?

Why be a minute late, when

you can be a minute early?

Annie was six.

Time made no sense to her.

Time was a mystery.

It did not exist except as a

meaningless word

used by adults.

Annie was early, some times

but never on purpose,

only by chance.

Everything was by chance,

to Annie.

There were so many interesting

things to do, all of the time.

People were impatient with Annie

but Annie did not understand.

Annie was out of step with life.

She would never really understand

anything.

On this day Annie

found a wrapped candy

in her pocket!

She had no idea

why it was there,

but it was.

She stood in the bathroom

looking at the candy,

a great treasure!

After a while she decided

to eat the candy, now.

Candy should be eaten NOW.

She popped it into her mouth

and found that it had

a cellophane wrapper,

surprise.

Life was full of surprises.

Cellophane wrappers

were always a surprise

and ——– difficult.

She was never sure

which way they opened.

Life was difficult.

Why cover something good to eat,

with a wrapper?

‘Come on Annie its time to go,

Mrs. Ferguson will be waiting!’

Mrs. Ferguson was always –

waiting.

The slippery candy jumped

out of Annie’s slippery hand

and fell in the toilet!

Annie was not surprised,

Things always fell in the toilet.

She fished it out and put it

back in her pocket.

She would eat it later.

On the way to school Annie met

a Seagull, a cat, a frog,

and a dead mouse.

She nearly picked it up,

it looked so soft and pretty,

she was tugged away,

later perhaps?

She felt the damp, sticky candy

in her pocket.

It was safe!

She could feel it through her mitten.

The mouse would have stuck to it,

pity.

When they arrived at the school

there were lots of people

milling about and whispering

to each other.

Annie could not see Mrs. Ferguson.

Where was she?

She should have been there.

Mrs. Ferguson was always there.

She was always there.

She was never late!

A car came

with a tall person in it.

The mothers gathered

around the woman,

some ones mom.

They were all whispering.

Annie could not hear them.

She watched a boy on a swing

instead. His name was—–?

but she couldn’t remember.

Never mind.

The mothers gathered

all the children, together.

There would be no school today.

Mrs. Ferguson was LATE?

Mrs. Ferguson was not

going to come?

Mrs. Ferguson would never

come again.

She had died in the night.

Mrs. Ferguson, was late!

David Garlick, Sidney,November, 2007