after today

The following is the 14th chapter of a terrific story called Crippled Detectives by Lee Tandy Schwartzman (age 7, Seattle, Washington, in 1978). The story first came to my attention a few years ago and every now and then I find myself thinking about it, usually triggered by the oddest things. I still haven't read it in its entirety, but it definitely remains a place of constant wonder for me.

The whole novel can be found here at the website of its publisher, Stone Soup.

Chapter Fourteen
After Today

Lee: I feel like singing a song.

Sylvia: O.K., okey dokey.

And this is how the song goes:

After today the world’s gonna spin incorrect
and the sun’s gonna turn to cheddar cheese

and the stars gonna turn to lemon drops
and the bigger ones to lollypops

and so I keep this song in my heart.
After today I’ll get a head start.

After today and so it’s like tomorrow
I’m gonna fly through the air.

It’s like evil was only yesterday.
After today I’m gonna walk on thin air
and so I’m gonna be there.

After today I’ll swim like a fish
and tomorrow fly like a bird.

Nothing is gonna keep me from being there at tomorrow
and where are the words for tomorrow?

After the song Sylvia began to cry, whispering, “Lee, Ben’s gonna die tomorrow, oh Ben’s dying, Lee, tomorrow he’ll die.” Sylvia lay her head on Lee’s apron. “And,” cried Sylvia, “I’m gonna cry forever. Our parents went on a airplane, the airplane crashed, and it has not been found.” Lee cried too. Suddenly Sylvia stopped crying. “Lee, it means we have to take care of the youngsters, even Ben if he is still alive. It means we’re women, we have to fight the villains and take care of our family at the same time. We’re four or five alone.” But the day after Ben died and the girls wept upon his grave, but only the elders held back their tears, but black clouds came and they ran for cover for it would rain.

-from Crippled Detectives by Lee Tandy Schwartzman