Sally's Bones Read Online Free Page A

in the air, he turned the knob of the kitchen door. Sally tried to call out, but the mouthful of chicken betrayed her. She began to choke.
    Abandoning the partially open door, Mr. Simplesmith ran to his daughter’s aid. Though he was a brilliant man, Seymour Simplesmith lacked common sense and basic life-saving skills. Leaning over his little girl as she turned blue from lack of oxygen, he helplessly called out, “Somebody, please! Help!”
    â€œGGGgggrrr-ufff!” A compact but speedy little dog-shaped skeleton burst through the still ajar kitchen door. The clever cadaver leapt into the air and landed hard on Sally’s constricted chest. The chunk of chicken dislodged, and Sally gasped herself back to a normal pigmentation. As her father hugged her, Sally began to cry.
    â€œYou’re OK, now, Sal,” Mr. Simplesmith reassured. He held his daughter close and stroked her hair.
    â€œBones! Bones!” Sally wiggled an arm free from her father’s embrace and held it out for her puppy. As the little corpse snuggled into Sally, her father fell backward.
    â€œWhat is… that? ” Mr. Simplesmith pointed with a trembling hand.
    â€œIt’s all right, Daddy.” Sally smiled through her tears. “He’s my dog, Bones. I love him and he loves me, and he’s part of this family now. OK?”
    In theory, Mr. Simplesmith took no issue with encountering mysteries of the unknown. As a man of science, his life’s work revolved around uncovering the explanations for such phenomena. Indeed, it was this passionate focus that both made him appealing to his late wife and often caused him to walk into walls. However, coming face-to-face with a lifesaving, lifeless dog was something else altogether.
    â€œHow did it…? Where did you…?” Sally’s father shook all over.
    â€œI found him at the cemetery.” She hesitated before adding, “I think he was a present from Mom.”
    Mr. Simplesmith’s body tensed. “Sally, I told you not to go there. It isn’t a place for a young girl to be. And your mother isn’t even there. It’s just where her body is. It’s not her. She isn’t…” Mr. Simplesmith trailed off, unable to finish his painful thought. His eyes scanned the room for some touchstone with which to tie himself to a reality he could control. He found it curled up in his daughter’s lap. “But this, this thing, here…I don’t know what it is, but it isn’t staying. It isn’t, isn’t—”
    â€œIsn’t what?” Sally shouted. She suddenly felt hot, even though shivers ran through her body. “Isn’t possible? Isn’t real? Look at him. He’s right here, and he just saved my life. He’s mine, and I won’t let you take him away from me just because you don’t like where he came from or can’t figure out why he exists. Or because he reminds you of Mom.” Sally spat the last words, and her father shrank back.
    Mr. Simplesmith could only stare at his furious child. His mouth hung open, but no words came. Since Patty’s death, the surviving Simplesmiths had each retreated into their own quiet worlds. Because this was how Seymour preferred to mourn, it wasn’t until this moment that he even considered his daughter might have wanted to grieve differently. When Sally finally calmed, he moved cautiously to sit by her side.
    â€œSally, I don’t understand this. I don’t know what this is, how it’s possible…” Mr. Simplesmith looked from his daughter to the creature she protected in her lap. “What I do know is that, no matter how much I wish it weren’t the case, your mother is gone.”
    â€œBut I’m here,” Sally said tiredly. “And so is Bones. Please don’t take him away from me. Please, Dad. Don’t.” Upon hearing his name, the little skeleton dog looked up at his friend and gave her a kiss.