Spoiled Rotten (excerpt)
Kiethy was ashamed that he had snuck out into the back garden with the other boys and ran about naked and had venutred down into the cellar and wrapped themselves in old sheets, their naked flesh against each other. The skin would tingle. The penis would tingle. They swooned and giggled and had no idea what they were doing, nor cared.
All summer, they ran about, in and out of tents, Cowboys and Indians, Cops and Robbers, Armies, Commandos, Fillpotbungee (which was essentially an elaborate game of dodgy ball), water fights, group trips out to the ocean, down into the sea, into the museum, which was filled with everything old and worn and smelly – everything useless – as dull as the unknown bones of ancestors to children.
Kiethy worried continually about his nudity experiments. The fear got him good. It loomed like a large black dog with giant eyes and a growl that screamed pain to him. He and another boy had lain on top of each other. He and another boy had lain on top of each other. They had compared arms and chests and legs and finally the viewed the penis.
Am I a bad boy? Am I a baddy? How did I know? What did I do? I wasn’t me, was it? God, do you think I am a baddy? Am I sick, sick to the back teeth? What have I done? I never meant it. People will hate me. Mum and Dad will reject me. No one has ever done anything like that before. I haven’t. Who has? Probably no-one, I can’t say a thing. O my God – can’ say a thing! Nothing…what am I going to do? Nothing, nothing happened. It was… – o block it out – block it. I wonder what happens when you die. I never meant it though…Am I bad? Am I really? Tell no one.
Kiethy watched tele. Kiethy loved music. Kiethy ate rice pudding straight from the tin with a spoon like real cowboys do. Kiethy ate plain white bread. Kiethy tore of the edges of the bread and roll the rest in a ball in his fist and ate it. He ate it like it was tobacco, the tobacco cowboys used to chew on and spit out.
Freddy Mercury was on television. He had died. The song was ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The son terrified Kiethy. Freddy terrified Kiethy. Freddy looked like a woman. Freddy sang like a high pitched girl. Freddy looked like a witch. Freddy had long sharp bony fingers; he was pipe-cleaner thin. He wore a whit shiny jump suit. He has giant teeth – like a dog or a giant witch. He looked like a woman. Freddy Mercury died of A.I.D.S Kiethy had A.I.D.S Kiethy was certain he had A.I.D.S. Kiethy was terrified – he had to talk to his Mother.
K: Mum, I don’t have A.I.D.S do I? M: No! Of course you don’t. K: Are you sure? M: Of course…why where did you hear that? K: That man on T.V. died from A.I.D.S…he scares me. M: What man? K: Don’t tell Dad, please mum, DON’T TELL DAD! M: ok. But don’t worry son, what is making you worry so much. K: I got naked with the other boys. I think I have A.I.D.S, do I have A.I.D.S mum I don’t do I?