Diary of a Teenaged Mimic

Dear Diary,

Shhh! Momma doesn’t know I’m here. I have Important Big Girl Things to do.

Momma sleeps now. More sleep than normal sleep. Momma and Big Momma both sleep, because today is when There is Here. So Momma double sleeps.

Mom is sad. She cries. ”Wake up, Goof! What the fuck is going on?” She shakes Momma, but Momma doesn’t shake. ”Marie, help me!” Marie lifts Momma, but Momma doesn’t lift. Silly Marie can’t lift Momma because There is Here and nobody can lift Big Momma, because she is Too Big. They both try, and I swallow my giggle. I am a Big Girl. If they see me, they might not let me do Big Girl Things, because they don’t know how Important they are. ”Marie, go get Sister Siobhan. Tell her nothing. Do not bring her in the room until I let you in.”

Marie leaves. That’s good, because Marie is too good at Find. If I Hide she’ll find me. I have Important Big Girl Things to do. I glare at Brother. He thinks the armoire makes him safe from me. Stupid... I sniff Momma’s blood. Smug. Brother is smug. I Hide my Me and slip off the bed. Mom cries over Momma. I sniff There until I find Mau. Mau’s Me sneaks to the armoire. Mau’s claws pull the rope, it slides free. Mau’s claws pull me up the armoire. Stupid Brother.

I push the armoire open just enough to crawl through. I Hide my Big Girl to reach the door Stinky Brother hid Here, and push it open just enough. I sniff There until I find Must. Must’s Me slips through the tiny crack, and I freeze. Stinky Brother is here. Here is stinky and wrong. There is Here now, but this There still isn’t Here. That makes my ears feel bad. I want to go back Here, but if I don’t do my Important Big Girl Things, Momma will hurt. NO. I sniff There until I find Keel and Hor. I look and sniff until I find the Most Stinky Bit. Way over there, past Stinky Brother.

I sniff There until I find Pee. Pee and Mau sneak to the Most Stinky Bit. Stinky Brother doesn’t see me. I get to the Most Stinky Bit, but need up. I reach. I am too small. I stretch, I Hide my Big Girl more. I climb up, and Most Stinky Bit is there. I do this, because Momma can’t. I un-Hide my Big Girl all the way, Hide my Baby Teeth, and eat.

The Most Stinky Bit tastes bad. I bite harder and swallow. So, so, bad. Hard to smell anything but Most Stinky Bit. I bite again, swallow again. I do again, and again, and again. So bad. So Stinky. No puke. Only bite, only swallow. Halfway done.

”Pardon me, Sister dear, but pray tell me, what do you think you’re doing?”

I sniff Momma’s blood... Fuck. I push the Stinky Bit behind me and look at Stinky Brother. ”Ahnama na da na da.”

Stinky Brother may be Stinky, but he listens. ”You, little one, are most certainly not doing nothing. That was a gift for Mother. Give it back.”

”Na!”

”Give it back, or I will...” Stinky Brother makes a face. ”Give it back and I will make you the best toys.”

No! I have Important Big Girl Things to do. ”Na hu Mama!”

Stinky Brother looks up. ”There is no way that gift can possibly hurt Mimic, even now.”

Stinky Brother is stupid. ”Na Bi Mama. Mama.”

Stinky Brother makes a Stinky Face. ”Tabitha?” He makes a Stinkier Face. ”She barely exists, why should I care what happens to her?”

”Ah ca.”

”Be that as it may, that is a gift for Mother, and you will unhand it now.” Stinky Brother steps closer.

I un-Hide all my Me. I sniff There until I find Meg. Meg smiles. I sniff Momma’s blood... ”Wa na ga?” I growl. Stinky Brother stinks like the Most Stinky Bit. Ew.

Stinky Brother stops. He blinks. ”I am the Primordial Terror of Gods. You? Stand against me? Think again, child.” Stinky Brother’s Me spills, fills the room. Stinky Brother’s Me makes Mau hungry. Meg can’t smell Stinky Brother’s Me.

I sniff Momma’s blood.. ”Kika poo. Ah Kika poo.” Meg snaps her teeth when Stinky Brother grabs at me. Stinky Brother smells like his Me. Stinky Brother Jumps back. I sniff Momma’s blood... ”Da so.”

Meg bites the Most Stinky Bit, gulps it down.

My tummy hurts. I Hide my Me and hold up arms.

”You expect me to pick you up after doing that?”

”Tikibada Kika poo?”

”You are a vulgar little child, and you’ve ruined my gift for Mother. No.”

I point to the armoire. ”Na pa.”

”I fail to see how that is my issue.”

I shrug. My Important Big Girl Thing is near done. I squat. Time to do what Momma can’t.

”YOU VULGAR LITTLE! STOP! STOP! YOU WIN! YOU WIN!” Stinky Brother runs, scoops me up, runs to door, shoves me through.

I roll into Here. Stinky Brother slams the door. Mom still cries over Momma. Marie knocks. Mom opens door. Marie lets Shavan in. Shavan cries over Momma. Shavan looks at Momma with her Me, and falls down. Mom cries, touches Shavan’s neck. ”Return her to the infirmary, then come right back, please.”

My tummy hurts. I run at Mom, fall on her butt. ”Ma.” Mom cries at Momma. ”Ma.” Mom cries. ”Ma. Ma!” Mom cries more. ”MA! NA PA! NA PA NA! MA!” I Hide my Baby Teeth and nip her butt.

”Ow! Why? I’m sorry, baby. Mama’s sick.”

My tummy rumbles. It hurts so much. ”PA! NA! PA!” I scream, I point at pot.

”Oh! I’m sorry!” She scoops me. She scoops pot. Lid off pot, me on pot.

I do what Momma can’t. Tummy hurt stops. All better now. Tired.

”By all the Gods, child, what did you eat?” Mom makes funny faces. ”I know that can’t be from my milk. How in the Hells have you turned my milk and good food into... TABITHA! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN FEEDING OUR CHILD?”

Mom silly. Lid on Pot. Marie comes in. ”Marie, I hate to ask, but could you dispose of whatever vileness our daughter’s guts have produced?”

Mom wipes. Back to Momma. I lay on Momma. I purr. ”Mama na sa. Ma pu.”

Momma will find us. I purr. Mom cuddles Momma and purrs. Marie comes back. Marie cuddles Mom and Momma and purrs.

We purr. We sleep.