IV.
“Why did they exile you, Jimmy?” the mother asked.
They were seated at a table. Jimmy, Miss Carriage, and both of her
parents. The only light came from the fading sun, shining through the
broken windows.
“I like guys,” Jimmy said.
“That’s all?” the mother asked.
“Well, I was caught checking out another man once,” Jimmy explained. “I
chose therapy the first time. A year later, the attraction came again.”
“Yes, they think that helps, but you can’t change who you are,” the mother
said.
“Do you shoot fetuses too?” Jimmy asked her.
“No, that gift is my daughter’s alone,” she answered. “A final gift from
the ooze her father touched while working at the power plant.”
“Ooze?” Jimmy asked.
“Well, it’s kind of a slime,” the father said. “There was a leak over
twenty years ago. None of us knew what it was. I accidentally touched it.”
“Oh my,” Jimmy replied.
“I had a fever for a night, but after that,” the father continued, “I was
stronger. Faster. More durable.”
“We thought those were the only effects,” the mother said. “But once she