I Don't See Dead People

by Madam Z

Sadie was only six years old the first and only time she saw a dead person; it was Mr. North, the old man who lived next door. Sadie had been playing ball outside in the yard and the ball rolled over to Mr. North’s driveway and stopped next to his car, so she ran over to get it and saw that the car door was open and Mr. North’s leg was sticking part way out of the door. She said “Hi Mr. North,” but he didn’t answer, so she went right up to the door and saw him lying down in the seat and he wasn’t moving at all and his mouth and eyes were open and there were little white worms crawling all over his face. Sadie screamed and went running back to her house and told Mommy and Daddy what she had seen, and she felt so sick, she thought she was going to throw up, but she didn’t, and then Daddy went over to Mr. North’s and then came back and told Mommy to call the police, which she did, and pretty soon some men came in an ambulance and took Mr. North away. For a long time afterward, Sadie had bad dreams about dead people with worms coming out of their eyes and nose and mouth, and she told herself she would never, ever look at a dead person again, and she hasn’t, even though she’s been to lots of funerals over the years. She never goes up to the coffin for the viewing, and she tells the other mourners that it’s because she would rather remember the person as he was when he was alive, but the real reason is that she doesn’t want to see the maggots crawling around on the face.

6S

Madam Z, whose full catalog is here, loves six and isn't afraid to admit it. Do yourself a favor and check out her blog.