Soapy mud squished and tickled Russell's toes. The bathroom floor felt slimy from water he spilled. Russell reached into the old cracked sink; his foot slipped. Dropping Popsicle stick razor, he clutched at Daddy's bare leg to keep from falling.
"Dammit, kid." Daddy jerked when Russell's fingers pulled leg hair. Daddy's razor slipped, biting into his upper lip. "Now rook what rou did."
Russell pulled himself up fast. Daddy was cursing; sometimes he hit, so Russell must be careful.
"Sorry, Daddy. I sorry." He watched a swirl of red color in the swimming island of shaving cream. Daddy opened the medicine cabinet and took something out. Russell watched him peel away tiny scraps of skin-colored paper that floated into the sink and hid under Shaving Cream Island. "What that is?"
Daddy mumbled as he touched the thing to his blood. It pushed on his lip, made messy words.
"Cryptic pencil?" Russell stared at the soggy thing, still wet from Daddy's hands.
"Yeah, that's it." Daddy wiped his face. "It's a cryptic pencil, boy. That means it's magic. You put it on a cut to make it well. But if you draw with it...." Daddy's face bent down ballooning closer, upside down V eyebrows, mouth tight. "Anything you draw will happen."
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