Echo

their own people. Then we’ll have to think about a more permanent solution.”
    “Solution to what, Mom?” Abby asked.
    “Honey, anyone with a job is being removed from the welfare rolls. We can keep our housing stipend and our energy assistance, thank God. And the food stamps will help until they cut them out. My paycheck will not cover the rest of our expenses. Not with the co-pays for Abby’s dialysis. The Diaz family is losing their welfare check too.”
    “But, Mom—why? Why is the check going to stop? Can we talk to the mailman? Is this the week that he comes, or is it next week?” Scotty’s voice faltered with fright.
    “Don’t worry, honey, everything will work out if we all pull together. The government is just finding it difficult to collect the money from the rich people. They can’t give it to us unless they collect it first. I know it’s not fair, the rich have so much compared to us. It’s not the government’s fault. The rich people are just getting better at hiding the money. We’ll learn to make due. That’s why the Diaz family is moving in.
    “All the boys will sleep together in your room, Scotty. The three of us will sleep together in Abby’s room. I’m going to move my bed in there. The Diaz family will have two rooms for six people. Most importantly, they’ll pay us rent. That’ll make up for most of the loss of the welfare.” Grinning, his mom tried to put a smile on her face but Scotty could see the struggle.
    “Mom, as long as we’re together, that’s all that matters,” Abby got up, putting her arms around her mother. “Hey, champ, since we’re going to be roomies, why don’t we do the dishes and give Mom a break?”
    Scotty understood that many changes loomed large in his life. As he cleared the table, he thought about Jose Diaz, the only one in the family he recognized. Jose, an older kid on his bus, didn’t speak English very well. He kept to himself, never horsing around with the other kids, although he nodded now and then as Scotty boarded the bus. Rumors said he grew up in another country.
    Helping his mother up from her chair, he glanced out the window, hoping the sun finished chasing away the rain. The thunderclouds covered most of the sun as it began its nightly disappearance below the horizon. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.
    ###
    Sunny skies greeted Scotty as he rose to get ready for school. Unexpectedly returning home after getting early dismissal when his teacher failed to show up, he changed into his old jeans and ran up the hill to find the path to the woods.
    The ground under his feet felt spongy from all the rain. Small puddles collected in layers of dead leaves, turning the clear water tannin. He took a deep breath, smelling organic matter rotting, a contribution to the cycle of life. He soon found himself approaching the path that led up to the rock. He crept slowly, not wanting to scare the fairy. Scotty’s eyes scanned the area, coming up empty. Struggling with the hand holds on the rock, he pulled himself up, grunting loudly in the silence. Well, he thought, I hope that didn’t scare the fairy away. Scaling the top of the rock, he discovered an empty surface.
    Dejectedly, he surveyed the surrounding area from his perch. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a plastic wrapped piece of birthday cake. A bit stale but he didn’t think the fairy would notice. Smoothing out the plastic wrap, he pushed the squashed cake toward the edge of the rock. No, he better put the cake closer to him. Standing, he eyeballed the position of the cake. Still not liking it, he stood to move it again, a bit more to the middle. Turning, he glanced at his seat and gasped, doing a double take. There was his fairy, sitting in the spot he just vacated.
    Thumping down hard on the rock, he stared at the fairy’s eyes. They made him dizzy with their pulsing golden rainbows leaving him speechless and mesmerized. Neither one moved.
    “Are you a fairy?” Scotty finally demanded an answer, getting no response. “The fairies in my fairy book don’t have tails. How come you do?” He felt pressure, his mind filling with a strange aura. He stared at the fairy, who just stared back.
    “I am an Oolahan.” Scotty heard the words whispered in his mind, the aura bright with color.
    “Did you say your name was Lula?” Scotty wondered why the creature, um Lula, did not move her mouth. He heard it speak quite clearly. The aura and colors formed mind words; w eird.
    “Do I get a