Etymology

A chubby, wrinkled woman with bleach-blonde curly hair and enormous breasts sat across the desk from Mark and his mother, looking at a sheet of paper Sarah had given her moments earlier. "Honey, half the kids here are on court order."

"Oh-"

The woman looked at Mark, then at his mother. "He's adorable."

"Thank you-"

"He'll get along just fine here-"

"The state's paying for it-"

"Yes."

"Until I get back on my feet-"

"That's what we're here for." The woman handed the paper back to Sarah, her large breasts covering half the desk as she leaned forward. She picked up her pen. "We're open 24 hours, so we can provide all the care you need-"

"I work 7:30 to 4:00 with Wednesdays and Sundays off-"

The woman scribbled on her pad. "Do you have transportation?"

"Yes."

Scribble. "Will Mark be bringing his lunch-"

"No-"

Scribble. "Is he on a regular napping schedule?"

"No-"

Scribble. "Does he know his ABC's?"

"Yes."

Scribble. "Does he know his numbers?"

"Yes. He can count to a million-"

Scribble. "Can he spell his name?"

"Yes. He can read and write-"

"Really?" Scribble, scribble, scribble. "That's something else at that age-"

"But he can't talk-"

"Huh?"

"He can't talk-"

"What do you mean?"

"He's never said a word-"

"How about his hearing-"

"Everything's fine, he's been to the doctor and everything checks out-"

Scribble, scribble, scribble, scribble. The woman laid down her pen and sat back in her chair, the nipples of her humongous breasts casting shadows over the edge of the desk. "I'm not being smart, but if he's never said a word, how do you know that he knows his ABC's-"

"He points-"

"And reading and writing-"

Sarah reached over and grabbed the lady's pen and yellow notepad and handed them to Mark. "Write your name-" She slid the pad over to the woman when Mark was finished.

The woman looked at the pad, then at Mark. "Okay." She nodded, wide-eyed, her crow's feet smoothing, and turned her eyes to Sarah. "Forgive me. I'm sure you can understand-"

"No problem. Don't worry about it."

The woman looked at her watch. "Well, you're going to be late getting back to work if I keep you any longer. I'll take this fine young man to the activity center so he can meet his new friends before nap time."

Sarah got up and shook the woman's hand, then rubbed the thin blonde hair on Mark's head back and forth a few times. "Mama'll be back to get you at 4."

Mark adjusted his Batman backpack with a wiggle of his slight shoulders and followed the big woman down the tiled hallway, marveling at the width and density of her jiggling ass, packed tight and lumpy in a pair of stretch pants much too small. They stopped inside a door that opened upon a large room, the floor of which was littered with children, desk-chairs, yoga mats, and toys. Mark stood under the woman's breasts, shaded from the fluorescent lights overhead and nodded slightly to himself. The woman picked up a bell from the largest desk in the room and rang it, the children scattered about the place looking up at its sound. "Children, this is Mark. He's new and I want you to give him a hearty welcome."

"Hi, Mark," rang out a chorus of high-pitched voices.

A young woman, tall and slender, her brown-streaked blonde hair pulled back tight in a pony tail, came over to Mark. She held out her hand. Mark took it. "Hi, Mark, I'm Ms. Cleary. I'm the leader of this activity center. I want to welcome you." She looked up at the fat woman, then back down to Mark, smiling. "Give me your backpack and go join the other children. They're very nice. Don't be scared. It's almost nap time."

Mark watched as the woman opened a closet door behind her and hung his backpack on a hook inside; the little room had no light and seemed limitless in width and length. When the woman touched his shoulder, Mark made his way to a yoga mat and sat down. He watched as the the two women whispered to one another, their eyes widening and narrowing, their heads nodding toward him now and then, until the obese woman left.

The bell rang again - this time, it was the young woman ringing it. "Nap time." At this, the children put down their toys, pencils, crayons, paint brushes, and scissors and made their ways to the twenty or so mats arrayed in a circle in the center of the room. As the woman turned off the lights, all the children lay down, including Mark.

But he couldn't sleep. He'd never taken a nap in his short life. He'd never slept more than five hours on any given night. So he turned on his side and stared at the dozing boy next to him. A wisp of brown hair tumbled over the boy's forehead towards his turned-up nose. His eyelashes were as long as his perfectly-formed lips were full. Every few seconds, his nostrils expanded with an inhalation, then found their regular shape with a corresponding exhalation that had no scent.

A loud snore reverberated throughout the room and Mark sat up. He looked at the large dark-brown desk near the door: the young woman was behind it, her feet on the desk, her head stretched back over her chair, her small breasts heaving with sleep. After a quick survey of the room and the rest of its occupants, Mark leaned over and put his hand on his neighbor's shoulder, shaking him.

The boy's eyes popped open and he giggled. Mark put a finger to his lips and stood up. He reached his hand out to the boy, who took it and got up. Mark led the boy to the closet, opened the door carefully, and pushed him in. As he closed the door behind them, the room became pitch black, save for a sliver of dim light under the bottom of the door.

"What-"

Mark put his finger to the boy's lips and slowly dropped to his knees, digging his fingers into the waistband of the boy's shorts and underwear. He pulled them down and put his mouth on the half-inch of warm, pee-stained flesh that protruded from the boy's pelvis, rolling his tongue swiftly as he sucked in and out vigorously, the tiny holes of his nose stretching with breath-

The boy let out an animal cry as Mark bit down at the sound of the cracking door behind him. He turned and looked up, his tiny mouth smeared red with blood, and saw the young woman glaring down at him, her eyes the size of half-dollars. He opened his mouth and the boy's penis fell to the floor.

"Fuck," said Mark.