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'Franny?' she said.

'Yes,' Franny said.

'Franny,' Mother said, 'you're not to drive like that in the park again -- do you understand?'

'Okay,' Franny said.

'You may go out to the delivery entrance, now,' Mother said, 'and get Max to help you find the lawn hose. And get some buckets of hot, soapy water. You're going to wash all the mud off the car before it dries.'

'Okay,' Franny said.

'Just look at the park,' Mother told her. 'You've torn up the new grass.'

'I'm sorry,' Franny said.

'Lilly?' Mother said, still looking out the window -- she was through with Franny, now.

'Yes?' Lilly said.

'Your room, Lilly,' Mother said. 'What am I going to say about your room?'

'Oh,' Lilly said. 'It's a mess.'

'For a week it's been a mess,' Mother said. 'Today, please, don't leave your room until it's better.'

I noticed that Father slunk quietly away, with Lilly -- and Franny went to wash the car. Frank seemed bewildered that his moment of success had been cut so short! He seemed unwilling to leave Sorrow, now that he had recreated him.

'Frank?' said Mother.

'Yes!' Frank said.

'Now that you're finished with Sorrow, perhaps you could straighten up your room, too?' Mother asked.

'Oh, sure,' Frank said.

'I'm sorry, Frank,' Mother said.

'Sorry?' Frank said.

'I'm sorry, but I don't like Sorrow, Frank,' Mother said.

'You don't like him?' Frank said.

'No, because he's dead, Frank,' Mother said. 'He's very real, Frank, but he's dead, and I don't find dead things amusing.'

'I'm sorry,' Frank said.

'Jesus God!' I said.

'And you, please,' Mother said to me, 'will you watch your language? Your language is terrible,' Mother told me. 'Especially when you pause to consider that you share a room with a seven-year-old. I am tired of the "fucking" this and the "fucking" that,' Mother said. This house is not a locker room.'

'Yes,' I said, and noticed that Frank was gone -- the King of Mice had slipped away.

'Egg,' Mother said -- her voice winding down.

'What?' Egg said.

'Sorrow is not to leave your room, Egg,' Mother said. 'I don't like to be startled,' she said, 'and if Sorrow leaves this room -- if I see him anyplace but where I expect to see him, which is right here -- then that's it, then he's gone for good.'