Never Tear Us Apart
Don't ask me
What you know is true
Don't have to tell you
I love your precious heart
I
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never tear us apart ーINXS
Skylar Saves The World: All We Got Is This Moment
January 2020. This would prove to be a time of hindsight 20/20. Skylar knew this for sure because her mother’s T-shirt said so. It would be a time of private negotiations and the end of what was. Practically this entire month she would be on lockdowns at school and lockouts after dinner.
“Skylar, honey go to your room and play. Mom and Dad are having a private discussion.”
This was happening more and more.
The thing about private negotiations, there are always unpresented voices. Skylar complied with her orders. In her room, she tried to put herself in lockout. But matters of the heart always aired through the heating vents.
“HE can wait until he is 18.”
Skylar’s dad was a nice guy, he gave her skittles when they went on errands and would say thank you to Alexa, but she did not like the sound of his words right now.
“SHE!,” corrected Skylar’s mother.
“Listen, I just think we should go slower. He’s only 9. Maybe he’ll change his mind. Listen, I love him...her...it’s just...well I want the best life. If this is for real, then well, it could be a very hard life for our kiddo. No dresses right now, you’ve seen the statistics.”
Then Skylar’s mom - as she always did, made her #@ContraPoints, “She! WILL be fine, the world IS evolving, catch up!
“We just need to slow down, Carol. Maybe just have HER wear neutral clothes...look you’re wearing red pants and a yellow shirt. I have blue jeans and a red shirt.”
“Fine, but she will be who she is even if we hide her in primary colored hoodie and jeans.”
“Primary colors are neutral.”
Skylar muted her parents by placing her backpack on the vent.
Skylar did not understand why her dad was so concerned about her being a girl. There were more important things he should be thinking about like melting glaciers, animals going extinct, and the atmosphere.
She pet her dog, INXS: named after her mom's favorite music group. Her mom listened to INXS, the Kick Album when she cleaned the house, worked in the yard and well any chance she could. Skylar loved to listen and knew all the words.
Skylar felt an impending doom of the end of her world but she had bigger things to worry about...because...well she had done something terribly, terribly awful! She was just trying to help. She was just trying to make the world a better place. Her teacher told her, she all could make the world better.
When Skylar tried to do so, she was thinking about all those great books they read in lockdowns. Follow the Moon, The Lonely Polar Bear and Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed The World. That’s why, that’s why Skylar broke the rule - she just did it, did it because she needed to save the world. That is right….Skylar A. Wilson used GLITTER!
As Skylar pet INXS, she looked around her room. There were tennis shoes under each bunk bed post. WELL, it was a metal frame. She did not want to be electrocuted in a lightning storm! A pink and yellow blanket hung from the top bunk. Her mom called it a fort, Skylar called it mission control.
On the floor there was carpet that was a map of the world. All over the world there were toys and game pieces: Monopoly houses and hotels, legos, dominos, matchbox cars, tonka trucks, and sooo much more. Mr Krabs stood in the middle of the US and a lightsaber was on Russia. In the arctic, was the Lonely Polar Bear. On Brazil there was a giant water slide which was made with a Nerf Gun and a sock. 100’s of lego people slid down it. In the Atlantic and Pacific ocean were water bottles floating. From the top bunk a fishing pole jutted out allowing a small toy plane to fly around the world. Tied to it was an empty bottle of glitter.
On the top bunk was God, A.K.A. Terry Gross, a Darth Vader with ear muffs, sat reclined in a red Crock that stood on the underside of a white frisbee. The window next to Terry was cracked up.
To Skylar, Terry Gross was God because when Skylar asked her, “Mom, why don’t we ever go to church?”
Her mom’s reply was, “We don’t need god we have Fresh Air with Terry Gross.”
Skylar loved the sound of Terry Gross’s voice. She could fall asleep to it in the car, on the couch, and in her room. She would wake up and hear, “If you're joining us now, This is Fresh Air and I…..” And Skylar knew she had at least 20 more minutes to sleep.
Which brings to the present date when once again, Skylar tried to save the world on March 29, 2020.
Present Date March 29, 2020: Interview with Terry Gross of Fresh Air
Terry Gross: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. We are here live on Bedroom Public Radio, BPR. today with I am reporting from Skylar A. Wilson’s Bunk Bed. I am joined today by Skylar who has done something terribly awful. He attends—
Skylar: “She.”
Terry Gross: So Sorry Skylar, This is Fresh Air and we are her live today with Skylar, a transgender girl, that attends Central Elementary School. Skylar is the writer of nothing on the bathroom walls. He—SHE, joins us today to tell us about something she did that is very wrong. Now, before we dive into all of that, I thought we’d get to know Skylar a little more. It says on the door, that this is your room?”
Skylar: That’s right Terry, and I've been spending a lot of time here lately.
Terry Gross: I am sorry to hear that… (Thanks)... So Skylar tell me about what is like being transgender at Central Elementary School?
Skylar: Aaah, I thought you were better at interviewing than that!
Terry Gross: So sorry Skylar, what do you mean by that?
Skylar: Well Terry, it seems you, like many adults are missing the point…
Terry Gross: If you are just joining us, my guest is Skylar. And he, SHE, joins us today to tell us about something she did that is very wrong. Skylar attends Central Elementary School. He has written nothing on bathroom walls or in the writer's workshop. It says here, SHE likes math. Like most kids these days, Skylar’s school is closed until the pandemic is over. Skylar is a transgender student that is a student of Centeral Elementary School.
Skylar: AAAAHHH
Hallucinate
Desegregate
Mediate
Alleviate
Try not to hate
Love your mate
Don't suffocate on your own hate
Designate your love as fate
A one world state
As human freight
Terry Gross: What’s that Skylar?
Skylar: Nothing...Mom is cleaning...listening to INXS. I’ll mute her.
Mediate
Clear the state
Activate
Now radiate
A perfect state
Food on plate
Gravitate
The Earth's own weight
Designate your love as fate…
(Skylar places her backpack on the heating vent.)
Skylar: There, she’s muted.
Terry Gross: This is Fresh Air, I’m Terry Gross, and we’re back from our break. We are joined live with our guest, Skylar a transgender student….
Skylar: THAT IS NOT THE POINT! It has nothing to do with anything. The point of the interview is the GLITTER! I broke the rule.
Terry Gross: (Clears her throat) So sorry. So, Skylar tells us about what you did that is very terrible. Please start from the beginning since you robbed our listeners of your background and bio, tell them the kind of person you are.
Skylar: Well TERRY, I am a HUMAN that made a mistake. Humans are bad because we all have the Devil inside. My mom sings it all the time. Have you heard of INXS?
Terry Gross: (No)
Skylar: That’s okay Terry no one has except my mom. Anyways, it all started this past January or February but we will leave it to the historians to sort that out because I honestly can’t remember.
Look here Terry…..(Sklyar points to the world capret map on her floor)
Terry Gross: For our listeners at home...here is what I am looking at. A room that most likely hasn’t been cleaned in quite some time. A dog, golden retriever mix I believe. He is sleeping at the edge of one of those world carpets often found in classrooms.
Skylar: My mom is a teacher.
Terry Gross: I see. If you are just joining us. This is Fresh Air and I am Terry Gross. Today we are joined by Sklylar, Skylar is a…
Skylar: Move on Terry….
Terry Gross: I am looking at a world map carpet that we can presume was bought for Skylar by his—her mother. There is lots on it...I will try my best to describe it to you.
All over the world there are toys and game pieces: Monopoly houses and hotels, legos, dominos, matchbox cars, tonka trucks, and sooo much more. Mr. Krabs is standing in the middle of the US.
Any significance to that Skylar?
Skylar: Trump
Terry Gross: Interesting...If you are just joining us, This is Fresh Air and I am Terry Gross.
I am joined today by Skylar, who has done something terribly wrong. He—She asked me to look at the world map on his bedroom floor. I am describing for our listers what…
Skylar: No wonder your show is so long Terry!
Terry Gross: So sorry Skylar, dear. Let me continue for our listeners. I am looking at a lightsaber laying on Russia. In the arctic, a polar bear. On Canada is an empty bag of skittles. On Brazil there is a Nerf Gun and a sock through its trigger guard. While I describe this to you, Skylar slides lego people down its barrel into the South Atlantic Ocean. In each the Atlantic and Pacific ocean there are water bottles. And all over the ocean there little crumbs...no is that….fish food.
Skylar: Yes that is fish food, Terry.
Terry Gross: Hanging above the world is Jay Jay the Jet Plane. Tied to Jay Jay is an empty bottle of glitter (Glitter Guns in the Sky) which if I am not mistaken, is why we are here. Isn’t it Skylar?
Skylar: That’s correct Terry.
Terry Gross: Do you wanna tell us about that Skylar?
Quiet tears roll down Skylar’s face.
Creak - INXS, the dog, ears perk up, raises his head. Then goes back to sleep
Skylar: Okay, well I did something terrible. I just gotta say Terry, right up front I am really sorry.
(More tears roll down Skylar's face.)
Terry Gross: For our listeners at home. I think Skylar is truly sorry, he, SHE has tears rolling down her face. Skylar, I just want to point out right now that there are tissues in China.
Skylar: Thanks Terry. (Skylar blows her nose and continues). As I was saying I broke the rules. I used glitter. Mom says they don’t allow that in schools anymore because it gets everywhere. Well she bought me some, my favorite color rose gold pink. She told me to ONLY use it when she was around. I told you Terry I can’t remember exactly when but I do admit I did it.
Skylar: This is what happened Terry, I think my parents will get a divorce because of me. I wish I could be someone else. I want them to stay together. I thought, if I made them proud...did something wonderful they would stop fighting and stay together.
Terry Gross: I see. So what did you do exactly?
Skylar: I decided that I would save the world. Save it from war, save it from pollution….I don’t want the Polar Bear to be alone.
Terry Gross: The one in the arctic?
Skylar: Yeah.
Terry Gross: Forgive me here Skylar. You mystify me h, I am not sure I am following you here. Saving the world is a good thing. I think our listeners can all agree about that. So how can saving it be so terrible?
Skylar: Okay. Well my mom once told me they used glitter to show kids how virus germs spread, so they would wash their hands. Thing is...she said, glitter spread everywhere...even when kids washed their hands. Here is the bad part Terry….
Terry Gross: If you just just joined us, this is Fresh Air, I am Terry Gross we live today on Bedroom Public Radio with our guest, Skylar, who did something terrible when trying to save the world. Skylar, a student at Central Elementary School is transgender.
Skylar: So sorry Terry! But you’re kinda being ignorant right now...it doesn’t matter if I am a girl or a boy. What I did was bad. All humans make mistakes because they have the devil inside.
(Skylar pulled out a Voodoo Doll, a Weegie Board and continued to explain.)
Skylar: I cast a spell on Jay Jay’s gun in the sky, shooting tiny daggers at the mean people.
See, I did it. If there were less mean people on earth, the world would be a better place. That was months ago and it is still spreading...I saw in on the news. There is pandemic spreading like glitter. I am afraid lots of grandmas will die. And Terry is the important part…
Terry Gross: If you just just joined us, this is Fresh Air, I am Terry Gross we live today on Bedroom Public Radio with our guest,
Skylar: Stop it Terry! People need a cure. People are dying and I know how to save them.
Terry Gross: How?
Skylar: Skittles, they are primary colors and therefore, neutralizers.
Creak - INXS, the dog, ears perk up, raises his head.
“Skylar honey, this isn’t your fault. I love you!”
Quiet tears roll down Skylar’s Dad’s face.
“The world is a big place, you can’t be responsible for it all. I am so proud of my little girl saving the world, you know what you need?”
Skylar feeling the warmth of her father’s hug looks up, “What?”
“Well for starters I think you should listen to my music not your mother’s, but what I really think is that we should both get some fresh air and a lot of Smarties.”
©2020 by TC McCracken. All rights reserved.