I know, it's written in the present tense, which I usually abhor. But I wanted you, the reader, to experience the immanence of the story. Hence, my violation of one of my own rules. Most of this nasty little tale came to me in a Diet-Coked-up haze in June 2003. The ending took me by surprise, but it also took me another month and a half to write. The song, to me, is an eerie fit for Rogue. She was her mother and father’s “girl” by virtue of the fact that she had not yet turned eighteen; and she was David’s “girl” – they were dating before her powers manifested. After that, she would never be alone again. The other came quickly, Logan and Magneto within days of each other, and then three years later Bobby and John arrived. I saw this song as a house where everyone lived. There’s basically no privacy except what you make. Doors are everywhere, but Rogue cannot seem to shut out the men who have consumed her psyche. And what about Marie? Where did she go all those years? Was she in hiding? It’s a vision in many ways, a nightmare in others. The house I was living in at the time was much the same. I had my safe space in my bedroom, but everywhere else there were boys. Peace was not easy to find. I’m going to keep much of the interpretation of this story to myself. If you have questions about imagery, e-mail me and I’ll share my thoughts. For now, I think this story just needs to stand alone. Here's Amos' tale of the inception of the song: "The beginnings were composed on an old upright piano in Virginia. It's horribly out of tune, which is one of the things I love about it. The chorus was written but that's about it. I threw it down on tape and forgot about it. Months later, I was cleaning the house (truly a happening) and was throwing tapes away. Eric [Rosse, her then-companion] intercepted this one out of a pile. I was chopping onions in the kitchen, he brought it in and said, 'Listen' -- I did."

Copyrighted © 2003 Silver Thistle Publishing.