Three Little Words

Ashley is taken from the Hagens’ house by her new caseworker, Miles Ferris, who has “a gentle smile and puppy-dog eyes” but is actually “a careless and uncaring man” (59). She is taken to stay with Charles and Marjorie Moss in “a double-wide [trailer] with three bedrooms and two bathrooms” housing “as many as fourteen children […] even though their legal capacity was for only seven” (64).

Luke is delighted to see Ashley, but Mrs. Moss angrily sends him to a time out for showing his excitement. She takes Ashley to the cramped girls’ room and puts her “dressy dresses” and her dolls in a locked shed outside because “‘[w]e don’t keep personal possessions in the house,’” and there is “‘[n]o need for fancy things here’” (63).

The children are “often hungry” (67) and have to drink from the garden hose, spending most of the days locked outside. Mrs. Moss cruelly punishes the children for mistakes and imaginary transgressions, often making them drink hot sauce. When Ashley asks for cereal instead of stew, Mrs. Moss intentionally gives her rotten milk. When Ashley vomits, Mrs. Moss is furious and “grip[s] my hair and pushe[s] my face into my puke” (68).