Klempner – The Present

Mine…

My daughter…

Mitch’s daughter…

Alexanders’ words haunt me…

You locked her in the dark with the corpses of the murdered...

I try to escape into sleep…

… The stinking breath

The blood-shot eyes, wild with rage

The fist…

Da... No...

And a scream of anger. ‘Leave him alone you bastard! Don't you touch him! Don’t you dare touch him…’

The smack of knuckles into flesh and another scream, now of pain…

‘Mommy! Don't hurt Mommy!’

The figure so tall…

The screams of pain becoming shrieks…

The smack of knuckles into flesh…

The little figure grabs for something… Anything…

… He swings the big metal stick with all his might, aiming for the ankles… ‘Stop hurting Mommy!’

A scream of rage and pain. ‘You little bastard!’

‘Run, Lamb, Hide!’

His mother snatches

‘Bitch!’

again,

the door slams. It

under

bolts on the door, top and bottom, then rushes across. ‘It’s alright, Lamb. He’s gone now.’ Crouching down, she rocks

Sobbing, ‘You’re bleeding, Mommy…’

nothing, Sweetie. Don’t

wipes his face with the cloth, squeezing warm soapy

‘A bit.’

but let's have a

tell me a

course I will.’ She’s talking all funny. ‘What

about the train to the

‘Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Larry....’ She speaks slowly, her voice

‘Mommy?’

to sleep now. You sleep too. It’ll be better in the morning.’ She pulls him close, humming as she strokes his

*****

time for breakfast?’ But

‘Mommy?’

*****

I know you're in there. Your car’s at the front. Open

heaves, the bolts straining on their screws until, with a crash, it bursts

tide of bluebottles, he stares down at

the tiles, the contents scattered: wrappers licked clean, tins wiped, one trailing what

open gash on one hand, swollen, the

she? Where's your

drops his head, tears trickling.

that that supposed to

I want her to tell me a story and she

around the apartment. As he pushes the bedroom door open, clouds of flies swarm

into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. ‘You stay in there. Don't you fucking move

boy sits, hunching small, trembling, listening to the clatter

in, reaching down to haul him up by the

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