Masters & Lovers Box Set Three

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!’

dashing for the bedroom. His mother

‘Bitch!’

screams again, and

while, the door

out from under the

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

Sobbing, ‘You’re bleeding, Mommy…’

nothing, Sweetie. Don’t

with the cloth,

‘A bit.’

it hurts but let's have

tell

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

the

him into the bed then climbs in beside him. ‘Once upon a time, there was a

‘Mommy?’

It’ll be better in the morning.’ She pulls him close, humming as she strokes his hair. After a while, she stops humming and

*****

time for breakfast?’ But

‘Mommy?’

…

…

*****

up!’ The door bangs. ‘Fucking well open up. I know you're in

the bolts straining on

Fanning against a buzzing tide of bluebottles,

scattered: wrappers licked

has an open gash on one hand, swollen,

is she? Where's

boy drops his head, tears trickling. ‘I

that that supposed to

up and talk to me. I want her to tell me a story and she

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

and pushes him into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. ‘You stay

listening to the clatter and the

man marches in, reaching down to haul him up by the injured hand which