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!’

bedroom. His mother snatches up

‘Bitch!’

again, and

while, the door

from under

then rushes across. ‘It’s

Sobbing, ‘You’re bleeding, Mommy…’

Sweetie.

wipes his face with the cloth, squeezing warm

‘A bit.’

I know it hurts but let's have

tell me

She’s talking all

the train to the

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

‘Mommy?’

morning.’ She pulls him close, humming as she strokes his

*****

it time for breakfast?’

‘Mommy?’

…

…

*****

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

and heaves, the bolts straining on their

against a buzzing tide of bluebottles, he stares down at the small, filthy

across the tiles, the contents scattered: wrappers licked clean, tins wiped, one trailing what looks like dried

has an open gash on one hand, swollen,

she?

tears trickling. ‘I don’t like

the fuck’s that

to sleep. She won't wake up and talk to me. I want her to tell me a story and she won’t. And she's gone

then charges around the apartment. As he pushes the bedroom door open, clouds of

boy and pushes him into the bathroom, closing

listening to the clatter and

in, reaching down to haul him up