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!’

mother snatches up the golf club,

‘Bitch!’

again, and

while, the door slams. It

out from under

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

Sobbing, ‘You’re bleeding, Mommy…’

Sweetie. Don’t

with the cloth, squeezing warm soapy

‘A bit.’

but let's have a sleep. We'll

you tell

She’s talking all

the

in beside him. ‘Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Larry....’ She

‘Mommy?’

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

*****

breakfast?’ But she doesn't answer, doesn't open her

‘Mommy?’

…

…

*****

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

door bangs again, heaves; bangs and heaves, the bolts straining on their screws until, with a crash,

steps in. ‘What the fuck?’ Fanning against a buzzing tide of bluebottles, he stares down at the small, filthy figure

wrappers

has an open gash on one hand, swollen, the skin stretched shiny and

she? Where's your

little boy drops his head, tears

that that supposed to

I want her to tell me a story

gapes then charges around the apartment. As he pushes the bedroom door open, clouds of flies swarm up

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

listening to the clatter and

open and the man marches in, reaching down to