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!’

His mother snatches up

‘Bitch!’

again, and

while, the door slams. It goes

from under

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

Sobbing, ‘You’re bleeding, Mommy…’

Sweetie. Don’t

with the cloth,

‘A bit.’

but let's have a sleep. We'll both feel better

you tell me

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

the train

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

‘Mommy?’

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

*****

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

‘Mommy?’

…

…

*****

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

minute the door bangs again, heaves; bangs and heaves, the bolts straining on

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

the tiles, the contents scattered: wrappers licked clean,

boy has an open gash on one

she? Where's

little boy drops his head, tears trickling. ‘I don’t

What the fuck’s that that supposed

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

charges around the apartment. As he pushes the bedroom door

grabs the little boy and pushes him into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. ‘You stay in there.

small, trembling, listening to the clatter

and the man marches in, reaching down to haul him up by