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

‘Bitch!’

screams again, and

the door slams.

from under the

across. ‘It’s alright,

Sobbing, ‘You’re bleeding, Mommy…’

nothing, Sweetie. Don’t

face with the cloth, squeezing warm soapy water. ‘Is

‘A bit.’

hurts but let's have

you tell me a

talking all funny. ‘What story

about the train to the

bed then climbs in beside him. ‘Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Larry....’ She speaks slowly, her

‘Mommy?’

bit tired, Sweetie. I'm going to go to sleep now. You sleep too. It’ll be better in the morning.’ She pulls him close, humming as she strokes his hair. After a while, she stops

*****

for breakfast?’ But she doesn't

‘Mommy?’

…

…

*****

I know

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

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

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

boy has an open gash on one hand, swollen,

is she? Where's your

drops his head, tears trickling.

What the fuck’s that that supposed

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

As he pushes the bedroom door open, clouds of flies swarm up and

the little boy and pushes him into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

trembling, listening to the clatter and the cursing

to haul him up by the