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 snatches up the

‘Bitch!’

again,

while, the door slams.

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…’

nothing, Sweetie.

with the cloth, squeezing warm

‘A bit.’

it hurts but let's have a sleep.

you tell me a

She’s talking all funny.

the train to the

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

‘Mommy?’

sleep too. It’ll be better in the morning.’ She pulls him

*****

hungry. Is it time for breakfast?’ But

‘Mommy?’

*****

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

bangs and heaves, the bolts

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

gash on one hand, swollen, the skin stretched shiny and weeping

is she? Where's

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

fuck’s that that

wake up and talk to me. I want her to tell me a story and she won’t.

he pushes the bedroom door open, clouds of

the little boy and pushes him into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. ‘You stay in there. Don't you fucking

little boy sits, hunching small, trembling, listening to the clatter and the cursing from

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

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