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 the

‘Bitch!’

screams again, and

the door slams.

under

the bolts on the door, top and bottom, then rushes across. ‘It’s alright,

Sobbing, ‘You’re bleeding, Mommy…’

Sweetie. Don’t

with the cloth, squeezing warm soapy water. ‘Is

‘A bit.’

let's have a sleep.

you tell me

I will.’ She’s talking all funny.

one about the train to the

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

‘Mommy?’

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

*****

breakfast?’ But

‘Mommy?’

…

…

*****

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

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

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

wrappers licked clean,

has an open gash on one hand,

she? Where's

boy drops his head, tears trickling. ‘I

that that supposed

wake up and talk to me. I want her to tell me a story and she

he pushes the bedroom

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

trembling, listening to the clatter and the cursing

in, reaching down to haul him up by the injured hand which