Warning: There is violence in
this story. There is also a child in this story. You do the math.
Easter Surprises
"Slap!"
The girl's tears were
silent as she cowered on the carpet of the living room, wincing at every word
shouted inches from her terrified face.
"I'm up now! Get
your damned basket!"
The 7 year old scrambled
back, avoiding the sweeping hand but not the foot and it caught her in the hip,
bringing a dull flare of pain.
"Worthless
kid!"
Out in the cool air, the
girl lingered outside by the meager Easter Basket, candy untouched, tears dried
to her red cheeks. She could still hear her mother's loud voice inside,
complaining about being woken up early, and the neighbor's were staring openly
through their trailer window, but Madeline knew better than to think they might
help her. Other kids in the park had the same life and while everyone
whispered, no one helped. They had no one to stand for them.
"You do now."
The little girl looked
around with startled eyes, only to find a snow bound trailer park.
"Maddie."
Right by her feet now,
she looked down to see a large rabbit. Longer than her foot, taller than the
old tom her mom threw rocks at, the bunny was big and dark gray, with large
black eyes.
"Hello."
The child blinked. Its
mouth had moved!
"You talk!"
The rabbit nodded,
pointed a paw under the skirt-less mobile home.
"Come with me. I can
help you and your friends."
The animal hopped
casually out of her sight. "Come on, Maddie. Let's play a game called
teach the grownups to be nicer."
Torn, the little girl
went slowly and when the neighbors saw her disappear behind the concrete
supports under the trailer, they closed their curtains, thinking she was smart
to give her mom time to cool off. The untouched basket of Easter candy didn't
raise any alarm.
It did with her mom
hours later, but not the worry kind that makes you think something bad may have
happened, but the annoyed kind that said someone wasn't where they were
supposed to be. When she began screaming the girl’s name, the neighbors thought
of telling her where the child was but didn't. It sounded like she hadn't
cooled off very much.
"Madeline!"
The little girl didn't
answer and her red face was tight with concentration.
"Just blow and
think. That's it."
The rabbit handed her a
small pouch and the girl quickly grabbed a fist of the gold and black powder.
"Madeline! So help
me girl!"
The Mother was close and
the rabbit laid a comforting paw on her foot when she trembled.
"Do this Maddie,
and she'll never hurt you again. I promise."
The girl nodded, eyes
clenched shut and when she blew the dust into the cold air, it sparked, flashing
into a ball of brilliant flames that covered the child from head to foot. A
second later, the grinning rabbit was gone and the girl was being roughly
yanked from an under the trailer.
"Damn kid! Didn’t
you hear me yelling?"
The woman shook the girl
wildly but her motions slowed as she got a look at her daughter’s face.
The child smiled, pretty
blue eyes turning red, teeth growing, becoming hungry fangs.
"I hear you now,
Momma!"
The child's attack was
merciless, her long claws ripping into warm flesh and as the body fell, the
neighbor's curtains swung shut and the girl headed casually toward her best
friend’s home.
Mandy's dad liked to hug
her and touch her a lot. It was time he learned to keep his hands to himself.
Then, she'd show Mandy the dust and they would go to Jacob. When there were
enough of them, they would take care of the other evil-doers, the ones who
watched but didn't help. Their turn was coming.
(Renee has been a guest on C9 Virtual Tours)
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“I want you to find my dead
husband.”
“Excuse me?”
That was my first reaction.
“I want you to find my husband. He’s
dead, and I need to know where he is.” She spoke in a voice one sexy note below
middle C.
“Uh-huh.” That was my second
reaction. Really slick.
“He’s dead, and I need you to find
him.”
If she wasn’t tired of the repetition, I was, but I couldn’t
seem to get my mouth working. She sat in the cushy black leather chair on the other
side of my desk, exhaling money with every sultry breath. She had beautiful
blond hair with just a hint of darker color at the roots, blue eyes like a cold
mountain lake, and a smile that would slay Adonis. I’d like to say that a
beautiful woman couldn’t influence me by her beauty alone. I’d like to say it,
but I can’t.
(Helmy has also been a guest
of C9 VT)
A
mundane office life is suddenly changed into something entirely different in a
flick of a hand. Helmy's visit to Viet Nam made him face the beauties he long
forgot, and now he must make up his mind to pursue the love of his life...
Would he be able to reconcile his past and his present to step into the unknown territory of the probable future? Could he bridge the space between himself and his love?
Follow Helmy as he recounts the defining and beautiful moment in his life, through the river and the cove of Viet Nam, across the sea to Bali, and Jakarta.
Fictitiously,
of course.
You guys have a safe Sunday.
Next Week: Invasion
"This
is Safe Haven Refugee Camp. Can anyone hear me?
Hello?
Is anyone out there?"
The Survivors
*Free on all
retailers
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