The Dark Place (#FrightFest2016 Gold Winner)

The Dark Place - Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

1

Jack Moon opened his eyes and raised his head from the huge oak desk, which was cluttered with pages of research notes, and was dazzled by the glare of the early morning sunshine. For the first time in weeks it was as if everything was so much clearer. It wasn't only his vision that had become less cloudy, but also his mind.

He had been so selfish since Isabelle had passed away. What sort of a father was he? The child had lost one of the most important people in her life and all he had done was add wood to the fire by shutting her out like she didn't belong in his life. How could he not have seen it before? Had he really been so trapped in his own grief that he couldn't spare a second to help her through hers? She had needed him and all he had done was push her away. Could she – would she ever allow herself to forgive him? He made up his mind, there and then, to make it up to her, however long it took.

2

Tamicka lay awake in bed, but with her eyes closed tight. She didn't want to open them because she knew that she would see that room again. Why had her father put her in there, on the other side of the house, as far away from him as he possibly could? She heard the squeak of the hinges as the bedroom door slowly opened. Soft footsteps made their way over to the bed. It must be Mrs. Hughes; she thought, she said that she would be back first thing in the morning. Something heavy gently came to rest on the bed beside her. She noticed the warm musky scent. It was the scent that had once, a lifetime ago, made her feel so happy and secure. Now it only made her feel empty and unwanted like some forgotten pet. It was the scent of her father.

Tamicka wondered what she had done wrong this time. Maybe he was angry with her because she had fallen asleep in the car last night, or maybe it was because he'd had to put her to bed like a little baby. Either way, she braced herself for whatever might come.

Just pretend to be asleep and he'll go away, she told herself.

A hand smoothed her hair away from her cheek and for a moment she was confused by his touch. It was so soft, so gentle, not at all what she had expected. He caressed her hair the way he had before they had lost mommy. It felt so nice. She wanted to open her eyes, to see the expression on his face, to see if he had finally forgiven her for whatever it was she had done all those months ago. But what if she opened her eyes and broke the spell that had brought him to her? That was the last thing she wanted to do so she just kept them closed.

He stroked her sweat-dampened brow and kissed her. The stubble from his chin softly pricked the soft, smooth skin of her forehead and she could feel herself swell with happiness. All she wanted now was for him to hold her tight in his arms and tell her that this was how it would be from now on, but he didn't. Instead she just felt his weight lift as he stood up from the bed and made his way back over to the door. She wanted to do something to make him come back, to make him stay with her, but she just lay there and listened as the door opened and closed again.

When she finally found the courage to open her eyes she saw that she was back in her old room. Her father had not put her in the other room after all; it had all been a part of the nightmare.

3

Mrs. Hughes drank the last sip of tea from her cup and walked over to the sink. It was still stacked with the dirty dishes she had asked her husband to wash up two days before. The filthy old bugger would be worse than a pig in a sty if it weren't for me, she thought as she gave her cup a quick rinse and left it upside-down on the drainer. He was still fast asleep upstairs and, as far as she was concerned, that was where he could stay. He had caused enough trouble when she'd got home last night to make her think about leaving him for good, what with his ranting and raving about how he shouldn't have to cook and clean when he had a wife to do that sort of thing for him, and then to forbid her to go back to the Big House. To this she had merely taken off her sodden jacket, hung it on one of the free hooks by the front door and scowled at him. It wasn't long before he realised his mistake and removed himself from her sight.