PEEL-BEHIND THEIR EYES. Book 1 (Complete)

Chapter 33. Bobbie

A bell in the far off reaches of Peels exhausted mind rang insistently. As troubled sleeping minds are want to do when reality tries to drag them back to wakefulness, it incorporated the nuisance bell into his dreamscape. Peel thrashed in his sweat soaked bedsheets as he battled his demon.

In his rocket ship pajamas, the five-year-old Bobbie stood, shaking in fear on the last step of the stairs. Unwilling to place a slippered foot on the smoldering hall carpet the frightened boy stared straight ahead and through the front doors frosted semi-circular window. With tears dripping off the tip of his nose Bobbie could see the ghost-like shadow of a man outside pressing the doorbell button. Compelled forward against his will little Bobbie took several steps into his nightmare and down the elongated hallway of his house. With each step, he took towards the front door the bell grew louder and the carpet hotter under his feet as it burned.

For what seemed like forever Bobbie stumbled along with his arms outstretched reaching for the door handle. He cried for his mummy, he didn't want to open the door for his daddy, he didn't want to let the devil in, but the bell was so insistent. Finally, against his prayers, Bobbie grasped the door handle and as it burned into his hand he turned it and screamed.

With his eyes tight shut he step through the open door. He had expected his father's hands to take hold of him but instead a warm welcoming glow passed through his eyelids. Instead of hate and pain, the gentle voice of a young girl greeted him.

"Don't be scared Robert come on in, I've been waiting a long time to meet you"

His eyes now wide open Bobbie looked puzzled at the girl with long flowing blonde hair tied in pigtails and bright blue eyes sitting cross-legged on the floor of a strange pink bedroom. This wasn't the front garden!

Weary of her he said "everybody calls me Bobbie"

With a kind smile, the girl asked "can I call you Bobbie"

With a smile of his own he nodded "Yes, I would like that"

The girl now with a picture book on her lap, patted the floor next to her and asked "would you like me to read to you Bobbie, I've got your favorite book"

Bobbie walked over to the girl and looked down at the book to see a green cartoon fish on its cover and smiled, it was his favorite.

Dropping to the floor he smiled at the girl and asked: "What's your name?"

The blonde haired girl laughed pleasantly out loud "Silly, you know my name Bobbie, its......."

But as she said her name a tremendous banging flooded Bobbie's head, painfully so. Confused Bobbie asked again "Sorry, I didn't hear you"

The girl smiled and opened her mouth to speak "I said......."

Again the tremendous banging rang through his skull causing his head to scream in pain. For a third time, the banging erupted this time with a blinding flash causing him to close his eyes. A moment of silence convinced him to open them again so he could see the girl, but she was no longer there. Looking around he saw that the pink bedroom was gone, to be replaced by Peels own disheveled room. Sitting up in bed Peel scanned the room for the girl but to no avail. As the fog of dark dreams drifted away from him Peel realized that it had all been a dream. Another tremendous banging blasted his already aching mind. Taking his hands away from his ears and sliding out of bed he pulled back the curtains and winced at the attacking morning sun and thought "Who the hell?"

Looking down to the front of the house he was greeted by the grinning face of Detective Mason.

The palm of his hand rubbing furiously against his temple Peel half stumbled down the stairs and checking that the floor was not a fire he stepped lightly to the door. Flicking up the catch he allowed the door to swing inwards and without a word walked through to the kitchen for some much-needed water and coffee.

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