Bridget the Beautiful

Prolouge

"Mommy! Daddy! Come on!", the little girl shouted running like a hyperactive puppy towards the door, then stopping and running back to pull on her parents' arms excitedly; her mother in her left hand and her father in her right. The two followed their daughter out the door, chuckling as they went. Once they made it out of the door, the little girl broke into a run, letting go of her parents' hands. She didn't get very far before she was being lifted up into the air as a deep voice roared playfully behind her. She screamed, then giggled banging her fist on her captor's back "Daddy, let me go!"

Her father just laughed and grumbled in a silly voice,"I'm not Daddy, I'm the Bridget Monster and there's nothing you can do to stop me!Mwahaha!" He set the little girl down after carrying her all the way to the park, but instead of running away screaming, the little girl turned on her heel to face the monster and put her hands on her hips.

"You're not a very good monster," the little girl chastised."you don't roar very loud and monsters aren't supposed to smile. I bet I can roar louder than you.", she challenged, then looked towards her mother, who was standing off to the side, smiling, and ran over to her."Mommy," she whispered seriously, plucking off her fairy wings and holding them out to her mother"if I don't come back, keep my wings for me."

"Okay, baby girl, I will. Go fight those monsters. I love you, Bridget.", the little girl's mother said as she watched her daughter scramble away.

"Hey Bridge, are you ready to hear the loudest, most bestest, mo-", the girl's father began.

"ROOOOAAAARRRR!", the little girl interrupted.

"Okay, Bridgey Bear, you win.", the father declared in mock defeat.

"Let's play hide-and-seek. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?", the little girl begged as her mother laughed, coming up behind her husband.

"Sure, my little fairy queen. Why don't you hide and Daddy and I will count?", the mother offered.

The girl squealed a quick "Okay.", before scrambling away to hide behind the slide. Before she could even peek around the slide, she noticed a puppy and followed it. Straight into the arms of a burly man in a black leather jacket who was leaning on a black van, smiling as she bent down to play with the puppy playfully attacking her legs.

On the other side of the park, the little girl's mother noticed her daughter and immediately started running towards her, calling out her child's name. "Bridget! Bridget, come back! BRIDGET!"

Hearing her mother, the little girl diverted her attention from the dog and turned around. She felt herself being lifted into the air for the second time that day, except the man picking her up wasn't her father. The little girl screamed as she was tossed into the black van that had been idling behind the man, who climbed in behind her.

"MY BABY! SOMEBODY STOP THAT VAN, PLEASE, HE HAS MY BABY!", were the last words the little girl heard before the door was slammed shut and the van took off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wake up with a start, hyperventilating as I look around the room at my familiar surroundings.

Relax, Bridge. It was just a dream. Remember what Dr. Thompson told you. In through your nose, and out through your mouth.

I breathe as my mind tries to forget the horrible screams of that little girl's mother. When I finally realize that breathing isn't working, I pull back the covers and gradually get out of bed, walking towards my closet. I open the closet doors and push all of my clothes aside, revealing the canvas and paint set leaning on the wall. I haul out the canvas and set it on the easel, then I grab my brush and oil paints and start.