Things I see in the dark

Do you see things in the dark?

It was a hot, cloudy August day and little Gracie Vortex was out playing with her dolls. She had no friends in the neighborhood  except for the people next door. But they only talked to her when her mother would throw parties. Grace didn't mind though. She liked her alone time. She always found was to entertain herself whether it was playing with her long, light, brown hair or baking sweets with her mother. 

Grace was a pretty 5 year old girl. She had blue eyes, she was 3'4", pale skin, and she always wore a white nightgown. Her grandma gave it to her two years ago, before she died. She loved her grandma and liked how much her mom was like her. It was always fun when her mom would show pictures of Grandma as a little baby. Then they would watch funny movies until they both fell asleep on the couch with Daddy. She liked the was she lived. She was happy all the time. She lit up even the darkest of days. 

"Hey, Grace?" Her mother called out from the window. 

"Yes Mama?" Grace replied in her high pitched voice. 

"Time for bed, honey!"

"But Mama, what if they come again?" Gracie dropped her doll and shivered.

Gracie's mother though for a little about what to say, "Well...you wanna do a check first? Daddy might've scared then away with his big ol' man muscles!" she said while pretending to lift weights. 

Grace giggled at this. "Ok but you have to help!"

"I promise I will."

They walked into the room, Grace holding the back of her mother's robe tightly. "Check the bed first!"

Mrs. Vortex walked over to her daughter's bed and ducked under her bed. She found nothing.

"Closet next!"

She next opened the closet door slowly and she found nothing.

"Behind the dresser?"

She dragged along to the dresser and looked. Still nothing except old forgotten clothes. Her mother yawned, "Now will you PLEASE go to sleep?"

"Yep!" Grace said, bouncing into bed.

Her mother closed the door, "Goodnight my little angle, love you!"

As she shut the door, he father came in. Drunk once again. Grace hated her Father when he was drunk. He would always beat her mother until she cried then he pushed her down on the floor and do.......things to her. When he was done with her mother he would come in Grace's room and beat her worse than her mother. She tucked her head under the blankets hoping that today wouldn't be as bad as any other day. She still listened in to hear what he was gonna say.

"Welcome home Adam," her mother mumbled. She was reading a book and didn't bother looking up to see that her husband was intoxicated.

"SPEAK UP WHEN YOU SPEAK TO YOUR KING!" he yelled in her ear. She rolled her eyes now knowing why he was home late.

"How was your trip with the guys?" she said calmly, not looking up from her book.

"What do you care? That's none of your business woman!"

"Well this 'woman' has a name you know. And could you keep it down? Your daughter is trying to sleep!"

"You mean that little bratty bitch? HA I'd put her up for adoption just to get rid of her! Do you really care about her Dianna?" He started caressing her shoulders.

She took his hands off of her and stood up. "YOU FILTHY MAN! GET OFF ME! OF COURSE I LOVE HER! THAT WHY I TAKE CARE OF HER! UNLIKE YOU! DON'T EVER SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT TO ME! I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH LIQUOR IS BRAINWASHING YOU!¨

"DON'T YELL AT YOUR KING, YOU WORTHLESS WHORE!" He slapped her so hard that Grace heard it as if it happened right there in her room.

Gracie heard shouting and yelling among the drug and her mom. Suddenly, there was a loud thud then silence. It was too silent. After a while Grace heard shuffling. It sounded like he was dragging something heavy. 'Did Santa come early?' Grace's childish mind thought. She ran out the room and saw him. Her mother was in his arms. Covered in blood with a tennis ball sized dent in her head. Then he saw her. He stopped moving and shouted to her.

"YOU BETTER GO BACK IN YOUR ROOM BEFORE I DO THE SAME TO YOU!"

Grace started crying and ran into her room. She locked the door behind her and smashed her face into her pillow. She screamed and sobbed loudly now knowing why is was so silent. She screamed at the top of her lungs, "MOMMY, MOMMY COME BACK! NO YOU CAN'T BE DEAD! YOU ALWAYS TAUGHT ME TO BE STRONG! YOU HAVE TO BE STRONG TOO! MOMMY! I WANT MY MOMMY!!!"

He shouted to her, "SHUT IT BRAT!" 

Grace quickly put her hands over her mouth. She hid under the covers and silently whimpered. It got quiet one again. Too quiet. Her father knocked on the door. "Let me in, Gracie I told you to not lock these doors!" his voice wasn't as harsh as it  was earlier.

She quickly got up and ran to the door. The second the latch clicked her drunken father burst through the door. Grace jumped back startled. She braced herself for what was about to happen next. She was ready for the pain he was about to endoor on her weak fragile little body, just like he would always do