RIVERS END

CHAPTER ONE

Krist was four when the moster came.it shambled into dreams that were not dreams and ripped away with bloody hands on a night on high summer,when the moon was bright and full as a childs heart and the breeze was softly perfumed with roses and jasmine.

It stalked into the house to hunt to slaughter and left behind the stink of blood...nothing was the same after the monster came.the lovely house would forever carry the smear of his ghost and the silver adged echo kristo's lost innocence.

His mother had told him there weren't any monsters that they were only pretends but the night he saw the monster,heard it,smelled it his mother couldnt tell him it wasnt real.

And there was no one left to sit on his bed,stroke his hair and tell him pretty stories until he slipped back to sleep.his daddy told the best stories with two headed cows but he had gotten sick,did bad things and used bad words..mummy had said he had to go until he wasnt sick anymore....

Daddy's sickness had started one night when he came to his room awakened him..love and excitement had bounced in his heart.he'd wound up the music box on his dresser..he sat up in bed and smiled sleepily..''hi daddy tell me a story,''i'll tell you a story,he'd turned his head and stared at his son..the small bundle of tousled black hair and big brown eyes.but he'd only seen his own furry.

I'll tell you a goddam story,kristo my love.about a beautiful whore who learns to lie and cheat.
      Where did the horse live daddy?
       What horse?
        The beautiful one,
He'd turned around then and his lips had peeled back into a snarl.you dont listen anymore than she does.i said whore goddamit!

Krist's stomach jumped at his shout and there was a funny metal sting in his mouth he didnt recognise as fear.it was his first real taste...Whats a whore?

Your mother...your mother is a fucking whore..he swept his arm over the dresser sending his music box and a dozen little treasures crashing to the floor.

In bed krist curled up and begun to cry..he was shouting at him,saying he was sorry.stop that crying right now!!he'd buy him a new music box..when he'd come over to pick him up,he'd smelled funny like a room did after a grownup party and before rosa cleaned.

Then mama came rushing in..sam,for God's sake what are you doing?there kristo baby dont cry daddy is sorry.the vicious resentment  smothered him as he looked at the two black heads close together.the shock of realising his fist clenched nearly snapped him back.

He started forward intending to apologise when his wifes head snapped up..in the dark her eyes gleamed with hate..stay away from him.and the vicious threat in his mothers voice had kristo wailing.
Don't you tell me to stay away from my son.l'm sick and tired of orders from u julie..you are stoned again.i wunt have you near when you have been using drugs.
Thats when daddy had gone away.