Her Darling Boy
To Rene, with all my love. The line of texta spreads across the white…a writhing, headless blue snake twisting and turning against the starkness of the blank wall. A noise. The pen drops to the ground, shedding its curling paper skin, the words texta now faded only to ext. Forgotten, it bleeds blue blood into the carpet. Mother. Her voice is loud, a high pitched, angry shriek. He shrinks back, cowering in the corner. The stinging slap of her hand across his buttocks rings out. Pain. He...