Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 74450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
My uncle did it. My uncle did it. My uncle must die…
She faded away and he was left with a single key floating about, held by a disembodied hand.
“I cried myself to sleep. My tears couldn’t put out the flames,” he heard a woman say.
“Aunt Angel!” he yelled, his parched mouth bursting open. His throat scratchy and painful. He was still asleep, wound tightly amongst the hot coiled fibers of the nightmare.
“… with velvet kisses… I’ll create a look that’s made for you … Gonna dress you up in my love…” A twisted, slow, dragging song played. Madonna’s, ‘Dress You Up In My Love.’ It was as if the song were melting, too. Peeling like the wallpaper consumed by the fire in the house while Mrs. Florence laughed and condemned her dead uncle to eternal hell. She faded away, and so did the laughter, replaced by soft music and a shadow cast across the wall.
Mama was hanging from the rafters… blood dripping down her body.
Hotel room doors opened and closed, slamming violently…
“GOD! OH, GOD!”
…Dress You Up In My Love…
I had to run and hide!
“FROM WHO?!” he screamed, uncertain who was speaking, coming, or going.
Mama’s shadow showed up along the ceiling, her neck snapped, and then she vanished. Mrs. Florence stood amongst the flames once again, her hair filled with torn white feathers, her eyes glowing and black…
The torment felt like third degree burns.
“Who did this?!!!” he repeated his question over and over, in dire need of answers and relief!
I
TOLD
YOU
WHO…
Wake up, boy!!! WAKE UP! You are the journalist! You speak for the dead!
Your mama can’t speak to you. Your aunt can’t speak to you. I can’t speak FOR you!!!
…Dress you up in my love… from your head down to your toes…
The Madonna song began to play faster now, while his screams rent the air. He pleaded… and then, he drew quiet…
He was back in the police precinct. A little boy clutching a purple crayon. He could smell the hot coffee and the old printers. He could hear the papers printing, the water cooler bubbling, and the hushed whispers all around him. He could see the looks of sadness from the officers’ faces as they regarded him. Nothing but pity.
You lit a fire on that porch, You were a terrible child, Caspian.
Bobby wanted your mama. He saw her first…
…No marriage is perfect…
SLAMMING DOORS… He could feel himself run down the hall, then stop and look over his shoulder. His dark hair was falling in his face, covering one of his eyes. Then what sounded like an old tape recorder starting to play. The sound overwhelmed him.
“Caspian, honey, go to your room!!!”
“But Mama, I…”
“Go to your room, baby! NOW!”
He disappeared into his bedroom but left the door cracked…
“…Come on now, baby. Just give me a lil’ kiss…”
“You’re drunk. Get outta my house!”
“You know you want it, bitch. I’ll give you money. You ain’t got no money. Just you here, with that low-payin’ piece of a job. Your phone is cut off again. Angel told me…” STEP. CREAK. STEP. “Who you gonna call, bitch? Ghostbusters?”
“Bobby, I swear, as God is my witness, you better get yourself turned around and leave my house! Sleep it off. My child is tryna sleep!”
“I’ll keep quiet, but you might scream, baby… Everyone knows you’re loose. Just let me get a little bit of that honey and then, I’ll be on my way.”
…Tearing of fabric…
BOOM! BANG BANG!
“STOP IT!”
“YOU HIT ME! I’M BLEEDIN’! YOU BITCH! FUCK!” His enraged voice.
“And I’ll do it again. I’ll tell my sister how you got those knots, too. Get the hell outta here!”
“You keep your trap shut, ya hear me?! You’ll ruin my marriage!”
“You ruined your own marriage! You drink so much now that she runs off to the hotel to get away from you. Takes Noah sometimes, too. No little boy should have to see that sort of fear in his mother’s eyes. I don’t care that he’s only four. He knows what’s going on. You’ve destroyed her life with all of your womanizing and drinking. You think ’cause you pay bills, that should be enough. Well, Bobby, it ain’t! I hate you, and you know exactly why! She’s filing for divorce. Thank God!”
“Filing for divorce… Angel is filing for divorce from me?”
“Yes! I told her to! I finally got through to her. I love my sister. She’s my best friend. You’ve hurt her for the last time. She kicked you out the house tonight for causin’ a ruckus, and you came over here with your bullshit. You’re drunk but you know what you’re doin’. You’re disgusting. I told her not to marry you in the first place! I kept my mouth shut about so much more! Protectin’ my family! You’re a demon. Wolf in sheep’s clothin’!”
“You shut your fuckin’ mouth, bitch! COME HERE!” Things breaking… “I’m gonna show you, Cheyenne! I’M GONNA SHOW YOU!!!