time and put her
hands over her head. She hurt her fingers when he bumped her into the doorframe
but at least they didn’t hurt as badly as her head had. Sometimes her head hurt
so badly she couldn’t sleep after that. And besides, her mommy asked funny
questions about the bruises.
So she wasn’t expecting it when he ran her face into the front of
the sink. Her nose mashed and she couldn’t breathe and it felt all funny. When
she opened her mouth to cry he put his hand over her mouth and held it there so
long she started feeling sleepy. Then he took it away. Then she was too sleepy
to cry.
The next morning her mommy was all upset about her nose, wanting
to know what happened.
“I can’t remember,” Cheryl said.
“But your nose is all bloody! Surely you know what happened?”
“Maybe Cheryl was playing where she shouldn’t be playing and
that’s why she’s afraid to tell us,” her new daddy said, looking funny at her
mommy.
Cheryl didn’t say anything at first, then looked up at her mother.
“I have bad dreams sometimes and they make things happen.”
“Well, you didn’t dream a bloody nose!” her mommy said.
“I... I think I must have tripped when Daddy was in my room last
night.”
Her new daddy looked at her mommy, then turned to Cheryl. “I
wasn’t in your room, Cheryl. You must have dreamed it.”
Her mommy nodded her head slowly, and it looked to Cheryl like her
mommy was very nervous. Cheryl nodded her head back. “I guess I did,” she said.
“I know… you must have had a bad dream and fallen out of bed,” her
new daddy said.
Cheryl nodded silently, and the more she thought about it, the
more she tried to think her new daddy was right. She wanted it to be true.
She sat for a long time on the stairs before bedtime listening to
her mommy putting away the dishes, her new daddy talking to her in low sounds
like a dog barking. For awhile it made her giggle, thinking that he sounded
like a puppy, but then she got scared, and the staircase seemed darker than
before.
“... getting to be a problem… her imagination…”
The words were suddenly easier to hear, and at first she couldn’t
understand why. But then she understood.
“She’s delusional, Betty. All these dreams. And I think she’s
lying to you… to us, half the time…”
Her new daddy knew she was out on the stair listening. And he
wanted to make sure she heard what he was telling her mommy.
“. . . something wrong with her, Betty. We love her. I love her.
But we may have to send her away…”
Cheryl crawled up the steps carefully. She was afraid to stand up
and walk, afraid she would make too much noise. And she didn’t cry this time.
It surprised her, but she didn’t even feel like crying.
That night Cheryl woke up a little early. She looked at the
doorway, but there was no one there. The dark man with no face hadn’t come yet.
She lay there thinking about what her daddy would do if he were in
her place — her real daddy. Her good daddy.
She got up and went to her closet. She took out her bag of
marbles. They were really old; she’d had them a long time. She took them and
walked out the door.
She was really careful placing the marbles around the bend of the
hallway, at the top of the stairs. She put them down one at a time, so that
they made a nice pattern. The pattern looked a little like the moon. She put
her real father’s old marbles on the outside, and the newer marbles on the
inside.
Then she got up to leave. There wasn’t much light in the hallway.
You couldn’t even see the marbles on the dark carpet now.
She didn’t have to wait long after she got back into bed. She
heard her mommy and daddy’s bedroom door opening, and the creakings and groanings of the hallway floor as the dark man
with no face walked toward her bedroom.
Then there was the big crash, followed by a loud scream, and a lot
of thumps and bangs as the dark man fell down the staircase.
“You must have dreamed it, Daddy,”
hands over her head. She hurt her fingers when he bumped her into the doorframe
but at least they didn’t hurt as badly as her head had. Sometimes her head hurt
so badly she couldn’t sleep after that. And besides, her mommy asked funny
questions about the bruises.
So she wasn’t expecting it when he ran her face into the front of
the sink. Her nose mashed and she couldn’t breathe and it felt all funny. When
she opened her mouth to cry he put his hand over her mouth and held it there so
long she started feeling sleepy. Then he took it away. Then she was too sleepy
to cry.
The next morning her mommy was all upset about her nose, wanting
to know what happened.
“I can’t remember,” Cheryl said.
“But your nose is all bloody! Surely you know what happened?”
“Maybe Cheryl was playing where she shouldn’t be playing and
that’s why she’s afraid to tell us,” her new daddy said, looking funny at her
mommy.
Cheryl didn’t say anything at first, then looked up at her mother.
“I have bad dreams sometimes and they make things happen.”
“Well, you didn’t dream a bloody nose!” her mommy said.
“I... I think I must have tripped when Daddy was in my room last
night.”
Her new daddy looked at her mommy, then turned to Cheryl. “I
wasn’t in your room, Cheryl. You must have dreamed it.”
Her mommy nodded her head slowly, and it looked to Cheryl like her
mommy was very nervous. Cheryl nodded her head back. “I guess I did,” she said.
“I know… you must have had a bad dream and fallen out of bed,” her
new daddy said.
Cheryl nodded silently, and the more she thought about it, the
more she tried to think her new daddy was right. She wanted it to be true.
She sat for a long time on the stairs before bedtime listening to
her mommy putting away the dishes, her new daddy talking to her in low sounds
like a dog barking. For awhile it made her giggle, thinking that he sounded
like a puppy, but then she got scared, and the staircase seemed darker than
before.
“... getting to be a problem… her imagination…”
The words were suddenly easier to hear, and at first she couldn’t
understand why. But then she understood.
“She’s delusional, Betty. All these dreams. And I think she’s
lying to you… to us, half the time…”
Her new daddy knew she was out on the stair listening. And he
wanted to make sure she heard what he was telling her mommy.
“. . . something wrong with her, Betty. We love her. I love her.
But we may have to send her away…”
Cheryl crawled up the steps carefully. She was afraid to stand up
and walk, afraid she would make too much noise. And she didn’t cry this time.
It surprised her, but she didn’t even feel like crying.
That night Cheryl woke up a little early. She looked at the
doorway, but there was no one there. The dark man with no face hadn’t come yet.
She lay there thinking about what her daddy would do if he were in
her place — her real daddy. Her good daddy.
She got up and went to her closet. She took out her bag of
marbles. They were really old; she’d had them a long time. She took them and
walked out the door.
She was really careful placing the marbles around the bend of the
hallway, at the top of the stairs. She put them down one at a time, so that
they made a nice pattern. The pattern looked a little like the moon. She put
her real father’s old marbles on the outside, and the newer marbles on the
inside.
Then she got up to leave. There wasn’t much light in the hallway.
You couldn’t even see the marbles on the dark carpet now.
She didn’t have to wait long after she got back into bed. She
heard her mommy and daddy’s bedroom door opening, and the creakings and groanings of the hallway floor as the dark man
with no face walked toward her bedroom.
Then there was the big crash, followed by a loud scream, and a lot
of thumps and bangs as the dark man fell down the staircase.
“You must have dreamed it, Daddy,”
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