READER'S ROCK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE VOL 2 ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2014 VOL 2 ISSUE 9 JUNE 2015 | Page 49

Closure Excerpt
In the dark corner of a room, Sara James waited until the monster fell
asleep.
Who was the monster?
Garrison James, her father.
It amazed her how much had changed in the few short months since
her mother, Lila left. It felt as if it happened over night.
At first, he seemed absent. Then the yelling, drinking, and angry
glares erupted whenever she entered the same room as him. Soon, he
began calling her names. When she thought things could not get
worse, the real abuse began.
He's not my dad! He's a monster!
Heavy footsteps tromped towards the room. She gulped in jagged
breaths and looked to the ceiling while blinking rapidly. A feeble
attempt to control her tears.
When hiding from the monster found her, she would replay what she
did wrong and how he caught her the time before.
Don't cry, she reminded herself, that's how he finds you.
She looked around the once lively home for a sweet reminder of
better times. There was a time when the house was surrounded by a
beautiful garden. Her and her mother would walk hand in hand and
choose which flowers to bring inside. Now, the windows were closed,
and the vase that usually held flowers sat empty. No matter where she
looked, there was no sign of happiness or life.
The house had become a vessel of sorrow and pain.
Mommy, think of her.
She closed her eyes and fo