She feels obligated to defend her sister, which is why she is obsessed with this “monster.” For a youngster her age, it’s a significant burden.
James and I didn’t sleep that night.
Lina and I went out for ice cream by ourselves the following day. We laughed while we sat in the park.
“Sweetheart, this monster… does he look like anyone you know?” I said as she finished her cone.”
After a long moment, she remarked, “He smells like Daddy,” looking down.
I blinked, startled.
She clarified, “He doesn’t look like Daddy.” But occasionally, he sounds just like him. similar to when Daddy slams the door or yells at the TV.
I gasped. Have you ever been afraid of Daddy?”
She gave a nod. “Just when you’re not around.”
I addressed James that evening.
He sobbed and revealed everything.
He began drinking during my pregnancy, only a beer or two, but enough to get out of control while I was away or sleeping.
He acknowledged that when Lina spilled something, he had yelled at her and even grabbed her wrist too firmly.
He sobbed, “She never told me.” “I didn’t believe she recalled.”
However, she did. She recalled everything.
She transformed him into a monster in her terrified, bewildered thoughts.
That evening, James departed.
He started therapy. Lina began going to therapy.
The healing process was gradual but constant over several months.
Lina stopped painting faceless monsters and muttering secrets.
She chuckled once more.
James receives supervised visitation every Saturday. He has six months of sobriety.
“I don’t need to keep secrets anymore,” Lina murmured to me as I tucked her in one evening.
My heart simultaneously shattered and recovered.
The creatures under the bed aren’t always there. They exist in the individuals we care about.
Individuals are subject to change. Children also require secret-free households.
Please share this story if it moved you. A child’s whispered words could be the words of someone lurking behind them.
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