Magnolia Blooms

1. The Run and Go

"Little shit," the gruff voice said. The girl looked around. How had she gotten here? This place looked familiar. And not in a good way. She'd been here before. A long time ago. When she was just a little kid. But she didn't remember where this was.

Pain. That's what she remembered of this place. Pain. And hunger. She remembered always feeling hungry here. And often feeling sick.

"God dammit. Who the fuck taught you to walk?!" The voice said.

The girl was too terrified to answer.  She remembered that voice. It had been what? Two years since she's last heard that voice?

Someone pushed her and she fell down onto a hard surface.

"You little shit," the voice said. "Stay down there, on the ground. Where you belong. Don't you fucking move!"

She was too scared to move anyway. She sat, arms wrapped around her knees, her knees up to her chest.

The voice kept talking, saying horrible things, and threatening to do horrible things to her. But the person was just on the periphery of the circle of light the girl was sat in. She couldn't see his face, but she knew it was a he. 

Another voice joined him.

"I though we got rid of this," it was a female voice. "Why is it here?"

"I have no idea. I thought we dumped the trash ages ago. But look what showed up."

The girl cowered away from the voices.

One of them leaned towards her. Her face, if it was a her, looked melted. It's teeth were sharp and it had claws instead of hands.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart?" It asked with a soft and friendly sounding voice. The girl nodded.

"Too fucking bad!" The voice laughed at her. "You eat when I decide you have earned the right to eat."

"Aw, you upset it. Come here, poppet," another voice said. The girl reached her arms up and was pushed violently back down.

The voices laughed at her.

"Stupid! Like we want you anywhere near us?!"

The girl tried to cry.

"Oh don't start that noise!" One of the voices moaned. "Don't fucking start that now."

Someone kicked her. She tried to stop crying.

"So, we dumped you off and yet, here you are. You're like a bad rash. You just won't go away. How do we make you go away? Like, permanently?"

The girl opened her mouth to answer but instead, a fist flew into her face and hit her in the mouth.

"I wasn't actually asking you you freaking imbecile!"

"I think we need to suck it up, get close to it and just end it already," the other voice said.

Just then, both faces came close to the girl. They were much bigger than her. Both looking like their faces had been melted, foaming at the mouth, mouths filled with hundreds of sharp teeth dripping something that might be poison. Their claws were reaching out for her but the girl couldn't get up and run away. Her legs wouldn't work. She tried scooting back on her bum, but found she couldn't even move.

The creatures were getting closer and closer, saying terrible things and making terrible noises while the girl tried to find a route of escape.

As they descended on her, and as she felt one of them grab her arm, she screamed. 

"Maggie!  Maggie! Calm down!" A voice broke through the darkness.

Arms enveloped her, making her feel safe. Someone was petting her hair, hugging her tight and saying soothing and reassuring words to her. But in her mind, she was still in that dark place with the two creatures.

"Maggie, open your eyes my darling girl," the nice voice said.  The girl opened her eyes and saw her Papa in front of her, a look of concern on his face.

"Hey," he said, smiling and brushing back some hair from Maggie's sweat and tear streaked face. "Hey there. That was quite a doozy, huh?"

Maggie looked around to get her bearings. She was home. In her room, and in her bed. Beside her was her old blue blanket with the turtles on it. In front of her was her Papa, Papa Josh.  Coming in with a glass of water was Mama Debby. Sitting beside the bed and looking up at her was their dog, Jim. Maggie was safe.

"Hey there, sweet girl," Mama Debby said, handing her the water. "Sounded like some nightmare, huh?"

Maggie nodded and gratefully drank down the cool water from her Frozen cup.

"You want to talk about it?" Papa asked.

"I can't 'member it anymore," Maggie said, frowning. "I just 'member it was dark and I was ascared."

"Well, with that scream, I'd say so!" Papa said, pulling Maggie into his lap. She cuddled into him while he rubbed her back.

Mama Debby came and sat beside Papa and took her hand.

"Do you want Jim to stay with you for the rest of the night? Or do you want to come sleep with us?" Mama asked.

"Can I come sleep with you?" Maggie asked timidly.

"Of course, Pet," Papa said, picking Maggie up, grabbing Turtle, which is what she'd named the blanket when she was five, and the stuffed dog Tyler and Jenna had given her when Mama and Papa made Maggie their own for good. The dog's name was Uff.

Maggie put her head on her Papa's shoulder while he carried her down the hall to his and Mama's room.

"Ka-BOOM!" Papa said, pretending to drop Maggie on the bed and that she was a bomb. He jumped onto the bed beside Maggie. Mama got in on the other side and pulled the covers up around Maggie.

"Okay, peanut," Mama said. "Busy day tomorrow.  Let's try to get some more sleep, okay?"

Maggie nodded. Mama turned out the light and Maggie looked around the dark room.  Was that someone standing in the corner, waiting for Mama and Papa to fall asleep?

"What's wrong, bug?" Papa asked, seeing Maggie was looking around.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing towards the corner. Papa turned on the light and Maggie saw it was the closet door, open just a crack, with a robe hanging on a hook inside.  Maggie looked around the rest of the room.

"Okay?" Papa asked, reaching for the lamp. Maggie nodded, clutching Uff to her.

"Do you want me to keep the light on a little longer?" Papa asked.

"Yes please, Papa," Maggie said. Papa settled himself under the covers and pulled Maggie down.

"No problem, my pet," he said as Maggie curled up closer to him. Mama put her arm around Maggie and now Maggie felt safe. She was able to go back to sleep.