Brothers

“Who’s out of bed? I fucking warned you.”

Dad’s voice crescendoed from the hallway as we sprung out of view on the landing, quick as adrenaline. The bedroom door swinging behind us, I shinned up the ladder to the top bunk while Jay dived under covers on the bottom. Dad took the stairs two at a time.

“Will you say it was you, Jay?” I pleaded. “He’ll kill me.”

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Half A Childhood

Thanks for all the feedback on Paulie. I made some changes and submitted this version for the anthology. I’ll learn if I made the cut by the end of July.

Half A Childhood

8

At last, Dad came home from the hospital, while Jay, Catherine and I were at school. That evening we were each allowed a few minutes in his room. I, being eight and eldest, went up first.

Purple.

A face turned purple.

Mottled and bubbled and lumpen. One eye closed like a boxer’s.

An ogre, a brute, a fairytale monster.

Underneath was my Dad.

Still strong, with hard hands and black, wavy hair.

He sat up in bed, beneath the bobbly green blanket, toenails curling black, peeping out. I felt secure as he pulled me onto his knee.

Paulie

I’m entering the text below for publication in a City Lit anthology of creative writing, maximum length 1500 words. This is a second draft of shorter pieces I’ve shared before, and I need your help to improve it further before submitting. Please leave feedback in the comments. Third and final draft (for now) here.

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William kept his shoes on as Kerry walked barefoot on the beach. She, in a tie-dyed oil-spill dress, showing off slender legs. He, somehow pulling off handsome with a fag constantly on the go.

Paulie, Stop

“You’re sick in the head,” Dad snarls.

“I probably am, living with you.”

I punch myself in the head again. It hurts more this time, but I try not to show it.

Running Away

INT, afternoon.

Paulie: Has it stopped ringing now?

Kerry: It comes and goes. At night it’s worse. My jaw hurts when I swallow. At least I should lose some bloody weight now.

Paulie: Sometimes he hits me hard, too.

Say that Again

“Say that again.”

My eyes held his, heart pounding, deathly calm.

“If Jamie was alive, he’d beat the shit out of you, and love it, too,” he snarled.

I felt each word land and let the volcano erupt inside of me, pounding Dad, right and left, again and again across the face.