Spectre

by Rohan Parekh

January 1, 2025

He never actually touches me. Whenever I do something to upset him, he takes my mom into the bedroom and shuts the door.

I wish the door was soundproof. But perhaps the silence would be worse because when my mom would eventually limp out of the room, it would ultimately be more shocking.

Oh, it was so quiet in there, how did you get that black eye?

 

January 4, 2025

Technically, he didn’t touch me.

He asks me to show him my homework. I show him. He frowns and says I didn’t do it properly.

How would you know? You’re drunk.

He throws his glass on the floor and orders me to walk barefoot over the broken glass.

 

January 7, 2025

I’m running through a forest late at night. Something dark is chasing me, barking nonstop.

All around me, I hear other animals snarling and growling, waiting to catch me off guard.

I run faster, ignoring the sharp rocks and twigs cutting into my feet.

I wake up. Who took the bandages off my feet?

 

 

Jan 13, 2025

‘Burnt. Tastes horrible.’ Father looks disgusted. ‘How can you be so stupid?’

 

Jan 15, 2025

‘You’re late.’ He glares at her. ‘If only you weren’t so stupid.’

 

Jan 17, 2025

He looks at my homework. Then he looks at her and says, ‘Now I know why the kid is so stupid.’

 

Jan 18, 2025

‘Why do you always leave the lights on?’ He shouts. ‘You’re so stupid!’

She needs the lights on so she can set up a noose. She’s tired of being stupid.

 

January 20, 2025

‘I convinced her not to do it.’ Loki sounds relieved. ‘A simple trick to conjure hope.’

‘You’re prolonging her suffering.’ Daphne says.

‘I don’t have a choice.’

‘Why not get rid of her husband? She’d be better off.’

‘The spell requires dark magic. Dark magic requires suffering.’

‘That almost sounds like something Ares would say.’

‘Almost being the key word.’ Loki smiles. ‘What he wants is a third world war. Midgard may be mid, but I’d rather not have it get blown up.’

‘How many humans do you need for your spell?’

‘A few million.’

‘That’s a lot of suffering.’ Daphne says.

‘It’s a shame what humans do to one another.’

‘It’s not just humans that do those things.’

 

 

February 17, 2025

He’s cuddling with his sugar-baby, a woman who is twice my age.

Yesterday he proposed to her. She declined. I’m too young to get married, she said. I’m happy with what we have.

Mom is staying with her parents. She’s often away for weeks at a time.

I keep all of my father’s secrets. I also plan to keep my promise to him.

‘A scar for a scar.’ A friend whispers.

 

 

2055

She opens a book when an unknown bookmark slides out. When did I get this bookmark?

She picks it up and turns it over. Her trembling fingers are unable to hold it steady, so she places it on her lap.

The words on the bookmark are bigger than the words in the book.

So she reads the bookmark.

She struggles to bring her attention back to the book… When did I get this book?