The Dark Sire Issue 8 (Summer 2021) - PREVIEW | Page 11

gathering tears . I tried to sound the words on the next page , but all that came out was an acid croak .
A full stop metamorphosed into a raven soaring through a highland sky on wings of ink .
“ I don ’ t want to do this anymore ,” I said . “ It ’ s bad and mean . I ’ ll tell the policemen and they ’ ll come and after that you won ’ t have anyone .”
Dad sprang out of his chair , swept nearby Tiger ’ s Tales away in a flash of green . The chair fell behind him with a crack . He was before me in an instant . “ Why dost thou mock the name of thy brother ?” he demanded . “ If thou wert as pure and upright as he …”
The old special words . Dad always seemed to change when he used them , became something more . I could not help but see the colour red in them , the red of flogged flesh . “ You ’ re shouting at me . I don ’ t like it when you shout .”
“ My shout is small next to the Lord ’ s . Do you think He will extend His hand to you now ?”
“ I don ’ t want to go to Heaven anyway . And I don ’ t care if David ’ s there !” I cried . My chest rose and fell rapidly . A tremor of fear threatened collapse , but I expelled it with a breath . Gulping fresher air , I yelled , “ I want my mum and I want my stories !”
I could see the two of us sitting under a tree ’ s purple shade , my head resting on Mum ’ s lap . Her quiet voice lulling me to sleep as she recounted the adventures of Monkey , Badger and Fox . And of the Great Cat whose footfalls stirred the wilds and brought forth magic .
Taylor Hood is a British writer with a background in wildlife ecology . He is interested in the dangers of anthropocentric thinking . Many of his stories are psychological in nature , dealing with outsiders and ways in which humans can be harmful to each other and to the environment .
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