“Quiet down little ones.” Daddy always sat in the old wood rocker that was given to him by our grandmother. I was too young to remember her or any of my other family members. He never missed a night reading his favorite bedtime story. Just some nights it wasn’t to us. My younger brother Gabe couldn’t talk but he heard every word.
“There was an old man…” He started off.
“No Daddy! That’s not how it goes!” I giggled as Gabe grunted at his mishap.
“Okay. Okay. I was just making sure you were paying attention. There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many cats..”
Gabe got up off the linoleum floor we were sitting on and ran over to daddy. He pointed cleverly at the book to remind him his words were incorrect. “That’s not it daddy.” I told him.
“Okay enough funning. I know you’re very serious about your stories. He went on. She had so many kids, she didn’t know what to do.” When he was finished reading, he would take us back down to the basement with the others and “untie the shoe.” That’s what he called taking the lock off of the door. I was smart and knew what it really was.
There was seven of us down there. We didn’t all look the same but we all had the same stench. I once asked him how he got us since we didn’t have a mommy. He told me we were all gifts from GOD. I knew who GOD was too. HE was always on the radio reading something called a BIBLE.
He kissed each one of us good night and reminded Andrew and Stacy that tomorrow night was their turn to hear the story.
“I only keep you down here because I love you so much and I don’t always know what to do. At least I don’t whip you like the old lady, right?” He would ask. I think we all knew he had stolen us from her.
Leesa Writes 