“London bridge is ….. Honey, do you want to finish the sentence?” Through her tears she whispered “falling down” and then sniffled.
“My fair ….” I ran my fingers through her long brown locks, snagging them in the process. “Lady.” She cried harder. “Those tears and all that green snot are the cause of these tangles, little missy. Men aren’t meant to fix little girls hair” She rolled over and faced the wall, the paint chipped from where her finger nails dug into it.
The sound of shattered glass startled us both. Heavy boots flooded the upstairs, and then made their way down the steps. “Someone’s here! Get in your place!” The chain rattled as it was drug across the floor. She whimpered, crawled under the bed, reaching back up to grab her dirty white teddy bear that was missing an eye. I shook my head in disapproval.
I tacked the wood paneling back up, the seams sealed tight so no light could escape. “FBI” They shouted repeatedly. Their fearless leader pointed them in different directions as they scattered through the house, calling her name. “Lona, Lona, we are here to help you!”
The aluminum gas can was full and in reach, I had no choice. I drenched the foundation around me, I stood in the flammable circle, holding a box of matches. A dozen rifles all pointed in my direction, I lit match after match, blowing each one out. I tilted my head back, laughing obnoxiously. I struck one more, ready to end it all. “Honey, London bridge is burning down, burning down, my sweet Lona!” I looked back towards my makeshift partition, her cage, hoping she would call out to me, an expression of love, maybe a hint of gratefulness for caring for her all these months. There was nothing.
I heard a pop…….
Leesa Writes 