Seed

by Ania Ahlborn

“Charlotte Winter?”

It was you, it was me, it was us, it was we.

Stand over her and wait until she stopped breathing.

All his marbles fell out, rolled under the tables and counters, and he’s too old to bend down and find them.”

“So we should let her move into the attic and cover the walls with posters of glittery vampires.”

“Don’t be scared, Mommy,” she said. “At least you still have Abigail.”

This was never your family, it whispered. It’s always been mine.

“I’m sure you have a picture-perfect house built off stolen milk money,

If there was a God, he would certainly help a child, wouldn’t he?

Jack saw Nubs

Nooooooooooooo

The longer it went on the less he did to stop it.

“You’re runnin’, but you’re runnin’ from something you’ve been runnin’ from all your life, aren’t ya? Runnin’ like it’s gonna make some sort of big difference this time round.”

“But you know what they say about urban legends: all legends are based on at least a little bit of truth.”