A Little Story

An embarrassingly quick exit from my last competition. A shame really, because I quite liked the story. It seems that the ones I really like don’t do as well as the stories I have reservations about. 

For your reading pleasure:

Cold Comfort

Erin locked the basement, muting the wailing and smashing crockery.

“Síona?”

The door rattled on it’s hinges. Erin climbed downstairs.

“Síona, please.”

Tomorrow, Mam would do something ‘nice’, papering over the cracks in their family. Why didn’t she leave? Instead, she was up there, placating him.

“He’s looking at me the way he looked at Dearbhla before he...”

Erin almost said ‘touched’; too forgiving a euphemism. The word sickened her. She wanted comfort. None came.

“I’m leaving tonight. Dearbhla will take me in.”

Deep cold embraced her, exuding pride and sadness.

“I’ll miss you too.” Erin wept in the darkness.