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can’t wait to play some more. Our time together has only
just begun.” My father called out to me, but the tiny voice
advised me to remain silent, shushing me softly. I didn’t
make a sound, only covered my mouth with my hands. I felt
the smallest breeze and knew immediately the little girl was
gone. My father continued to call for me, his voice growing
louder and somewhat doubtful. The whispered slash of
a knife transformed my father’s words into screams. He
pleaded with me to come to him, to help him. I did nothing.
From the sound of things, he had started searching
clumsily through one of his cupboards. After a moment or
two, there came the small click of a flashlight. The beam of
light shot frantically about the room, searching, occasionally
broken by the flitting shapes of the knife-wielding girls.
After some additional probing, my father’s light discovered
me—squatting in a corner with my hands covering a grin
that had likely slipped past the edges of my fingers. My
father frowned as he put his free hand to the bleeding wound
in his left leg. He’d taken the actions of the little girls to be
mine.
“The time has come, boy, for you to take your place
within the gallery. There is too much of me in you, now.
Those eyes of yours, son—cast of perfect darkness. I’ve
always known what you are, what you would become. This
will be my one true sin, to take you from the world. You
should have succeeded me, but this life is too much with me
now. I can’t leave before I’ve finished. I only hope that I can
do you justice. You may be beyond even my skills.”
As my father’s words faded, there came a sound like wet
thunder trudging through gravel. “You are correct about one
thing, little man—he is beyond you, now.” My father’s light
rose from me, ascending well over my head until it fell upon
the face of a monster. Its face was an open wound frozen
still with countless scars. The beam of light raced around the
room chaotically, describing my father’s frantic attempts at
escape. Despite his best efforts, I heard my father’s breath
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