Fade into darkness

schwarzer Ledergürtel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With his wife smiling at him, the man nods his head.  He walks to the bed, smacks the back of the boy’s head, and says, “Look at me now, boy.”  The little boy turns his head and looks up at the daddy monster.  The man swings the belt back and forth in front of the boy’s face.  “You know this is for your own good.  If you would just behave yourself, we wouldn’t have to punish you.  One of these days you’ll learn not to steal or lie or make messes.”  The man hits the palm of his hand with the belt.

“So tell me, Sean, how many swats do you think you should get for stealing?”

The little boy shakes his head, afraid to say anything.  Afraid that whatever he says will be wrong.

Suddenly the belt cracks across Sean’s shoulders, the pain taking a few seconds to register.  The boy’s body stiffens as he struggles not to cry out.  The daddy monster’s face appears.  “How many?”, he rages.  “Tell me how many you deserve for being a thief!”

When the boy takes too long to answer, the belt whacks across the boy’s thighs with a loud snap.  “How many, Sean?  What’s the appropriate punishment for stealing?”, the man shouts as he raises the belt head-high and whips it down across the boy’s butt.

As the boy’s body tries to escape from the pain, the mommy monster pulls on his legs.  “Don’t you dare move, you little brat!  If you move again, it’ll be another whippin’ for you and you know it!  Now you better answer your daddy, if you know what’s good for you!”

The boy whispers, “Five.”

The man whips the leather belt onto the boy’s back.  “I can’t hear you!  How many, boy?”

Through his tears, the little boy tries to speak louder, “Five.”

The man cracks the belt into the boy’s shoulders again, the tip of the belt curling around and hitting his cheek, drawing blood.  “That’s better, boy.  Now we’re going to count to five.”

He raises and lowers the belt with all of his strength,  smacking the belt over the boy’s body as he forces the child to count each hit.  When the count reaches five, the man raises the belt and brings it down with all his might, then laughs.  “Oops, guess I forgot how to count.”

The mommy monster releases Sean’s ankles and joins her husband, resting her hand on his chest.  “Supper will be ready in  a few minutes, honey.”  She then walks over to the boy, leans down, and says, “Too bad little boys who steal don’t get to eat supper.”