MADELINE

“Call me Daddy, baby.”

“My name is Madeline, but you can call me Madie!”

“I know, no need to tell me.”

“But I wanted you to know my name! How about you? What’s your name, Mister?”

“Mister?”

“Yeah. You look old.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah! You look so old you could be my daddy!”

“You don’t know what you’re wishing for, Madie.”

“Wishing for? It’s not my birthday, why would I wish for something?”

“Silly girl. With eyes like that, you look like you’re begging me to bend you over.”

“B-but why?”

“Because that’s what daddies do to naughty little girls.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes. Daddy.”

“Are you…are you my daddy?”

“I can be.”

“But-but—”

“Do you want me to be your daddy?”

“But-will I have a mommy, too?”

“No, baby. Daddy is all you need.”

***

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

“Madeline! I told you not to eat all of the cookies on the jar!”

“Madeline! Madie!”

Sister Mary Eunice! Oh no!

I ran down the stairs of the orphanage, looking for a place to hide. It was like we were playing hide and seek all of a sudden!

I giggled while running, this was so much fun! I never thought eating cookies from the pretty jar would lead to playing!

I heard Sister Mary Eunice from my back and saw her running after me. She looked mad. And scary, too.

I stopped for a while. Should I say sorry? Is it time to stop playing?

I frowned. I wanted to play some more. It had been a long time since Sister Mary Eunice played with me.

She was always so busy with the other kids and babies. I loved the babies, but I also wanted Sister Mary Eunice to play with me.

It was unfair! Madie needs love too.

“Madie!” It was Sister! Right behind me! “Madie, get back here!”

I giggled and ran and ran. We were playing tag now! That suited me just fine. I was always a fast runner.

I could outrun a cheetah if I wanted to. I haven’t done that yet, but maybe I can. It was my dream to run with a cheetah. Maybe I could even have one as a pet.

I reached the front door and opened it and ran outside. It was raining a bit, but that wouldn’t stop me from playing. Playing was so much fun!

I ran outside and turned to the road. I was sure Sister Mary Eunice would follow me. She was ‘it’ and she had to tag me so I could chase after her later.

I reached the park and giggled. The rain was so cold but so fun. It was starting to rain harder, but Sister Mary Eunice was still nowhere to be seen. What a slowpoke!

She was always so slow, unlike me. I had always been fast, ever since I was born!

I looked at my right hand and expected Ellie to be there. Ellie was my stuffy and she was everything to me. Aside from Sister Mary Eunice, she was my only friend.

Not everybody liked me in the orphanage. Most thought I was weird and a freak. But I wasn’t. I was a good girl.

I looked down, but Ellie wasn’t there. Oh no! I forgot her!

I tried to think about where I last saw Ellie and remembered that I had left her in the kitchen, by the cookie jar. Oh no! She’ll get lonely without me. I should go back.

But…I was still playing with Sister Mary Eunice. I was just waiting to pop out from the bushes in the park so she could tag me. I’d do that for her, since she was so slow.

I waited and waited in the park in the rain. Why was she taking so long? Did she trip? Or maybe she went back to get me an umbrella.

It was slowly getting boring and cold here. Why was Sister taking so long? She was supposed to be here hours ago!

Oh, wait! I giggled. It hadn’t even been fifteen minutes. I was so silly sometimes.

After some time, I got bored so I decided to walk back to the orphanage. Maybe Sister got lost in the rain. She could be so forgetful.

I walked down the road while the rain was slowly getting heavier. I didn’t have an umbrella. I knew I wouldn’t get sick though.

I’m un-sickable. Is that even a word? Wait, of course it is. I just thought it!

I giggled at my thoughts and continued to walk. I wondered why it was taking so long to get home. It was only a ten-minute walk from the park.

Am I lost?

I shook my head. Of course not. I’m like an explorer, I don’t get lost.

I continued walking, seeing no one on the road. But then I heard something by the alley I was about to pass through.

Should I really go there? I pondered before walking into the alleyway.

Of course I should. I’m an explorer, and explorers explore. Duh.

I slowly peeked my head on the alleyway. There’re no clowns here, right? It’s not Halloween. I waited for something to show up but there was none.

Am I imagining things again? Good job, Madie.

But then I heard it again. It was like a bang on metal, something hitting something else. Was someone there? An animal? A pet?

I heard the sound again, but this time louder. It was like someone was purposely hitting something.

I moved closer, trying to see something in the dark. The rain didn’t help. It was getting darker while I closed on to the end of the alley.

There was a shadow. Four, actually. The fourth one was sitting down on the floor. He shouldn’t do that. The floor here was so dirty, you could catch germs.

I couldn’t see their faces, or what they were wearing. I just see that they were four men, and the other three were so rude for not helping the fourth one get up.

Maybe they were drunk. Drunk people were so silly.

Then I saw the shadow of the first one, the one at the far left, pull out something. It looked like…a kitchen tool. It was black. Was it a peeler? A grater, maybe. It looked like one.

But graters or peelers couldn’t shoot and make a “bang” sound, could they?