Ficlets

Greta's Bruises (On My Body)

I go to bed every night. I’m the one who pulls the covers over my head, who shuts off the lights and says goodnight. But ten minutes later, when Daddy calls for me, she is the one who gets out of bed. It’s my body, but it’s not me anymore. It’s Greta now.

Greta comes places with me. She comes to school, and to the woods afterwards. She’s my best friend. And sometimes, she helps me to forget things.

When Greta gets out of bed, she goes to the kitchen with Daddy. Sometimes I can watch; sometimes I can’t. Greta takes the blows from Daddy’s belt without flinching. “You idiotic little…thing!” He spits. I think maybe there’s two Daddies, too. The daytime and nighttime ones.

Greta lets Daddy take her into his bedroom because she knows she cannot fight. It is Greta’s body that is violated like that, not mine. Greta feels the pain, not me.

At midnight, Greta slips back into my bed. I know that in the morning, she will have worked her magic, and although the bruises will be on my body, I will not remember.

View this story's 5 comments.