he watched from his bedroom door as mommy yelled at daddy. too loud! he thought, and he used his tiny hands to cover his even tinier ears. mommy kept yelling, oblivious to her little boy’s fear. and daddy yelled back, his booming voice ringing out in their home. suddenly, mommy took the china plate, the one with the goldy rim, off of the rickety wooden table and smahed it over daddy’s head. tears welled up in the little boy’s eyes, and he longed to be taken away, to a happy place-something his home seldom was. he slowly took his hands off his ears, and waddle-walked over to his crib, which he was too big for. he climbed in, trembling. the yelling was even louder now, and shards of glass littered the kitchen, which mommy and daddy stepped on, making the apartment louder.

he curled up into a ball, and cried until he fell asleep.