"H en Ry!"
He looks up from his toy train, that he had been rolling across the carpet.
"It's time for bed," she says, kneeling down to pick her son off the floor.
"But Mumma, I'm not tired," the boy cries.
"Hush," she soothes.
"Daddy will be home soon," she smiles, weakly, almost forcing it towards her son.
She opens the bedroom door and tucks the little boy into bed.
She ruffles his hair, "I love you, you know that, right Hehudfyuy?"
He smiles, "Yes Mumma."
She kisses his forehead and smiles before closing the door.
He stares at his ceiling momentarily.
He can hear the front door slam shut and he grips onto his bedsheets tighter.
He swallows hard, hearing thuds.
He creeps slowly out of bed and presses his ear to his bedroom door. Eager to hear what the commotion is, though, he has a rough idea of what it is.
"Welcome home," a stuttering mother says.
"Fuck off," a slurring man yells.
"Honey, you need to eat some food, you've been drinking all day. Why not some dinner? I cooked-"
He hears a loud slapping noise.
"Whadd' I say?" The man slurs.
The boy swallows hard. Closing his eyes.
It's him.
"H-Honey, I'm sorry, I jus-"
He hears another slap and a thud.
"Not here, you'll wake Hughydstgydtu up," she pleads.
Their voices were already muffled, but now they're even less audible than before.
The boy is shaking.
"I'll fuck ya' when I wanna fuck ya' you stupid bitch," the man yells.
The boy hears screaming and scurries back into bed. Burying his face in his pillow.
This is all a nightmare.
This will go away by tomorrow.
His bedroom door creaks open and the sun shines through his curtains, mere hours later.
He must've fallen asleep.
"Good morning, He jdfgy," his mother smiles.
Her wrists are purple and she has a slash across her cheek. It looks disgusting, dried blood and red stains all down her throat.
"How are you doing today, sweetie?" She says, sitting on the side of his bed.
He touches the gash across his mother's cheek cautiously.
She has a pained expression as she closes her eyes. Letting his small fingers run across the gash.
"Baby, this is important, okay?" She says, breaking into a weak smile.
She places her hands on both of his shoulders.
The boy frowns.
"Mumma has to go out today to buy some groceries. So you'll be here with Daddy for an hour or two. I'll try and be very quick, okay? Please run to Ms Dickens house if you need help, okay?"
