Matthew 18:10
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."
Copyright © Caleb Y.Y
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She fell to her knees, staring at the ceiling.
"God, please… make Dad change. Bring back the one from before, please, dear God in heaven… please…
Grandma, grandma… I'm begging you…"
She cried, her palms pressed tightly together.
Days passed like that—trapped within four walls.
Life became a cycle of fear and survival.
The man drank that bitter liquid, passed out, and only then did she move—trembling, weak, limping, silent—trying to recover a trace of normality.
Finally, when he fell into a deep sleep, she whispered:
"Dad's asleep… we can…"
Her eyes sought mine, and instinctively, I curled up close to her.
I saw marks on her neck. I tried to lick them.
"Sweet Nun…" she murmured, giving me a kiss on the nose.
"Dad's asleep, and the door's open. We can take a bath, Nun. We have to be clean girls."
We went to the bathroom.
She filled a bucket beneath the shower to bathe me.
"This is for you," she whispered, "to bathe you."
The water fell cold on my little paws.
"I'll close the door," she said as we moved inside the bathroom. "You know, Nun… I like bathing us like this."
Auh… I said, tilting my head to the side.
She stroked my ears.
"You're so sweet, Nun."
Suddenly, a loud noise broke out from outside—human screams.
"No… NOOOO!"
Cries of horror and heavy footsteps running.
She dressed quickly and ran barefoot through the damp floor.
The bathroom was far from the man's room.
We opened the door; she took a deep breath and went in. She came closer to me.
Then she looked toward the man sleeping and, in a trembling voice, said:
"Dad… there are screams outside…"
"Dad, wake up," she whispered, crying. "I'm scared."
Her hands shook him gently.
Then came the blow that made her fall to her knees.
The slap echoed, and I jumped instinctively toward her, barking low and trembling:
"Auhh… auhh… auhh…"
My paws stiffened, my teeth ready to protect her.
The television murmured in the background:
"The day has come," said a strange man on the screen.
"The Demon—"
I couldn't hear the rest over the man's shout as he woke.
"What do you want!" he yelled.
"Dad, there's noise outside. They're hitting the gates—people everywhere."
He just stared at her.
"You changed your clothes… why did you leave the room? What did I tell you, huh?"
He placed his hands around her neck.
"What, you want to leave me? Is that it?"
"No, Dad. No… no… I don't want to."
"Dad, there are people screaming!"
The man left the room.
"I want you to stay here."
He grabbed his gun.
As he walked…
twenty steps before reaching the gate,
I saw a gigantic arm emerge from the shadows.