Tanya hated peaches.
She smelled it all the time in her house. It reeked of acidity and rot and mold. It was peach liquor. The pungence of it bit her nose along with the smell of turpentine. In a dim bedroom, where vision wasn’t a primary sense, her nose picked up much more.
She sat in the bed. The blanket crumbled next to her-- her and the pain—and him.
“I love you.” He whispered to her, wrapping his hairy arm around her shoulder. Tanya did not want to call out for him. The unspoken word rolled under her tongue and swallowed deep into her fiery gut.
Tanya did not want to call him “Dad.”
“Do you know how much you look like your mother?” He asked, with a kind voice. He was only kind when he had his release. She trembled to his touch. Peaches, paint, and sweat reeked putrid in her nose.
“Yes.” She said. She knew he liked it that she responded. He told her that since she turned thirteen—since then he slept in her room.
“I love you, you know that?”
“Yes.”
Tanya felt so powerless. She always did after such activity. Her small wrists bruised as the heavy set man pressed and plowed into her. She shivered again in his arm.
She stayed like that until he fell asleep again.
“Tsk.” A voice called out for her. Tanya adjusted what was left of her nightdress and looked at the banged up window. The light leaking in told her it was late in the morning. In a winter month like this, probably it was eleven.
And she saw a strangest creature she had ever seen.
It had little human shape—not larger than her palm. Bipedal, as she learned at school meant it stood on two legs. The body was of a muscular man, but where the light touched, the creature sparkled blue and purple. Its eyes were big and yellow. The wings whizzed at its back. Tanya was scared of it right away—it was male.
“Is he asleep?” It asked Tanya in a raspy voice larger than its body.
Tanya looked back at the heap of flesh and nodded.
“What did he do to you?” The creature asked.
“He loved me.” Tanya answered. She moved away from it, but then she felt herself pressed against her disgusting father, and she winced.
“I will not hurt you.” It said. “I came to set you free of him.”
“How will I live? I’m just a child.” Tanya asked, but she was curious… How would life be without her father?
“You will be in a foster home. I’m not gonna lie. It’s pretty rough there, but a year or two and you’ll turn eighteen.” Its smile brightened in the dim light. “Then you’ll be truly free.”
“What do I have to do?” Tanya still felt cautious, but she was interested to the freedom, wondering what it would be like.
“I will lend you my strength.” The creature replied. “And you can make him go away. When you do, say ‘I sacrifice this death to Billabog. Can you do that?”
Tanya felt a surge of warmth to her body, and her skin’s glow lit up the dirty, dim room. She looked around and saw them.
Peaches. Peach liquor bottles. Oil drawings of peaches—made to look like female parts. The more she saw it, the more her anger ignited. She looked at the wooden nightstand with a trembling heart. It looked heavy.
“You can do it.” The creature whispered to her.
Tanya lifted up the nightstand. It was surprisingly light. She carried it above her father’s head.
“I sacrifice this death to Billabog.” The word barely escaped her lips when she let go.
The following sound she heard was a juicy crunch, like someone pressed their teeth against an unripe peach. Then there was silence.
The light in her that lit the room was gone. The strange creature disappeared. Tanya felt so tired. She walked to the bed. Her pillow was wet and sticky, but it was warm and soft.
And she slept.
Peaches
She smelled it all the time in her house. It reeked of acidity and rot and mold. It was peach liquor. The pungence of it bit her nose along with the smell of turpentine. In a dim bedroom, where vision wasn’t a primary sense, her nose picked up much more.
She sat in the bed. The blanket crumbled next to her-- her and the pain—and him.
“I love you.” He whispered to her, wrapping his hairy arm around her shoulder. Tanya did not want to call out for him. The unspoken word rolled under her tongue and swallowed deep into her fiery gut.
Tanya did not want to call him “Dad.”
“Do you know how much you look like your mother?” He asked, with a kind voice. He was only kind when he had his release. She trembled to his touch. Peaches, paint, and sweat reeked putrid in her nose.
“Yes.” She said. She knew he liked it that she responded. He told her that since she turned thirteen—since then he slept in her room.
“I love you, you know that?”
“Yes.”
Tanya felt so powerless. She always did after such activity. Her small wrists bruised as the heavy set man pressed and plowed into her. She shivered again in his arm.
She stayed like that until he fell asleep again.
“Tsk.” A voice called out for her. Tanya adjusted what was left of her nightdress and looked at the banged up window. The light leaking in told her it was late in the morning. In a winter month like this, probably it was eleven.
And she saw a strangest creature she had ever seen.
It had little human shape—not larger than her palm. Bipedal, as she learned at school meant it stood on two legs. The body was of a muscular man, but where the light touched, the creature sparkled blue and purple. Its eyes were big and yellow. The wings whizzed at its back. Tanya was scared of it right away—it was male.
“Is he asleep?” It asked Tanya in a raspy voice larger than its body.
Tanya looked back at the heap of flesh and nodded.
“What did he do to you?” The creature asked.
“He loved me.” Tanya answered. She moved away from it, but then she felt herself pressed against her disgusting father, and she winced.
“I will not hurt you.” It said. “I came to set you free of him.”
“How will I live? I’m just a child.” Tanya asked, but she was curious… How would life be without her father?
“You will be in a foster home. I’m not gonna lie. It’s pretty rough there, but a year or two and you’ll turn eighteen.” Its smile brightened in the dim light. “Then you’ll be truly free.”
“What do I have to do?” Tanya still felt cautious, but she was interested to the freedom, wondering what it would be like.
“I will lend you my strength.” The creature replied. “And you can make him go away. When you do, say ‘I sacrifice this death to Billabog. Can you do that?”
Tanya felt a surge of warmth to her body, and her skin’s glow lit up the dirty, dim room. She looked around and saw them.
Peaches. Peach liquor bottles. Oil drawings of peaches—made to look like female parts. The more she saw it, the more her anger ignited. She looked at the wooden nightstand with a trembling heart. It looked heavy.
“You can do it.” The creature whispered to her.
Tanya lifted up the nightstand. It was surprisingly light. She carried it above her father’s head.
“I sacrifice this death to Billabog.” The word barely escaped her lips when she let go.
The following sound she heard was a juicy crunch, like someone pressed their teeth against an unripe peach. Then there was silence.
The light in her that lit the room was gone. The strange creature disappeared. Tanya felt so tired. She walked to the bed. Her pillow was wet and sticky, but it was warm and soft.
And she slept.