The monster had been with her ever since she could remember. It hung on her like a plague, filling her life with terror and turmoil. She could never speak of the monster to anyone, it would surely find out. Among her friends and colleagues during school hours, she seemed like a normal, happy girl living a normal happy life. However, she dreaded the time when she had to return home where the monster resided.

The abrupt bell that rang at 2:30 pm signaled the end of the school day, but also the start of her hell. Her palms were sweaty and she was shaking slightly on the bus ride home. When her bus stop came, she didn’t want to get up, she would be completely content with living there for the rest of her life. But she knew better and peeled herself away from her haven that was the bus seat.
   

She cursed under her breath at the stop for being right in front of her home, giving her no time to compose herself before facing the monster. The wood stairs crackled under her feet as she made her way to the door. The door was large compared to her stature and only emphasized her fear. Letting out a shaky breath, she reached for the rusted doorknob.

The monster was there, slumped in its regular spot on its sofa chair. It was hideous and made her nauseous every time she saw it. It was lumpy and bumpy, covered in blisters and scars. Hair covered its body everywhere but its head. The monster’s odor was the thing that made her gag. You could almost see the foul stench radiating off of it. It was a mix of smells she didn’t understand and didn’t want to. Its size in both height and weight far surpassed her own.

The monster turned its large head when it heard her shut the door. It gurgled something incoherent to any human, but she understood. She knew what it wanted. She made her way to the small kitchen, which held the monster’s pleasures. Reaching into the refrigerator, she acquired what the monster requested. The bottle oozed onto her hand when she opened it and she had to repress the urge to vomit. The liquid was as black as tar and reeked of the monster.

Stepping over food wrappers and various other things that belonged to the trash, she brought the poisonous looking drink to the monster. It snatched it out her hand without a breath of thankfulness. As she turned to leave, the monster grabbed her forearm. She shook as the monster’s beefy, sweaty hands gripped her arm tighter, but she did not make a sound. No, the monster did not like it when she spoke. It harshly pulled her down to its eye level and she suppressed a sob. The girl’s eyes didn’t meet its as the monster tenderly kissed her forehead. It released her arm, leaving an apparent bruise. She fled upstairs as the monster took its first gulp of the liquid.

Her throat burned after she had relieved herself of her nausea. Having contact with the monster always made her vomit. Shortly after, she heard the faint sound of the garage opening. Mommy was home. She also dreaded the time when Mommy returned home from work. The monster hurt Mommy just as much as it hurt her.

It wasn’t long before the shouting started. The young girl formed her body into a ball on her bed and covered her ears, trying to deafen the horrid sounds. Suddenly a strangled scream reached her ears and she immediately recognized it as her mother’s. And then silence.

Silence. It was a strange sound in this house. She slowly rose from her bed and peeked out the door. She knew she wasn’t supposed to leave her room when the monster and Mommy fought, but she was worried. The dead silence unnerved her. Tip-toeing to the top of the stairs, she peaked down into the living room and gasped at what she saw. Mommy was lying on the floor, not moving. She screamed and ran down to hold Mommy in her small arms. Her sobbing and blubbering were cut when she felt a presence looming over her. She slowly raised her head and saw the monster’s fiery eyes staring down at her. It was angry that she left her room. She was absolutely frozen in terror. With a roar, the monster raised its large fist and brought it crashing down onto the young girl’s stomach, sending her across the room. It panted and stared at the girl on the ground, sobbing and clutching her stomach. The monster growled and ordered her to her room. She slowly rose and whimpered out a response,

“Yes, Daddy.”