Under The Stairs

It was dark, the walls were close, Gemma could feel them if she stretched her arms out, but in the darkness she was lost. Tears stung her face, and her arm was throbbing beneath the sleeve of her shirt. She clutched it to her chest tightly, trying to stifle the tears that were stinging her eyes and streaking her cheeks. The left hand side of her face burned from the impact which occurred just before the lights went out. She didn’t really remember much of what had happened.
She sat on the balls of her feet, breathing in rapid shallow gasps, trying not to the let the ideas of beasts lurking in the abyss that surrounded her get into her head. She could hear footsteps, pacing up and down, and further sounds of a struggle. Raised voices, something shattered against the floor, and then again. The shouting stopped. She heard a dull heavy thud as something else fell, only this didn’t break, it was too heavy.

Suddenly her world was filled with light, the door ripped open. She closed her eyes and squinted, “I’m sorry Daddy, I won’t ever put cartoons on again.” She stuttered the words through tears and gasped breaths, suddenly aware of how badly she missed the darkness.