Chapter 4 - The Downward Vector
The father’s eyes tracked the invisible line drawn by that tiny finger.
He looked past the edge of the bed.
The amber light from the lamp barely touched the surface down there.
It illuminated exactly two square feet of short-pile beige carpet.
A discarded brown sock lay crumpled near the leg of the nightstand.
A small, green plastic dinosaur with a missing tail was wedged under the wooden frame of the bed.
It was a barren, inhospitable wasteland of dust bunnies and dropped objects.
It was the floor.
"That side."
The toddler’s voice was crisp.
It contained zero malice.
It was simply a statement of geographical fact.
He lowered his arm, letting his sticky hand rest comfortably on his crossed, reindeer-clad ankle.
The digital grain on the mother’s smartphone screen pulsed rapidly.
Her shoulders began to shake, causing the entire frame to vibrate.
She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek.
The father turned his head back slowly.
His neck cracked audibly in the quiet room.
He stared down at the small boy sitting cross-legged in the center of the bed.
He looked at the boy’s unblinking eyes.
May you like
He looked at the absolute, terrifying sincerity on the child's face.
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