by Kim Petersen
Margaret pulled herself away from his grasp. “Hello Glen. We weren’t expecting you,” she said with a scowl.
Albert dawdled up behind his wife to investigate, and stopped short when he caught a glimpse of his estranged son-in-law. It was all he could do to conceal the shock of Glen’s untimely and unwanted appearance. He greeted him in a flat tone, ignoring the hand extended out to him.
“What do you want, Glen?” he said.
“Oh, that’s an easy one, Albie. I want my wife,” he said with a smile.
Their skittish glances confirmed his suspicions that Lilly had been there.
Albert gently pushed his wife out of the way. He was dwarfed next to Glen, but he wasn’t about to be intimidated nor would he give him the information he wanted. “She’s not here. You’ve wasted your time coming here.”
Glen looked around them as if in deep thought. “No, I disagree Albie; time spent seeking the love of my life is time well spent.” His smile began to waver as annoyance crept in. “May I come in for a minute?”
“Actually, no. We were just on our way out for Friday night dinner and pokies.” Albert turned to his wife. “Get your purse dear.” They pushed past Glen, securing the door behind them, and ushered themselves into the car.
Glen followed them to the car and tapped on the passenger side window. He watched Albert nod to his wife, at which she then partly unwound her window.
“Please,” Glen begged, “The children … they just want their mother back in their lives. It’s unfair on them …” His voice trailed off.
He could see Margaret’s expression soften as he spoke of her grandchildren. “They need their mother,” Glen said, even managing to bring tears to his downcast eyes. “I just want to talk to her. That’s all.” He shook his head in mock sorrow.
Margaret hesitated. “Are the children okay?”
“Enough!” Albert cut in. “You should have thought of that before you beat our daughter and left her for dead. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we are leaving, and please don’t come back here again or I’ll call the police.”
Before Glen could respond, Albert put the car into gear and sped out of the driveway. Glen watched the car disappear out of sight before walking back to his car. They think they are better than me! Pompous old fart. His mind churned as he sat in his car mulling over his next move. And as thoughts formed in his mind, a part of him cried out, urging him to go home to his children. No! I can’t let it go! He fought the light. I have to get back at her. She must be punished. The serpent had the upper hand, holding rein over his thoughts like a vice. A plan materialised before him – almost as if he were watching a movie. He knew what he had to do.
The V8 engine roared to life as he accelerated down the street. He felt empowered by the darkness. He felt control. And the more he fed the dark serpent, the more black thoughts came to mind, gaining momentum until the shadow of a light that urged him to good, dissolved in the murky cloud that clogged his mind.
He roared towards his hotel feeling lightheaded. And when darkness fell upon Broadbeach later that night, Glen would send the serpent free to perform its duty. But first I need to release some of this powerful energy, he thought as he felt a stirring in his groin.
***
Glen squinted over at the digital clock near the bed. It was midnight. A peroxide-blonde woman lay asleep beside him. Her breathing came in short, shallow breaths against his shoulder. He had picked her up earlier at a bar down on Cavil Avenue. He had bought her three drinks and she had been ready to fall over with her legs wide open. Easy pickings, but weren’t they all? he thought as he gave her a sharp nudge. She had given him what he had desired. But now he desired for her to get out of his hotel bed. He nudged her harder and slowly she began to stir. Big silicone-stuffed breasts moved obediently with her and stood up to attention as she turned over. False eye lashes blinked, bewildered. He eyed off the large nipples that peaked and strained towards the ceiling. Fake or not, Glen loved big tits and he had missed out on them for so many years, having to make do with Lilly’s little B cups. He reached out and caressed the boobs, circling them with his large hands as they bulged out beneath them. I can’t even get my hands around them, he thought, chuckling to himself. Then he pinched her swollen nipples hard.
“Get the fuck out now, sweetheart,” he said.
The woman squawked and retreated. Talon lavished fingers cupped her breasts and cursed him, but stopped short when she caught the flicker in his eyes. She threw him a cautious glance when she had dressed herself. She studied him for a moment before hastily scooping up her belongings and leaving without another word.
Glen rolled out of bed and headed for the shower. After scrubbing himself clean, he strode naked through the cheap hotel room. He felt like a different man, and indeed had taken on a different alias when checking into the hotel. This was the kind of hotel that rented rooms by the hour, hosting a constant parade of hookers with their clients, as well as junkies and general street garbage. The management weren’t too concerned with the comers and goers that visited their rooms daily. This suited Glen as he wanted to keep a low profile while he was in town. He dressed and threw the rest of his belongings in his overnight bag, and left unnoticed.
A steamy January night gushed prickly air through his unwound car windows as he drove with care back to the Winstons’ home in Broadbeach. He pulled up at their street intersection in an effort to minimise any association with them at this early hour. He slipped quietly out of the car and light-footed it to their sleeping home, carrying with him a large black backpack strapped to his back. The Winston backyard was in darkness against the glistening reflection of the moon on still canal waters. He jimmied the flimsy lock to the internal laundry window, releasing the rusty latch with ease. He climbed through with as much stealth as the bulk of his body would allow, careful not to topple over laundry detergents that sat along the sill of the window. His joggers landed on the tiled floor with barely a sound, only to be met with the snarling growl of Cha-cha who was guarding the house. Without a single thought, Glen collected the surprised poodle with gloved hands and swiftly twisted her neck until the dainty bones snapped between sturdy fingers. He tossed her limp body aside like a rag doll, and crept through the house, searching for signs of Lilly’s presence and where she might have gone. He slinked past the sleeping couple’s room and paused at the doorway for a moment, watching as they lay snoring and spluttering like the overbearing pigs he considered them to be. So, where’s your police to save you now, Albert?
He continued down the dim hall to the guest room where he knew she would have slept. Finding the guest room neat and tidy, with not a trace of her recent presence, he laid on the bed she would have occupied. Burying his head in the plumped up pillow, he inhaled the faint musky scent familiar to him that lingered on the soft fabric. She hasn’t been long gone from here, he noted. He stalked back through the house again, and was making his way back to the laundry where he had left the jerry can of fuel that he had brought along with him, when a scrawled-on notepad caught his attention. It was on the bench in the spacious kitchen, and simply read “Lilly – Kate Hunter” in blue ink. He tore off the page with the inscription and shoved it into the folds of his cargos. He then retrieved the jerry can and sprinkled the house with petrol, paying particular attention to the hall that led to the bedrooms.
When he was done, he stood silently at the front entrance, breathing in strong petrol fumes that seemed to feed his frenzy. He reached into a deep pocket of his pants and took out a box of matches. He casually struck a match and threw it onto the carpet. He watched for a moment as the beginnings of a fire took hold of the carpet and the furniture littered about the house. Flames licked at the curtains and the walls, mirroring the golds flickering in his eyes. He smiled as the black serpent rejoiced at the blaze that quickly took hold.
He left the Winstons’ home for the last time, taking long strides along the shadows of the street, satisfied at the completion of his task. He had taken from Lilly the o
nly security she had left – her beloved parents.
Chapter Twelve
E mily chatted over the commotion of the school bus, her face animated as she enthused about the new love in her life – Ryan Green. “Oh, and Millie, the slightest touch sends shivers down my spine … and he’s sooooo passionate!” Her voice lowered as she concealed her mouth with her hand. “And horny!” she added with a cheeky glint in her eyes.
Somewhat preoccupied with a weekend before her without her father home, Emily’s last secretive words erupted through Millie’s mind with a jolt.
“Horny?” she asked, her face screwing up in surprise. “You mean, you guys do it? Already?”
“Shhhh,” Emily chastised.
She looked around the bus self-consciously. She couldn’t afford this piece of vital information to get around this school. She would do anything to avoid the name she had throughout her time at her old school. Her mother’s words ran through her mind – Loose lips sink ships! It was one of her mother’s favourite annoying sayings.
She nodded back at Millie. “Yes!” she said, and leaned closer. “Don’t you tell a soul. You’re my best friend and I trust you.”
“So, who’s the pussy cat now, huh?” Millie taunted. “Meow,” she purred playfully.
Emily narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Millie!” she cautioned.
Millie laughed as the bus grinded to a stop in front of the big iron gates of the school. “You know your secret is safe with me.”
“I know,” Emily said. She cherished her bond with Millie, and she was slowly adjusting to a little bit of the mushy stuff too. “Let’s go to school, shall we Pussy-cat?” Emily grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.
They joined the hustling traffic of teenagers spewing out of the bus and filing through the iron gates for their second day back at school after the long summer break. Not much had changed over the holidays. The cool kids were still cool. There was the surfer-cum-skater crowd, nicknamed “The Skegs”. They liked the beach and surfing, and adorned themselves with labels that represented as much. Millie was sometimes uncertain how many of them actually owned a surfboard, much less used one. The ethnic kids stuck together within their own nationalities, and were also known throughout the school as “Wogs”, an Australian slang word used to label immigrants. These groups usually comprised people from southern Europe and the Middle East. There were also the geeks and general misfits. Millie was never quite sure where she belonged in this student social scene. She never felt cool enough to be cool and not geeky enough to be a geek. She just seemed to drift along, like a leaf blowing aimlessly in the wind, spending much of her spare school time to herself.
However, something had changed over the holidays for her. This year she had two firm friendships on her side within these iron gates, and outside of them. The fact that the most sought after boy at school was now securely off limits hadn’t gone unnoticed among the female students, but didn’t seem to add to her popularity status, But hey, who cares about the opinion of others anyway? Millie thought, as she caught the death stares from the “cool” girls hovering at the gates. She thought it quite amusing that people behaved in this manner; you can’t force others to behave in a certain way as much as you cannot control the weather. Freewill is a beautiful tool bestowed upon us, she figured, and she was certain freewill was the ultimate gift of creation available to us, because it gave people the freedom to choose their desires, and in doing so, alter the course of their lives. She knew it all tied in with the power of thought; she just needed to uncover the right way to use this power.
She threw a taunting grin at the group of snide girls, who she knew would watch her enviously as she walked into Damon’s waiting arms. Soon, any thoughts of those girls vanished as his arms fell around her waist and she revelled in his closeness.
She smiled up at him. “Hi,” she murmured. Oh, he smells so good!
“Hi beautiful,” Damon said. He lifted her chin and they kissed.
His arm lingered around Millie’s waist as they trailed through the gates and into the school grounds. He had no further need for the ego-driven persona he had previously embellished; he let go of the false self that he had allowed to occupy his thoughts. Thoughts about social status, coolness or impressing girls no longer plagued his mind. He found he was just happy to be just as he was. Damon knew the change in him had something to do with Millie. The energy she radiated felt beautiful. And the more time he spent with her, the more he felt at ease with himself. There was something special about Millie that he had pondered over for hours at a time. He could not entirely grasp what it was, so he decided to let it slide and just enjoy her company.
He gazed down at her as they walked arm in arm. “So, did your dad leave for the weekend?” Damon asked as Millie listened to Emily’s bubbly chatter.
“Yeah, he left super early.”
“Right. So Emily will keep you company tonight.” He cast a glance at Emily who nodded her agreement. “Then I thought tomorrow, you, me and Ace could spend the day at the beach, and I could stay with you guys for the night,” he tested. “On the couch, of course,” he added, feeling a little apprehensive that Millie might get the wrong idea.
“Of course!” Millie laughed. “You guys have it all figured out, huh?”
She felt her heart go out to Damon and Emily. “I love you guys,” she blurted.
***
The next morning Millie scampered to answer the knock on the old wooden front door.
“Beautiful day for the beach I’d say!” Damon greeted her with a towel flung over one shoulder and a broad smile.
“Huh?” She stared absently around him.
Her attention was drawn to the hazy rainbow of colours that surrounded him in a drifting cloud.
“Earth to Millie. Hello?” Damon laughed with a wave of his hands.
“Oh!” She said, blushing. “I’m sorry, come in.”
The colours caught her off guard, as she hadn’t recognised such a phenomenon since she witnessed the colours surrounding her mother the day she had given her the white dress. However, Damon’s rainbow aura extended out at least a metre all around him in a glistening cloud that left her awestruck. At the same time, she also felt something inside her lift and linger in tingling waves at the top of her skull. It was almost as if the spirit inside her elevated to a higher level. The sensation stayed with her deliciously, hovering with her and through her as she led Damon into the kitchen where Ace sat eating breakfast.
“Hi Damon,” Ace chirped between mouthfuls of Weetbix topped with brown sugar.
Ace liked Millie’s boyfriend, and he had been looking forward to spending the day with him since Millie had told him of their plans. It was the first thing he had really looked forward to since his mother had left him. Ace secretly hoped that when they grew up, Millie would marry Damon, and then he would have a real brother, just like he had always dreamed. They would do cool things together like go fishing and share stories and jokes. And it would be just the two of them most of the time because Millie would be too busy looking after their kids. Kids. Oh, that would make me an uncle! Eyebrows knitted as he mulled over that quite unsettling thought. Okay, I’m not too sure about the kid thing yet, but Millie would be busy doing something … surely!
Damon greeted Ace with a smile and rustled his hair as he took a seat beside him.
“Damon? Do you like kangaroos?” Ace asked.
Damon grinned. “Sure. Why’s that Ace?”
“That’s good, because did you know that there are twice as many kangaroos in ‘stralya than people?” Ace said. He was sure the knowledge he gained from an old book he had found lying about the house would impress Damon as much as it had impressed his parents and Millie.
Damon’s eyebrows lifted. “Really? I didn’t know that. It is a good thing that I like kangaroos then.”
Satisfied he had impressed his mark as planned, Ace wasted no more time demolishing the rest of his breakfast and racking his brain for the n
ext odd fact he could share with Damon. Plus, he was eager to get down to the beach so he could show off his excellent swimming skills acquired after the many hours of swimming lessons his mother had forced him to take.
***
It was early afternoon and the three of them were sitting on the edge of the jetty relishing their ice-creams. There was a broad mix of people on the jetty. Fishermen balanced lines at the end of the timber wharf, patiently waiting to hook a big catch. Some even ventured precariously down the slime ridden steps that trailed into the deep at the wharf’s edge, in order to gain a better advantage over the other amateur fishermen littering the jetty. As far as Millie could gather, those that chose to undertake the slippery steps never seemed to reel in anything better or bigger than those who decided on the safer option. Along the lengthy boardwalk of the jetty, children were hurling themselves off the jetty and squealing as they dived into the water, only to haul themselves up the knotted rope ladder to jump in again. A group of teenage boys were holding a bombing competition. Millie, Damon and Ace watched them with amusement, neglecting fast-melting ice-creams that dripped down their arms and into their laps. They laughed as the boys teased one another while they judged each other’s efforts with a critical eye.
They had bought fish and chips for lunch from the fish shop across the road, and devoured the paper-wrapped hot food in a hurried battle against the local seagulls that scavenged the beach with beady red eyes. After lunch, they sat around and relaxed under the shade of the boardwalk, gulping down fizzy Coca-Cola and listening to Ace recall cheesy jokes between well practised burps. Millie chastised her brother for not minding his manners, but he and Damon laughed while Ace told them he could burp the alphabet for her if she so wished. Her look of warning was enough to deter him from performing this feat.
Later, Millie and Damon caught a brief time alone while Ace swam out to the pontoons with some kids he knew from school. And while Damon lathered Millie’s back with coconut suntan oil, she spoke of Emily’s sleepover the night before. She told Damon of the new golden sweetheart necklace Emily had proudly shown off to her, and how much Emily loved the delicate gold twisted chain with a small 24 carat diamond encrusted heart at its end.
