I slightly opened my eyes. The stiff bedspread I felt in my hands made me realize that I wasn't in my own room. I took a deep breath as if I had briefly come up for air from a bottomless pit. 492Please respect copyright.PENANATf5n7756Av
My eyes caught a few toy trucks and candies left hopefully by my bedside for a speedy recovery. I whispered to myself, "My mother must not have bought these. If she had, she would have picked a blue truck and known that I prefer chocolate, not candy. What child likes a purple and navy blue truck? This is dreadful!"492Please respect copyright.PENANAdU4O9ci8al
Although the flickering of my room's lamp and the terrible smell of medicine were quite disturbing, that wasn't the reason I woke up. I listened again to the footsteps coming from the hallway just outside my room. 492Please respect copyright.PENANAR3xXi6H88I
They must have convinced themselves that I couldn't hear them with the door closed, so my dad was grumbling carelessly and angrily, occasionally unable to stop himself from shouting. I could have sworn he was taking full advantage of this opportunity. When he spoke quickly in anger, he would occasionally forget to breathe, making muffled sounds, and then he would pause and continue where he left off. 492Please respect copyright.PENANApWou0if0Hq
The responses he gave to my mother's "Please be quiet, you'll scare the child" were still able to deeply affect a six-year-old.
He kept going without stopping; "Why didn't you take care of our little child? I work day and night for you, I don't want anything for myself. And what are you doing? You should just stay at home and take care of our children. Where were you when these things happened to our child? I asked you to answer!"492Please respect copyright.PENANAkMi0b4ZRH4
492Please respect copyright.PENANAqdOGJS5kp2


