Nature/Nurture
01.15.10
“Daddy, I broke my stick. Can I have another one?” Tessie asked, ponytail swinging as she hopped from one foot to another to emphasise her need for a new stick. She knew he wouldn’t refuse her, but the action earned her an even bigger smile.
“Of course you can, there’s plenty more where that came from”. Tessie ran downhill to the barn as fast as her legs could carry her, as her father sat back in his deck chair, enjoying the view. Their nearest neighbour was four miles away and hidden behind the hill opposite – there was nothing but uninterrupted natural beauty in his vista, and this was exactly how Ted Waltham liked it.
Tessie wasn’t allowed in the barn as there were dangerous tools in there, and its door was always locked, but Daddy kept the sticks in a covered box next to the barn door. She lifted the lid and stood on tiptoe to look inside. The sticks all looked similar, but one of them caught her eye as it had a slightly better shape than the others, for her purposes. She wondered which of Daddy’s ladies this one had come from. Daddy brought ladies home quite often; Tessie had liked all the ones she’d met. Some of them would brush her hair and read her a story before bedtime – they were the best ladies, but when she woke up in the morning they would be gone; not one of them had returned. Each and every one of them had left sticks like this one behind though, so Tessie was at least able to play hockey with apples that had fallen from the trees in the garden. The lady sticks were almost the same shape as the hockey sticks she saw on TV.
“Can I have this one, Daddy?” She waved the stick at him.
“Yes, sweetheart”, he said and wondered which of the whores that particular femur had come from. It was impossible to tell, of course – the only whore he knew for sure it hadn’t come from was Tessie’s mother. He had ground every single one of her bones into a fine powder; he glanced sideways through the kitchen window and smiled at the sight of the jar he kept it in, sitting on top of the fridge out of Tessie’s reach.
He watched Tessie hit apples about with the femur and smiled. She had cheered up after they had buried her pet budgie earlier that day. He had not mentioned to her that he had noticed the budgie hadn’t died a natural death – or, for that matter, a quick one. The time had come – he thought she was now ready to take on a kitten. His smile broadened; when she was a little older, they would make a great father-daughter team.
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Tags: Flash Fiction, fridayflash, Horror, Humour
Ace! I was hoping the sticks would turn out to be either dildos or sticks of dynamite, but bones was a lovely surprise. Maybe she could play bowls with one of the whore’s skulls in a sequel.
Unexpected horror this morning. Great little story with femurs. Now who can resist a man like that?
rather a petulant chap, I’d say. she may end up having his femur to play with. gruesomely good mazzie!
Wonderful bit of horror to start off my day. I love the father-daughter team idea. I can only wonder where they got their powers from…
Geez, who needs coffee when you can read this first thing in the morning!
Well done Maria!
Um, do you have children Mazz? Maybe you shouldn’t let them read your stories.
This is creepy on so many levels. Great read.
Well done piece of horror!
I wasn’t surprised that the father turned out to be a killer. It seemed to be headed that way, but…
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, eh?
Creepy!
I’ve got a piece scheduled to come up on my blah blah blog tomorrow about the film “I Sell the Dead” – there’s a similar but different scene in it that was pretty funny.
First one I’ve read this morning, now I’m awake! lol, Kids as serial killers really creep me out and you did an excellent job making daddy’s little girl into our worst future nightmare. Nice. 🙂
NICE! I love the serial killer in training story. . . awesome.
The femurs. . . totally creepy. But it makes the story click and turn – great job.
Jim
Dark. I like that it starts off subtle… slowly sucking you in and then BAM lady legs!
Gee, what a heart-warming father/daughter tale. Oh wait…
Quite creepy. I thought it was a great read!
More chilling stuff, Mazzz.
Where do you get your ideas for all these wonderful tales?
Ah, I loved this. So happy, so dark. The best combination…
Ewwwwwwwwww….that was soo soo great. I had an inkling about the femurs since you had foreshadowed them on twitter…but picturing the little girl playing hockey with them as “lady sticks” was a WHOLE different matter. Really nicely done.
What a team they will be. Yikes.
:0)
A sick, but expectant feeling began building soon after I began reading. And I wasn’t disappointed! Love the type of apprenticeship the daughter is so “naturally” beginning. Creepy. I wonder what he did with the rest of their bodies…
Very cool. Nice mellow intro that rolls into darkness. Like the daughter in training.
Oh Wow Maria! I wasn’t expecting that at all – what a fun surprising twist! I’m glad I’m not playing the field any longer. 🙂
Very dark this week! Love the straight up presentation of a psychopath.
Aww, how sweet that she’s showing signs of being interested in the family business. 😛
No, No NOT the KITTEN!!!!! That was the most terrifying for me. I guess only because it was so entertaining to see her playing hockey with the femur.
I wonder what he used to grind the bones? Coffee grinder? No, would have to be industrial. But how nice he puts her bones in a place of honor.
So that is how they are trained up, eek. Great horror story!
Really enjoyed this story; it’s brevity is its strength – It keeps you thinking about the possible back story long after you’ve finished reading. You’ve created two really interesting characters in the space of just a few hundred words – look forward to more in the same vein!
I’m glad I happened to have left this to near the witching hour before reading! I did not see that coming. I know you live in Leeds and that can be a bit grim, but- !!! Hockey sticks, pricelsss!
Re nurture/nature – unless you end up being brought up by other than your parents, how can you divide the genetic trends from the effect that those same gene donors are also bringing you up 24-7?
I like a nice pair of legs on a woman. And your guy likes them off…. But the revelation about the girl, that was a nice creepy touch there.
On the job training. And keeping it in the family at the same time. Lovely work. But don’t show this one to your folks.
Barb Relyea
Very imaginative.
I read this yesterday and didn’t get a chance to comment at time. I went on a walk with my daughter in the woods and when she picked up a stick and started whacking things with it – your story popped into my head and I started chuckling.
In other words – great job! Love the possible budgie homocide.
Great story. “lady sticks” are brilliant! The tag-team serial killing is a great idea.
Ooh, shivers. What a gruesomely corrupt story! Paradise lost on the outskirts of Leeds? Mazz, your mind…
Brilliant! I was thinking canes maybe until I read femurs. Perfect title, blending the way children learn normalcy and the genetic factor. I was a little distracted by the head hopping -first paragraph was Tessie’s POV, next paragraph is Ted’s POV, third is Tessie’s again. etc. I understand it is third person omniscient but I wonder how an editor would perceive this.
thanks for this, definite food for thought here with the POV issue!
Great story. I never saw it coming. I prefer short, compact pieces like this one. Ah, the surprises she is in for in the future!
Those lovely bones… ack! Great little short. Peace, Linda
Wow. Did NOT see that coming. And the transition was so smooth. Incredible. You really outdid yourself.
See, now, you wanted more comments, but I think it’s all already been said. Gross-out horror done with such subtlety. Now, off for some lunch 🙂
Always a showstopper my dear… always a showstopper 🙂
Great creepy tale. Love the new look site, very clean and inviting, then it blindsides you with the nasty nasty subject matter 🙂 Great stuff.
Mazz, oooh so creepy! Loved it. I never saw myself much as a horror story groupie, but between you and Ms Eno, I am freaking out and loving it.
I’m shiiiiveriiing!
This was wrong on many levels. Thanks! 🙂
Utterly charming tale, Maria. Their mutual affection is an inspiration to parents and children everywhere. Why aim low with a kitten, I wonder. I think the little murderer is ready for a baby brother, if a truly accommodating whore can be bound–er, found.
Wow that was disturbing and I loved it! I want to read more b/c I have so many questions. And I just loved seeing things from Tessie’s perspective and then Daddy’s. Awesome juxtaposition.
Gruesome! What a nice twist and it was very well set up (thought I was reading a quaint town story about a father using women of the night until that femur turned up) brilliant!
Rich.
Excellent piece of writing. Great darkness. I especially like the transition from playful childlike innocence to full on horror.
Could we have an enquiry from a shambling but brilliant DI next please.
Disturbing. Very disturbing. Really well done!
I really wish I hadn’t read that right before bed. Gruesome.