DAWN WILL RISE 

By Tessa Harvey

    Fast asleep, exhausted by her little ones, and the increasing anxiety for her husband, a loud crash broke into her dreams, smashing them. Fearing a home invasion, Ella raced too fast down the small flight of stairs, clutching the rail, almost falling.
    It was Mark - an alien Mark she barely recognised, though later she knew she had seen and buried the signs, smoothing over the cracks like a builder smoothing the cement to hide the dirt.
    He stood swaying in the halo of the light over the stove. Ella knew he drank, but had feared to challenge him. But her husband's rant crushed her entirely.
    "You gave me a cripple," he growled. "I work with better people than you and our whingeing parents - useless little people." 
    "And," Mark clutched the quivering stove, "your neighbours...." he paused, searching for more scolding words. They poured out like venom. "So I'm going away from you and your weak brood. Nosey snitching adults around us - bitches, creepy crawly witchy, titchy people." "Wow", his addled brain thought, what a wonderful way with words I have." 
    And he left, leaving the small light in the dark kitchen.
    Ella slid to the floor, but spoke clearly. "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him." Tears poured down. Ella curled up, broken.

    

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