Shirley immediately lowered herself to the girls level and softly asked her name. "It's ok, I don't want to hurt you," she said even softer. The girl made no move to respond in any way.
"boombaboomboomboom." Someone was coming down the stares. Shirley rose back up and then looked down at the girl. It seemed impossible but the child looked even more scared than she had seconds before. Their eyes connected and Shirley felt the irresistible urge to hide. Again, it was as if her body worked independently of her mind. Her feet backed her into the closet. It was no longer full of the comforting warmth. Instead, it was cold, and coupled with the fear of the child, she was chilled to the bone. She pulled the door to and left about an inch where she could look out.
A man burst into the room. Six foot tall and overweight, he was balding and had bags under his eyes. His shoes were crushed down on the outside of his feet. The sour reek of beer mixed with sweat filled the room as the man nearly did himself.
"Why the hell aren't you sleeping." he yelled at the girl as he picked her up and tossed her on the bed. She hit the bed and was scrambling backwards before she had time to bounce twice. She curled up in the corner so tight she pushed the bed away from the wall a little. The man, Shirley knew this was her dad, walked around and kicked the bed back into place with a little laugh.
The girl was staring right at her. Shirley new that the man, her dad, would notice. Was the girl trying to giver her up? If he treated his child this way, how would he treat her? Sure enough, the father noticed his daughters stare and looked at the closet. Through gritted teeth he asked, "What are you looking at?" He started walking toward the closet.
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