dad was gon. She thort that mebbe ther was no won left but us. The day passd by. The sky abuv began to darken. The baby suckd & suckd.
Mam tryd to sing All things brite and byutiful & All creechers grayt & smarl. But she cudnt stop the sownds of weeping & waylin entering my ears along with the briytness & byuty. She cudnt stop the eckos of angwishd siys & grones. She cudnt stop her dred & horra entering me along with her swete milk. What a day to bring a childe into the world.
Then darkness fel agen & she herd a key turning in the lock & Wilfred the preest came in at last. He had a bandaj on his hed anotha on his hand & brooses & laserashins on his skin.
Mam wept reechd out to him & carld out in releef at his salvayshon & pity for his woonds.
“They ar blessins as wel as woonds” he told her. “And ar no mor than the grate saynts had to bare.”
He stood in the doreway. His hands trembld as he lit a blak sigaret.
“So you surviyvd?” he said.
“Yes,” she anserd. “And look so did yor child.”
She lifted me out to him.
“A lovely littl boy has cum to us,” she said.
He lookd at me but caym no closer
“It is Hell owt ther” he said. “Has anybody seen him?”
“Seen who?” she said.
“The boy of cors. Has anywon layd eyes on him exept yorself.”
“No. Just Missus Malone who went owt into the flayms befor the final exploshon & has not cum bak.”
“Amen” he wisperd. “Death is evrywer Veronica.”
“I no that,” she anserd. “But we surviyvd, Wilfred.”
“It prowls the erth today and wil go on prowlin for a long tym after.”
“I no that, Wilfred. But look at this new life!”
He steppd a littl closer. He drew on his sigaret. He breethd smoke into the air.
“Mebbe beter if the boy had diyd,” he said. “Maybe beter if hed been tayken strayt to Hevan at the instant of his birth.”
He made sure the dore was closd behynd him & he steppd a littl closer.
“Mebbe the blastin of the boms is the blastin voys of God” he said. “Mebbe hes had enuf of us & our time on erth is over & he wants to wyp us owt.”
“But he sayvd yor boy! He brout him into the world at the exact saym tym the boms went off. Just tuch him. Just giv him 1 small tiny kiss! Just 1 small kiss & you wil love him always.”
I remember non of it of cors no mater how deep down I try to go into the darknes of my hed. I try to here the words she spoke. Just 1 small kiss! And I try as wel to feel again that 1 small kiss. For it seems my father suddenly wept & came to me. He took me in his arms. She says that strate away he began to farl in love with me & strate away his douts wer gon. Maybe I beleevd it wen she told it way bak then. But now I see the torment in him wen he took me from her. I imajin him lifting me from her. I try to imajin him loving me rite away but I think that isnt true. I imajin the smells of fyr & dust & blud & blak sigarets. I imajin the coldness in his blu blu eyes. And I no he took me from her in order to murder me. And I no he wud then hav turnd to her & dun it to her too. It wud hav been so easy to disgise such deaths on such a day of doom. And he was just abowt to do the deed. But what she said wud happen did realy happen. He took me in his arms. He put his hands on me. He put his hands arownd my tiny throte. But he cudnt go ahed with it. I was his son. He fel in love & despyt everything he wud love me always from that day. His body relaxd & his hands loosend & his hart softend as he lifted me towards his fays & gayv me that first kiss.
“Hello my son,” he wisperd and he kissd me agen.
Then he droppd to his nees at the bedside.
“Is it tru?” he said. “Can it be that the boy is sent as a sine to us? Is he the tiny spark of joy in this dredful world? Has he been sayvd for a purpose?”
“Yes” Mam wisperd. “Yes Wilfred yes.”
“We wer rite in our plan to kepe him secret for a tym. Now mor than ever we must kepe him hidden from the evil thats owtsyd. A tym of grate
Mam tryd to sing All things brite and byutiful & All creechers grayt & smarl. But she cudnt stop the sownds of weeping & waylin entering my ears along with the briytness & byuty. She cudnt stop the eckos of angwishd siys & grones. She cudnt stop her dred & horra entering me along with her swete milk. What a day to bring a childe into the world.
Then darkness fel agen & she herd a key turning in the lock & Wilfred the preest came in at last. He had a bandaj on his hed anotha on his hand & brooses & laserashins on his skin.
Mam wept reechd out to him & carld out in releef at his salvayshon & pity for his woonds.
“They ar blessins as wel as woonds” he told her. “And ar no mor than the grate saynts had to bare.”
He stood in the doreway. His hands trembld as he lit a blak sigaret.
“So you surviyvd?” he said.
“Yes,” she anserd. “And look so did yor child.”
She lifted me out to him.
“A lovely littl boy has cum to us,” she said.
He lookd at me but caym no closer
“It is Hell owt ther” he said. “Has anybody seen him?”
“Seen who?” she said.
“The boy of cors. Has anywon layd eyes on him exept yorself.”
“No. Just Missus Malone who went owt into the flayms befor the final exploshon & has not cum bak.”
“Amen” he wisperd. “Death is evrywer Veronica.”
“I no that,” she anserd. “But we surviyvd, Wilfred.”
“It prowls the erth today and wil go on prowlin for a long tym after.”
“I no that, Wilfred. But look at this new life!”
He steppd a littl closer. He drew on his sigaret. He breethd smoke into the air.
“Mebbe beter if the boy had diyd,” he said. “Maybe beter if hed been tayken strayt to Hevan at the instant of his birth.”
He made sure the dore was closd behynd him & he steppd a littl closer.
“Mebbe the blastin of the boms is the blastin voys of God” he said. “Mebbe hes had enuf of us & our time on erth is over & he wants to wyp us owt.”
“But he sayvd yor boy! He brout him into the world at the exact saym tym the boms went off. Just tuch him. Just giv him 1 small tiny kiss! Just 1 small kiss & you wil love him always.”
I remember non of it of cors no mater how deep down I try to go into the darknes of my hed. I try to here the words she spoke. Just 1 small kiss! And I try as wel to feel again that 1 small kiss. For it seems my father suddenly wept & came to me. He took me in his arms. She says that strate away he began to farl in love with me & strate away his douts wer gon. Maybe I beleevd it wen she told it way bak then. But now I see the torment in him wen he took me from her. I imajin him lifting me from her. I try to imajin him loving me rite away but I think that isnt true. I imajin the smells of fyr & dust & blud & blak sigarets. I imajin the coldness in his blu blu eyes. And I no he took me from her in order to murder me. And I no he wud then hav turnd to her & dun it to her too. It wud hav been so easy to disgise such deaths on such a day of doom. And he was just abowt to do the deed. But what she said wud happen did realy happen. He took me in his arms. He put his hands on me. He put his hands arownd my tiny throte. But he cudnt go ahed with it. I was his son. He fel in love & despyt everything he wud love me always from that day. His body relaxd & his hands loosend & his hart softend as he lifted me towards his fays & gayv me that first kiss.
“Hello my son,” he wisperd and he kissd me agen.
Then he droppd to his nees at the bedside.
“Is it tru?” he said. “Can it be that the boy is sent as a sine to us? Is he the tiny spark of joy in this dredful world? Has he been sayvd for a purpose?”
“Yes” Mam wisperd. “Yes Wilfred yes.”
“We wer rite in our plan to kepe him secret for a tym. Now mor than ever we must kepe him hidden from the evil thats owtsyd. A tym of grate
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