Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: FRESH START (01/05/17)
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TITLE: The Rosy Dawn | Previous Challenge Entry
By LeslieJean Anderson
01/12/17 -
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With a deep sigh Julie watched him run outside. Then she drifted back to the kitchen, jerking to a halt when she saw two people standing there, waiting for her.
“How did you two get in the house?†she breathed out heavily.
“Just walked in the front door,†grinned her ex-husband as he pulled his new bride close to his side.
Julie glared at the tiny blonde in the tight tank top. “Caitlin, you can wait in the car.â€
“You WILL make my wife welcome in this house,†Brad growled with a menacing expression.
“Never.†Julie flashed back. “And this is not your visitation weekend.â€
“We’re here to take the kids,†Brad said, advancing forward. “You are a disgrace, you fat cow. We can give them a better life. And you can’t stop us, worthless wench!â€
As his huge hands reached for her neck, Julie jerked awake, cold sweat dripping down her neck. Breathing heavily, she launched herself out of bed and ran down the hall. Stumbling into her children’s rooms, she was relieved that they were both still in their beds, sound asleep.
Holding her head in her hands, Julie slowly turned around and headed back to her room.
Her clock said 2:00 am. Fully awake now, Julie sat up in bed, head throbbing. The sleeping pills had only made her nightmares worse. She knew she was going downhill fast. It was only a matter of time before something snapped.
Maybe Brad was right. Maybe she was worthless. She’d certainly felt like a total failure since Brad’s remarriage. The children had come back from the wedding talking about their “new Mommy.â€
Julie had angrily protested when the children were forced to call Caitlin “Mom,†but Brad had just laughed at her distress.
“How are you gonna stop us? They like her. They say she’s pretty,†he’d sneered.
Until her parents been killed in a plane crash overseas, Julie had been a well-loved only child. But now she was alone. When Brad realized she had no protection and no money, he’d become openly hostile. Provoking her seemed to entertain and energize him, so she'd fled with the children. But he had followed her.
“He will never stop until I am dead,†Julie whispered to herself. “Until I am dead...â€
Suddenly an idea emerged in her aching brain. A permanent solution. A car wreck tomorrow. That was it. Painless and quick. She knew just where to go. No one else would be hurt. The children would be in school. Then Brad and Caitlin could take over.
A sense of calm settled over her. Yes, that would make everyone happy. It would end the ongoing desperation and drama. The nightmares and the fear. The emptiness and absence of hope. The humiliation and the insults that ripped through her self-esteem like cannonballs on fire. The kids liked Caitlin. She was pretty.
“And I will be at peace,†she whispered.
Feeling calmer now, she lay awake on the bed for several long hours, looking at the ceiling. She thought about God, and wondered if He would comfort her or be angry.
She’d loved God since she’d been a little girl, but in recent years she thought He’d deserted her. Letting her parents die in that crash. Allowing the abuse from Brad and his friends. But somehow, she imagined that God would understand.
Suddenly a shriek filled the hallway outside her room, and her door burst open with a bang. It was her daughter Lucy. Her face was twisted in panic as she ran to Julie’s bedside.
“Mommy! Mommy!†Lucy screamed. “I saw you...†She burst into tears as Julie opened her arms to catch her.
“You saw what, Lucy?â€
“I saw you... in my dream... and you were... DEAD, Mommy!†Her wails got louder.
Julie pulled Lucy into bed with her, and held her tight as the little girl sobbed.
“Sh-h-h-h, Sweetie – it’s ok. It was just a nightmare. Mommy’s right here. I’ll... I’ll never leave you, baby. I love you.â€
“I love... you too... Mommy,†sniffled Lucy between sobs.
Gradually Lucy’s hysterics subsided and she finally fell asleep.
But Julie’s eyes never closed that night. She stared wide-eyed at the ceiling and held her daughter until a rosy dawn signaled a brand-new day.
Then the following Sunday, Julie and the children found themselves a brand-new family-friendly church home.
Based on true events 750 words
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