Carroll drove calmly through the streets, unlike all of the other crazy drivers honking and flipping her off. Carroll just simply smiled at them, because that was what she usually did. She had to be fast though, she didn’t know when the boy would wake up, and Carroll didn’t want to take any chances. As long as she got him in the house and secured, she could relax. Just a few more blocks to go…

Carroll slammed on the breaks in her driveway, suddenly panicking because she had hit traffic and wasted 15 minutes. She threw open the car door and hoisted Tommy onto her shoulder and took him in through the garage. Carroll’s breathing became erratic. She could feel the boys breathing becoming shallower and him slower coming out of it. She quickly opened the door that would lead her into the house and brought Tommy to the basement. The usual wooden chair was sitting in the middle of the room. Carroll set him down in it and used the ties conveniently on it to bind his arms and legs to the chair. The chair was also conveniently nailed to the floor with steel nails. She made sure to tie him up good so that when he woke up, his adrenaline wouldn’t take over and ruin the whole thing.

Satisfied with her work, Carroll stepped back and smiled. The boy hung his head, his body limp and vulnerable. Carroll could watch him forever. She bent down and pressed her lips to his cool, damp forehead and lingered there, taking in the scent of him.

“Soon Tommy Heldger, soon.” Carroll turned off the small light above him and walked out, planning her evening snack.

Carroll washed her hands while singing the alphabet twice and with warm water. Her mother always did that. Carroll smiled at the thought of her mother. If she could see her now! Carroll dried her hands off on the perfectly aligned towel on the stove and fixed her self her usual 14 carrots and tablespoon of Ranch dressing on a white plate. She sat down at her perfectly usually clean table and dipped the carrot in the ranch dressing, conscious to get it evenly distributed around the orange food and took a delicious bite. Carrots were Carroll’s favorite snack, mainly because her mother usually gave them to her when she was little as a snack. She could remember the first time she ever tried one.

“Mommy, I’m hungry!”

“Mommy is tired dear, go find something to play with.” Her mother waved her off.

“But I haven’t eaten all day! Please mommy, I-“

“Well maybe if you weren’t such a spoiled, rotten little brat, mommy would feed you!” Her mother stood up and Carroll flinched, scared her mother would hit her again, and walked into the kitchen. Carroll followed her, pleased she got what she wanted and watched her mother pull out a small bag of something orange. She tossed them on the table with some Ranch dressing.

“Dinner is served,” her mother crudely said. Carroll inspected the long orange things while her mother watched her.

“Mommy-“

“Don’t ‘mommy’ me, you want food, you eat this. Otherwise you go to your room with nothing!” her mother started to take away the carrots and Carroll started crying. “Shut up! Shut. Up!” Carroll sniffled back her tears and her mother threw the carrots back into the fridge with force. She then took Carroll by the hair and led her downstairs.

“Mo-Mo-“she stammered.

“You don’t want the food I give you, you ungrateful little wench? You ask and ask and I give and give and it’s never good enough for you! Well I’m tired of it! I’m tired of you, and I’m tired of hearing you! You will stay down here until you learn to approach me with some respect!” Carroll let out a hideous sob. Her arm hurt from landing on the cold cement floor where her mother threw her.

“Mommy, please don’t shut off the light,” Carroll pleaded. Her mother acted as if she didn’t hear her and switched off the light, leaving Carroll all alone.
After that night, however, Carroll always ate the carrots and never complained.