Charlotte Read Online Free Page A

nothing.
    "Ask your mum. I'm sure your dad likes to debunk on her face now and then."
    "Shut up."
    "Now who's lame?"
    Mike said nothing. He started walking backwards.
    "Now, fuck off out of my garden." An awkward silence filled the air. Amy rolled the picnic blanket up and put it under her arm. She glared at Mike and waved. "Bye."
    Mike, looking a little forlorn, backed away and strode out of the garden. He raised a hand and said nothing, turned his back and left.
    Amy bit her lip, saying nothing. After a second, she nodded. "He used to be a nice boy." Amy turned and walked to the back door. Beyond, she saw her father snoozing in his armchair. She paused, looked at the bushes surrounding her garden, and made her way to them. She ducked, manoeuvred into a small gap between the hedge and fence and sat down.
    She started rocking.
    "He used to be a nice boy."
     
    Moments earlier, from the kitchen window, Patricia watched her daughter disappear into the hedge. She stood idle, observing her for a good ten minutes. In silence. Patricia ran the idea through her head over and over, considering the implications. "Bruce?"
    "Yeah?" Bruce sat up, wiping drool from his face and sleep from his eyes. "What's up?"
    "I think something is wrong with Amy."
    "How so?"
    "I'm not sure. I think we need to take her to a doctor."
    "She ill?"
    "I don’t know. Maybe. I mean a shrink, not a medical doctor."
    "I'm sure everything is fine. She's a kid. Kids do weird stuff."
    "She has an imaginary friend…and she's changed somewhat in the past week or so."
    "Kids change all the time, darling. It's nothing to worry about."
    "You haven’t seen it though…it's creepy."
    "Creepy how? Omen creepy or…"
    "I'm serious."
    Bruce stood up and stretched his arms. His elbows cracked, drawing a wince from his wife. He walked over. "Okay. If you want to do this, I'm with you." Bruce placed his arms around her waist. He kissed her on the shoulder. "Whatever you want, we'll do it."
    "It's strange. She tidied her room. She swore at me. She heard us…you know?"
    "What? Fucking?"
    "Yep…smooth as always. Why can't you call it making love at least once?"
    "Let's face it, darling, we do anything but…make love."
    Patricia smiled. "I suppose you’re right."
    "So our kid tidies her room, swears and listens to people having sex? Sounds normal to me."
    "I don’t know. There's something about her…you know she has an imaginary friend called Charlotte?"
    "Really?" Bruce nuzzled into his wife's neck.
    "Yeah. It just feels iffy. I shit myself earlier when Amy said she was in the backseat."
    "Who, Charlotte?"
    "Yeah."
    "You need to stop watching those dumb horror movies. That'll make you paranoid. And if you really shit yourself, I ain't washing your panties."
    Patricia grinned and slapped her husband's arm playfully. She felt the slap reverberate through her waist as his arms hugged her tightly. "I'm just worried, that's all."
    "We'll see a doctor as soon as we can. Better safe than sorry."
    "That’s what I'm worried about."

FIVE
 
"So how old is Amy?"
    Patricia looked at her husband to ensure he was paying attention. Bruce Brunswick shuffled uncomfortably in his leather chair. He answered for the couple. "Nine."
    "Uh huh." The psychologist scribbled a note on his pad. "How is her home life?"
    "How do you mean?" Patricia took a sip of water.
    "To be blunt, do you bring her up well, nurture her, and pay her ample attention?"
    Patricia nodded. "As much as we can. We both work, but we do okay."
    Bruce rubbed his neck. "I spend a lot of time away on business. Pat here works from home a lot. Amy goes to school as normal, she's a normal kid."
    "We don’t hit her if that's what you mean? We don’t neglect her." Patricia looked down as the words escaped her lips, ashamed she'd even mentioned them.
    Bruce sat up, shocked. His eyes burned a hole through the doctor opposite him. "You're not insinuating that, are you?"
    "Not at all. I just need some background. Several things