(second in a series of shorts for my kids)


Zen was a boy of nine years whose sister of fifteen beat him nightly.  When she would do this, it would be during bouts of sleepwalking that began when she too was nine.  Her name was Beam, and he loved her and she loved him when both were awake.  When both were awake, they would count the bruises on his body and see if their numbers were the highest they’d ever been.  Zen did not tell Beam she was his abuser and Beam promised to find out.  This presented a problem as Beam, no matter how hard she tried, could not stay awake long enough to catch the person she didn’t know she was.  Beam wanted to ask their parents to keep watch, but Zen would not let her, saying he was worried that if the person was identified he or she may start beating someone else.  So they counted bruises, and loved.  Zen is now a boy of fifteen and Beam went missing three years ago.  Every morning Zen looks over his spotless body and prays he too will be kidnapped by gentle aliens who cannot hurt their own but want to.