text: I'm playing with my dolls while it rains outside. I feel a little bit hungry but I know Mama will bring me dinner soon so I keep playing. I have two new dolls and pretty new clothes for them as well. I have made a giant castle for them to live in. They will be princesses with dragons and no one will ever hurt them. I hear Mama coming upstairs and I'm excited that I will get to eat. But when she arrives, she has no food. She is not happy and when I ask her what's wrong she says nothing and goes back down. So I go back to playing with my dolls but I can hear her walking back and forth downstairs like she is looking for something and I worry and try to think of what could be lost that I could help her with. Then she comes up again and she's wearing her jacket and boots. "Are we going out?" I ask. She doesn't answer me but gets my jacket and boots out and tells me to put them on. "Is Daddy home?" I ask, already knowing that he isn't, since I never heard his car arrive but I also know that whenever we go out in the evenings, it's always with Daddy. I wish I could take my words back because Mama looks so angry that I am scared. So I stop asking. She just says, "Hurry and get dressed." So I forget all about my dolls and try my hardest to put my boots on without asking Mama for help. When she sees I'm ready, she takes my hand and we walk down. I see that I wasn't able to tie my laces properly and they're slipping open but I don't want to make Mama late. So I keep walking. We go out. Mama has brought our umbrella which she opens, and we start walking. It is raining a lot. I would like to jump in the puddles but Mama is in a hurry. I try once more. "Where are we going Mama?" "To get your damned father home." I wish that I had stayed quiet. She keeps walking and when I struggle to keep up she picks me up. But it is a long way to wherever we are going and she has to keep putting me down for breaks. I am wet despite the umbrella. Mama is wet too and all her makeup is spoiled. I love Mama and she is very pretty but now she looks like an angry clown. We finally reach a big building like a castle and Mama stomps in. The people at the gate look at us but do not stop us. We head to the entrance. There is another man at the door. He tries to stop us and when she doesn't listen he says that she should leave me outside but she doesn't listen and pulls my arm so hard that it hurts and because I can't keep up I fall. The man helps me up and tries to tell her once more but she yells something at him and drags me again and I now know to run. It's a long corridor and Mama walks through, a bit slowly now. There are yellow lights but it is still not bright. I don't like it and I want to go home but I can't say it. So I walk along. Suddenly Mama stops at a door and pushes it open. Inside, there are some men huddled over a table playing cards. She looks in but then she decides this wasn't where she wanted to go. She doesn't close the door and for a second the men and I stare at each other before I am dragged along. Then she kicks open another door. I can see some men walking down the corridor to us, trying to reach us but she doesn't bother. Inside the screaming begins. I see my father. For a split second I see him happy and playing with his friends, like I have never seen him before but then he realizes that we are here and his face freezes over like ice. And Mama screams. I can't understand much of what she is saying but she keeps saying she is going to kill herself. She has let go of my hand so I step back to near the door because I don't think we are wanted here. I want to leave but I don't know where to go. Two ladies run out while I stand there. And then one by one, some of Daddy's friends also walk out. I recognize one of them and he pats me on the head as he walks out. My Daddy grabs Mama by her arm and walks her out. I follow them. She keeps yelling but walks. He is very angry. He's says something angry to the people at the main door. Then we walk to some cars and I see our car there and we all get in. We drive home. Daddy drives fast. Mama keeps screaming but Daddy doesn't answer. They keep doing the same when we get home so I quietly go up to my room and go to bed. I try to sleep through the noise below. I think of my dolls and the castle I was building for them. When I wake up Mama and Daddy are asleep so I sit and I build my castle. After a long time, I smell something delicious cooking downstairs. I tiptoe down and Mama sees me and cheerfully says, "Come, see. I made our favorite breakfast. Sit." And I sit. I am relieved. Maybe they have forgotten. Daddy also comes out soon, asking how the best girl in the world is doing. That is me. Maybe last night was not so bad and I imagined everything.