Chapter 9
bumps: bumps
It’s morning when I return to Father. The weather is as dreary as his disposition.
I’m his daughter, but I must wait my turn, after the acolytes and inamoratas.
A brave few are too disgusted to put on their best face. They’re the pragmatists of the bunch; they remind me of my mother, not that I ever knew her. I just know she was like that.
The queue dwindles, and it’s my turn to receive the gift of parenting.
I tower over Father.
did you: visit your sister
He smells of dried grass.
Would I be here if I didn’t?
tell: confess
The Archangel agreed-
confess: confess-
She agreed! We’re moving to the water!
That shuts up him for a heartbeat or two.
I’ve been staring at Father this entire time.
I could rip his head off, if I wanted to.
I’d be dead by nightfall, but he’d be dead, too.
Everyone would be fine for a few months. Even those who put me in the dirt would breathe a little easier.
But then, unannounced, he’d come back.
The Prince of Scum would rise from the dead and kill everyone who broke rank.
My sisters would go first: negligence of duty, I suppose. So many would die, just because I can’t tolerate a single conversation with Father.
Fortunately, his attention span is short.
sport: sport
Yes, The Archangel adjusted our trajectory.
He would’ve known that had he paid the slightest attention.
It’s smart to visit the river anyway. Dorset picked up some deep-earth fluttering: nothing tectonic, likely irrelevant.
bumps: bumps
He’s had so many daughters, I’m not sure he can tell us apart.
Out of performative fatherhood, The Prince of Scum flatulates a feeling.
haven’t been to the river lately: looking forward to sport-
I’m already walking away.
Save the rotting star, the sunrise is weak.
I should rip his fucking head off.

Outro: Uffie – “First Love”
