A Father's Love

This is a section from my horror story that I wanted to share :)

It was morning now.  Early morning, as the sun had risen only a few hours ago.  Clarence lay in the back seat of the car, having managed to get in a few hours of sleep.  He had awakened, but didn’t want to wake up the rest of his family, who were sound asleep.  The sky was still quite dark, and the air encompassing the Scotts’ car and flowing into it was cold, but day had finally arrived after a long night of storms.  The terrible weather had died down noticeably; if the weather outside was normally like this, Clarence would have called it “absolute s**t”, but after the monstrous conditions of the previous night, today’s storm seemed like a blessing to him.  Still resting his head on the seat, he stared out the window of the car and observed the slightly less daunting weather outside.  He listened to the sound of the rain gently drizzling on the hood of the car, and felt a feeling of peacefulness that had not been bestowed upon him the night before.

Clarence actually felt a lot calmer about the situation now than he had several hours ago.  He could not deny that he was still nervous, but the dread that had permeated his thoughts and invaded his body like a deadly poison had died down somewhat.  Maybe it was because he was thinking more rationally now that time had passed, or perhaps he had just pushed the negative thoughts out of his mind for the better; but for whatever reason he felt a lot more confident about venturing through these woods, and thought that whatever conflicts he and his family may face, he could both face and tackle with success.  The improved conditions outside only made his confidence greater.

Kaitlyn was still asleep in her father’s arms.  Clarence moved his hand over, and gently stroked her head.  He had felt very sorry for his little girl, who had had a very sleepless night.  All through the night, she had been waking up, and had struggled to drift back into sleep after doing so.  Clarence had the sense that she might be having nightmares, and what kinds of things she dreamt about he didn’t wish to know.  He was well aware that she had been the most nervous one in the family about their situation; naturally, as she was only a small child.  And all of Nick’s shenanigans about monsters in the woods certainly didn’t help her case, either.  Kaitlyn, as it was clear to anyone who knew her, was a highly intelligent child, but like any other seven-year-old she was capable of being convinced by peoples’ ghost and monster stories.

He felt very strong sympathy for everyone in his family for this mess that they had spiraled into; his loving wife, his mother, as she would experience a much less happy Christmas as a result of their absence, and, as much as he wanted to give him a good hard kick in the a*s, Nick.  But he felt the greatest sympathy of all for Kaitlyn.  She was the most innocent, defenseless, and softhearted of them all, and the one who he would fear for the most if, by some terrible chance, the family did face some kind of serious danger in the woods.

Clarence’s thoughts made him hold his daughter’s body tighter.  He didn’t want to let go of her, for it was his duty to protect her from any danger.  He hated the thought of anything bad coming her way, whether it be cold winds, vicious animals, or simple fear of the sticky situation that had befallen them.  He wanted her to be able to sleep peacefully, without even the slightest trace of a worry in her mind, like any child should be able to do.  Instead of cruel dreams of dark spirits lurking in the forest, storms and other sinister, evil things, he wished to no end for dreams of unicorns, rainbows, and an endless list of other uplifting things to be filling her mind as she rested.

Clarence ran his fingers through Kaitlyn’s soft, blonde hair, which lay scattered across her face and shoulders.  He nestled her body gently, and kissed her on the cheek.  He was happy to see that she seemed to be, at the moment, deep in sleep and apparently content with it.  Obviously, he was unsure how long this would last.

Her eyelids were firmly shut, and her little lips were slightly parted, as she gently breathed.  She gave no visible signs of any distress.

Kaitlyn looked so pretty and adorable to him.  Sure, his thought was naturally biased, as all fathers think their daughters are the cutest, but she had a both a physical beauty and a kindness inherited from her mother.  Clarence saw a small trace of his father, who had been a handsome man, in her face as well, though it was more than obvious to him she had not inherited any of his personality traits.

She seemed so small, delicate and fragile in his large arms, and indeed she was; she had definitely inherited her mother’s smaller-boned physique.  This observation, which was really nothing new to him, put just a tiny trace of fear in his find, for he was reminded of her defenselessness.  But no, he decided, he would stop his worrying.  He reminded himself proudly, once again, that his family was in good hands.  He didn’t care too much or worry about himself; as long as his family was safe, that was what truly mattered to him.  He would do anything for them, and he tried his best to hammer into his head like a nail the thought - the reality - that his wife and children would be fine.

Clarence eventually fell back into sleep, having wiped away the nervous thoughts that rattled his mind.  All through the night, he kept his daughter in his tight grip....nobody, or nothing was going anywhere with his little girl.