photograph

There's a picture on the wall in the upstairs bedroom of the house on the cliffs. The glass is broken. The girl in the picture is laughing, happy, in a long white dress, holding a glass of wine that is threatening to spill. She's not there anymore, run away from a father who hurt her, and a husband who drank. The one man inside prowls like a trapped cat, angry, a beer in his hand. The dog he would have kicked was gone, taken by his wife, the cat long since run away. He kicks the walls and furniture instead. Another picture of her; he holds it up, looking quietly at her face. He drops it, stepping carefully on the back of the frame. Glass crunches beneath his feet.