By Janet turned the key in the lock and tried not to let the stone-cold silence unnerve her. She had crossed a line, clearly, but she believed that the truth could set anyone free. Security camera footage, stored on a flash drive secreted in her pocket, would also help.
The childcare centre was closed; the last child having been collected by a loving parent. All that remained was herself, Lucas and horrible guilt.
She warred for and against looking, but could not stop herself. Her eyes met those of the child sitting in the cage. He stared back at her: calm, reserved and seemingly unconcerned with his situation.
The wine bottle sat on the floor, meters from the cage. Cheap and a fast route to oblivion. Janet opened it, sat down against the toy cupboard covered with children’s drawings and crayon marks, and took the first long pull.
*
“Jaiiiiiiiiil-break!”
Janet jolted awake; panic and disorientation clamouring for ascendancy. She looked up into the twinkle of malevolent delight in the little boy’s eyes. Rough, itchy carpet pressed into her back, and possibly a Lego piece as well. She hadn’t expected this, and cold fear sliced through her alcohol-dulled senses.
She’d been drinking wine to forget, to make some sense of the last few months, but it had still failed to diminish the pain of what she’d done. A clear case of necessary evil, but an evil act regardless.
“Do you know AC/DC, Janet?” Lucas was a four-year-old prodigy, who hid his gifts from everyone except her, whom he enjoyed tormenting. She was both his teacher and legal guardian; a conflict perhaps, but she had an unparalleled insight into his twisted mind. Using her given name was a first for Lucas and didn’t bode well.
“How did you get out?” Janet’s voice rasped past the foul, dry taste in her mouth. She swallowed and tried to sit up. Her limbs seemed out of synch and barely responsive.
“You taught me everything I needed. Woodworking to escape the cage, technology to break into your phone and call the police, after using my own initiative to install some questionable apps of course. The herbology lessons and a few police shows were useful for secretly drugging your wine.”
The devilish glint in Lucas’ eyes suddenly turned dark and demonic.
“You really shouldn’t have locked me in there, that was unfair and naughty!”
Janet recoiled from the child’s intensity but tried to pull herself together. “You’re a little monster, Lucas. I love you, but I had to keep you away from the other kids, for their protection. You just won’t listen. I can’t help you if you won’t listen and understand.”
“Monster? Me? I’m just a happy-go-lucky super-smarty, Janet. Besides, I like playing with the other kids. They are so silly and easy to scare.”
Lucas’ grin showed the gleaming white teeth of a predator.
“Now, Janet, don’t forget the rest of your wine.”
Lucas upended the bottle and splashed the red liquid across Janet’s face, bitter and choking. She clumsily tried swatting it away, to no avail. After a moment, Lucas casually threw the empty bottle away, which clattered to the ground, already forgotten. Janet wiped haphazardly at her mouth and tried to sit up, failed and slumped back down again.
The distant sound of sirens grew steadily louder and more urgent. Emergency services vehicles were heading unerringly for the childcare centre.
“Sirens. Probably the police,” said Lucas, “I’d get a good story ready, if I were you…or not. Looks like you will have some explaining to do, and probably quite a bit of time in jail to ponder your evil deeds.”
Lucas again flashed his demonic, toothy grin. Before Janet could stop him, Lucas grabbed the memory stick from her pocket. He quickly flushed it down a toilet.
“No! They don’t know what you’ve done, what you’re capable of. I will tell them; they have to listen to me!” Janet’s words were slurred and absent any conviction.
Lucas placed his hands on his face and affected mock childish fear, “I’m just a scared wittle boy, Janet. Who do you think they will believe?”
Beyond the walls of the childcare centre, tyres screeched and car doors slammed. Running footsteps reached the entrance.
Lucas moved beyond Janet’s view and she painfully twisted her head to follow. He deftly locked himself back in the cage and waved, “see you in 10 to 15…years.”
The childcare centre entry door flew open. Police and other emergency services personnel rushed in and skidded to a stop once they saw Janet, the wine bottle and the child in the cage. Gasps and horrified looks became universal and then all eyes settled on the lady lying on the floor.
Janet started sobbing.
“Jaiiiiiiiiil-break!”
