The Pursuit; Child Abuse

The pursuit was on. Equality of the contestants was not issue. Their goals were not the same. The stalker had in mind to catch her prey, who wanted only to escape. Survival was the issue here. The prey would do what it had to to survive.

This scene had exploded far beyond stalking. The issue of route had been forced by the door locks. The little one could not reach them well enough to ensure the predator would not close its grasp on her shirt or hair before she could make it through the locks and dart through the door. Her pink hands were small and clumsy, so she focused herself on staying ahead of the predator.

The prey chose the usual path: through the small bathroom with the swinging doors; through the living room with the couch sporting a flowered throw cover; through the front foyer with the stairs leading to the…