Love Beyond Boundaries

Little Jacky peeked from within her room. 'Mommy and Daddy are at it again,' she thought. 'But why? Why do they have to fight all the time?' The little girl couldn't understand the many quarrels that rocked her house.

"You listen,I'm not going to let you take her...!", Marah had said, before being drowned out by John's great bellow,"No, you listen! We could have made a tidy profit from his sale. You said you wanted to take care of him for awhile and i already let you have your way. No more! I've been too soft on you already. Jacky has to go. He's been taking up way too much of my money already."

"So this is all its been, your money?!" Marah retorted. "All you care about is money. You breathe money, eat money, drink money, and now you want to take away little Jacky for money?! I refuse to let you take her away. You don't even know if your child's a boy or a girl!"

"Whatever!" John replied, infuriated. "Don't tell me you didn't come into this for the money! I don't care about petty details. Heck! I don't even care about that petty runt!"

At this point, little Jacky couldn't take it anymore. Though she didn't understand her father's incessant curses, Jacky somehow knew that they were squabbling over her. She charged at her mother, confused, unable to take the charged atmosphere anymore. "Mommy! Daddy! Why are you both so angry? I'm scared," Little Jacky cried, before wrapping her arms tightly around her mother's waist.

"Oh...," Marah wept. "I'm sorry, Jacky. I'm so sorry. Nothing bad's going to happen. Jacky. Hush now, Mommy's so sorry," she coo-ed, bending to hug Jacky. John stared dumbfoundedly at the mother and child. Suddenly, he regained his anger, his rage at the growing bond between mother and daughter, afraid that he wouldn't get his due. "Get lost, you little witch," he shrieked, tearing Jacky from the arms of her mother.

The sudden blow dazed little Jacky. 'Why do you hurt me, Daddy? I've never been a bad girl. You were never like that,' She thought.

The frenzied John, in vengeful fervour, started to batter his daughter, all the while hurling vitriolic insults in his fiery trance. "You little weasel, you worthless midget...," John screamed. It was all too fast for Marah to react. One instant, Jacky was wailing, trying in vain to flee from her raging father, all the while calling out for help from her mother, and the next moment, she lay still, battered, lifeless, uncanningly peaceful. Marah's heart shattered. She had forsakened her daughter in her moment of shock. She stared disbelievingly. "NO! JOHN, STOP IT, STOP HITTING HER! SHE'S... SHE'S DEAD!" Marah wailed, snapping out of her trance.

John's hands grew clammy as the words etched themselves in his mind. He froze and let Marah rush to tend to her lifeless daughter.

As Marah tried in vain to check for a pulse on her daughter's wrist, her heart grew heavy. The tears fell many and quickly, but that still didn't stem the growing void in her heart.

Then, as a single tear slid down the contours of Jacky's cheek, a voice from beyond called," Mommy, Daddy, don't worry, I still love you, I'll protect you..."

Heartless as John was, he still felt a pang of guilt, a tinge of remorse...