Nothing Red - A Short Story by The Stranger/SAZ

     "Honey," Larry Jackson said, "We're going to get you a new dress
today."  The dress she had on now was yellow with bleeding red
roses running down the front.  She had been wearing it for weeks
now and it was beginning to melt into her skin.  "You'd like a new
dress, wouldn't you Mary?"
     She couldn't answer.
     He smiled as he looked at her slouched over the front seat,
her eyes looking straight ahead as if she was watching the road. 
He tried not to look at her too much, keeping his eyes on the road
trying to drive as safely as possible.  Wouldn't want anything to
happen to his only daughter.
     When he reached the mall he pulled his Toyota into a parking
spot and turned off the engine.  "Here we are," he said. "It's been
a long time since you've been to the mall, huh sweety?"  He got out
of the car not waiting for her response and walked to her side of
Toyota.  He opened her door slowly so she wouldn't fall out and
then undid her seatbelt and helped her out of the car.  Carrying
her with both his hands, he kicked the door closed and began to
drag her lifeless body towards the mall.
     Her small feet bounced off the ground as they just barely
touched.  Her head fell to the side and swayed on her shoulders as
her father carried her quickly along the parking lot.  Larry held
his six year old daughter at his side, her hip against his, trying
not to let her slip from his grasp, smiling wide open and not
noticing all the stares.
     They entered the mall through the front door, around them
hundreds of people were doing their weekend shopping.  His clothes
were almost as blood red as his daughter's as he had held her in his
arms for days after finding her stabbed to death in the park.  From
beside them a woman screamed, eyes began to find them and more
screams erupted from the crowd.  People ran away as a father
drenched in blood came down the center isle of the mall with his
daughter dragging along side of him.  
     And Larry noticed nothing.  He just kept smiling and looking
over the store fronts looking for a place to buy his daughter a
dress.  And as he reached the front of a store called "Son's and
Daughter's", he looked through the front window and saw all
the pretty dresses. Her weight became too much for him, and he
dropped her.
     She slammed on the cement floor like a dead fish.
     He fell to his knees and began to gather her up in his arms,
apologizing to her every second though she never felt a thing and
couldn't hear him now.
     Screaming women, echoing voices, as he lifted his daughter,
cold and clammy, off the ground and finally fell down on the floor
on his rearend.
     A police officer coming towards him spoke into his walkie-talkie.
"It's him.  He has his daughter with him.  Contact the mother." 
The police officer came closer until he was standing over Larry. 
"Mr. Jackson, could you please come with me sir?"  Another police
officer and then another came to stand beside him.
     Larry, now in tears, said "No, no sir I can't.  I have to get
my daughter a dress.  She's worn this one out and she needs a new
one."
     "Sir, I'll make sure one of my other officers gets her a new
dress.  Why don't you just come with me and we'll get you into some
new clothes."  
     Larry didn't say anything.  He looked down into the empty eyes
of his daughter, rubbing his hands along her face, cold as ice,
and then he speaking, softly.
     "What's that Mr. Jackson?" the police officer said.
     Larry looked up and tried to speak through trembling lips. 
"Something blue, maybe a blue dress would be nice.  Or even pink,
she likes pink.  But please, nothing red .. nothing red."
     "Yes sir," the police officer said.  

(c) 1994 The Stranger/SAZ