Introduction
It was a regular day at the park. A single white cloud crept slowly over the green expanse as the picnickers lounged on the rising hill.
The playground below was filled with creaks and groans as the rusty joints twisted and turned. The children chased each other through throngs of families in a widespread game of manhunt. An ice cream van pulled off and headed down the road, towards its next destination, tolling its anthem once more for the children’s amusement.
Seated near the crest of the hill sat a couple. They doted on a little boy sat in a pram. The baby kicked his chubby legs in delight as he licked the ice cream from around his mouth.
“Johnny’s so adorable, I love it when he makes that face,” the woman said, lifting her sunglasses over her forehead to get a better look at him.
“Yeah, well…” the man said quietly, peering around as he leaned towards her. “I hope he doesn’t get the squirts!”
“Ben!”
“Just saying, I remember my brother Larry once ate a whole tub of ice cream, shit himself right on the couch when the folks caught him.”
Ben blew on his arm for dramatic effect.
“Stop it with your filth! I know how you Well’s boy’s eat so it’s no doubt he gobbled it down in one bite.”
She shook her head, smiling at him.
They'd been together for nearly a year now, met at a mutual friend’s party and hit it off straight away. He still had the trousers she’d spilled a glass of merlot on by accident.
It's a bit early to be trying to get in my pants, he'd joked.
Ben had fallen in love with her instantly, and she loved him more because he hadn’t been scared off in the least because she had a kid. He’d been the perfect gentleman, even if he was a bit rough around the edges.
“So, what you want to do later, get something to eat, see a movie?” said Ben, stroking her leg.
“A movie sounds great.”
“And maybe get some food to bring home?”
She lay back putting her head on his lap. “Ummm, sounds yummy.”
Ben rubbed her head and they lay there enjoying the silence until a series of coughs and splutters emerged from the pram. Looking over, Ben could see Johnny vomiting up ice cream.
“Ellen he’s choking!”
Ben lifted Johnny out of the pram, tapping and rubbing his back gently. Ellen got up and wiped Johnny’s face. Ben saw something inside Johnny’s mouth. Wiping his finger, he opened Johnny’s mouth carefully and felt around inside.
“I think there’s something in his mouth, but I can’t… wait, ah!”
Johnny bit down on Ben’s finger, he tried to pull it out but the sharp teeth held tight, digging in deeper.
“Ahh!” Ben was red in the face. “The little man’s got a grip!”
Ellen grabbed Johnny’s mouth and pried it open.
Ben slid out his trembling finger and saw that the flesh on the index was torn from knuckle to nail. Blood trailed down his hand in rapid streams.
Taking Johnny from his arms, Ellen put him back in the pram. She pulled some cloths out from a bag and wrapped them around Ben’s finger.
“Keep applying pressure, hold it here. We have to go to the hospital Ben, that’ll need stitches.”
Ben could feel the sweat forming on his forehead. He looked down into the shaded enclosure that was Johnny’s pram and saw blood dribbling from the baby’s lips.
“That’s not nice Johnny, you can’t bite!” he snapped before he could help himself. Johnny’s lip quivered and he began wailing, reaching up for Ellen.
“Stop it Ben, you’re upsetting him!” She frowned. “It was a mistake, that’s all.”
Ellen crouched down and rubbed Johnny’s head, soothing him until the crying stopped.
Looking around, Ben noticed the eyes watching him. A few changed direction, but most didn’t.
“It was just an accident, nothing to worry about.” He gave the best smile he could manage, but the eyes seemed to fill more with disdain.
An old woman sat nearby shaking her head at him.
“Ben look, my pearl earring was in his mouth. How the hell did it get in there?”
Ben turned to see Ellen crouched in front of the pram, holding a small ball in the center of her palm.
It was reddened with blood. Ben bent down to get a closer look.
“Poor thing could have cut his gums open!”
Poor thing my ass thought Ben, looking at the blood soaked cloth wrapped around his finger.
As he squinted at Johnny, the pram was momentarily silhouetted against the blue sky as the sun emerged from behind a cloud. But before Johnny was fully hidden in the shade of his pram, Ben could’ve sworn the baby was grinning at him.