The Hoary Hair Child

“...And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

Dylan Thomas

“Age?”, the old policeman asked to Johnny. He loved to be called Johnny, not John or daddy, as one of those bad women used to called him. “I cannot actually recall, but I think I am six years old, mister” answered him, very anxiuos. He had never been in a police station. “ address, Mr...?” “Johnny”. “As I told you, my name is Johnny and I wanna go home, please, Mr policeman. “Mr Johnn, do you have an address?”. “of course I have. I live at home. The old policeman could not help smiling. “o.k. and where is home?”. “somewhere near. If you just let me go, I would go home. Mum must be worried.She has some sweets for me” he said standing up, trying to leave. The policeman held his shoulders and tried to calm him down. He was about to cry. “my mother is waiting for me... Ah! I do remember it. I am John and I wanna go home”. “Mr John, I’ll make a phone call and you must stay here and wait for me, understood?” he nodded, sobbing and looked around the little office. Suddlenly he felt something hot and wet. “Ow!” he muttered looking down to the pool of yellow liquid on his feet and trousers. The officer looked at him and put the phone down. “O.k Mr John, somebody is coming to pick you up. John smiled as a way of thanking him for what he had done, and pointed out the yellow pool. “I could not help it, sorry sir”...

That night, at home, when one of the evil witches, as he called them, was putting on him his pyjamas, he told her about his great adventure that evening. “...and the man with the blue suit, called somebody who came there and brought me home”. His daughter smiled. “really?” she asked. “it sounds amazing, dad”. Then his mood changed: “but what can you know, stupid?. Leave me alone, you are a dirty bitch. But do not think that i do not know what you are planning. You wanna kill me..but i’ll kill you all before, one night...you will see...”
She was so tired of everything...”good night, dad” she said while switching off the light. It was the same for her every day, since that dreadful moment in when the doctor said “it is Alzheimer”. From that day on, her life had changed completely. Every day his mind became childish, and childish...while his daughter grew older and older every minute she spent beside him. Two victims, two hearts, two lives..the devil must be wrapping up his hands. She was an old lady of twenty five years old, and he was a little child of sixty three.Charming Johnny, hoary hair, that sucked away his daughter’s youth as it was one of those sweets he was always talking about.

María Suárez Alonso