A sound heard in childhood
CRASH. The sound of glass breaking. A large piece of glass. A window or picture. I’m not sure. It’s followed by the repetitive thuds of objects randomly reach their target - the living room wall, I’m guessing. Objects fall on the keyboard of the grand piano making an eerie song, full of rage and disjointed.

The word ‘STOP’ and then my mother’s muffled, deep sobs reach my ears. I am one floor above and hidden behind my door that I’ve barricaded with a chair, the door providing a barrier of safety and dampening the terrifying sounds still reaching me.

"Why’d you do it", my father’s bellowing voice repeats over and over. Another object is thrown.
I fear his rage will find its way to my room and only then suddenly wonder where my two sisters are. I imagine they also are huddled behind doors barricaded by chairs and frightened, like me.
Suddenly the frenzy stops and the front door opens and slams shut. There is an eerie silence and I listen, motionless, becoming aware of faint sobs coming from mother. I guess she has hidden herself in the bathroom so we don’t hear her cries.

I want to go downstairs but I’m afraid to see what my father has done. Sudden exhaustion hits me and I think about giving in and curling up on my floor and sleeping right there. Maybe I’d find it was just a bad dream in the morning.

One tap, four taps, three taps. One tap, four taps, three taps. I hear the faint taps of my twins fingers on her side of the wall that separates our rooms - our own morse code. I know she’s saying ‘I love you’ and she’s OK.