Father’s Hungry

by Ryan Van Ells

Father hasn’t eaten. His rumble reverberates from the basement stairs, rattling the walls.

Mother is little more than a skeleton, unable to feed him. Your sister trembles beside you. The noises scare her.

You go down the basement steps.

Father, too large to move, lies in his too small bed. A malodorous rot burns your nostrils. His greedy eyes fixate on you and he wriggles excitedly.

You extend the crook of your elbow to his mouth. He opens his toothless mouth like a babbling babe. You bring the knife to your vein. Blood wells. He clamps down and slowly sucks.

Ryan Van Ells

Ryan Van Ells is a queer author and lawyer from Wisconsin. You can find him @ryanvanellswrites on Instagram and Bluesky.