The little girl looked up at the woman, tears in her eyes. Then she bent forward and put her head into her hands. Right away she began to rock back and forth, back and forth.
"Why did you lie to me?" the woman said in a strange, monotonous voice that sounded sinister and full of hatred. "You must have known that I would find out about you." The "about you" was almost spat out like a curse. "You should be grateful for my advice and all I do for you, but you resemble your father ..."
At the words "your father" the little girl stopped listening. Instead she rocked back and forth even faster than before.
"Well, and now what shall I do to you to make you understand your obligations in life?" The girl shot one fast glance at her, but didn't speak. "I shall see to it that you get time to think about your situation by collecting some of your toys and send them to someone who deserves them. Do you understand that?"
Now the girl dared a muffled "no" and at once the strong palm of the woman hit her cheek twice. "And now?" the woman asked.
The girl didn't answer, but tears trickled down her cheeks, wetting her blouse.
"Now see what you've done," the woman yelled, shaking her by the arm. At that very moment there was someone at the door. The woman looked annoyed, but didn't say anything. She let go of the child's arm to answer the door. The girl sat listening to the muffled talking as she let in someone she couldn't see.
When she saw who it was she jumped to her feet, yelling "Karen" in a voice as if she didn't believe her own eyes. The visitor opened her arms and drew her close. "There, there," she said, kissing her wet cheek and patting her back, "what is this, are you crying, Marie, but why?"
The child buried her head in her bosom and didn't answer her. Instead the woman took over, saying in an angry voice: "Marie has been so very naughty today that I told her someone else was to get her toys."
"Naughty?" Karen said. "My little sister is never naughty." She held Marie at arm's length and now she noticed bruises, some old, some new, on her arms and in her face. "What is this, you were not allowed to beat my sister."
The woman let out an annoyed hissing sound, and Karen let go of her sister and turned to face her instead: "This must have been going on for some time. When I see these bruises ... Well, I'm taking my sister to the doctor to let him evaluate them. Don't expect that to be the last to happen in this case ..."
That remark made the expression of the woman's face change and now she looked worried. "I haven't done anything," she said, "except feeding and tending your sister, but sometimes she is impossible to deal with ..."
The large eyes of the child looked directly into the eyes of her sister with a strange and steadfast expression. She didn't speak, but she didn't flinch either. As the eyes of the sisters interlocked, Karen nodded one short nod, closed her eyes for a second and again turned to the woman.
"I know that a deaf-mute child is difficult to communicate with, but one thing is for sure: My sister isn't naughty and she doesn't deserve to be beaten by the one who promised - and was paid - to look after her while I engaged in bringing order in our late mother's economic affairs. I've only been gone for one week and to me it looks like Marie has been beaten every single day of that time."
By now the woman looked really scared, and as Karen started to speak again, she hurriedly said: "I may have been a little harsh a couple of times and I'm sorry for that ..."
"All right, but that doesn't solve the problem because child care is your job, that's what pays your bills, and you've specialized in handicapped children. Still, this happens so I feel that your business ought to be shut down for good."
"No-no, please understand, that Marie really was naughty, she ruined my TV and cut my books ..." At the words "ruined my TV" Karen glanced quickly at Marie.
"How did she ruin your TV?" she asked.
"I don't know, but it simply seized up when she used it the first time. The same happened with my coffee machine and my computer. I don't know what she does, but ..."
The sisters turned to face each other and Karen started to laugh while a sheepish smile erupted on Marie's face. "Oh you," Karen said, "I knew it, you've got it ..."
The woman looked bewildered at the sisters. "Well, I know that it's a difficult time for Marie - and for you - her mother just died in a gruesome way ..."
"Yes," Karen said, "she was murdered by a flock of idiots who thought she was a witch ... that we know ..."
"How horrible, I really am very sorry ..." the woman said, but she looked more annoyed than sad or regretful.
"All right, I shall not need you anymore, Mrs. Smith, and I shall pay you what you deserve."
"We did agree upon wages," the woman said, "so I have no doubt that ..."
Karen smiled and said: "Well, there is always room for doubts." She lifted her right arm as did Marie and the sisters pointed at Mrs. Smith while humming. The woman looked totally bewildered, but her facial expression changed into terror when she slowly fell to the floor, getting smaller all the time. All there was left was her clothes and something that moved within it. Karen and Marie watched as the creature in the clothes peeked out. "A snake! I knew it!" Karen yelled as she grabbed a heavy book and bashed it over the head and flattened it to the floor.
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