Summary

Karyn, a mother, faces a disturbing situation when her baby is injured, possibly by her son Jonah, and as similar incidents occur in the neighborhood, she grapples with protecting her son while dealing with her own fears and the reality of potential danger.

Abstract

The narrative unfolds with Karyn, a mother, dealing with the immediate crisis of her baby, Sophia, being severely cut while in the care of her son, Jonah. Despite her initial shock and the urgency to tend to her daughter, Karyn's concern shifts to Jonah's potential involvement in the incident. Jonah's detached demeanor and vague responses to Karyn's inquiries about the incident raise red flags, yet Karyn's maternal instincts compel her to protect him. As a series of disturbing events unfold, including unexplained injuries to other neighborhood girls and disappearances, Karyn is torn between her role as a mother and the need to confront the possibility that Jonah may be responsible for these incidents. Her decision to seek help from the police is complicated by her own family history and the revelation that Jonah may not be her biological son. The story takes a dramatic turn when Karyn, echoing her sister's past, breaks through a glass wall and flees the police station, leaving a trail of blood.

Opinions

Karyn's protective instinct towards Jonah is strong, despite the growing evidence of his potential involvement in harmful activities.
The author suggests that Karyn's history with her institutionalized sister influences her decisions regarding Jonah, indicating a fear of repeating past mistakes.
There is an implication that the societal expectation of mothers to unconditionally protect their children can lead to dangerous denial.
The detectives' reactions and the information they share hint at a supernatural or unexplained element to Jonah's origins and behavior.
The story conveys a sense of foreboding and the inevitability of confronting uncomfortable truths, both for Karyn and the community affected by the mysterious events.

Mother’s Little Helper

Karyn was gossiping with a neighbor when the baby started to scream. Dropping the phone, she rushed to the nursery.

“Oh my God!” Karyn grabbed Sophia and a towel to stanch the blood welling from a cut in the baby’s thigh. Seeing no other injuries, Karyn ran her hand around the crib. Expecting splintered wood, she felt nothing. She changed the baby, turning to the obvious.

“Jonah, come here please.”

The boy stood in front of her, silent.

“Jonah, do you know how Sophia got hurt?”

He didn’t reply.

“Jonah, if you know what happened to your sister you need to tell me,” Karyn tried to stay calm. “Were you in here just now?”

“I guess,” Jonah said without emotion.

“Jonah, what happened?”

“I didn’t mean to hurt her, not the long kinda hurt.” Jonah looked up, eyes wide..

“Remember our talk about how careful you have to be with babies?”

Jonah stared at her, eyes big and blue and . . . blank

Karyn knew she’d protect him. All children did things that were wrong before they knew better. She’d watch him more carefully.

She didn’t tell her husband, knowing he wouldn’t accept that Jonah was just a little boy. He’d insist on punishing him, maybe send him to an institution.

Karyn knew no good would come from sending Jonah away. Her sister had been put away and never got better. One day she was making macaroni sculptures, the next she was gone, having burst through the glass wall between the dayroom and a hallway.

Jonah’s lack of emotion troubled Karyn, as did his comment. He knew he’d hurt the baby, but thought the hurt wouldn’t last. Then there was the fact he hadn’t said anything to his father. Three year olds were terrible secret keepers. Not that he’d told her what happened either, but Karyn really didn’t want to know.

Then little girls in the neighborhood began to get hurt. All too young to talk, no one could figure out what was happening to them. Karyn tried to put it out of her mind. When the disappearances started, she knew she had to do something. Feeling sick, Karyn went to the police.

The detectives, MacLeod and Nelson, were nice enough. When she mentioned Jonah however, MacLeod looked at her oddly, whispered something to Nelson and excused himself.

Nelson looked for his partner knowing it wasn’t good when Macleod rounded the corner, jaw twitching.

“What?” Nelson asked.

MacLeod crossed his arms. “No three year old. Lost a baby girl though.”

“Natural causes?”

“Intruder. With a knife.”

“Husband?”

“Nope. No father listed”

“Sister?”

“Unuhh.”

“Anyone know?”

“About a mother named Alicia from 1000 miles away. Institutionalized.”

“Released?”

“Released herself.”

A loud crash startled the detectives who ran for the interview room. Rushing through the door, they found Karyn gone. The floor was covered in glass shards which had once been a wall separating the room from an empty office. Blood led from the adjacent room into the corridor and out towards the exit.