The Crestfallen Rose Audiobook by Michael Martin

two long stemmed yellow roses stood next to the lamp she felt the blankets in search for her daughter then shuffled the pillows sending them Airborne one of them striking the vase it thed against the carpet petals fluttering across lavender fibers Sam Sam where are you a whimper told her Ally sank to her knees she shoved aside the white cotton bed skirt and reached under the bed Sam was curled toward the foot of the bed she grabbed passed the child with one hand then pulled her from under the bed into her arms she rocked her for a while on her knees after a few minutes she moved to the rocker beside the window overlooking the nursery carrying Sam Samantha raised her head eyes open staring vacantly mommy it was after me Ally cradled her a baby no longer at just past 3 she heard her short gasps of air and felt the quivering of her lips she kissed Sam on the cheek while caressing her faultless Olive complexion Sam there is no it the child rested her head on her mom's shoulder rubbing her cheek into the flannel night gown Ally ran a hand through Samantha's Chestnut curls the wooden Runners of the rocker creaked in tune with the creatures of the night Ally brushed her child's ear with her lips your leg and blankie got tangled in the guard rail Samantha rubbed her nose against her mom's gown I lost Kitt mommy the monster got it Ally rose with Sam in her arms walked over to Kitty and grabbed it with her free hand she returned to the rocker and placed the white polyester animal under Sam's arm see Kitty is safe and so are you there's no monster Sam Sam pulled Kitty to her chest you said there was a monster mommy lots of times I heard you tell Daddy you cried a lot Ally glanced out the window the nursery security lights visible in the distance they illuminated a host of blind mosquitoes swirling in the incandescent light when she and Alex had argued she had failed to realize or at least believe that blindness is an Affliction of sight not the Mind Ali too had nightmares of the monster in the greenhouse she had unwittingly let loose she exposed her gestating child to a creature that infiltrated her blood then rode the rich red stream through the iCal cord into Sam a soft pink glow from the NightLight on the bedstand table bathed mother and child each night Sam would ask Ally to turn it on she wondered if a particle of light could penetrate her daughter's world of Darkness the runners of Allie's wooden rocker creaked as they settled into the carpet Sam flinched but her breathing remained regular holding Sam tight she Rose from The Rocker waiting for Sam to say rock me me mommy Sam was growing her legs came way past Ali's knees Ally laid Sam in her bed placed Kitty by her chin and pulled her favorite pink blankie over her she turned the white porcelain vase lay unbroken on the carpet the pink glow of the NightLight bathed the yellow petals in an eerie glow a mosaic on the lavender carpet Ally on her knees grasped the petals in her hand smelled them stood and kissed her daughter good night on her forehead after blowing aside one of her Chestnut curls Miami 6: a.m. David King stood on the balcony of the old Miami Bay Hotel absorbing the 600 a.m. sunrise on biscane Bay his right hand gripped Cuban coffee laced heavily with cream his left a cigar an incoming tide caused ripples on the waves the Waters of the bay flowed past Channel markers that guided boers into the Atlantic a whsp of smoke appear appeared on the horizon it came from whale tail-shaped Smoke Stacks that formed the AFT super structure of the Royal Caribbean super liner celebration King envied the passengers who would soon disembark sunburned bags full of purchases of invaluable Goods that would find their way to the back of Dusty shelves in obscurity once home David took the plastic lid off his second Styrofoam cup of Cafe coni procured from the bay hotel's kitchen after room service refused to acknowledge his presence frustrated he had taken the service elevator the busy night waiter was reading the Spanish version of the Miami Herald after scolding King for using the service elevator he poured coffee for him and with a serious but humorous wnk sent him to his room with the admonition to use the lobby elevators David King lit a second cigar the first having been a 2in stubble from the night before south of his balcony the morning sun lit the facade of multi-story luxury condos that formed a half moon set up