Silent Night, Holy Nightmare

by Brenda Gravermoen

Sexually, physically, and mentally abused from the ages of 4 to 14, by multiple family members, a young girl tries to find a way to escape the terror, while protecting those she loves. Murder and suicide are options that she considers. She wonders what she did wrong to deserve the treatment she endures. The loss of her mother when she was 7, being left alone with an infant for days, and weeks, at a time, seem easy to handle compared to everything else she endured during those 10 years. Her one desire, during that time, is simply to be loved but she is uncertain that she has ever known love. Who will she become when she grows up? Will she grow up? Or will she, too, be killed like her puppy and her mother were killed? And if she is killed, who will protect her sister from the monster in her bed? How does she decide to escape? Does she kill the monster? Does she kill herself? Is what she is going through normal? Do all little girls experience this? Are there daddy monsters everywhere? She has normalized her experiences, until one day she learns a new Abuse. That word turns her world upside down with the dawning realization that her life is not normal, has never been normal, will never be normal.

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2016