#picturefiction  #flashfiction

Henry wasn’t like the other kids. When other children were given gifts they would thank the person and happily play with whatever toy or gizmo they had received.
Henry would thank the gift giver by unboxing the item and then destroying it as quickly and violently as possible before their disbelieving eyes.
Henry had a kitten once. Mom believed that it ran away. She never questioned the red stains on his sleeves.
When he was six, Henry gave his little brother candy. Freddy vomited for days and spent a week in the hospital thanks to the cleaning chemicals Henry used to enhance the gooey centers.
When Henry saw the van in the back lot of the shopping center he knew that it was the sort of vehicle parents warned children about. The childish writing was designed to make kids feel safe but Henry had listened to Mom and Dad when they whispered about perverts and kidnappers.
He approached the rear doors of the van and knocked.
The fat, dough colored, man was coated with a sheen of sweat and a wide grin revealed  three missing teeth.
“Come on in sonny, I have such wonderful treats for you.”
Henry grinned in return and gripped the handle of his father’s hunting knife tighter. He had never killed an adult before, this would be fun.