Exceptional 2nd Place Finish Do You Believe In Monsters? : Sins Of The Father by Douglas Goff A Day of Woe contest entry

Ding dong the witch is dead was the first thing that came to mind when I learned today that Dean Paul had died.    He was The Monster of my childhood whom I have written about in 'Do You Believe In Monsters' and 'The Storms That Haunt Me.' My step-father was the thing of nightmares, who tormented me, my mother, and my siblings. We survived many years of terror.   Dean Paul's obituary focused on his love of roses, sailing, and church. It mentioned how missed he will be by his current family. To them, this must be a day of woe. To others, not so much.   Perhaps there should be some woe for his first wife, who fled in absolute terror. She went into hiding, abandoning her two girls to his wrath.   My mother and we young kids fled penniless to a homeless shelter, in order to escape him. Woe is my mother, who never married another man in more than forty years, for fear of finding another Dean Paul.   The monster stalked us for years after the divorce. We would flee to a new apartment after being discovered and then one day he would be standing in our doorway or window, just staring at us, letting us know he had found us again. We were all sure he would eventually kill us.   To me, Dean Paul died as he lived, wrapped in a shroud of falsehoods. Perhaps the woe I feel is for my soul, because I am ashamed to admit I felt something else today.   Joy.   God forgive me. Recognized Author Notes I had looked at this contest a couple of times and decided to skip it. Then I learned of Deans death and I knew I had to express myself. This seemed like a great way to share my initial reaction in an openly naked and transparently honest way. This has been an emotional week. This man has left a lot of very damaged people in his wake. Thank you for all the warm support.

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