About the Author Tizarh Meredith Peridot is a Los Angeles based fiction writer and professor

Roo and her ten year old brother Stevie were spending a weekend with their parents at their second home in Agunquit. The mansion had a private beach. The most beautiful room in the place had a wall sized window that overlooked it and the surrounding areas. It had just been reviewed for better homes and gardens and had received so much attention that the whole town wanted to see this gorgeous view and walk this beach. In fact, Madame Loridant who didn't have much to fill her days with, could hardly set foot out of the place without someone asking about it.

"You're so lucky", they would say with eyes of envy, "what a life you must lead!" She found herself going to the grocery store more often, her salon days went from once a month to once a week. She frequented all the city boutiques now for outfits to match her new found popularity and importance.

Roo's mother asked her husband if it would be alright if she led tours through the house each Saturday at sunset. He agreed, not because he liked the idea, but because it would keep her occupied and out of his way. It would give her something new to talk about. He made a mental note never to be there on Saturdays.

It was the first night of the tours and Madame Loridant had out done herself. Shrimp croquettes, mini dough baskets filled with caviar, baby sandwiches, vegetables, meats, cheese, wine, beer, soft drinks. Now, at 4:33 she was in the upstairs bathroom rehearsing a speech which she had written down word for word. Her hands were trembling. She stood in front of the mirror in a bright pink Channel dress and read and reread.

She heard her husband coming up the stairs. He passed the bathroom door. The study. She lost track of his footsteps as she was absorbed in her preparations as tour guide and hostess.

Mr. Loridant was not happy to be home this first Saturday night. It is true he had an architecture proposal to present the next day that he had not yet finished. That, however, was not the reason for his presence. He had made arrangements to do some important business. But his business had a husband who returned earlier than expected from a business trip of his own.

The guests were to come at 5:00 and it was 4:55 when Roo, just back from a long walk, entered her brothers room to find her father smashing Stevie's head against the bed board. He released the boy when he saw her coming at him, shifted his weight to her, and thrust her head first into the far wall. Mr. Loridant watched Stevie - now at the top of the stairs - now gone. He caught Roo by the elbow as she recovered, dragged her past the wall sized window. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a piece of red shirt in the breaker waves.

She got through the door somehow, her father on her heels. On the beach he called out but she ran on into the water. The white wave caps passed over her and she awoke two weeks later in a hospital in Boston with her mother standing silently above.