Ch. 1

A Rough Start

Arthur's face stung. He winced at the pain of the rough washcloth against this week's new batch of cuts.
Arthur's father Mel rinsed the blood out of the washcloth before finding a few bandages.

"You are a strong person, Arty." Mel's voice always seemed to be a song.
Even now, as he bandaged his son and tried to hide his concern, the song in his voice shone.
Today, the song was a ballad. A story lay covered in his words, his tone implying nuance.