Kicked His Daughter Out in the Cold, Only to Realise Too Late…

Dad, Im hungry and I want to go out! little Emily squeaks again, climbing onto her fathers lap.

Andrew Clark, a thirtysomething man, is midway through a pint of bitter and an online shooting game. Hes in the middle of a crucial match, and Emilys persistent chirping drives him mad. He cant see when shell finally quiet down. His irritation spikes when she grabs his sleeve, demanding attention. How old is she? Five. Shes practically independent couldnt she make herself a bowl of porridge? He spends his evenings hanging out with his mates in the garage, while his daughter seems like a helpless little creature.

The distraction costs Andrew the round he loses. Anger clouds his vision. He leaps from his chair, rushes to the kitchen, snatches a hard crust of bread and shoves it at Emily.

Take it and chew it, cant you reach it yourself? he growls.

He pours a glass of milk from the fridge, sets it on the table and, when Emily mentions that mum always warms the milk, Andrew snaps that hes not mum and that she should have learned that long ago. He returns to his computer, hoping a full stomach will silence her foolish pleas. It doesnt. After a quick trip to the loo, he comes back, but he never gets to sit in his favourite armchair.

Dad, I want to go for a walk. We always go out with Mum! Emily pouts.

A walk, you say? Fine, go then! Andrew smiles, seeing an opportunity to be alone.

He rummages through Emilys wardrobe, pulls out warm trousers, a sweater, mittens and a coat with a knit hat. He hurriedly dresses her, pushes her out onto the driveway and tells her to stay out until he calls her back. Back at his desk he dons headphones, cranks up his favourite track, cracks open another can of fizzy pop and resumes blasting enemies, delighted that nothing interrupts him.

Emily shivers. She remembers Mum always dressing her in cozier clothes for winter walks. The sun has set; its already dark, and Mum would never send her out now. She longs for her mother, missing her terribly. Her lips start to tremble as she tries the front door, but Andrew has locked it. To keep warm she decides to run a bit. The snow, untouched for days, clings to her boots, making her stumble. She tries to roll a snowman, but the powder is too dry, more like sand than snow. She wonders if the snow might actually be cold sand. She knocks on the house, but no one answers. Fear rises. She begins to sob, calling for Dad, but he stays silent. Curling into herself, she notices the garden gate halfopen and darts toward it, hoping any bit of movement will warm her frozen feet.

She thinks of neighbour Mrs. Lucy, who often offers milk, but Lucys house is dark. Emily bangs on Lucys door; no one opens. Probably no one is home. She keeps moving away from the village, the cottage perched on the edge of the hamlet. She walks and weeps, unsure of what lies ahead. A blizzard rolls in, and when Emily turns, she cant see a thing. She runs forward, gasps at the icy air, cries Dad! and sees a flash of Andrews angry face, hearing his harsh words, Leave me alone, Im not your mum! Realising shes utterly alone, she tries to shield herself from the wind that knocks her down, collapses on her knees, the cold snow biting her skin as the fierce wind slips under her coat.

Around two in the morning, Andrew finally remembers his daughter. He had been dashing to the bathroom when a sudden bang at the window startles him. Bare branches of a holly bush, frosted over, sway violently in the howling wind.

A proper blizzard, he mutters, then the thought of leaving Emily out hits him like a punch.

He bursts into the yard, calling Emily! but shes nowhere. A wave of terror freezes his gut; its late, the snow is deep, and his child could be dying out there. He waves his arms, shouting, Shell be fine, shell manage herself! He convinces himself she must have run to a neighbours house. He heads back inside, shivering, convinced Lucy will have taken her in. He spots a light in Lucys window and finally eases his mind. He texts his wife, telling her theyre asleep and everythings fine.

Relations with his wife, Olivia, have deteriorated. She nags him like a ghost of her late mother, urging him to get a job instead of sitting on his games. Andrew fantasises about becoming a professional gamer, hearing stories of huge earnings, and blames Olivia for her constant criticism. He tells her shell sing a different tune when he finally makes real money.

He collapses onto the sofa and dozes off, leaving the front door unlocked just in case Emily returns. In the morning his sisterinlaws sister, Diana, bursts in, furious.

Hes gone mad! Hes left the child out there! Wheres Emily? she shrieks.

Stop shouting! Im not home! Andrew waves her off, turning over. Diana grabs his arm, pulls him back, and he falls onto the floor in a halfsleep.

Ill count every bone in his body! he threatens, rubbing his bruised wrist, eyes flashing. Diana, trained in karate since childhood, isnt easily intimidated. She pins him to the floor, her grip firm.

Wheres the child? Where did you take my niece? Im here for Emily! Diana demands.

She ran off yesterday, probably to Lucys on the ninth street. I didnt hand her over to anyone. Andrew finally admits he tossed his fiveyearold out to stop her from interrupting his game.

Diana rushes to Lucys house. The elderly neighbour shakes her head, pale, and says she hasnt seen any girl. She asks around the neighbourhood; everyone is holed up because the storm makes anyone stay indoors. The snow is so deep you cant see a foot in front of you. Diana returns, finding Andrew still at his computer, earbuds in, oblivious. She beats him, sobbing.

How could you? Where is she? she wails.

Calm down! Shell be fine! Shes a tough little thing! he lies.

She decides not to tell Olivia, whos preparing for heart surgery, fearing the stress would be fatal. She calls the police, but Andrew tries to snatch her phone. She meets his stare, warning him to stay back. The rescue service promises to sweep the area. Diana cant believe the nightmare is real, thinking shes dreaming.

Police and rescue crews arrive quickly, question Andrew and cuff him.

What am I supposed to do? I didnt hurt her! he protests.

Well investigate whether you harmed the child. Leaving a fiveyearold alone in a blizzard is child neglect, a criminal offence, the officer says, disgusted.

Diana weeps, terrified of what could have happened to Emily. The rescuers discover a small, unnatural snow mound and start digging. Diana, given a calming tea by Lucy, tries to compose herself, but fails. She enters Emilys room, sees toys scattered, picks up a pajama top and bursts into tears. The last time she saw her niece was a month ago, before Olivias heart operation was postponed. Emily had clung to Diana, saying she loved her dearly. Now shes missing, perhaps forever.

A detective walks in.

Those mittens you found in the woods belong to the girl? he asks.

Diana freezes; those mittens were a gift from her own overseas trip. She leans against the wardrobe, sways, and the officer supports her onto a chair.

Its too early to bury her. We only have the mittens. The snow is deep, no tracks left. Itll be hard to locate her, the detective explains.

Diana nods, hugging herself, silent tears streaming. She prays silently that Emily is still alive.

The search drags on through the night with no result. The rescue team is rotated out, and the police take Andrew away in handcuffs. Diana stays alone in the unfamiliar house, cursing herself for never dissuading Olivia from marrying Andrew. From the start, his selfishness was obvious. He cared only about his reflection, muscles from his army service, and video games. Olivia wore rosecoloured glasses, believing he was perfect, even when he vanished for days behind a screen.

Sleep eludes Diana. She lies to Olivia, saying everything is fine and that shes taken Emily in. She cant imagine how to tell Olivia the truth if Emily turns up dead.

At dawn the phone rings. A detective informs her a fiveyearold has been admitted to the regional hospital; she must come immediately. Diana rushes to the A&E. The staff refuse to let her see the child until the detective arrives. When she finally enters the ward, she nearly faints the girl on the bed is Emily. A young doctor, Dr. Samuel, stands beside her.

Is she yours? he asks gently.

My niece Diana whispers, struggling to pull herself upright.

Shell be okay. Shes a strong little girl, shell pull through he assures.

The detective steps aside for a private chat, while Diana sits beside Emilys bed, takes her hand and weeps with relief. The doctor explains Emily suffers partial frostbite and a possible earlystage pneumonia, hard to spot on scans.

Diana cries, grateful the child survived. Emily, now awake, clings to Diana, sobbing, telling her a nice dog saved her and begging not to see her father again because he threw her out. She understands everything and the wound runs deep.

The pneumonia doesnt develop, and Emilys condition improves quickly. Olivia is discharged early; while Andrew sits in a detention centre, she packs her things and moves into Dianas flat, filing for divorce, determined never to forgive the man who abandoned her child.

Diana and Dr. Samuel start a tentative romance. After Emilys discharge, Samuel and his dog Buddy become regular visitors to Dianas flat. Emily adores Buddy, constantly asking for a big bone or a treat from the shop. Olivia finds life easier without the dead weight of a useless husband, and Andrew receives a conditional sentence and a criminal record. He shows no remorse, delighted that hes now free of anyone bothering him. He eventually loses his job, becomes bitter, and, after a drunken altercation at work, a group of men beat him, calling him a disgrace. He ends up bedridden with spinal injuries, trying futilely to win Olivia and Emily back, but she knows his true nature and refuses.

Olivia focuses on her daughters psychological recovery, while Diana, confident in her new partner, plans to marry Samuel. The whole tale, now set in a modest English town, ends with Emily safe, the bad husband punished, and a new, hopeful beginning for the family she never had.