Cody was not feeling well when he went to bed that night. Usually, after crawling under the covers and snuggling down, sound sleep came easily to him. This time he tossed and turned for what seemed like an eternity before Mr. Sandman finally came to the boy's rescue. Almost right away he started twitching around in his comfortable bed.

"No! Leave me alone!" Cody screamed out in the darkness of the night.

Cody had been adjusting well to living in Astatula. For the first time in his life he felt safe. Cody had done more in the two short months he had been under Sheriff Daniels care than he ever did in Palo Pinto, where he was born and spent the first ten years of his life in a deplorable existence.

Now, laying in bed where he should have been snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug Cody kept fitfully tossing around.

"I said LEAVE ME ALONE!" he hollered out at the top of his lungs emphasizing each word crystal clearly.

Then, suddenly, Cody sprang up in bed. Not quite awake. The amplified volume of his outbursts woke the Sheriff. His bedroom was two doors down the hallway from where Cody was at. Sheriff Daniels tossed his blanket off when he heard the boy crying out like something was terrorizing him. Placing his two size twelves on the shag carpet he made his way down the mirrored hall. This was becoming an all-too-common occurrence.

Cody was sitting up in bed when Sheriff Daniels slowly entered his room and flipped on the overhead light. He could see his young ward was still half asleep. Softly he called the boy's name just audibly enough so it would not startle him.

"Cody, you're okay," the Sheriff reassured him explaining, "you're having one of your patented frightmares. That's all."

He placed a comforting hand on Cody's shoulder and gently shook him. When he did the Sheriff noticed the boy's silk pajama top slightly run up his left arm. Waking up with a start, Cody wiped the sleep out of his tired eyes with the backside of his left hand. He could not believe the same scenario had played out again. This was the third time this week.

Cody wanted to bawl like a little baby but forced himself not to. The Sheriff sat down on the bed beside him. Doing so comforted the boy.

"Your father...again?" he asked Cody knowing all too well the answer to that question before he even asked it.

Cody buried his face deep into the Sheriff's shoulder and kept it there. Sheriff Daniels ran the fingers of his strong right hand through the boy's baby-fine blond hair. Nothing else needed to be said at that moment.

Earl Anthony Schroder left no doubt about that. If Sheriff Daniels ever wanted to cold-bloodedly murder somebody it was definitely Earl Anthony Schroder! For what he had done to Cody.

After several long moments of silence Cody answered Sheriff Daniels inquiry with a simple, "Uh-huh." Then told him, "He was attacking me again!"

Cody did not care. He needed to say what was on his mind. So, he did. He blurted it right out saying, "He had my undies all the way off and was making me put "It" in his mouth again!"

The boy trembled a little at the disgusting memory of his father's repetitious act. The longer he listened to Cody's comments the more Sheriff Daniels began to seethe. If Earl Anthony Schroder was not dead he needed to be!

"What kind of father does something like that to a young boy? Especially, his own son?" the Sheriff heatedly thought to himself.

Cody wondered out loud, "Why me?"

Sheriff Daniels tried to be as sympathetic as he could be. However, he had no explanation for the horrible things Cody's father had done to him.

He told the boy in all honesty, "I can't answer that, Little Man. How I wish I could. But, it is simply beyond me. I can't."

Then he hugged Cody as tightly as he would allow him to saying, "Come here."

It was time for the brave little boy way down deep inside Cody to cry all the hurt out. As Sheriff Daniels held him real tight the dam burst wide open and Cody's tears fell like rain in the middle of a monsoon.