The Gangster's Little Girl

The air in the small, dilapidated house hangs heavy with the scent of stale beer and despair. A small girl, Roseanne, flinches as her stepfather's voice, raw with anger, rips through the silence. The familiar sting of a heavy hand against her cheek sends her tumbling to the floor, the world blurring through a fresh wave of tears.

Her mother's cruel laughter follows, a sound that has become a constant in Roseanne's short, painful life. A sharp impact, the shattering of glass, and a searing pain in her arm signal the start of another punishment. As blood stains her tattered clothes, Roseanne knows she must clean the mess, the unspoken demand clear in her stepfather's cold eyes. Later, sent out into the hostile streets, clutching a few coins for beer, the stares and taunts of the townspeople become another layer of torment, a constant reminder of her unwanted existence.