What Does a 4 Year Old Know

Once upon a time, there was a four year old little girl named Ellie. Ellie thought she had a weird life, living in her grandpa's house, sleeping in sleeping bags in the back room, covering her little head every night because she could see mice running around everywhere. While this was happening, her mom was out doing who knows what. Could be getting drunk, could be getting beat, or maybe meeting a new guy because "he" was never good enough. Neither were her kids. But Ellie's only four, what does she know? Ellie doesn't understand why momma wakes up or comes home with bruises. She doesn't quite understand why she doesn't have a daddy like the other girls. Ellie watches her mom put this nasty stick in her mouth and eventually she gets used to the smell. Little did she know she would grow up a second hand smoker with asthma because of that stick. She always wondered why she was left home alone with her two brothers every night, sitting in front of the TV eating potato chips because momma had an "errand" to run. Ellie isn't stupid. She knows mommy's going to come home with a new guy, act a little funny, and wake up with bruises and a goodbye note. Then again, Ellie's only four, what does she know? Ellie is me.