ABSTRACT
Katie was a startlingly pretty child with a mass of auburn curls, huge blue eyes and dimples. She sang with a true, clear voice, took dancing and guitar lessons and enjoyed writing stories. She was an avid reader. She was also an outgoing child, very much at ease in the company of adults whom she liked to entertain with bright social conversation. She was confident in manner, even a little gracious. Her parents adored her; I disliked her on sight. For Katie was only three years old. Poor Katie. Apart from her doting parents, no-one felt comfortable in her presence. Everything about her jarred one's assumptions about children of her age.
