There really is a monster in the hallway. Be careful. Your bedroom door will open, throwing light on your face. You'll feign sleep. The door will close behind your father, and darkness will descend.

What if the person you love most in the world loves you too much, in a way you know is wrong? How do you navigate childhood? What kind of person do you become?

The Ugliest Word tells the story of a little girl named Lark whose father is molesting her, as she navigates childhood, and the woman she becomes. An aspiring writer and artist, Lark's spunk and creativity buoy her as the abuse progresses.

Lacking other confidantes, Lark befriends Glassman, a mysterious character who collects glass bottles from the alley and leaves special gifts at a loose board in Lark's fence.

As a grown woman, Lark learns to cope with her past abuse by talking on an international phone conference line for incest victims. Her healing is disrupted when she receives word that her father is dying.

Maybe he'll apologize. A death-bed confession. Maybe she'll forgive him.

But maybe she won't.The Ugliest Word is for anyone who has survived childhood incest, and for everyone who loves a survivor, is friends with or works with one.