I hope you get cancer and DIE, you MONSTER!

screams the not so little girl from the stairs, because she's just found out that mother went into her room and turned off her radiator without telling her last Spring, and also because the noise of the central heating that's just turned on is bothering her. 

It's funny,  a little bit, because of the drama of 'you monster' that is usually only used to ironic effect. 

And yet... it would be funnier if my mother hadn't died of cancer, I think. Maybe then I wouldn't be up writing about it at 1.45am to try and get it out of my head. It would be funny if it weren't something I worry about so much.