Mom, You're Free Now

Chapter 1

My mom was one of the few highly educated women in our remote mountain village.

When I was 10, a faint rustling woke me in the middle of the night. I stepped out of my room and found Mom standing alone in the backyard.

Too young to understand, I called out to her.

After that night, she vanished without a trace.

Dad told everyone she couldn't stand poverty and ran off with another man. The whole village believed him.

Dad abused me for years, and in my heart, I blamed Mom over and over for abandoning me.

Then, 5 years later, an elderly couple arrived with the police.

They dug up Mom's remains in the backyard and sent Dad to prison.

Standing beside that pit, trembling from head to toe, I finally understood. She had never abandoned me.

My call that night had gotten her killed.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the night Mom tried to leave.

Staring at her slender back, I covered my mouth.

'Mom, this time, you're going to be free.'

*****

Mom had almost reached the door when she turned and gave me one last look.

She drew a deep breath, tore her gaze away, and stepped out.

I felt relieved. As long as she made it out, she would never suffer the same fate as she had in my previous life.

Then a rough, drunken shout rang out from beyond the front door.

"Woman! Boil some water to wash my feet!"

My blood turned to ice.

In my previous life, my soft call had made Mom pause just long enough for Dad to catch her.

But this time, I didn't make any sound. Why did he still come home at the exact wrong moment?

I clenched my fists, forced down my panic, and slipped out from under the covers. Creeping to the window, I eased it open a c***k and peered outside.

Dad's sudden return ruined Mom's plan. She stood frozen by the door, completely at a loss.

The sight made panic claw at my chest.

'What do I do? How can I keep Dad from seeing her?'

My heart hammered as my thoughts tangled into knots. I could only watch as Dad began pushing open the front door.

Just before it swung inward, I hurled myself across the room and dropped the wooden bar into place.

Click.

The door was bolted tight.

Without even stopping to breathe, I grabbed Mom's wrist and dragged her toward the backyard.

She stared at me in shock.

"Shh."

Outside, Dad shoved the door several times, but it didn't budge. His drunken rage erupted.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every kick made the whole house tremble.

"You damned woman! How dare you lock me out of my own house?

"Open this door right now! Quit hiding in there like you're dead!"

Ignoring the deafening noise behind us, I pulled Mom into the dim woodshed.

The room was packed with dry branches and layers of pine needles. I hurried to the base of the crumbling back wall and clawed the debris aside.

A small, dark opening appeared in the wall.

It was an old dog hole I had discovered by accident in my previous life, during the countless times Dad locked me in the shed. No one else knew about it.

Keeping my voice low, I pointed at it. "Mom, hurry! Crawl out!"

Mom gripped my hand, her eyes full of anguish. "We're leaving together. Molly, I'm taking you with me!"

The warmth of her hand sent a fierce ache surging through my chest.

I looked up at that face, familiar and strange, and forced myself to smile.

"Mom, you have to go. That wooden door won't hold much longer.

"Everyone in this village is in on it. If they find out you're running, you'll never get out of the mountains."

Mom bit her lip. Her eyes were torn between heartbreak and indecision.

But there was no time left to hesitate.

At last, she steeled herself, bent down, and squeezed sideways through the opening.

As soon as half her body was outside, I turned and hurriedly piled the pine needles and branches back into place.

Just before the hole disappeared, I looked up at her retreating figure.

As if she sensed it, Mom turned and gazed at me for a long moment. Her eyes held guilt, reluctance, and something else I was too young to understand.

I nodded hard.

'Run, Mom. Live on.'

Once I was certain she was gone, I restored the woodshed to the way it had been and raced back to my room.

Only seconds later, a thunderous crash came.

The battered wooden door had finally splintered beneath Dad's furious kicks.

He staggered inside, cursing, "You b***h! You locked me out? Where the hell are you hiding?"

My heart began pounding. I dug my nails into my palms and forced myself to stay calm.

The next second, my bedroom door flew open under a brutal kick.

"You little brat! Open the door!"

I pretended I had just woken up and stared at him in confusion. "Dad, what's wrong?"

He shoved me aside and stormed into the room, scanning every corner.

The moment he saw the empty bed, fury blazed in his eyes.

He swung his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

Pain exploded over my cheek.

He glared at me and snarled, "Where's your mom?"