HER SHELTER

It was the first time she felt so much in control of her life than she could ever be, as she ran for her dear life. In the thickness of the woods, and as the fear quickened through her veins, she ran as fast as she could, her legs were weak, and her body was numb from the years of past suffering it had undergone. As she ran, all she did was take a glimpse of her back as she was scared even of her own shadow. The woods were so thick one could only imagine it was a forest, as she ran through the leaves that whipped and coiled on her skin as if telling her to slow down, but she knew she couldn’t, as if she didn’t go further she would be caught. But that was not the only problem, her breath had reached its last limit and her body wanted nothing but to give in the sleep it had so desperately been deprived of, but she had to be patient. As if the heavens had cursed her, it began to rain and pour thunderously down on her and as she tried to take each step, her knees ached and her legs became numb. Slowly she could feel her subconscious slipping out of her and little by little her body surrendered to the earth. She didn’t know if the heavens had listened to her cry or if it was merely punishing her for the sins she had committed, if any, or if it could be the sin of being born. The leaves danced and with it came the chilling coldness that sapped into her and made her quiver, but that body had undergone more anguish and affliction than it could bear to register the pain and with that, she finally gave in to the darkness. Oh, it could be that the month without mouth-watering meals had caught up with her. “Happy Birthday to You” “Happy Birthday to You” “Happy Birthday dear alma, happy birthday to you.” There she was, daddy’s little princess happy and it knew no bounds. The house had been decorated for her special day and it was perfect. The windows were adorned with fresh flowers, the little sitting room was filled with the scent of deliciously rich prepared meals coming from the kitchen and, for some odd reason, her father had a huge smile on his face like he had won the lottery. She was overjoyed, she could not believe it, after years of dying to gain her father's attention, she had it and, boy was she pleased. The day on its own was surprisingly strange, but she was not going to let anyone spoil her fun, even if it was her thoughts. Her mother came out of the kitchen and embraced her tightly, kissing her on her cheeks, she twirled her around, and she could not help but giggle and look down at her shoes. It was a red loafer with a flower pattern on each side of it and paired with a long white gown with her hair tied with red ribbons, making her feel like she was a princess wearing a tiara and party ready to sing some songs and find her sweetheart. She loved the feeling of it when she twirled, it made her feel like a princess ready to fall in the arms of her prince like in the way it happened in one of her favorite cartoons. The family settled down at the table and wished their daughter a happy birthday and with smiles they started devouring their meals. For some odd reason, her father was very happy or was it her thoughts alone, but in his mind, it wreaked havoc after all, he was about to do something that would change their entire lives. His palms were sweating and his chest racing and if you looked up closely you could see the sweat appearing on his forehead, but he masked all this with a sweet smile. After all, it was his daughter’s big day or was he a psycho? He was making efforts to start a conversation and was listening to his wife and daughter bicker with a smile on his face. It was as if he had found his long-lost happiness or, rather, he just realized what he had been missing. Her mother excused herself to get something from the kitchen, and she just sat there looking at her father with all smiles. He could feel her looking at him with expectant eyes, and he just felt his chest tighten. Was he making the right decision even if he wasn’t? It was too late, he had made up his mind. He had to tell her now or when his wife returned he would not be able to get away from her questions. “Hey, Daddy has a surprise for you”. He looked up for a split second and could see the beaming smile on her face, and it broke him. “What is it, Daddy?”. She looked at him expectantly, wondering what her dad could have planned. He felt his blood rise, but he pushed it down. Who was she to question him, the little pest? “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you”. She could feel something in his tone and stopped the questions in her head. If anything, she was happy and expectant of the surprise. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and just then her mom walked in with the cake. It was a buckwheat cake, her favorite, no doubt her mother had baked it. Even with the fact that they did not have money, she had sometimes baked the cake even if it was in small quantities, anything to put a smile on her daughter’s face. A wooden knife was placed on the cake and, with her dad and mother’s hands placed on her little ones, the cake was cut. Her mother served her a slice and as she took a bite and tapped her tiny feet happily on the floor with a smile, she said “Mother, this cake is delicious”. Her mother feigned a shocked expression and sighed with her hand in her mouth. “Oh really, only if you like it dear”. “Daddy said he had a surprise for me”. Turning to her husband, she gave him a questioning look, but his face gave nothing away, so she turned to her daughter. “Oh really, where to, I wonder.” Grandpa owned the house, and he had made it quite noticeable that he did not like her just as he did not like his son. To him, he was a big disappointment, a stain on his family traits, and he had made that pretty obvious every single minute. The house was a little outside the city, away from everyone, with much appreciation from Grandpa. At least no one would disgrace him any further. It was a beautiful little cottage with a farm at the side of it. Mum had decorated the house, making it look lovely and homely. The kitchen was filled with freely baked bread made by her mother and every time she munched on it, she couldn’t help but feel the love, care, and happiness placed on every bite she took, or so she thought. The tiny sitting room was adorned with a tiny table with three chairs and on the other side a rocking chair which was always sat on by her father. She would come back from the market so tired and just lay on it. She had always wondered what it was like outside the home, as her father thought it was too dangerous for her to leave their home. Her father was always distant with her, as if he was scared of the warmth and affection she was capable of bringing to him, or he just wanted her to have a taste of how he felt towards his Father. He was a sales assistant. He sold off produce from the farm. It was a little farm, but they had planted tomatoes, cabbage, and spinach among other things. The money gotten from the farm wasn’t much, but it did help sustain them. All these years, her parents were all she had and she was grateful. Thanks for reading.