We Shall Be Released

Susan and Marie were chained to the bed frame as they looked out of the window watching the Sun shining and Susan said, “Any day now, someone will come and save us and then our horrible parents will be sent to jail for how they have been treating us.”  Marie replied, “ You have been telling me the same thing for thirteen years now and I don’t think it is ever likely to happen.  We will never be able to outlast this torture and even though my brain is still fuzzy, I can see how much damage it has done to our siblings.”  Susan said, “We really got the bottom of the barrel when it comes to parents, as I don’t think that many other kids are held captive, starved and abused the way we are on a daily basis”, as she continued to stare out of the window.  The two girls were able to share these serene moments together indulging in their fantasy of being free one day, and making their way to the escarpment above the Donnybrook river, till the alarm woke up their parents and then they would dread the rest of the day.

They did try to escape one day and they successfully slipped out of their shackles, but they couldn’t get the front door open and the commotion that they made woke their mother up from her nap, which made them fail in their attempt and they just get more punishment.  They both had an interest in dancing and this helped them to connect with each other, as they each wanted to be a ballerina some day.  When their mom came in to unlock their chains, they knew that they had to go to the kitchen and prepare ham and eggs for their parents breakfast.  They would get spaghetti, like every other day and they had to follow the hierarchy, so they could only eat after their siblings had finished.

Today was Sunday, so the whole family was going to church and Susan and Marie were required to help their mother get dressed and they would be careful not to have another one of those nail polish nightmares, like when they spilled a few tiny drops on the floor and they were beaten for over a month for doing that.  Susan knew how to grit her teeth and walk the walk which helped her to endure any harsh punishment that was dealt to her.  She realized that her siblings had to watch her being punished, so she remained brave being overt which led her to become an effective advocate for them to look up to. Susan understood her place, but she kept a knife inside the cuff of her top in case she had to use it.  Sometimes you never know what is going to happen, so she also created a spice potion, that she could fling into the eyes of her abusers and if she ever saw the right slot to escape again, as she was more than ready to wheel out of there.

Written for Sheryl’s Daily Word Prompt – Outlast, for Roger Shipp’s Daily Addictions prompt – Spaghetti, for the Daily Spur prompt – Damage, for Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #27, for FOWC with Fandango – Advocate, for August Monthly Writing Prompts – Nail polish nightmares, for Nova’s Daily Random Word prompt – Overt, for Ragtag Community – Serene, for Sara’s Closet Full Of Notebooks Prompt – Fuzzy, for Paula’s Three Things Challenge prompt words – Ham Ballerina Interest, for Word of the Day Challenge Prompt – Hierarchy and for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Wordle 147 – Connect Dread Frame Just Alarm Spice Place Potion Stare Commotion Fail Fantasy cuff, sometimes, grit, fling slot, effective, walk, tiny, watch, Donnybrook, escarpment, wheel.