Unravel Me

They say behind some smile hides a secret, something so dark, so demeaning it stalks the very soul that withholds them. They start to deteriorate the being from the depths of their mind, from their conscious to their subconscious, until nothing is left, helpless, empty and cold are all that remains.

Liliana sat on the roof top, her feet tapped to an unfamiliar beat while she gazed up at the stars in the sky, they reminded her of her life, scattered and tossed like remains from a tornado. Left for who ever or whom ever that wanted to stomp all over it. A sigh came from her lips, Will my life ever change?, soon as the thought came, a chilling wind swept across her face diminishing all her hopes.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, slaving away her days as a maid in a castle owned by wicked and cruel people. Tears leaked from her eyes, making a trail down her soft rosy cheeks to a well shaped chin.

Plumped lips trembled when she tried to hold back the sobs that took havoc over her body. She thought about the hurt, the beatings, the slashes by whips and it made her heart fill with pain. She remembered each strike like hot lava trailing up her spine, each one hotter than the last, creating a numbing sensation.

A gentle breeze washed across her face soothing her cries. She tried to forget, prayed to God to erase those painful memories but how could she forget about the scars, the bruises, the heart wrenching pain. Anger coursed through her veins as she thought about the first time she came to this horrible place.

How she got beaten for something she didn’t know to acknowledge, after all, how could you disrespect someone if you knew nothing of a life like this. Her heart stuttered as she remember her journey here, once again her mind flashed with remembrance.

The morning air was cold sending shudders through her spine, the dirty and torn rags they called clothes did nothing to sooth her already frostbitten skin. Dirt, grime and sweat stuck to her small frame while she was dragged to their destination, where ever that was.

Sore and tender from days of walking, only stopping in the late hours of night for sleep and then back to the treacherous hours of morning to another round of torture, her feet could only take so much. The track was covered in gravel that pierced her feet causing a whimper of pain to pass through her lips.

She missed home, the smell of roses from the back yard. She missed the aroma that the roses made when they were mixed together, giving her a relaxing sensation. She missed Mrs Rose and her wonderful cooking, only God knows the last time she ate a proper meal since she was taken away.

Tear filled eyes shut tightly remembering how Mrs Rose’s soft voice use to utter her nickname softly ”little Anna”. She felt alone, no one to comfort her from the nightmares, no one to hear what’s on her mind.

Slicing through the wind, the sound of the whip connected to a back, distracting her from her reverie, realizing that it wasn’t hers, she shivered as the process repeated, sending the broken leg slave to the floor.

“You don’t deserve to walk with us, your less than filth from the dogs, slowing us down like your worth living”, Spit connected to her back while another strike greeted her with wicked intentions.

Anna shivered in fear and panic, she wanted to help but her mind screamed at her not to, she knew she never had the best of luck in, if she did, she wouldn’t be at this place, around these disgusting people, treating those around her like scrum.

She hated how they made them feel weak and unworthy, as if they weren’t the same flesh and blood. Mrs Rose always told her to treat everyone as their equal, having mutual respect but that did not apply here, not now.

“Mama!” A child no less than five years old ran towards the lady with the broken leg, kneeling before her and cradling her in her small arms.

“Leave my mama alone, don’t hurt her anymore,she’s in pain, please”. Tears leaked down her face creating a puddle of salty water at her chin.

The man sneered at the child, raising his whip to hit her instead, real life terror flashed across her face even at her young age, God must have spoken into his heart for he dropped the whip and turned around shouting orders that it was time to rest.

Drops of water trickled onto her face causing her to blink away the memory from before her. A gasp escaped her lips when she realized rain finally came after months of waiting. A giggle escaped her lips as she stood on the roof top, arms spread, eyes closed, face towards the sky while the wind picked up, whipping her hair around her face in a wild mass of brown madness, her dress blew around her, giving her a feeling as if she was the one controlling the weather.

The giggle left her lips replacing it with a smile, she felt like she was within the clouds, like an angel that had all the control. The feeling that gripped her was so extraordinary, so magnificent that she felt like she was soaring with the birds. She felt free, and although the night was cold and the rain had began to beat a more rapid pattern, Liliana had never felt more alive, more free of all her troubles than in that moment, even if it was just for a time.