Tape Measure
•The Girl•
Waves crashed against the rock, the sound going through the lighthouse. The wind was thick and the mad birds noisy. Long grass swished in the wind, creatures hiding within in it.
Nature worked together to make a symphony. A song to block out the screams of one brave girl and the chains she banged against the wall in her dying hope.
She had been there quite some time, months, and she had not stopped screaming. When the morning squaking of the seagulls woke her from the only place of happiness she had, her dreams where she was free, she began the routine again.
Starting with her morning cry for all she missed; her hardworking single mother, Michael her older brother, her friend Ruth, Scott her dog, and even the annoying boy next door and her mean teacher. After that her day would continue with screams and banging the chains that restricted her against the dull, gray walls. She did this until she couldn't anymore, until the pain became so unbearable. Her throat constantly hurt and her voice was so hoarse she thought she might never talk again.
The girl knew this was bad, she was hurting herself. But she wouldn't stop, the noise she made was all the hope she had left to alert anyone else. And if she hadn't any hope left, there was no reason to keep living.
Next in her schedule would be her wallowing in pain. Sometimes she passed out or fell asleep, whether it from her throat or her lack of proper food. Her hygiene disgusted her because without a bathroom it was non-existent. She still wore the blue dress that her mother bought her for Michael's graduation. The one she never made it to.
The waves weren't crashing against the wall anymore. It was evening, or night, wherever she was. Using her basic knowledge and common sense she deducted that she was near the water and under something because of the entrance hatch in the ceiling of the little, dirty room. And with a little slip up from the older man who took her, she knew it was a lighthouse.
That told her nothing. She lived in a community on the water. There were at least two lighthouses in her town, and many more in the surrounding because of the dreaded fog that came everyday. The only footsteps she heard above her, were the ones of the man when he came to give food. People didn't come often so that took a few from her list, like the one in Yellow Peak or Sunnyside Shores.
But what did that help her? She couldn't escape on her own, and knowing where she was didn't do anything. It's not like she could send a quick text to her mother. The man either took it or she dropped it in their scuffle. With all the hope in her she prayed that she dropped it near where she was, that someone could track it or something (she was pretty sure local police did that).
She would never again complain about having her phone bill paid late or anything at all.
Heavy footsteps of the burly man sounded above her. The girl couldn't even find herself able to cry for him anymore. At first that's all she did at the sight of him. But now, she only cried in pain or for what she missed.
The hatch opened with a thunk and he came down the rope latter, a grocery store bag in his hand. False hope filled her at the thought of real food rather than the stale breads and a small flask of water.
But when he opened the bag, it was the same thing. A stale, plain bagel and the same flask full of water. When he put it on the ground in front of her, she grabbed the water first, like always. She was careful to savor it, drinking slowly.
The man watched her eat, like always. Just staring at her and she back. It was a game she was force to play and nobody had yet made a move.
He had a thick, gray beard and a few wrinkles, making him out to be in his fifties or sixties. And he always wore the same green coat over the same jean overalls. His shirt underneath was always a different color and he alternated between a pair of scruffy, black or brown boots. She hadn't been able to tell the color of his eyes in the almost complete absence of light, but she could tell they were dark like his skin.
Everytime she moved onto the bread she told herself next time she wouldn't drink all the water so it wouldnt be so dry. But everytime she got her meal, she drank all the water first. Another reason the screaming was a bad idea.
When she was done he didn't take the flask and leave. He continued to stare at her and that's when she realized the bag had something else in it. Her heart began to race in fear at the change of routine. There was something new, something she wasn't prepared for.
After an agonizing minute, he grabbed a tape measure out of the bag, a pencil, and a small notepad. The thought of taking the pencil and stabbing him in the eye invaded her mind but quickly left, overthrown with fear and morals, even for her kidnapper.
Though the items looked harmless, she was still on edge. Especially when he grabbed her wrist, ignoring her shriek and flinch, and wrapped the measure around it.
He continued this all over her body, ignoring her cries. She was confused and even of he wasn't hurting her, she felt violated and scared. What was the purpose of this? What was he going to do with this information?
And once he was done and his notepad had lots of measures written on it, he picked up his stuff and left. When he was out of the room he hesitated, she saw. He stopped for a moment before closing the hatch and locking it.
He had wanted to say something. But what?
She continued to cry until she fell asleep, slipping into her safe haven of dreams. But this time, it wasn't safe or happy. It was a nightmare, and somehow, even not concious, she knew her safe haven was gone.
