Chapter 1- Soo-Jin Lee
Soo-Jin Lee Age 10
The nights were growing colder and colder. You could hear the loud wind howl through the dark and lonely night. The mournful howls of a dog in pain, in distress, and in dejection. As I wondered the snowy forest in search of something magical, the loud cries of the wind disrupted the peace inside the forest. I could feel the cool snow on the soles of feet. The smoke that came from my mouth as I breathed out was white. As I took every step in the forest, my body became numb as every minute passed. The blood that was coming from my body came rushing out.
"I'm almost there"
The night was long and dark without any lights in sight. My white ghost gown began to bleed in red as I continued to stroll down the long, thin path. My vision became blurry as I saw the mansion coming into my view.
The mansion was in my sight, yet I felt it becoming further and further away. The blood came rushing into my head. I hurriedly headed to the small room in the back of the house and lit 3 small candles. Before I realized anything, my ghost white gown was half soaked in blood. The loss of blood was more greatly than I had imagined.
As I opened the small wooden cabinet, I quickly took bandages out and started wrapping my body around it. My waist and stomach were covered in deep scars and scratches. This was not the first time, a kidnapping like this had happened. Being kidnapped at a young age multiple times were nothing for me. I have been able to escape by myself for all these years and this time was nothing different. These have happened many times. Nothing changed as I got older. The maids, butlers, chefs, relatives, friends, and even my own family views me as a nuisance.
"I mustn't cause my family trouble." That is what I told myself every day, for over 365 days a year.
As the time passes by, nobody in my family had realized my disappearance. Day after day passed. The lonely nights became nothing more than a normal day. In the end, I was raised separately from everyone from my household. At some point in time, I soon also stopped receiving food, from them.
The starry night skies and shimmering stars were my only light that helped guide me. As I finished up bandaging myself, I heated some warm water from the sink to drink. As the water was heating, I threw the bloody night gown into the wash bin. As I peered out the window, my imagination of the glistening world was starting to blur. Everything came to a deep darkness as my eyes were starting to shut. My imagination became dark and reality came to light. I was lost in translation. Before I realized, my body was at rest and my eyes were a falling asleep. The long night had ended without any problems…...as I told my conscience.
"Did my family notice anything?"
"No, they did not."
"Did I make the right choice following the kidnapping?"
"Yes, you did."
"Will people accuse me of my wrongdoings?"
"They will not."
"Tonight, am I able to sleep in peace without any nightmares?"
"You can sleep in peace without nightmares. But...life without nightmares is no life at all."