{The year 1918, a small village in rural Britain} - the past
"Mother? Where is father?"
I was afraid to hear her answer, but her endless sobbing was more than enough to tell me the fate that had befallen him. I didn't want to believe it, I had so much I wanted to tell him, the wooden boat I had carved, the coat that was supposed to be his gift when he came back...
There were far too many things I still wanted to do with him.
My mother Anna, the beauty of the village, was now reduced to a bawling mess. She truly loved father, more than anything.
Seeing her kneel on the ground, her legs had gone weak after reading the tear-stained parchment beside her, was painful to see. But I didn't cry, father said to be brave, and that I shall be.
I left Mother behind to go to the barn, carrying out my daily chores before sunset. I needed something to help clear my mind, something to distract me from the pain our family was experiencing.
Walking barefoot towards the horse stables, I walked up to my father's horse and refilled its trough with a fresh batch of hay. As I came closer to the horse, it nuzzled me, gently brushing its face against mine, as if comforting me.
Father's horse Frida was always a smart one, praised amongst the village as the fastest horse of her time. It was nice of her to do that, I brought my face closer to hers and gave her an embrace, comforting each other for the loss we both were experiencing.
The soft neighing of Frida was soothing, almost like a lullaby, it was calming and pleasant to the ear. I felt as if the weight on my chest was lightening, even if it was just by a little, at least it was something.
I stayed here for a good couple of minutes, wanting this feeling of safety to last just a while longer, though soon I felt as if something was wrong.
Suddenly a strong wind swept across the stables, sending specks of dust and flakes of hay scattering around in the wind. The stable doors swung open, the wind current leading to my house, swinging our back door agape.
"Wait here Frida, I'll be right back, I just need to check on Mother."
The sun was soon setting, and the darkness of night was approaching, I hurried back inside as the wind got stronger as if it was pushing me faster towards the house.
"Mother? I was just checking up on Frida, I changed her hay and..."
Before I could even finish my sentence, I found her in a pool of blood; in the short time I was gone, Mother had taken her own life. The floor was covered in a huge puddle of her own blood.
"Mother!"
I rushed over to her taking the knife away from her hands, she had slit her throat, and the blood, still fresh and warm, was still spreading across the floor, at this point almost covering the entire kitchen.
The tears were starting to fall, the ones that I had been holding back were finally free. Father said to be brave, but I can't, not
anymore. I just held Mother's body as I let out horrid wails.
Just as I was about to go out and call for help, I heard a noise being me.
"Anna, I heard the news, I just came by to..."
It was Uncle John, Mother's older brother.
Before I could even explain, I realized the seriousness of the situation I was in. I was holding a knife; my clothes were stained with blood and my mother was lying on the floor dead. I tried to get a word out before Uncle John slammed me to the ground and started beating me.
"Why you little, you ungrateful bastard!"
He threw me across the room, my back slamming against the dining table, scattering plates as they dropped to the floor. The shattering of China caused countless shards to scatter across the kitchen floor.
He started slamming my face against the spiked floor, shedding my blood as I felt the shards tear into my skin, digging deep, almost as if reaching to my heart.
"I... I... didn't... do it..."
That was all I could say before he kept pummeling me, he soon stopped though, only to quickly resume beating me up again as he kicked me in the stomach over and over again.
Throughout the ordeal he kept shouting obscene words at me, I never got a chance to tell him I was innocent...
Everything was hurting, but Father said to be brave, to take the bull by the horns. Though I don't think I can do that, I'm too exhausted. Uncle John's beatings were too much, I didn't have any chance to explain myself. I just wanted it to end, all of it.
I wanted to forget that father had died in war alone, his body was never found, that mother was dead, her lifeless body beside me, and the pain that I was feeling right now. All that made me happy was being torn apart, I lost everything, what was the point of it all?
As I stared at the open backdoor, I caught a glimpse of the setting sun, as a last hope before I felt myself slipping away, I called out towards the setting sun. Whispering in my mind as I felt weak.
"Will someone save me?"
I knew that no one would answer, as I only said it in my head, but someone even replied. I heard a low rumbling voice whisper back to me.
"Yes child, you only have but to pay."
I knew it wasn't uncle john, and that it was some unknown force that I shouldn't have trusted in the first place, but I was desperate so I gave him my answer. I wanted to live, I wanted to have another chance to be brave. I wanted a second chance.
"Yes, I'll do anything, just let me live."
"Very well child, I'll have my fun then."
The crack of thunder could be heard in the distance as the echoing of low rumbling laughter reverberated in my ears.
My eyes at this point were about to close, and as I started to slip away into the darkness, I started to think of what the voice promised me, and how I would pay for it. But never mind that, it was time to rest.
Death was comforting, so I embraced it, allowing its cool embrace to take me away, far away from all the pain.