I could feel the cold, spiteful grip of my mother's hand tighten around my neck, my vision blurring and my breath faltering. Her eyes, void of any love or empathy, stared right into mine.
My thoughts swirled with an overpowering mix of despair and confusion.
I knew she had harbored resentment toward me, but why?
Why did she have to take it this far?
As darkness consumed my vision and the coldness took over, I realized that this was it -
this was death.
It felt unbearably lonely, as if the world was slowly plucked away from me. In my final moments, I couldn't help but question the cruel hand that life had dealt me.
Tears ached to fall from my eyes, but they were as numb as the rest of my body.
My consciousness and emotions seemed to be all that sustained me.
Was this some sick joke?
A punishment from a god that I never asked to serve? How could I be left with emotions when I despised them more than anything?
My heart felt as if it was tearing in two, suffocating from the unbearable weight of hatred and sadness. Unable to cry, I found myself trapped with this invisible agony.
It just wasn't fair - I had never bullied anyone, spread nasty rumors, or taken a life.
How could I be deserving of such a tragic fate?
As my swirling thoughts threatened to consume me, a sudden, blinding light appeared from nowhere, piercing the darkness. The shock of it pulled me from my pain, and I found myself drawn to its intensity.
What was it? Was this my escape? Or was there more to this grim story?