Lotus

Forbidden Touch

Onika Tanya Maraj

Onika didn't understand a lot of things.

Mostly because people were scared to explain things to her.

Especially her mother.

She never allowed Onika to do the normal fun things a kid should be able to do. Like go to a waterpark, or a playground—or roller skate—she never allowed her to do any of it. And she never explained why.

Carol wishes she did.

Because one summer day, Onika was bored. She often sat inside, she wasn't allowed to go outside. And if she did she had to wear a mask.

She looked down at her mismatched socks, her 10th birthday was a few days ago. She ate cake, sang with her mother and older brother—it was fun. But—she couldn't go out like the other kids could.

She didn't get it.

She often got frustrated.

She suddenly stood up from the couch and walked through the kitchen to the back door. She often saw kids playing on the playground together. But Onika was never allowed to go.

She was staying over her grandmothers house that summer. Her mother was often busy with work, so her older brother and herself stayed over their grandmothers frequently. Malachi, Onikas older brother was currently upstairs listening to music.

He was supposed to be watching her. But being a 12 year old with nothing to do other than watching his younger sister was pretty boring.

Onika continued look outside the window, she wanted so desperately to play.

She turned around and ran to the living room where her sneakers sat. Clean and untouched. She reached for them and quickly tied her shoes. She was going to have fun, she was going to play.

She ran back to the door and opened it, Malachi didn't hear a thing as his headphones sat ontop of his head. He suddenly heard a small thud, and removed one side of his headphones with curiosity. He didn't hear anything after and shrugged.

Onika on the other hand was exiting her grandmas backyard to go play with the neighborhood kids.

She ran with a large smile on her face, she had never swung on a swing before. She had never been to a playground. Her mother never allowed it.

She played so much that day, she made a few new friends—and swung on the swings for the first time of her life. When she got tired she went back to her grandmothers house—just in time to take her shoes off and chug a glass of a water as her grandmother came home and began making dinner for her and her older brother.

Onika didn't think much of what she did earlier, she was a bit happier though. She got to experience normal kid things.

That dinner she thanked her grandma and went upstairs to the room she was sleeping in.

It only took a few hours into the night to Onika to realize something was wrong.

Her chest felt..tight. She began coughing, excessively. While holding her loose shirt—gripping it. Her coughing never stopped and suddenly she looked down to the hand she had over her mouth—and her eyes widened.

Mucas..so much mucas. With blood.

She was confusioned—and she started coughing even more. She tried standing up and then fell to the ground. She tried to breath but all she got was a wheeze. Constant wheezing.