Stranger Danger

Can we talk?

I can hear my kidnapper pacing around her horrendous living room, talking quietly without whoever called. 

I can see enough to feed myself this time, she said I could go ahead and eat without her so why not. 

Now that there's nothing to distract me and I'm fully alone with my emptiness again my stomach feels just as empty as I do. 

I ate slowly, my limbs feeling like heavy bags for rice as I moved, every bite melting my resolve to stay quiet and not thank mommy for dinner. 

"SHE DID WHAT-" 

I jumped at the sudden raise in volume, flinching as her voice boomed through the house and bounced off the walls, almost loud enough to rattle the house to it's foundation. She's yelling at them. She's yelling at them. 

Not at me. Not at me. 

I didn't do anything wrong. 

Fucking hell why do I care if she's yelling at me. She owns me that's why. 

On one hand, I think if she ever raised her voice at me like that I would shit my- her.. pants, and die on the spot. 

On the other hand I can't let her know she could kill me just by yelling at me. 

Maybe if I wasn't so sensitive it wouldn't be a problem. 

I kept quiet, deciding to just play it safe and continue to be complacent and not cause problems. She might kill me in a fit of rage or... no. 

No she wouldn't. 

She promised she would never hurt me. She would never hurt me. I have to trust her. 

I have to TRUST my kidnapper, she said she would never hurt me. 

She's never hurt me unless I made her hurt me. 

When I fought her. 

When I did things she didn't like.

I deserved to get hurt then and I'm glad she did hurt me. Maybe I deserved to get hurt. It pleased her to know I was learning a lesson and I wouldn't do it again. 

It made her happy so it doesn't matter if she meant to hurt me. 

I know she didn't. She would never mean to hurt me. 

Once I had finished my food I put my bowl in the sink, not knowing how long this phone call was going to take I fumbled with the bowl but managed to put it in the oven to keep it warm. I don't dare leave the kitchen in case I step into the room and immediately set her off or something. Maybe just sitting on the counter until she gets back will be fine. 

I quietly sat on the counter next to the radio, leaning back against the wall. I guess I like the kitchen more than the living room. It's just a normal kitchen but the more I look around the more I notice it looks a lot like the kitchen from Bewitched. 

Looking closer at the appliances stuff like the oven, toaster, pasta maker, are all dated and are probably older than I am. 

"You might think I'm crazy."

Oh how fitting. 

Anyone whose house is like this is batshit insane. 

It's 2023 get an electric oven and a toaster that doesn't look ready to combust into a ball of flames if I turn it on. 

Just What I Needed was playing in the background when mommy stormed back into the kitchen. 

"Fucking bitch I swear to-... Where hell is my food? It was right here.." She snapped. I didn't know we were playing spot the difference. "You. What did you do huh? Where the fuck did you put my food you ungrateful brat?" She spat, grabbing me by my face and yanking me closer, her nose bumping into mine roughly as her nails dug into my skin leaving cresent shaped marks on my cheeks.