A Mother's Tale

Ch 8: Memories & Nightmares

⚠️Trigger Warning⚠️
PTSD nightmare
Torture
Child Abuse
Gaslighting

⚠️
You're running down a long and dark hallway with little Frode nestled under your cloak as you look for a way to escape. You look back, seeing darkness slowly follow as it snuffs out the torch lights one by one.

"Phiiiiiraaaa....."

A voice calls playfully.

"Where did you go, Phira? Are you hiding?"

You quicken your pace as fear and terror push you to seek a place to hide. You quickly come upon a split in the hallway: the left side has a door slightly ajar, and the ride side has multiple doors on both walls.

"Phiiiiraaaa....."

The playful voice calls again, this time with a malicious tone too.

"You know what happens when you run, little starlight."

The voice says as it gets closer.

You bolt towards the single door in the left hallway. Your footsteps thudding heavily as your breath becomes shallow and short.

Just as you reach the door, you feel an ominous presence behind you. The voice chuckles, snickers, cackles, and soon bellows in sadistic gleeful laughter as it rounds the corner behind you. Ever so slowly, you turn to face the voice, but only see two bright and fiery yellow eyes staring back.

"Found you, precious starlight...."

The voice says in a happy tone.

"Ready for your punishment, naughty little starlight?"

Darkness envelopes you as the eyes dart towards you. They vanish just before they're upon you and you are suddenly weightless. There is nothing but inky darkness.

"MAMA!!!"

Frode's scream sucks you forward as you now find yourself chained to a wall of ice. You yank on them, trying to free yourself and find your son.

"Naughty little starlight tried to run away from her Master."

You freeze upon hearing the voice again. An ice-covered altar appears a few feet from you and upon it...lies your son.

Little Jotun Frode is chained by his wrists and ankles as the eyes appear above him. A flaming hand appeared just beneath the eyes and above Frode's chest.

"Now to punish you for your disobedience, Phira."

The voice said cheerfully as the hand held up its index finger. The finger slowly moves towards Frode as he screams for you and tries to get away from it. As it touches his bare Jotun skin, Frode shrieks and screams in pain as the finger slowly moves from his left shoulder, across his collarbone, and down his sternum.

As the finger continues to burn and torture him, you plead and beg to take your son's place. You swear to never disobey, never run nor hide from it again. Your pleas fall on deaf ears as Frode's screams drown you out.