Nearly Hopeless

𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒂

𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒂 - Unknown
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Maybe forever was a word meant for memories and not people...

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❡𝑼𝒏𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏

It was past midnight already and there I was at the far end of my living room, a hopeless 10-year-old watching his parents get violent with each other. I tucked my knees to my head and my hands to my ears, trying to block out the loud curses they threw at each other and the sound of glass shattering.

It was a vulgar scene. Even if I screamed, I wouldn't be heard, the soundproof walls would've blocked them out and that would earn me a beating and a scolding.

I wanted to close my eyes and stop looking at them screaming at the top of their lungs. It was when it all happened; it was like a blur. I saw my dad raising his hand about to hit my mother, like he always did but she was quicker. I witnessed it, there was blood everywhere and my mother smiled before the realization hit her that she had committed murder and I was a witness. She didn't drop the knife though, instead, she threw it in my direction.

It flew right into our television screen that was at a reasonable distance from where I was and it shattered it. Glass flew and I stared at the knife, as blood dripped down the knife and slowly formed a blood puddle.

I had only one thing to do. Only one thing I knew I could do. I wasn't very good at it but I ran anyway. Ran as my feet could carry me, not looking back until I got to the gate.

I looked back and spotted my mother. She stood at the door and leaned on the doorframe watching me with loving eyes like she always did. I would've been deceived and gone back inside but I couldn't trust her anymore not after what I'd seen.

"Junior, it's chilly outside. Come in honey" She sounded so laid-back like she didn't kill someone and it was even scarier. I never knew the history behind my parents' marriage but whatever it was couldn't have been love. I turned my back anyway and opened the gates in haste so I could keep running to the safest place I knew. Surprisingly, my mother didn't come after me. At a point, I slowed down and on getting to a house, I saw a little girl playing in her backyard. She wasn't much younger than me I guessed. I stood there and she turned. I wondered who would let their kid play outside so late.

I didn't know why I hid. She had already seen me anyway.

"I know you're there, no need to hide from me," she said and it prompted me to stand back up and walk towards her as her house didn't possess a fence.  Before I could say anything, she ran towards her house and in less than five minutes, she was running back out with a stool and a box.

"Sit," she said again and I obeyed. "Hi I'm Nurse Fidelity and I'll treat you today" She smiled in the sweetest way that melted my heart. It also made me realize, I was injured. Probably from the broken glass. She sat in the grass that was a few inches lower than the stool before proceeding to clean my feet with rubbing alcohol and it burned like a lot. But it cleaned off the blood I didn't realize was there. Afterward, she got up and pulled out a stethoscope which was a toy.  She put it on my chest before saying, "You are healthy now although to be healthy enough, I need your heart to beat for me"

It was funny though so I laughed. "Stay right here and don't move" She skipped back into her house and brought me sandals. "Put these on and do not tell my brother I gave you these alright?" I nodded.

"By the way, you didn't tell me your name" She smiled wide toothily again.

"It's junior" I tried to smile but it wasn't my thing.

"Wonuola, what are you doing outside?" I heard a voice from the house and a lady stepped out which I assumed was her mother

"I haven't introduced you to my friend. His name is junior." I heard her say but I was already hiding in the bushes

"I don't have time for you and your imaginary friends. Come inside" her mother sounded cross and tired "Bring my stool and your first aid box inside"

"But Junior is real he's right here" She looked around her and of course, I wasn't in sight "or at least he was"

"He'll come back don't worry. Just come inside"

"Wait, there's something on the grass" She walked to where I previously was and picked up a shiny object. It was my locket. A locket my mum had given me.

When I followed her to work one day, she stopped at a jewelry store and got it for me with the initials, BJ.

...

When I left that area, I realized I was heading somewhere. That I had a direction. When I got to my final destination, I rang the doorbell twice and waited for an answer. Minutes later, the door was opened and I hugged the face I saw next as I had missed her.

"Junior, how did you get here so late?" My aunt... actually, my new mother asked me. "Is mum with you?"

"No. She isn't my mom anymore" I said with utter confidence

"Why would you say such a thing huh?"

"She- she- un-alived dad. She was meant to be better than him not worse. She should've called the police on him a long time ago. She wouldn't have killed him then. Now she's no better because she's a murderer" I was overwhelmed and thus, my eyes produced an ocean and it burned "I hate her so much..."
There was sure one thing I knew, I wasn't going back to that house. That house was not a home, just a madhouse.

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What you just read, let's call it the prologue and move on to the next. See y'all 🙈

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