No Boys Allowed (And Other Short Stories)

No Boys Allowed

"Mommy, where are we going?", the child cried. She knew what was going to happen. It had happened a few times before. She clutched her little brother closer to her. She loved the small boy so much.

"We're going for a walk my darling." But the child knew all to well this was not just a walk. She wasn't old enough to understand, but she knew mommy was bad. She hated these walks more then anything. Tears began to fall from the little girls brown eyes, her heart hurt.

"Mommy? I wanna go home", the child pleaded.
" oh baby", the mother smiled, "you're my precious baby, you understand why I must do this? Don't you?" But she didn't know, she didn't understand. Why didn't mommy love him? He was so small and soft, innocent and warm. Why wouldn't she love him? But mommy didn't, she never did. She had let him stay for a year, she had given her daughter false hope. The child thought it was going to be different this time.

"Where is my bag, honey?" Mommy asked and the child removed the sack from her back. It was almost time and she didn't know what to do. The woman took the bag and removed the rope.

"Come along child, there is work to be done." And the little girl followed. Then the mother stopped.

"Every child is valuable it their own way. My girls are beautiful and perfect. But those wrenched creatures, they're only good for the master's slaves. Maybe this round I'll be granted with a girl." She spoke as she rubbed her stomach. It was time to sacrifice and pray to her Lord and Master. She loved Satan more than she loved her daughter, but he had only granted her with one girl so far. She tied the rope on a sturdy branch.

"Hand me the child sweety", the girl resisted but the woman was persistent, "now, unless you'd like to join him?" The daughter cried as she handed her mother the baby. She couldn't look anymore. So tried looking elsewhere, but that didn't help. The tree branches filled with empty ropes tied in nooses. She could hear the baby start to cry and she covered her ears. She tried to run but didn't make it far before she tripped. It was silent and the child looked down to see a tiny skull that she had tripped over. The child cried more.

"Come along darling", the mother called. So came the child, even as she tried not to look she could see her tiny brother's lifeless body hanging in the tree. His body would fall apart just like the others and his bones would be added to the forest floor with so many others.

This was the forest for dying boys, a tradition of one family. Men were only good for impregnating women, so the family killed them. Girls were precious and believed to be gifts from Satan. The daughter had seen her four brothers killed in this forest, and she will see many more as she ages. Then she too, will kill her sons. But it's all part of tradition. After all, girls are much better then boys.