Path-to-Freedom (version 1)

(8)

3 years later.

"Get up."

I awoke with a startle.

"Clean up in here, it's disgusting."

I nodded and stood up from the same ratty mattress that I've been stuck in since I could remember. .

"I'll bring you food. When I get down here again, you and this room both better be clean."

I said nothing and he left.

I hurriedly got to work to clean as much as I could with the time I had before going into the bathroom to clean myself up.

When he got back with my 'food' which was basically a plate of a fraction of serving, he spoke again before leaving. Ever since I was three, all he brought me to eat was barely half of what I was meant to, which led me to be severely malnourished and weak.

"Eat it fast and go upstairs to help clean." Looking into his eyes, I could tell he wasn't angry... yet.

The maid, Mary, and I cleaned together.

No one knew what happened behind closed doors.

She thinks that since my new bedroom is down in the basement, then it's much bigger than those upstairs.

She thinks of us as a sad family that lost their wife/mother, she thinks that we love each other and help each other to move on without her.

She just thinks I'm shy and that's why I don't talk, that I'm just cold all the time and that's why I always wear clothes that cover everything.

She doesn't know the hidden reality behind closed doors and wooden floors.

I still remember my name. Brooklynn.

I still have my accent. English. 

But I only have blurry images of my parents and siblings among other people.

Tony makes me help Mary clean so that one day he could fire her and make me clean and I feel like that day is soon. He hates unnecessary things.

When I finished eating, I took my plate and quickly went upstairs to clean. If Tony caught me staying here for no reason, that would result in a beating.

Over the years Tony grew a lot. He got bigger.

Every Morning since I could clean dishes, Tony would purposely let his dish load build over the day so I would have a lot to do. Then he'd give me a time limit to clean the dishes and if I didn't clean them all in time, he'd punish me.

I reached upstairs to Mary and stood in front of her, waiting for my tasks.

This was our routine.

I'd do the dishes, come stand in front of her and she'd give me the assignments.

"Hey Ash, so today you can just clean the bedrooms and then mop the floors after I sweep and then we can dust together. Ok?"

I nodded my head and went upstairs to make all the beds.

Everytime I'd reach the pink bedroom, I'd always be reminded of the childhood I'll never have. More likely, the childhood I was snatched from.

The bed was white with pink covers and there was a white rug on the ground.

In one corner of the room there were bean bag chairs, one pink and one blue. In between them's a table with a tea set. In the other corner, there was a doll house with a lot of different characters. The curtains were blue and there were pinks and white stars on the ceiling.

Pink was the more prominent color in the room with some occurrences of blue.

There was no reason to make the bed since I've never seen anything in this room misplaced or touched. It seemed more like a memory than a bedroom if that makes sense. Tony would sometimes just come into this room and stand in the middle, looking around.

He wouldn't say anything. He wouldn't do anything. This room seems somewhat important to him.

I fear that if I ever messed up anything within this room, he would hurt me like he has never before. That's why I'm always so careful in this room. I can't afford otherwise.

One time I touched something and that night Tony came into the basement and gave me one of the worst beatings I'd ever gotten from him. If that happens again, I don't think I would survive. Literally.

I looked around one more time before leaving the room and moving on.

********

I don't really have much to say...

Thank you for reading.

-M.