Story
It is a warm, bright morning. |This happened: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68692997|
The gentle sun gazes lovingly upon the world.
One can hear the cheerful chirping of birds, the rustling of grass as young rabbits hop and play with the wildflowers, and the creak of a door as a little girl steps out wearing her favorite shorts, holding her mother’s hand.
“Mom, can we please go to the library? I really want to read a new book that came out!”, she asked, her voice full of innocence, wonder, and hope.
Her mother smiles, gently squeezing her hand, “Of course sweetie, read as many books as you like.”
The 12-year-old girl beams. To her, it feels like anything is possible.
The girl talked eagerly as they walked down the dirt path, her voice full of bubbling curiosity.
“I think this one might be about a pirate! Or maybe about a volcano. Or maybe both! Can you imagine Mom? A pirate living in a volcano?”
Her mother chuckles, nodding along to her daughter’s imagination, “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s worth reading!”
The 12-year-old girl smiles, feeling safe beside her mother and under the warm sunlight.
But the sunlight fades too quickly.
The sharp tug of a comb going through her hair jolted the 12 year old girl awake.
When the girl opens her eyes, she is met with the dim glow of a single light bulb on the ceiling. The air is heavy as stale, carrying the faint scent of something she can’t place. She doesn’t recognize herself in front of the cracked mirror.
“Mom..do I have to do this…?” she asks, trying to hold back her tears, trying to not get crushed by reality.
Her mother’s eyes looked at her with disdain and disgust, “He is a good man. Use the perfumes your aunt gave you, and let him touch you wherever, it’s your duty as a wife.”
The groom bangs his hand against the door, his voice impatient and commanding, “Where is the bride? Bring her out quickly!”
Tears well up in the girl’s eyes as she stands up, the weight of her fabric pressing against her small frame. She slowly realizes she was dreaming about something she could never have.
A man she doesn’t know stands near the door, he is much older, his presence looms over her.
She wants to run, to scream, to beg for the sunlight and the rabbits and the books and the mom she had imagined mere moments before.
But she simply looks down.
And lets the man grab her hand..
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