Genre: General Fiction
It was dark, at first. You could barely see anything. You twist your head around, trying to get at least a small insight of your surroundings, but you still couldn't see anything. A small orb of light caught the side of your eye and you squint at it. You began to wonder what it was. The light slowly increased in size and you felt yourself being drawn towards it.
Warm liquid rushed past you and headed straight towards the light, making the small seed of curiosity inside your body grow. You slowly blinked your eyes as the light once again grew and brightened even more. A small and soft wail escaped your lips as fear and excitement coursed through your body and you could barely contain yourself.
It must be time, you thought.
You watched as the light became much larger as if to swallow you whole, and when it was near your frail body...it stopped. You looked at it quizzically. Something was wrong. You could feel it in your bones and in your tiny heart.
Your excitement subsided and now only fear claimed your whole body. You thought of moving away from the light but as soon as you tried to, some kind of metal closed around one of your limbs. A strange tugging sensation emanated from the metal and you struggled away from it. It was persistent, however, and you could slowly feel yourself being detached from your left foot. It tugged and tugged and tugged until...
A loud wail escaped your lips. You didn't even bother to stop it anymore. The pain was unexplainable. One of your limbs was cut off and your breaths became labored.
You felt something clamp around your other leg and you struggled to break free once more. But just like before, the metal was persistent. And as you tried to break away, it pulled harder and harder until you no longer had any legs.
You opened and closed your fists trying to control yourself. Your lips began to quiver but you suppressed your scream. You didn't want to give your torturer the satisfaction, did you?
Using only your hands and your will to survive, you waddled away from where you deduced the metal was coming from. But there was nowhere to go. The only way out is through the light. And oh, you wouldn't want to go there.
Your breaths slowly became labored; your eyes began to droop. Fear clawed up from your stomach - choking that small seed of curiosity - and took hold of your heart.
The metal came again and this time pulled hard at your left hand. A loud cry left your lips and tears slowly dripped down your cheeks. You were losing your will to fight. You were losing too much blood. It was time, after all - time for you to die.
A cold object landed on your right hand and began to pull. It pulled harder and harder until your limb was floating away from you. You felt nothing. But you heard it. You heard the sickening sound of your skin and bones breaking away from each other. You felt your own blood splatter against your cheek. And you felt your heart slowly give up.
Why, you thought, what did I do wrong?
You looked back at the light, fearing what was to come. It would all be over soon.
Mother, you tested the word on your lips or perhaps inside your dwindling brain. It felt strange. Calling her that felt wrong, somehow.
Mother, what did I do wrong? Why did I have to suffer? Did you not want me? Love me? Was I not enough? Why did you have to kill me? Why, mother, why?
You closed your eyes and took in your final breath.
I was only a child, mother. I was innocent. I was so young. Why?
Those were your final thoughts, for it was at that moment that you felt the metal close around your tiny head and it pulled and pulled and pulled until...
Your head came free and suddenly there was nothing.