Flash Fiction

Depression is a prison where you are both the suffering prisoner and the cruel jailer.
-Dorothy Rowe

   

"ROOM, N.O.W!" he shouts.
     I jump out of the car and run up to my room. I sit in the corner of my room and pray to God that he won’t come up those stares. Tears start falling out of my eyes, I wipe them away.
The words he said to me ring through my head, your one lucky kid, your one lucky kid. What did I ever do to deserve this?

Reflection
....Maria may be little but she still is suffering from depression, I wanted to show that not just adults can suffer from this. She is keeping her Dad beating her a secret from her Nurse and teacher which is weighing on her. Just like in my quote she is suffering from physical abuse as well as emotional....     I detach myself from my body as soon as I feel the first jolt of pain run through my spine. I just let it happen, knowing that if I try to run or fight back that he will only kick me harder. I don’t cry, showing tear is a form of weakness. I have gone through this for seven years now, I am anything from weak. He kicks and kicks, all I can do is curl up in a ball and hope he doesn`t go for my head.
The beating stops.
"Room, Now!" He yells.
    I get up as fast as I can and hobble up to my room closing the door behind me. I sit on the ripped mattress and inspect my bruises to see how bad the damage is. An areae of blues and purples cover my legs and back- at least nothing is broken this time.

 I asked for more soup, that’s all.
 I lie down and cover myself with the small quilt I use to keep warm and fall asleep.

     Banging on the door wakes me up immediately.
"Get your lazy ass out of bed, school time!" He screams.
     I jolt down the stairs with the same clothes I wore yesterday and start walking to school.
As I walk all I seem to notice are children holding their mommy and daddy’s hands, I walk faster. When I arrive at school I make sure I sit in the back of the class and hope no one notices me or my newly developed bruises.
"Good morning Maria." My teacher says in her usual happy voice.
     I just nod my head and stare at the ground. The bell rings and kids start to fill the classroom. Everyone takes their seats as soon as the morning announcements start. I listen for my name to be called for my morning checkup.
"Oh, Maria Kollins please come to the office," Says the secretary.
     I sigh and quickly make my way to the door knowing that every kid’s eyes are on me as I exit. Ever since they found bruises on my arm in kindergarten they make me go to the nurse’s room to have what they call ‘checkup’. Of course I deny everything knowing that daddy will beat me if I tell the truth.
"Good Morning Maria," Says the nurse.
     I sit in the chair thinking of what excuse I’ll use when she sees my bruises.

Nurse sits in a chair across me and starts asking me questions:
"What did you have for supper last night sweetie?"
"Soup," I whisper still looking down at the floor.
"And did you play outside at all?"
"I rode my bike but I fell off"
She looks up and I can see worry start to develop in her face.
"And did you get hurt at all when you fell off?"
"Only a couple of bruises, that’s all, I don’t even hurt anymore!" I try to sound as happy as I can.
She asks me to stand up and take off my shirt, I do. I listen to her gasp as soon as she sees the bruises on my back.

"Maria, are you sure this is only from falling of your bike?" "They look pretty bad."
I nod my head. "That’s all, I promise."
She gives me my shirt and tells me to put it back on, I do. I watch her walk into her room and make a phone call. I sit there watching the hand on the clock go round waiting for her to come back. See opens the door:
"Maria, I called your Dad, he’s going to come and take you home for the day, let those bruises heal, alright?"
I let the terror pass my face for a millisecond before playing my poker face again, hopefully, she didn’t see. Ten minutes later the door opens, in walks my dad smiling in his ‘good clothes’. I try to make out the conversation him and the nurse are having:

….." horrible bruises on her back.. fell of her bike?"
     "Yeah, ….was fine in the morning.. insisted on coming to school"
I just sit there wondering how he can just lie to them like that. I watch as they shake hands then make their way to the door.
"Come in Maria, lets go home and rest." He holds his hand out to me and smiles, I take it.
We get in the car, I am waiting to be yelled at.

     "You’re one lucky kid Maria, don’t ruin it." He snarls at me.
The 10 minute ride is horrendous, I expect yelling but it doesn’t come, the whole ride ends up being silent. We pull in the driveway.