trigger warning: based on true events
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"Why don’t you step out of the house at all?”
“Why are you always holed up inside your room?”
“Stop being so lazy and step out and do some work!”
She was used to the taunts from her relatives for being the introverted kid that she was. Nobody really understood why she was like that, not even herself.
The very idea of being outside among the throng of people irked her.
There was only one thing she really wanted to do for the rest of her life: sit in her room and never step out. Ever. It might seem a little extreme for a 10-year old to be feeling so strongly at such a young age, but she was more than sure that she never wanted to step outside the confines of her room.
A book was all she needed for company. That was enough, really. She was sure that no human being could even come close to providing the entertainment her fictitious friends from the pages could, and she was fine with it. Human company wasn’t something she took interest in, anyway.
Her mother scolded her everyday for her “strange” behaviour, and honestly, she gave up trying to explain to her that she wasn’t comfortable stepping out.
Comfortable. That was the word.
The very idea of stepping out made her uncomfortable.
Unsafe.
What made her feel unsafe? She couldn’t say.
She didn’t want to say.
School was the only place besides her room where she felt the most comfortable. School was an escape from the outside world, and she never wanted to leave. She didn’t want to go home, actually. Home was the scariest.
She never wanted to go back when she left for school everyday. She dreaded when it was time to leave.
Why?
That was a question she wasn’t very comfortable answering, because she felt ashamed. She was ashamed for feeling that way.
Good girls shouldn’t be harboring such feelings, no?
In spite of that realization, she couldn’t help but feel queasy as she walked down the street to her flat. She knew he would be there in the garden, waiting for her.
She’d plaster a small smile across her face as she opened the gates to let herself in. She would try not to flinch as he came to “help” her, covering his hand over hers, saying, “Here, let me.”
She’d especially not say anything as he would come close to her and touch her face "endearingly", and would pull on the length of her skirt.
“Nicely stitched, no?”
She wouldn’t say anything as he would pull her to his home, remove her bag and make her sit next to him.
“Watch some TV with me,” he’d say.
While some raunchy song would be playing on the TV, she wouldn’t try to run away as his hands would snake around her waist and pinch her hips. She wouldn’t make a noise as he slipped his hands into her shirt and ran them across her back.
She would only sit silently as he kept touching her. Her back, her neck, her hair, her waist…
She would sit silently till her mother called for her from next door, and then she would make a run for it.
She’d make a run for her house, lock herself up in the small room, and sit there till it was time for bed.
She didn’t want to leave the place, ever.
She couldn’t tell anyone why, either.
He was her uncle.
Who would understand, right?
This piece made me very upset, but still, I decided to press on. You are very brave for posting this, and it's clearly a sensitive piece. It was probably very hard for you to write. I hope you are in a better place now.
I think you wrote this flawlessly, whilst still honing in on the fact of how alone you felt in your position.
I hope you feel better soon, again. You have all my respect for being able to post this.
Just know that everyone on this site is here to support you.
-Minty Leaf
First of all, are you doing well? If this is truly something that happened to you, I hope with my whole heart that you are feeling better and are more happier right now. This isn't easy and I think you're really strong to be able to accept what happened and even put it down on paper as a well-written story. Love and respect to you <3
Second, the way this story is written was absolutely perfect, you mention in the beginning that it made you feel uncomfortable but didn't stop there; the descriptions, the way you worded everything, it made me really uncomfortable too and so I'd say you absolutely nailed what you were going for.
The pacing was also something I enjoyed. We start off thinking this is perhaps an introverted girl who maybe has social anxiety before finding out that home is the only place she was afraid of and finally, coming up to the biggest event in the story and ending it with the realization that it was her uncle.
Once again, the story was written perfectly! Thanks for sharing and keep growing <3
Oh my gosh, Duti. This was a difficult piece to read but it had a strong impact. I felt violated, hurt, and confused... and normally that's why we don't really read or hear about these kinds of stories often; people want to shove it under the rug because it's so uncomfortable. But leaving it out in the open is so much more powerful and empowering than not doing anything at all.
Thank you for sharing your story. <3
Heart-wrenching story. I'm gonna rate it 9/10
No, that's too low. Here you go : 9.5/10
This story brings out a serious issue of our society into light. Moreover, the way that this story is told - it was very engaging. As you go through the story, you continue to wonder - what makes her feel so unsafe?
The moment that revealed her cause of insecurity (he was her uncle) was very nicely crafted. Even better was the ending that posed a critical question to the readers. It's true, many cases of child abuse go unnoticed because of the abuser being a relative of that child.
I loved the story from rhe beginning till the end.
There's one problem though.
The story seems to have many unnecessarily long sentences. You can break some of them down into two or more smaller sentences. It would help the readers, too. However, that's not something VERY SERIOUS. So you've got nothing to worry about.
Hey! Gem here to leave a review.
Pros
...WOW. This story is incredibly powerful, and really brings light to a big issue in our society. You start to ponder what could make the girl feel so unsafe, and the big reveal that it was her uncle all along is pretty shocking. And since this is based on true events? I'm not sure whether or not this is your story, but you/whoever went through this is very strong.
Cons
I have barely any cons for this one! The only two things are really just wording.
She’d especially not say anything as he would come close to her and touch her face "endearingly", and would pull on the length of her skirt.
She wouldn’t say anything as he would pull her to his home, remove her bag and make her sit next to him.
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