Barrier

A young girl is kept alone in a large room. She kneels on the floor, peeking out from the tiny gap of the dark curtains. It may just be the most beautiful day she has ever seen. The warm rays of the sun bathe the multicolored garden. The birds sing, perched on gently swaying tree branches. And her siblings run and laugh as they play. She wished she could join them, but she cannot.

She hears the sound of heavy feet stomping rhythmically toward her bedroom. She immediately yanks the curtains close and hurries toward the mahogany chair in the center of the room. She sits primly, a cold expression replaces the gentle smile that was once on her face. She holds her breath for ten agonizingly long seconds, waiting for the person to enter. She sighs in relief, however, when the footfalls get softer. Whoever it was must have just walked through the wrong halls. And so she carefully walks toward the sealed window and peeps out once again.

She has never felt the rays of the sun on her fair skin. Nor has the cold breeze ever blown passed her long curls. She has never played through the flowers with her many siblings. Her world is different. It is the four tan walls of her bedroom and the tiny, perpetually closed window with black curtains. Cuffs on her wrists and ankles bind her to this limited world. She knows that she will be released one day in the future, and she anticipates this with a mix of joy and fear.

For when the chains are cut and she exits the dark bedroom, she will only be a body to be buried.