Oh Henrieta

“Why is this world so cruel?” Henrieta thought to herself as she stabbed the earth repeatedly for food. Why her? What did she do wrong? No one deserves this.

She was snatched away from her parents at birth. The sounds and callings she remembers faintly from that day were “She’s gonna be a good one!” and “let’s get the hell out, now!” She’s never been able to decipher those words, having only lived a tiny fraction of her life with her caring mother. Henrieta grew up in a cold and confined atmosphere. She and the others followed a seemingly arbitrary schedule day after day. She has been forced to do inexplicable things and endure intrusive gropings that scarred her. It’s hard for her to sleep but sometimes her body shuts down and she has no idea when she will wake. This is the life that she must survive.

The putrid stench that surrounds everything, found a way to wrap and embed itself inside her nostrils. Living a life inside this cage was the only thing she ever knew. Before she closed her eyes from exhaustion she would mark her rough wooden surface. It was another pointless day. Henrieta had a dream that someday, someday she would be free. The dream felt so real. When she woke the first thing she saw was the same thing she had always seen when she would wake, dirt and bits of food. It was just another day. Yet today it felt different, It felt lonelier than normal. It felt like the other days of torture and lack of life all led up to this. She couldn’t help but feel an emotion that shook her to her core. There was an evil in the air, something so gross, disgusting and grotesque. Still she was starving her emotions were dulled out by the sense of survival. Oh Henrieta.

She saw a grain of food, but after she swiftly took it another appeared, then another and another. She reached the end and was quickly shoved into a red-lit room. The vile smell made her tear up. She was going mad. Hours passed but was still alone in this horrible tiny closed off space. She went to the edge of the room lifted her leg scratched the rough and dark wood that entrapped her in this hell hole. I just wanted to eat. Let me eat. Let me eat. I will go to my cage and sleep after I eat. She thought to herself.

She tried to break out. The force caused her to nail break off. Her eye lids shut. Henrieta was too tired to scream too tired to cry. The final words she heard before she went unconscious. “We tried but this s**t chicken just isn’t laying anything!” She awoke to darkness, no noise no smell no feeling.

  • Puddin Tane

    You might have a good story but you need to edit…edit, edit, edit BEFORE posting. Puctuation is lacking, spelling needs improving. If you aren’t sure what editing is feel free to ask. I’m not slamming you, just giving constuctive criticism. Also, try to explain her situation a little better. I was trying to understand where she was and what her situation was, but you didn’t offer enough to go on. I think you have a good start, just needs more imagination. 🙂

  • Rose Morrison

    I agree with Puddin Tane’s observations completely. Also, I think you have an excellent middle of a story here, you just need a beginning and an end, and it would be a great piece. Keep up the good writing.