Home / Mystery/Thriller / Caged / Chapter Three

Share

Chapter Three

Author: Laura Ananaba
last update Last Updated: 2021-09-09 12:55:30

THREE

Today I let myself remember. I let my thoughts wander overboard beyond cliffs where I have trained it not to wander. Today I think of my mother.

African she is. She still maintains the heritage and packs up her kinky hair or she braids it. Some days, she combs it and the fullness makes her face appear smaller, younger, Wilder. She also had beautiful dark skin and the body of one even younger than me.

Kent once described me as chocolate smeared with caramel pudding. If he meant that I am the complexion of none but both, then I accept that description.

My hair was formally straightened for a fluid flow with the comb but now it seems to have returned to its natural state. Just as I was once chubby but this past month or months has reshaped me. Yet my face is not wild like my mother's. Many times it has been called innocent with a touch of mischief and that's all.

I do not know if it is that little mischief that forced me to search the cartons in the room. My mouth hung open when I realized that there were weapons inside the stuffed dolls. Some of them, I did not understand but I know a gun when I see one - not a toy gun. A real gun. I also know a pen knife used to carve chickens in pieceful gatherings which is always used to carve higher animals when the need arises.

Yesterday and two days before, it was just water I had. I don't know if it is what my captor understands by change of meal or maybe she is punishing me for the sins she knows I will commit. 

Without the strength to protest, I take the can of water each time it is passed and gulp it down while standing. Then I return to the door to aimlessly glare at her as she walks past.

These are all the reasons why I think of my mother. I know my time is near. These days I imagine it too often. I even dream about it. I am yet to determine if she deserves a goodbye.

With her, love was different. I loved her enough to hope no harm comes to her but if she's sick and needs me, I don't think I will go to her. That is one area we are alike; we don't think about others.

People think that slave trade is being in heavy chains in nudity but my mother wears no chain not even a ring and is fully clothed. Yet she's a slave. 

I remember the first time I told her Uncle Joel, her boyfriend or whatever their relationship was - was touching me. She looked at me, pleading with her eyes for me not to utter the words so the walls do not hear the abomination. She did not believe it or she forced herself not to believe it. She said I was exhibiting 'infantile jealousy and anger'.

How could it be so? I did not know my father. Uncle Joel's roof was the only shelter I ever had. He was the father I should have had. How could I hate him without a cause? 

When I showed her the welts at my back where Uncle Joel slapped his belt before dragging me by the throat back to the bed, she was silent. Later she treated the wounds, dabbing hot water around it.

"Imani, it will be hard for us to survive on our own. We need Joel." She had said.

It was like she was telling me to understand the pain inflicted on me because we were being fed by the man. But she lied. We did not need him. She did.

One of the days, while she lazily stitched Uncle Joel's torn work garment, my thirteen years old body crawled to her. "Tell me who my father is. Let me look for him."

She dropped the garment and stood. " He doesn't want you."

This is all I know about my father; he is the man that doesn't want me. How convenient.

I don't know if there's a life I want but this life that was assigned to me - is bitter. It feels like I have died before to live again with a curse.

 I do not want to live. I don't prefer death either. To me, this place I am now is that space in between - not alive, not dead. Just like I am afloat, breathing, seeing everything and doing nothing. Just existing.

From my window I watch others live. A boy has stolen something and has been caught. They're searching him violently to reveal what he stole. I can not hear his screams but I can imagine how he sounds because he knows he will die today.

It is a purse. The boy stole a purse. Someone raises it up to show the crowd and then everyone turns to the boy who is now almost lost in the crowd. With the angry blows, kicks and slaps, soon he's truly lost. Probably coughing his last on the ground.

The woman selling fish and others around continue their business without paying attention to the scene. It must have happened too many times that it now seems to them like it was just a stray fowl being killed with the belief that instant justice was best for theft.

The crowd, having had their fill of violence begins to disperse. One last kick on the boy weakly moving on the ground. I would have advised him to be still if I were close. He was spurting out blood, his formerly blue shirt now repainted with dirt and blood. He stops moving and I also move away from the window.

I place my head on the wall as I relive the past few minutes. There is no chilly wind, no silence to respect a young death. People will walk over him, people will still kick him in death and before dawn tomorrow, his body would be removed and that would be the end.

It is easy to imagine the excitement the boy must have felt when he successfully stole a purse. I have felt that excitement before the times I stole from shops with Kent. 

The door knob turns and my captor comes in as usual in a polo too big for her and combat shorts. I retrace my steps to the bed while looking at her. I sit and reach for what I kept under the pillow. Using the bedsheet as an advantage, I brought it close to me. 

She slants her head to the side then moves to the window. She stands there for a while looking out. This time, she was not inspecting the bars, she must have been looking at the corpse.

She eyes me as I get to my feet sharply but she remains at the window. Her eyes travel to the cartons and I also follow. I know everything there is still in its place. So I turn my eyes back to her, searching her face.

My mind begins to reset as I stare at her. I am being overtaken by all the anger I have stored inside me and I lunge at her. But like a ricochet, I come back to the ground hard on my butt.

I glare at her, holding my knife tightly. Her stance was relaxed. She flaps her polo and reveals where I slit it then she folds her arms and looks at me like a mother would regard a stubborn child.

I get to my feet in a defensive stance. "Let me go or I will kill you."

She shifts her weight to another leg and I watch her lips also shift into a smirk. She begins to walk towards me regaining her neutral face. I still hold the knife in front of me. It was my defense. My own lifeline.

I lunge at her again but she holds my hand and bends me over wriggling my arm. It is like she wants to disassemble it. My eyes begin to water. I bite my lips refusing to scream, refusing to cry.

She pulls me up with my arms caged in her hands behind me. The pain travels around my body to my lips and they part in a scream. Then I feel my body hitting the wall. Like the defeated, I let my head hang low. 

"That's enough for today." 

The knife falls to the ground. There's little blood on it and I know it is not mine. I raise my head and watch her walk away leaving the knife behind. She leaves and shuts the door after. The sound of the locks follow. 

My arms are in a different level of pain. It stills feels as though one arm has lost its holding to a joint. I try and fail to snap it back in its place. I try to raise it but the excruciating pain makes my teeth grind against my lips. I swallow the pain, I swallow the spit filled with the salty taste of blood. 

Caged, alone and without redemption close by, I can say for sure that I can't say what goes on in that woman's head. What was her plan for leaving me in a room with dangerous weapons?

Everything chokes me and the tears are on the verge of spilling but I throw my head up and scream. I scream till my throat is sore then I retreat into my calm.

Being so close to the ground reminds me I am without a purpose, I'm so little, I am irrelevant. Maybe my purpose is to suffer. 

Related chapters

  • Caged   Chapter Four

    FOURSometimes you hear the sound of silence. It sounds like danger hiding as safety. The camouflaging danger will speak to you in the silence that disturbs your peace but you would not hear.But I did.Beneath silence is chaos - an uprising rage inside of me. I can feel it, I can almost see it. The discomfort, the sudden irrationality.When that irrationality engulfed me, I walked towards the window and looked down. It could have been late hours of the morning. The woman who sits at the window in the building opposite mine is there looking out. I can not make out her face but as always, she seems hopeless.I walk to the door and try the handle even though I had heard her lock it severally. The door parts at just the first pull. An alien rage fills me and I throw back my head in laughter. I carry a stuffed doll for weapons. I did not know how to wield them but it assured me a lit

    Last Updated : 2021-09-09
  • Caged   Chapter five

    FIVEThis city never sleeps. I can relate to its insomnia because I am still awake past midnight. Everyone is still out here chasing dreams or running from nightmares. I still feel like a close look at me would give me away - that I don't belong to this free world, that this level of owning myself is new to me. But for now, I'm not dodging in between buildings. I am like a traveler attempting to inconspicuously pass through a strange land.I found an empty room in another ancient building on the next street. I was there before some people began to flood inside like it was their home. Well, it is. One woman approached me with two kids. ‘’ my children sleep here’’ she said. From the dirty oversized slippers that adorned her feet, I let my eyes run to her forehead then I grudgingly rise to my feet.Now I am standing at the door as a guard watching them sleep. I do not know if it is

    Last Updated : 2021-11-01
  • Caged   Chapter Six

    SIXEveryday is a war. If you survive today. Go back and get stronger. - JumboI have passed by this lantern shop two times now. I'm not foolish to try to steal from them; I want to work here. There is no hanging placard that says they need a sales assistant or someone like me but I keep my hopes up as I wander around the small shop.The clothes on me I bought with my money- I did not steal them. This gives a different air of confidence as I walk into the lantern store. Two customers are in the shop, checking out lanterns set on a table without being properly arranged. It seems the seller was too careless to care about the presentation.A young girl is at the counter. She has her chin in her hand while looking at the customers. I approach the counter. ‘’Hey, I want to speak with the manager.’’‘’You are already doing that.’&

    Last Updated : 2021-11-01
  • Caged   Chapter seven

    SEVENCross Legged I stand outside the lantern shop. I do not know if I am too early or too late. Many people pass by. They throw a quick glance at the shop and pass. If the owner of the shop has changed her mind about hiring me, I would try again tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.Working in this place could be a foolish decision. It is. But there is something about this place that has pulled me in and kept me amidst the dangers involved.My eyes move around the environment brightly illuminated with solar lights, then I move my butt to the floor close to the entrance of the shop. The locks are simple; just a padlock which an iron rod or stone can break apart.Soon, I see her approaching. She is no longer putting on what she was putting on at noon. Then she wore a blue jean with white shirt and a hat. Now she is in trousers with a see through net shirt that reveals her whi

    Last Updated : 2021-11-01
  • Caged   Chapter Eight

    EIGHTSomeone is touching my leg. I first felt it from my sleep. I slowly open my eyes and note where I slept close to the television. I note that I slept. My spirit lifts even as I watch the boots that crossed over my leg. The person puts off the television and walks towards the couch designated to me. He lifts the teddy and I immediately scramble to my feet. ‘’Drop. it.’’He first tilts his head as he checks out the knife in my hand, he then studies the teddy bear. His eyes return to me quickly. ‘’Who are you?’’‘’Who are you?’’ I return to him.He shakes his head and scoffs. ‘’One of Zuri’s nuisances.’’He drops the teddy and turns away. I do not mind being called a nuisance. With the way he begins to pull his t-shirt over his head, it is established that Zuri is the lantern s

    Last Updated : 2021-11-16
  • Caged   Chapter Nine

    NINEThe lantern shop now has a different look. I stand outside and admire the best models displayed at the window. Anyone would want to stop and check out a piece or two here. I am wearing joggers and a round neck t-shirt Zuri gave me with an ugly sandals she bought around the shop. The sandals has double crossings that reminds me of the Spartans.‘’I told you it's cool,’’ I say as I walk into the shop.She claps her hands together with her full teeth on display. ‘’Yeah?’’I nod with a smile. Contrary to our thoughts and her excitement, people are not flooding in as expected. They just come in twos and look around but buy nothing. I have food and a comfortable place to return to. None of the sales made here is enough of my business but I love to excel. Lack of productivity infuriates me.My personal assessment of my grades ha

    Last Updated : 2021-11-16
  • Caged   Chapter Ten

    TENHeavy boots enter the sitting room. I wonder how I never hear that door opening when he comes home. What sort of work is it that makes him return home past midnight?He stands in front of my couch for a while then moves to the television. I keep my eyes half closed as I watch him in the dark room. He turns and looks at me before turning off the television. I wonder if he is trying to annoy me by turning off the television all the time.I grit my teeth and hold in all of my resentment. He picks a book I left out of the pile. His gaze returns to me then he returns the book to its place.He walks to the couch and lightly pats my feet. It is like he is trying to wake me up. His hands are cold against my warm feet. I have to act like I am in a deep slumber so I do not move. He walks out of the sitting room.I wait to hear his room door close but I hear nothing. Soon he

    Last Updated : 2021-11-16
  • Caged   Chapter Eleven

    ELEVENI am in my new room when Zuri's door opens. She walks down to my room, slightly opens the door and throws in her head. "Hey."I wave in return and she goes out. Her footsteps move to the sitting room. I know she is about to watch that silly military movie where car burning looks like the fire is a ball beside the car.Soon I hear the sounds coming from it - very noisy gun shots, bomb explosions and shouts which are too exaggerated and unnecessary.I lie down and pull a pillow over my head. Before my eyes is a wallpaper of a popular musician. He is posed around a car without shirt and three women wearing just bras and panties. I don't know who started it but it was hard now to see a musician posed without nude women.In Kent's room, he too had a wallpaper of a rapper covering every corner of his room. I have never understood the reasoning behind these wallpapers used to dec

    Last Updated : 2021-11-16

Latest chapter

  • Caged   Chapter Sixteen

    SIXTEEN‘’ Don’t move,’’ he says.Hearing that voice makes me automatically move and turn around. ‘’What the fuck!’’He lowers his eyes and puts his knife back in his boots. I also return mine to my belt holder and veil it with my shirt then pick my food from the ground.‘’ Dwayne, why are you following me?’’Now, he readjusts his stance. ‘’This is not the way back to the house.’’‘’ What?’’ I ask, blinking rapidly. ‘’ I am not allowed to have a personal business?’’Dwayne scoffs. "I really don't understand the game you are playing, Imani. If that's even your name, but whatever you do, do not touch Zuri."I roll my eyes with my head. " You have said that be

  • Caged   Chapter Fifteen

    FIFTEENToday, Zuri sold two lanterns. I was not there when she sold them but I can spot that something has been removed. She sold one from the "Memory" and another from the non VIP group." Where did you go?" Zuri throws to me as she writes.I shrug and look around. She pauses her writing as if that was the attention she thought I needed. When she stared that way, it made her look like her brother though she is a darker shade."Do you think you can manage this place?" She asks, already closing the ledger before her. " I need to do something.""Yes I can."I'm wearing my Spartan sandals and it slides easily against concrete so I slide over to the counter.Zuri arranges her bag while I take her seat. She hands me some money. "You can buy something to eat."I nod."Don't mess it up," s

  • Caged   Chapter Fourteen

    FOURTEENI slowly turn and let out a laugh when I fully face him. "How long have you been there?"He begins to move in. " Long enough to see a different part of you."Suddenly lacking words, I walk to the chips and pick it from the floor then I return to the window and begin to chew carelessly with my eyes in his direction.Dwayne keeps his palms on the back of the long Sofa, facing the television - facing me."Where is your family?" he asks.I say nothing."Were you married, Imani?"That question makes me smile and then I exhale. Some of the weight dissolves and spreads again inside me returning to their crooks."Well, did you have a child?"I do not understand the pamphlet his questions are coming from. The absurdity is pushing me to laugh out loud. He seems to be randomly t

  • Caged   Chapter Thirteen

    THIRTEENThere is a thing they do every weekend. I do not why no one told me that earlier. But I am sitting at my usual spot beside the stool in the parlor when Zuri skips in."They are here!" She says like we talked about "they" coming.I get up and stand beside the television and wait. She fumbles with the chain that links the door to the wall then moves the bolt.Once the door opens, there are shouts and plenty of heads. I walk away to my room. I stand close to the window and look down. There is nothing much to see but a laundry line.The door bursts open and I know it is Zuri. She stands there for a while then begins to walk closer to the window. I turn around."I hope you understand what happened last night was for you," she says.I raise an eyebrow and frown. " What was for me?"She sig

  • Caged   Chapter Twelve

    TWELVEZuri leads the way. She seems to know the bouncers at the door. Just a wink at them and we are in. I have been to a club before and this place, if it is a club. It is a different kind of club; it seems like a sex club.At a corner by the bar was a girl performing fellatio on a man on her knees while the man held her hair in one hand, and held a cigarette in the other hand.From Zuri's gait I can see the excitement bubbling in her to be here. She stops at the bar and looks around. I also pose and look around. There is a booth at the far end. Two girls played with themselves to entertain the men seated there who had ladies sitting astride and rocking their bodies back and forth on them. All were still clothed but I could tell they were actually skin to skin.Zuri turns and hands me a glass of lucid drink. I sniff it as I continue walking behind her. I have been seeing faces here and

  • Caged   Chapter Eleven

    ELEVENI am in my new room when Zuri's door opens. She walks down to my room, slightly opens the door and throws in her head. "Hey."I wave in return and she goes out. Her footsteps move to the sitting room. I know she is about to watch that silly military movie where car burning looks like the fire is a ball beside the car.Soon I hear the sounds coming from it - very noisy gun shots, bomb explosions and shouts which are too exaggerated and unnecessary.I lie down and pull a pillow over my head. Before my eyes is a wallpaper of a popular musician. He is posed around a car without shirt and three women wearing just bras and panties. I don't know who started it but it was hard now to see a musician posed without nude women.In Kent's room, he too had a wallpaper of a rapper covering every corner of his room. I have never understood the reasoning behind these wallpapers used to dec

  • Caged   Chapter Ten

    TENHeavy boots enter the sitting room. I wonder how I never hear that door opening when he comes home. What sort of work is it that makes him return home past midnight?He stands in front of my couch for a while then moves to the television. I keep my eyes half closed as I watch him in the dark room. He turns and looks at me before turning off the television. I wonder if he is trying to annoy me by turning off the television all the time.I grit my teeth and hold in all of my resentment. He picks a book I left out of the pile. His gaze returns to me then he returns the book to its place.He walks to the couch and lightly pats my feet. It is like he is trying to wake me up. His hands are cold against my warm feet. I have to act like I am in a deep slumber so I do not move. He walks out of the sitting room.I wait to hear his room door close but I hear nothing. Soon he

  • Caged   Chapter Nine

    NINEThe lantern shop now has a different look. I stand outside and admire the best models displayed at the window. Anyone would want to stop and check out a piece or two here. I am wearing joggers and a round neck t-shirt Zuri gave me with an ugly sandals she bought around the shop. The sandals has double crossings that reminds me of the Spartans.‘’I told you it's cool,’’ I say as I walk into the shop.She claps her hands together with her full teeth on display. ‘’Yeah?’’I nod with a smile. Contrary to our thoughts and her excitement, people are not flooding in as expected. They just come in twos and look around but buy nothing. I have food and a comfortable place to return to. None of the sales made here is enough of my business but I love to excel. Lack of productivity infuriates me.My personal assessment of my grades ha

  • Caged   Chapter Eight

    EIGHTSomeone is touching my leg. I first felt it from my sleep. I slowly open my eyes and note where I slept close to the television. I note that I slept. My spirit lifts even as I watch the boots that crossed over my leg. The person puts off the television and walks towards the couch designated to me. He lifts the teddy and I immediately scramble to my feet. ‘’Drop. it.’’He first tilts his head as he checks out the knife in my hand, he then studies the teddy bear. His eyes return to me quickly. ‘’Who are you?’’‘’Who are you?’’ I return to him.He shakes his head and scoffs. ‘’One of Zuri’s nuisances.’’He drops the teddy and turns away. I do not mind being called a nuisance. With the way he begins to pull his t-shirt over his head, it is established that Zuri is the lantern s

DMCA.com Protection Status