Posted in Challenges, Fiction, Flash Fiction

You Are Loved

TRIGGER WARNING

#unicornchallenge – September 13, 2024

@Ayr/Gray

The first time she woke up, she was in his parent’s living room. Only partially conscious, she heard his parents tell him to take her home and face the consequences.

The next time she was conscious, she was in her dad’s arms and he was picking her up from the driveway, bloody and broken.

She didn’t remember much of the week that followed. Just the painful injuries and a constant heartache. She started to recover, but even after months passed, she was not the same. Not even after years.

A lifetime passed. The girl went on to be successful professionally and personally. Something was never right. She went to the family cemetery, drawn to it as if she were being pulled. She sat down by her grandparent’s graves to figure out what was plaguing her.

Suddenly, she heard her grandfather’s voice, as clearly as if he were standing there.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he said. “He was an abuser and showed his true colors that night. You almost didn’t survive it.”

In her thoughts, the girl replied, “I must have done something terrible. I must have been an awful person or he wouldn’t have done it. I’ve worked so hard since but never felt good enough.”

She heard her grandfather say, “My precious granddaughter, you’ve been successful in all you’ve ever done. You’ve just not been able to let that one night and a crazy man go. Let it go now and remember how much you are loved.”

Thanks to C.E. Ayer and Jenne Gray for hosting the #unicornchallenge!