Categories > Original > Drama > Th Ballad
The table was quite. All we did was sit there and eat. Well I more or less just picked at a few fries. Amethyst just stared at her food as she ate. Mother’s eyes were burning into Amethyst’s skull as she hungrily munched down on chicken strips. She didn’t cook dinner. Neither did I. Instead she ordered food from the local take away. Typical.
It had been about fifteen minutes before the silence that was bestowed upon was broken. It the person who had broken it was not the person that I wished to break it.
“So, Amber,” Mother started as she swallowed the chicken hungrily, “What’s it like? Hanging out with my son, I mean.”
What a great question to ask.
Amethyst didn’t look threatened in anyway. She sat up straight and looked away from her food and to my Mother instead, “Oh, it’s great! We have a lot of fun together. My name’s also Amethyst.”
Amethyst was so polite I actually smiled at how cute she was. Although, I asked her not to wear anything ‘revealing’ I could see my Mother looking her up and down as if she was a hooker. Amethyst was wearing a purple knee length dress with black tights and black converse. Nothing really about said to me she looked like a hooker.
“Oh, sorry, forgive my dementia,” Mother groaned whilst trying to hide her sarcasm.
“I also saw your front room as I was walking in. I smelt new paint. The colour is lovely, ma’am,” Amethyst carried on with the polite act.
“Yes, isn’t it?” Mother still stared. Her eyes were cold, “I wonder what your walls look like.”
“Oh, well the lounge is painted a warm red and-”
“Oh, look at the time and I’ve hardly touched my food,” Mother interrupted Amethyst. She glanced down at her food which was in fact nearly finished. She started to eat again slowly.
“So, I never really see you around outside,” Amethyst started again, “maybe you should do some gardening during the Summer. I always do.”
“Are you insulting my lawn?” Mother sneered at her now.
“No, I’m just suggesting it because it’s really relaxing,” Amethyst raised a hand as if she was trying calm Mother.
“Yeah, I once helped her,” I broke my silence, “It’s fun.”
“Oh well I’m not a sort of garden person,” Mother returned to her previous state, “Also I do go out. I go to the cafe from time to time. Their toast is good.”
“There’s a new restaurant around the corner from the cafe. The food is really good. You should try it,” Amethyst suggested. I nodded with her.
“I don’t think you’ve noticed but some people can’t afford to go to big fancy restaurants like you, dear.” Mother was starting to crack. Oh no.
Amethyst looked as if she didn’t know what to say. All she got out was, “Actually I haven’t noticed.”
“Well you obviously haven’t taken a good look at that kid,” she sneered nodding to me.
Amethyst’s eye brows knitted together, “I beg your pardon?”
“Look at him. Barely washed. Ratty hair. Clothes in a bad condition. You would believe he was a gypsy’s child. Not my child. He doesn’t even look like me. He doesn’t look at all like his poor Father neither. God rest his tortured soul for that child, right there, killed him,” Mother looked me dead in the eyes.
I stopped breathing. I couldn’t believe she was just saying all of this in front of Amethyst. How was Amethyst even reacting? I gazed over at her. She was froze. She just stared at me Mother. Her skin was now ghostly white. Just like my skin.
“In fact, I’m not surprised that you haven’t looked at him. You probably just screw him and then it’s over,” Mother continued as she stabbed her knife into the table.
“OK, I’m not a slut and I would never touch your son in that way,” Amethyst stood up from the table. She had told Mother a lie. She did after all kiss me.
“Every day and night, he walks in here with the smell of perfume on his skin. It just so happens I can smell that same perfume right now and you’re the only other female in this house right now.” Mother sneered.
For a moment, I actually couldn’t believe how quickly this meal turned into a fight. I couldn’t believe that Amethyst was here taking abuse from my Mother. She didn’t deserve this.
“Think what you may, ma’am. But you will never win this fight. Don’t even think about bringing him into this because he has nothing to do with it. Leave him out of this and I give you permission to hurt me as much as you want,” Amethyst shouted nearly screaming.
And as fast as lightening, Mother struck her across the face causing Amethyst to stumble back and fall. I froze and watched with shock. Amethyst was lying there panting. Her hair was in her face.
“Go on...more...hurt me again...I won’t let you hurt him...” Amethyst panted as she begun to laugh a bit.
The whole scene scared me. Never had I see Amethyst hurt like this. Nor have I seen her take pain for me. I was snapped out of my line of thought when I saw Mother reach for a sharp knife.
“OK, you little bitch,” she snarled, “You want pain...I’ll just slit your throat and then you can’t stop me from being what I am.”
Before she could move any further, I snatched the knife from Mother’s hand. I quickly turned to Amethyst.
“Go!” I shouted angrily. When she didn’t respond I shouted louder, “LEAVE!”
She still didn’t move. Mother had though.
“Give me the damn knife, honey,” she commanded holding out her hand whilst sauntering over to me.
Then, I don’t know why I did it but it just happened. I held the blade to my wrist. Amethyst gasped. Mother stood back.
“Get out, Amethyst, or I’ll do it,” I snarled at her.
She looked petrified. But she obeyed. She kept her eyes on my monstrous form as she stumbled backwards towards the front door.
“Don’t do it, please,” she began to cry. She then left. The only people left in the house were me and Mother. I kept my eyes on the door where Amethyst once stood.
THWACK!
I fell to the side and clutched my head. It throbbed like hell. Then more pain was inflicted on me. I tried to scurry away, but Mother dragged me back and began kicking me mercilessly.
“WHY WON’T YOU DIE, YOU LITTLE SHIT! GIVE ME BACK MY HUSBAND AND DIE ALREADY!” She screamed.
After a while, she stopped. But her torture was not over yet. She began to drag me upstairs by the hair. At first I thought she was just going to throw me into my room. But I was wrong. Instead I found myself being thrown into the bathtub.
Mother turned on one of the switches. The tub began to fill up with scorching water. I tried to not to cry as the water burnt my skin. Luckily, my clothes were still on. But that didn’t relieve anything as I saw my worst nightmare had returned. In her hands were a bottle of bleach and a metal wire scrubber.
“That girl has had nothing but a bad influence on you, honey. Naughty children need to be punished. Let’s get you back to normal,” she looked down at me coldly.
When the bleach covered scrubber met my skin, I flinched and began to struggle under her grip but her grip was like iron. The bleach and the water burnt equally as painful. After scraping my neck and arms, Mother ripped my top from my body and began scraping again. The pain became unbearable. I screamed and cried at the top of my lungs.
*
After about an hour, I lay on the bathroom floor. I was shirtless, bruised, burnt and most likely bleeding as I saw a bit of red in the tub.
Mother towered over the top of me. Tears were flowing freely from her eyes.
“I didn’t like doing what I just did. But I wouldn’t have done it if you wouldn’t have been an idiot, trying to impress your friend. Acting the hero gets you no where.” She sneered. I felt one of her tears fall onto my collar bone. It was ice cold.
Then she was gone. She left me there to suffer.
It had been about fifteen minutes before the silence that was bestowed upon was broken. It the person who had broken it was not the person that I wished to break it.
“So, Amber,” Mother started as she swallowed the chicken hungrily, “What’s it like? Hanging out with my son, I mean.”
What a great question to ask.
Amethyst didn’t look threatened in anyway. She sat up straight and looked away from her food and to my Mother instead, “Oh, it’s great! We have a lot of fun together. My name’s also Amethyst.”
Amethyst was so polite I actually smiled at how cute she was. Although, I asked her not to wear anything ‘revealing’ I could see my Mother looking her up and down as if she was a hooker. Amethyst was wearing a purple knee length dress with black tights and black converse. Nothing really about said to me she looked like a hooker.
“Oh, sorry, forgive my dementia,” Mother groaned whilst trying to hide her sarcasm.
“I also saw your front room as I was walking in. I smelt new paint. The colour is lovely, ma’am,” Amethyst carried on with the polite act.
“Yes, isn’t it?” Mother still stared. Her eyes were cold, “I wonder what your walls look like.”
“Oh, well the lounge is painted a warm red and-”
“Oh, look at the time and I’ve hardly touched my food,” Mother interrupted Amethyst. She glanced down at her food which was in fact nearly finished. She started to eat again slowly.
“So, I never really see you around outside,” Amethyst started again, “maybe you should do some gardening during the Summer. I always do.”
“Are you insulting my lawn?” Mother sneered at her now.
“No, I’m just suggesting it because it’s really relaxing,” Amethyst raised a hand as if she was trying calm Mother.
“Yeah, I once helped her,” I broke my silence, “It’s fun.”
“Oh well I’m not a sort of garden person,” Mother returned to her previous state, “Also I do go out. I go to the cafe from time to time. Their toast is good.”
“There’s a new restaurant around the corner from the cafe. The food is really good. You should try it,” Amethyst suggested. I nodded with her.
“I don’t think you’ve noticed but some people can’t afford to go to big fancy restaurants like you, dear.” Mother was starting to crack. Oh no.
Amethyst looked as if she didn’t know what to say. All she got out was, “Actually I haven’t noticed.”
“Well you obviously haven’t taken a good look at that kid,” she sneered nodding to me.
Amethyst’s eye brows knitted together, “I beg your pardon?”
“Look at him. Barely washed. Ratty hair. Clothes in a bad condition. You would believe he was a gypsy’s child. Not my child. He doesn’t even look like me. He doesn’t look at all like his poor Father neither. God rest his tortured soul for that child, right there, killed him,” Mother looked me dead in the eyes.
I stopped breathing. I couldn’t believe she was just saying all of this in front of Amethyst. How was Amethyst even reacting? I gazed over at her. She was froze. She just stared at me Mother. Her skin was now ghostly white. Just like my skin.
“In fact, I’m not surprised that you haven’t looked at him. You probably just screw him and then it’s over,” Mother continued as she stabbed her knife into the table.
“OK, I’m not a slut and I would never touch your son in that way,” Amethyst stood up from the table. She had told Mother a lie. She did after all kiss me.
“Every day and night, he walks in here with the smell of perfume on his skin. It just so happens I can smell that same perfume right now and you’re the only other female in this house right now.” Mother sneered.
For a moment, I actually couldn’t believe how quickly this meal turned into a fight. I couldn’t believe that Amethyst was here taking abuse from my Mother. She didn’t deserve this.
“Think what you may, ma’am. But you will never win this fight. Don’t even think about bringing him into this because he has nothing to do with it. Leave him out of this and I give you permission to hurt me as much as you want,” Amethyst shouted nearly screaming.
And as fast as lightening, Mother struck her across the face causing Amethyst to stumble back and fall. I froze and watched with shock. Amethyst was lying there panting. Her hair was in her face.
“Go on...more...hurt me again...I won’t let you hurt him...” Amethyst panted as she begun to laugh a bit.
The whole scene scared me. Never had I see Amethyst hurt like this. Nor have I seen her take pain for me. I was snapped out of my line of thought when I saw Mother reach for a sharp knife.
“OK, you little bitch,” she snarled, “You want pain...I’ll just slit your throat and then you can’t stop me from being what I am.”
Before she could move any further, I snatched the knife from Mother’s hand. I quickly turned to Amethyst.
“Go!” I shouted angrily. When she didn’t respond I shouted louder, “LEAVE!”
She still didn’t move. Mother had though.
“Give me the damn knife, honey,” she commanded holding out her hand whilst sauntering over to me.
Then, I don’t know why I did it but it just happened. I held the blade to my wrist. Amethyst gasped. Mother stood back.
“Get out, Amethyst, or I’ll do it,” I snarled at her.
She looked petrified. But she obeyed. She kept her eyes on my monstrous form as she stumbled backwards towards the front door.
“Don’t do it, please,” she began to cry. She then left. The only people left in the house were me and Mother. I kept my eyes on the door where Amethyst once stood.
THWACK!
I fell to the side and clutched my head. It throbbed like hell. Then more pain was inflicted on me. I tried to scurry away, but Mother dragged me back and began kicking me mercilessly.
“WHY WON’T YOU DIE, YOU LITTLE SHIT! GIVE ME BACK MY HUSBAND AND DIE ALREADY!” She screamed.
After a while, she stopped. But her torture was not over yet. She began to drag me upstairs by the hair. At first I thought she was just going to throw me into my room. But I was wrong. Instead I found myself being thrown into the bathtub.
Mother turned on one of the switches. The tub began to fill up with scorching water. I tried to not to cry as the water burnt my skin. Luckily, my clothes were still on. But that didn’t relieve anything as I saw my worst nightmare had returned. In her hands were a bottle of bleach and a metal wire scrubber.
“That girl has had nothing but a bad influence on you, honey. Naughty children need to be punished. Let’s get you back to normal,” she looked down at me coldly.
When the bleach covered scrubber met my skin, I flinched and began to struggle under her grip but her grip was like iron. The bleach and the water burnt equally as painful. After scraping my neck and arms, Mother ripped my top from my body and began scraping again. The pain became unbearable. I screamed and cried at the top of my lungs.
*
After about an hour, I lay on the bathroom floor. I was shirtless, bruised, burnt and most likely bleeding as I saw a bit of red in the tub.
Mother towered over the top of me. Tears were flowing freely from her eyes.
“I didn’t like doing what I just did. But I wouldn’t have done it if you wouldn’t have been an idiot, trying to impress your friend. Acting the hero gets you no where.” She sneered. I felt one of her tears fall onto my collar bone. It was ice cold.
Then she was gone. She left me there to suffer.
Sign up to rate and review this story