Short story | "Freedom"

image.png
 
 
My family has always had very strict values, and it shows in the way my parents educated me. When I was a toddler, sugar was a prohibited substance. No sweets, no chocolate, no fun. I was a sad, little kid at every birthday party, steering clear of the cake, the drinks, the candy. The severe gaze of my parents glued on my back.

We didn't eat meat, either. I had been a vegetarian since I was born, eighteen years in a row. This wasn't a particular issue for me, until a couple of months ago. The day the weirdest thing happened to me.
 


 
Back then, I was a blooming teenager, full of life and laughter. At least I was when I was outside the house, at school, with my girlfriends. My parents had barred me from interacting with the opposite sex, in fear of what hormones would lead to. And so, I had grown up enclosed on a crystal coffin, watching the world from a safe distance.

One day, when I was leaving the school library, a cute guy approached me. He didn't care about my stuttering of words, or that I dropped all my books on the floor, one of them falling on his left foot. He even helped me to pick them all up. As he dusted them off, he offered to walk me home.

I went the whole way without lifting my eyes off the floor, cheeks blushed, holding my books tight to my chest. I couldn't look at him. But he didn't seem to mind that. He just talked and talked, happily, and laughed at his own jokes. About a block away from the house, I stopped and bluntly told him to leave me there. He approached, lifting my chin with a cold index finger, and looked into my eyes.

"You're such a pretty girl. So shy. I like that. Would you let me take you to a BBQ party tomorrow?". I just stared back, choked on my own absence of words. "Girl, no need to be scared of me, I don't bite. I'll wait for you here at 6, 'kay?" He leaned in a bit more towards me, and his breath infused with mine as he whispered, "don't leave me hanging". With that, he turned around and left.

I walked that last block with my head on the clouds, so dizzy I almost broke my ankle stepping off the curb. I went straight to my bedroom and closed the door. Laying in my bed, I relived every second of the encounter, and I made my choice. I'd go with him. But first, I had to craft a convincing alibi for my parents, and so I put every cell of my brain to the task.
 


 
The next afternoon, while getting dressed, I was feeling a bit worried. How did I manage to agree to come to a BBQ party? All that meat around and I wasn't going to be able to take a bite, not even a tiny one. What was I going to eat? Shaking my head, I tried to dismiss my concerns. I put on my prettiest summer dress, the blue one with the little white flowers. Then, I applied a dash of color to the lips, arranged my hair to fall on my shoulders, and tiptoed my way out of the house.

I can barely remember how we got to the party, now that I try to recall the events of that day. The next thing I know, we were at the cute guy's house, by the pool, surrounded by people. It was a chilly day, and sunlight was already scarce. The food smelled amazing. Cute guy was doing a pretty good job at keeping me warm, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

For a couple of hours, everything was laughter and drinks back and forth. Eventually, all the subgroups of guests started minding their own business. We, the cute guy and me, went to the farthest area of the backyard and sat on a beautiful wooden bench. For a few minutes, we remained silent as we watched the first fireflies perform their dance. Cute guy's left arm was comfortably placed around my shoulders. We were so close I could sense his fragrance tickling my nose.
 


 
That day is special to me for many reasons. I transgressed every rule. I was free. That evening, I received my first kiss, and I also ate meat for the first time in my life. I still remember the opening bite. My mouth waters at the mere thought of it. Between my teeth, the chunk of meat felt just right. Using my incisors and canines, I ripped and tore it apart in pieces, the right size to get the better taste out of it. I savored with my eyes closed, following a primal instinct.

I can't say I'm sorry for what I did to the poor guy. I have to admit that I sometimes run my tongue over these cold, metal bars, hoping to catch a glimpse of his relish.
 


 
The inspiration for this story was a very short freewriting exercise I did years ago. I revisited it and gave it a whole turn, without compromising the original idea.

I'd like to thank you for reading this. I hope my words resonated with you in some way. This story is entirely fictional, yet I acknowledge that there's often a blurry, trembling line between fiction and reality. After all, what can be more chimerical than the reality we live in?



Source of the image:
📷 by Skitterphoto



0
0
0.000
47 comments
avatar

Congratulations @beautifulwreck! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):

You distributed more than 800 upvotes.
Your next target is to reach 900 upvotes.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

To support your work, I also upvoted your post!

Support the HiveBuzz project. Vote for our proposal!
0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

screenshot_2021_12_17_215316.jpg

That, got me! from start to finish!

I was what the hell I am reading! Some sort of diary or something? My heart was kinda racing every stanza (with a "ghad those kind of guys are jerks")

till... WHAT!? What exactly did she eat?

they were alone at some dark corner... or something I kinda forgot at that point... as my mind was racing for answers (guess I was expecting something else) so the ending hit me side ways.

anyway, that was lovely! Can't say thank you enough... it is such a good material! the girl was so realistic I could even claim I could taste her 🤣.

I LOVE IT ♥️

P.S.

edited this a whole lot of times already!

I was feeling really down I couldn't even write anymore, or just thinking too much and this just made my day.

I am not writing I am doing something else SKETCHING... need to get that out of the way at least part of it. so I can write again.

THANK YOU!


Quoting from memory:
"Sorry for writing you a long letter, I didn't have time to write a short one" Mark Twain
Source @newbies-guide ( somewhere there )...

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hahaha your comments are always so funny. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I had a lot of fun writing it 🤣 I haven't done so here, but horror is my favorite genre.

I enjoy making people read back to see wtf just happened and why. 🤣 That's life, in a way.

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. it's okay to go back and forth between writing and sketching to clear the mind and fuel creativity. I do it a lot.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I wonder if the girl in this story came with a WARNING label.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

She should have. 🤣

Poor girl, she was just a bit too passionate for this world. Being so restricted from such a young age only managed to leave her with no boundaries.

Fiction is a wonderful thing.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hi, @beautifulwreck. We have informed our lawyers to take immediate action regarding your usage of burning coal, a trademark for @burningcoal-news, as your picture for this story. By the time they're done with you, you will be less beautiful but more wrecked.

With love, Desfor Atenshon.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Mr. Deshfor Atenshon,

You're no match for me.

I got the best of the best standing beside me. Seek no further litigations.

And you can store that love where the sun doesn't shine.

🤣

0
0
0.000
avatar

I mean.... Everyone has a free day in their diet 😂 This is why I don't take girls to BBQ gatherings. That and constant rejection, mainly the rejection tbh.

0
0
0.000
avatar

🤣 just be sure to ask her a bit about her family background and stuff...

0
0
0.000
avatar

Excellent work on the writing, I was hooked! This girl probably ended up being pretty wild 🤣

Please do remember to source all images, even your own :)

0
0
0.000
avatar

image.png

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks, not sure how I missed it 🙌

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hahaha no worries. Almost no one scrolls all the way down, and when we do, the letters are so small! We might as well include a giveaway there, don't you think? 🤣 Or the terms for a signed contract with the devil.

0
0
0.000
avatar

🤣 I actually did scroll all the way down, but after the story my mind was still dwelling in the little world you created!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hahaha true. Horror is my favorite genre and I always add a little twist. I just hadn't posted anything like it yet. I'll work on more of this.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks Galen! You just stopped me from unleashing the wrath of the gods.

Just kidding. 🤣

Or am I?

0
0
0.000
avatar

Just kidding. 🤣

Or am I?

I'd say...Not just kidding.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Children and adolescents who are obsessively controlled by their parents can get really screwed up... but I didn't see that coming! Beautifully done, @beautifulwreck. You have a talent for writing horror!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hello there! Your words of appreciation mean a lot to me. I'm definitely writing more horror from now on!

I appreciate you taking the time to read my post and to leave a comment. Thank you!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Great story, @beautifulwreck. Freewriting is an excellent way to launch work on a short story. Thank you for supporting your fellow writers in The Ink Well!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you for your appreciation and for the continued support!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Haha holy shit what did I just read 😆 Did not see that one coming!

Well done :)

!PIZZA

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hahaha nothing like a good surprise, am I right?

I'm glad you enjoyed the story!

Thank you for the pizza 🍕

0
0
0.000
avatar

This is beautiful and entertaining to read. I love way you play with words, I must say, you are pretty good with words.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you for your words of appreciation! I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Wow, you're a good writer, Nice one. I enjoyed it

0
0
0.000
avatar

What a twist! Wait! She ate the guy? Or she was locked up for life? Or both? Damn. I have no words for this beautiful piece!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hahaha I hope you like suspense, 'cause I don't know the end of this story either. Thank you for your words of appreciation!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Awwww man😩. You owe me for this

0
0
0.000