I was excited. So excited I couldn't eat. The thought of leaving our old house, our dusty town, and that same old church bell that rang like it was tired of life made me feel alive.
I gave my food to my siblings that morning. Even the meat. That's how serious I was.
Haven't I always wanted to leave? Haven't I always dreamed of seeing what was outside these cracked walls?
POV: Why didn't I ever ask myself the right questions before? Maybe if I had, I'd have seen the trap early. But no. I was too eager.
They told me I had to wait until the school session ended. That annoyed me. I wanted to leave right away. Everything around me was beginning to feel too small for my dreams.
The town looked more boring than usual. Same streets. Same people. Same smell. Same problems.
I kept telling myself that the body of a chicken is already done, only the head remains.
At school, I didn't keep quiet about my relocation. No one asked, but I told everyone. I made it loud. I wanted them to know I was finally escaping this town.
Some of the kids were jealous. I could feel it. They didn't say it, but they didn't need to. Most people in our town never leave. And when they do, they never return.
POV: I'll return one day. I'll be different. Big. Changed. Untouchable.
The same classmates who made me feel like dirt before started warming up to me again. Some tried to play nice. Some asked questions. But I hadn't forgotten.
That day we saw those adults, all of us were there. All of us saw it. But I was the only one who got punished. They laughed with me then, but they abandoned me when I needed them most.
So now I gave them a dose of that same silence.
I reminded them that I was going where they could never dream of going. Not knowing that I was the one walking straight into a nightmare.
At home, my parents started acting weird too. My mother no longer shouted as much. My father avoided eye contact. It was like they were counting the days until I left.
They acted like I was a load they couldn't wait to drop.
Finally, the school term ended.
A call came in. Mr. Benny was ready. One week later, he arrived.
I had packed earlier. I was ready. We left that same day. No hugs. No drama. I didn't even look back properly. I wanted to forget that place.
The car ride was silent. Mr. Benny wasn't chatty. He just drove, occasionally asking if I was okay or hungry.
I lied and said yes, even though I wasn't.
POV: Why does the road to freedom feel so cold?
I watched the trees blur past as we left town. I closed my eyes and imagined what my new life would look like. Fancy school. Clean uniforms. Respect. A chance to be someone.
But something in me kept shaking. Not fear. Not anxiety. Just something I couldn't name.
That night, we arrived at a new town. It wasn't what I expected. It was quiet. Darker than ours. The air smelled different.
When we arrived, I was expecting something grand. Maybe tall gates or shiny floors. But it wasn't that. It was a simple, quiet house. Clean. Calm. Almost too calm.
I stood outside for a while before following Uncle Benny in. His son went straight to his room without a word. No hello, no welcome. Just gone.
Come in, my dear, Uncle Benny said warmly. Your room is here.
Your room.
Those words are different.
In my entire life, I had never had a room to myself. Never a space that belonged to me and no one else. The door creaked gently as he opened it. A small bed. A shelf. A curtain that danced slightly from the window breeze. Nothing fancy but to me, it was a palace.
I stood there, looking around like I had entered someone else's dream.
You can rest. You must be tired, he said and left.
I sat on the soft bed.
I looked at the wall. Blank.
I placed my bag beside me and just breathed.
For the first time in forever, the air didn't feel heavy. There was no shouting outside the window, no cousin barging in, no baby crying. No chores calling. Just quiet.
POV: What do you do when life suddenly stops shouting?
You listen to the silence and it listens back.
I ran my fingers on the shelf and laughed softly to myself.
This is mine, I whispered. This is actually mine.
But that excitement slowly folded into stillness.
The house was too quiet. Uncle Benny didn't speak much. His son moved like a ghost present, but untouchable. I tried greeting him again later in the evening, but he just nodded and walked past.
At dinner, Uncle Benny served me himself. Not plenty, but warm. I muttered a thank you and ate slowly, listening to the sound of the spoon touch the plate.
He asked if I was comfortable.
I said yes.
Then silence returned like a loyal dog.
No questions. No interrogation. Just… space.
I should have been happy.
I was.
But something about this peace made me feel like I was floating in the middle of a wide river. No boat. No oar. Just floating. For a girl who grew up running around noise, the stillness felt like something I had to earn.
That night, I lay on my bed! my bed and stared at the ceiling.
I imagined my old town already forgetting me.
I imagined my siblings laughing at something silly.
I imagined my mother doing chores, not even noticing I was gone.
POV: Was I even missed?
Or did I just disappear like a shadow after sunset?
I didn't know.
I pulled the blanket over my shoulder and closed my eyes.
It smelled like nothing. It smelled like new.
A quiet new thing. And for now, I let it hold me.
Even if I didn't know what tomorrow would bring.
This was the beginning of something else.
Had I known...
I would have begged to stay back in that boring town.