Today is my birthday! I'm so happy to celebrate it with Mama Africa and Togo, my baby sister. "Mama Africa, guess what today is!?" I say with my golden eyes wide with pure joy. Instead of cornbread and fruit with a happy hug, I see a blond man with HUGE eyebrows, who
I assume is Uncle England.
"Cool, you got England to come, it is my 150th after all," Nothing but Mama and England's straight faces return my smile.
"What's going on?" I ask, frightened.
"Ghana, as you know you are 150 years old, and now you're going to live with Mr. England's house, ok?" says Mama, tears welling up.
England stands up, softly smiles and says "Come my golden princess, to my house!" He tries to pick me up, but I shake my head, slowly turning to make a run for it. I don't get very far before I'm picked up by him, who out of fear and sheer determination of reaching my only goal of escaping, I bite him.
"Ow! Hey that stings!" he exclaims I manage to escape his grasp and run a little more. He tries again but this time I can't escape his grasp!
"NOOOOO!," I scream, kicking and squirming to try to escape his grasp "Mama Africa, MAMA! Put me down, swine!" I say, still kicking and squirming "I'LL KILL YOU!"
Mr. England chuckles nervously and says "Calm down love, it'll be alright, my house is fun!" I stop wailing for a second, slowly removing my flip flop as he coos "There, there it's all right, little poppet!"
All of a sudden through the quiet, a loud 'SMACK!' fills the air, as well as an even louder 'OW!'. I hop out of his arms and finally get far enough to start crying about where I go from here. Normally I love to hang out with him, but LIVE with him! I know what happened to my siblings. Maybe I can make it to Nigeria's house, with the adrenaline I have, it actually seems possible. I keep running, but with the blazing african sun and my adrenaline wearing into exhaustion, I feel dizzy and the last thing I feel is someone picking me up.
Time skip brought to you buy fairies~
After passing out from exhaustion and heat, I wake up and feel a comfortable mattress under me and a cool washcloth on my head. "Where am I? This doesn't look like Mama's house…" I think to myself. Everything's a blur, but I keep trying to sit up only to be pushed down again gently. As my vision clears, the force keeping me down is England. Hatred immediately floods my soul.
"You took me from my home, kidnapped me." Each word I spit at then is soaked in disdain "How dare you..." I'm cut off by a sharp pang of pain in my head, as a chill racks my body.
"I'm truly sorry, but you passed out from heat and exhaustion, and I wanted to help you." England reasons.
"Then why didn't you just take me the 10 minute walk home, instead of all the way here?!" is my rebuttal.
"Okay fair, but still." England says.
Though I should be grateful he took me here and cared for me, I'm all the angrier. His attempt to take me away caused this pain. Before I can tell him off, a wave of nausea hits me, and I race to the bathroom and empty all the food I once owned. I feel a soft hand rubbing pacifying circles on my back, muttering something of not knowing nausea was one of the symptoms.
As the vomiting turns to dry heaving and the dry heaving turned to coughing and the coughing turned to hiccuping, I shiver and pant against the wall letting out an occasional low moan of pain thinking "Of course today is the day I vomit first." "How dare he RUIN MY BIRTHDAY!" I think as I start to doze off, only to wake up on a big, soft pillowy bed. I sigh as I was finally alone "This means war." I growl, plotting my next escape.
When I wake up in the morning, there is a note and tea. Curious I finish the tea and open the note. It reads:
Dear Golden Princess,
I know we don't see eye to eye and you only want to be with your family. I, England, only want to protect you. Naturally you are rich in resources and culture, yet you were unprotected from raiders and barbarians. I will do everything I can to make you happy, and welcome to England.
Signed,
England
I smiled and chuckle. Maybe he's not the kidnapping monster that I thought he was. "At least I only feel a little wobbly compared to yesterday," Yesterday I was practically immobile because of the pain. At least I can carefully walk now. Yaaaay.
"Damn," I silently curse "How will I ever escape back to Africa if I can't even run?" Nothing to do now but see what he's doing.
As I carefully make my way to the stairwell, I hear something that makes me want to clobber him and run. His boss asks him "So, how should we split her resources?" I can't believe it, I gather all the worst insults I know and make my presence known.
"YOU LYING, CHEATING BASTARD SCUM OF THE EARTH JERK!"
They both look on in shock as Britain gasps "I SWEAR IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"
"Oh! I must of misthought you lied about protecting me and wanting to split MY resources. NOW I see!" I say bitterly "Cut the crap, Britain!"
Tears start welling in my eyes. How could I be so naive and believe what he said for even a single minute? Pure fury is all that in my soul now. My body doesn't feel wobbly anymore, as its only goal is to run, and damn I'm fast! I zoom by jerk Britain and his boss and am now in front of all of London.
Step one: I ask a random person where the airport is and go from there. Step two: Buy a one-way ticket back to Ghana. Step three: Fly back to Ghana. Pretty simple plan, right?
But my real step one is get ten feet out of the house, then have my body feel twice as bad as before, pass out, awaken back in bed with one Britain by my side.
Damn him!
I keep struggling to get out until he simply says "Stop." Pure disgust graces my features as I grumble.
"You dog." I angrily spit.
"Ghana, I promise it's for your own good," England starts before I make my sour comeback.
"Oh! So stealing my resources and keeping me here against my will, which is being held hostage nonetheless is for my own good? Now I see, crystal clear!"
"Okay for the record, I'm not a kidnapper and you're not a hostage, and your first statement is false." he rebuttals
"Well then, I misheard your boss asking to split MY personal resources!" I spit angrily. Tears well up in my eyes as I whimper "I just want to go home!" I look up and sniffle "Please."
He looks at me sadly "I'm sorry my golden princess, but no."
I glare at him and say "Then burn in HELL for all I care." He once again tries to 'explain how it was all a misunderstanding', but I'm tired of this.
"Leave." I mutter.
He stops and turn as he says "Speak up, poppet, we couldn't hear you."
"LEAVE!" I scream throwing random items in my reach "GET OUT NOW!"
Silently he sadly walks out of the room and closes my door as I cry into a pillow. How will I ever get out of this one? After thinking it over, with hope for change in my heart, I write a letter, which may just work:
Dear Big Eyebrow Bastard,
Maybe I have been a bit unfair. I don't hate you. I really don't. I just miss my homeland. If I stop running away please comply with my demands, er, suggestions. 1. I get to go back to Ghana for the summer 2. I get to cook for myself. Always.
Signed,
Ghana
P.s: Get used to me calling your the name I addressed this letter to :)
I look at, smile, and think "Maybe this is a new start. Worth a shot."
I attach a small rock to make it fall quicker and walk to the stairs. Before I drop it, I shake my head and run back to my room. "No," I think to myself. "This is what he wants, for me to give in!" I convince myself as I crumple up the letter and plan my next escape.
I've got it! I'll write a letter and mail Mama Africa the money for two one way plane tickets to Ghana. As I deliver the letter, I feel the slightest tinge of regret, but just I brush it off as anxiety.
Four days later... No signs of Iggy anywhere.
I hop out of the window and sprint to the nearest person I see. "Sir, do you know where the nearest airport is?"
"Yes, it's just up ahead."
"Thank you!" I say in the distance, as I started running the second he told it's up ahead.
Mama almost looks like a vision. As I come closer, I see all that I missed on me birthday: cornbread, fruit, and my mama with open arms. Tears well up in my eyes as I exclaim "MAMA! Mama I missed you so much! Come on, I gave you the money for two one way tickets back to Ghana!"
I see an apologetic smile graces her features "This is for your own good."
Odd, why would she... oh.
Behind her steps Bushy Eyebrowed Bastard, almost smirking "Come along, my golden princess," He smiles "To my house."
I back away slowly and shake my head as my tears of joy turn into hurt. I'm almost speechless, but I manage to whisper "How could you?" She tries to hug me, but I shake out of her grasp.
The sound of thunder fills the air as I try to run but find myself trapped. Bested. Defeated. I don't run away. Where would I go? It's London, not Ghana. The rain starts to pour as do my tears as I see Mama walk away, and an umbrella is offered to me. I shoot him a glare that I feel deeply disturbs him.
Then I chuckle.
"Is this a joke?"
He looks around confused as I descend into a mix of mad laughter and sobs.
"This has to be a joke. You abduct me from my home, keep me as a hostage and turn my own mother against me, and then you have the nerve, no the guts, no the audacity to offer me an umbrella like we're at the end of a romance novel." I chuckled, full of a confusing bubbling mix of depression, blinding fury, defeat, and awe.
England speaks up "I can explain-" "You can shut the hell up is what you can do, Britain," I interrupt before I'm consumed in emotion.
"HOW DARE YOU ABDUCT ME, KEEP ME HOSTAGE, AND TURN MY OWN MOTHER ON YOUR SIDE YOU, YOU, YOU SCUM OF THE EARTH BASTARD," I feel like all of London is watching us but I don't care. Before I can finish, sadness is all I have left as I break down, crying.
He just stands there, awkwardly staring at me.
"I HATE YOU, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING PIRATE!" "I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU! I-I-I-I just wanna go home..." I whisper.
As exhaustion fills my body and my screams turn into sobs, he gently picks me up to bring me home, his home.
I don't fight him, he's won.
As he picks me up, I actually snuggle closer. He's dry and warm, and all the energy I once had was wasted screaming at him is far gone, and I am now shivering from the rain.
I finally see what we truly are: an scared, rough young country and a caring guardian.
I sigh and finally let down my walls "I don't hate you, I'm just so scared and I want Mama," I weep. "I've watched all my brothers and sisters are taken away, robbed of their resources and left to fend for themselves," I cry more. "They almost never come back as healthy, and if they do, they're so broken. They all left at 150, so when you came on my birthday, all I could think of was how they essentially raped of their resources. I just want freedom."
He looks down at me with a mix of sympathy and protectiveness. "Ghana, the last thing we want to do is rob you of your resources. I only want to protect you, all right?"
I look up and see we're in a cab. My face has been buried in his uniform so long that I didn't even know we got into a car. "Now when we get home, since you feel so passionately about this, I'll sign the letter you dropped on your floor." He and I smile.
"Here we are!" says the cab driver as we get off and wave goodbye as he drives away.
"You know Ghana, your mother left you something for your birthday."
My golden eyes widened "Really?"
"In fact here it is!" He says pulling out my sleeping kente cloth. My smile widens as I hug it so tight.
"May I see it?" Bushy Eyebrowed Bastard says gently reaching for it. I back away and growl and he steps back raising his arms in submission.
"Sorry, force of habit," I say handing it to him "Wow it's beautiful, who made it?"
A tear flows down my cheek "Niger, before they-they,"
Before I can finish, England says "If it truly hurts you to say it, don't."
I give him a grateful nod and stay silent as he signs the paper. I smile a genuine smile and hug him as I whisper "Thanks, Daddy." He gives me shocked yet happy look before he hugs me and says "Goodnight my golden princess."