"Get out of bed girl." My father bellowed in his usual gruff way. He never addressed me by my name, so I had to ask the question, why did he even bother naming me in the first place? Pa would always called Daisy and Lily by there names, and sometimes even Josh, but never me. I often wondered if he even knew my name.
"You call this a bed?" I mumbled referring to this quilt that spread out on the hardwood floor for me to sleep in every night. Lately since I knew any day I would be leaving I didn't offer Pa the respect he believed he deserved.
"What did you say?" He raged, "Just who do you think your talking to?" He came further into the room that my siblings and I shared. I looked around fearfully; my sisters and brother were nowhere to be seen. Oh God, I thought, I'm alone and I've managed to flare my father's temper.
"Nothing." I answered in a week child's voice.
'The hell it wasn't! You've been nothing but a pest these days. Your turning away from God and I know just the way to bring you back!" He large feet stomped across the floor I still laid upon, I could feel the vibrations causing my body to tremble. This wasn't the first time Pa had decided I should turn back to God. But luckily on past occasions I had always managed to fight myself free. But then again, on past occasions I wasn't lying on the floor.
My father took no time hesitating to catch me while I was still filled with fatigue, he seized me by my long dark red hair and dragged me out of my room. I tried to follow behind as fast as I could because fighting him off just made the whole experience more painful. But it seemed no matter how fast I followed; the more he would tug me along to go faster. The pain was excruciating, tears burned my eyelids but I kept them hidden from my father as best as I could.
We went down the hall, through the kitchen, into the living room and out the front door. But not before my brother caught a glance of what was happening, he was outside on our front yard cutting firewood. Pa paid no attention to him as we went into the woods. I got so scared, where was he taking me? Why were Josh's eyes so filled with fear when he saw Pa ruthlessly pulling me into the woods? Questions after questions filled my mind and filled me with paranoid thought. Was he going to kill me?
I couldn't follow his like a lap dog into my death, I had to fight back—even he is stronger. Violently I shook my head, trying to back him release my hair. I let out loud screams, screams I didn't even recognize as my own. I sounded so frantic; surely anyone thought heard must have thought I was insane. I started whipping my arms around at Pa to try to inflict any damage possible. But my small fists were merely an annoyance that just made his job harder. I could see and feel my hair being pulled out as I so viciously swayed my head. But Pa just kept moving.
Finally when I thought it would never end he let go of whatever hair he still had in his grasp and picked my up into his massive arms. Then he threw me! He threw me so far, it was as if I were a child. But with his through came aim, I went flying into the swimming hole. It wasn't our swimming hole, but Mr. Ferguson's our next-door neighbour. And since we didn't have a swimming hole of our own, I had no idea how to swim.
Before I went under I tried to take a deep breath, but I was unsuccessful and drank in water. With the force of Pa's through I went straight to the bottom. I tried kicking my arms and legs around like I had see other people doing, but it was no use. Gosh, I never knew this water was so deep. I couldn't even see the top. I couldn't hold my breath, so I started to exhale and with that naturally I inhaled. Big mistake. I was coughing and choking and in the process I just drank in more water. I'm going to die, I thought. I'm going to die before my life even starts! Everything was starting to look blurred. Red bubbles were everywhere, why would there be red bubbles? I look around but the bubbles followed my vision. I was seeing bubbles!
Suddenly two strong arms were and pulling me up to the surface. I wouldn't make it up there, it was to far and the bubbles were growing. I passed out right before we hit the air.
I heard many times before that when someone dies they see a white light, I suppose it was there to represent heaven and it's holiness. However, I didn't believe in heaven and I didn't see any white lights. Instead I saw darkness and heard awful screeching noises, it felt as if someone was tearing through my mind, everything was so unclear. For a moment I believed this was the after-life. I believed that my spirit had left my body and now I was going to go on like this. How scared I was at that moment.
Beyond the horrible shrieks I could hear someone calling my name, it was very faint, but nevertheless I could hear it. I strained my hearing further and the voice became louder. Easily I could tell that it was my brother, Josh. He sounded so desperetly worried. I tried harder to bring myself back to him. Soon enough I could fell his arms on my shoulders, shaking me frantically. And with one last gust of effort I brought myself back into the world I so much despised. I began a chocking spasm and couldn't seem to keep my body from trembling.
Josh performed the Heimlich Manoeuvre that he had learned in grade nine gym class, water trickled down my chin and finally I as fine. Actually, saying I was fine was an exaggeration. I was far from fine—for heaven's sake my father had just tried to kill me! And for what? I vowed to myself that I'd never disobey him again, but I had made those vows many times before and I always ended up back in this situation. Fearfully, I glanced around for any signs of Pa.
"Pa left right after he threw you into the water." Josh answered my silent questions.
"What? But… but he knew I couldn't swim, I would have died if you didn't save me! Josh, he's never tried to kill me before. Sure, I've got beatings but that was it!" I cried.
"I know, all the more reason to leave this place Brooke Lynne," He mumbled. I smiled at him, he was the only one who dared to call me Brooke Lynne, and I loved him all the more for it.
