Ever since I can remember Ma and Pa have been calling me Skunk. They do that cause of the fact that I have dark thin hair, but on the top of the pile of mess, from the back of my head to my bangs, there is a light brown stripe. Also cause of the fact they don't let me wash much, and I wear the same clothes everyday, I tend to smell like one. Ma says I'm also as ugly as one.

"Skunk wake up!" I can hear them screaming my name again.

I don't even remember the name I was born with.

The summer had died and the fall was coming. Pa had told me to do double my work, because he wanted to relax for the end of summer, but the same amount of job still had to be done.

At first it hurts, just like the other years Pa's done this to me. But my muscles and bones get used to the work and I continue on, like a soulless worker. Continuing to do as I am told.

I'm almost done pulling out all the weeds around the house. Ma gives me stuff to lay down after I'ma done pulling them. I don't know what's in this stuff but I can give it to Ma, it sure works. Them weeds don't come back till the start of the new summer. I wonder if Ma comes out when the house is asleep and take Old Lucky and forces them weeds to not show their faces around here. I don't think I'll ever know.

The sun is starting to set and I'm good done. It feels wonderful to finally be able to stand up and look out at the clean farm. To know that I helped clear it up, but at the same time, it's sad to know that next year; it'll be the same as before.

I take a few steps up the small flight of stairs into the porch and I can hear him. Pa's been drinking and he's rambling about how the country is cheating him. I slowly open the door, yet it still makes a creak, and both Ma and Pa's attention are dragged towards it as I step into the house.

"Wat yu duin 'n here boy?" Pa asks.

I point towards the door, trying to make him understand that I am done with the yard. He comes over to inspect it for himself and lets out a belch. He turns towards me, and I can see the bit of drool he must of belched up, but is to drunk to notice.

"Bettr t'en last year, but boy yu bettr git it more clean," I can tell he is trying to hit me for not completely doing the job as he asked, but he is so drunk he stumbles on his own feet and almost falls.

I try to catch him, but the fact I'm helping him seems to make him more angry than if he had just fallin flat on his face. He regains his balance and tries to hit me across the face. But, his movements are too slow and uncoordinated, and for some reason my body acted on its own. I blocked his hit.

Pa is shocked, and lets his hand down. He walks away into the other room where he begins to yell at Ma. I'm to scared of what I just started, and I forget to listen to what he is saying. I'm so scared I don't hear him walking up behind me.

Suddenly my eyes go black and I feel myself falling to the floor. I can hear Ma yelling and I can feel broken glass around my face and back. Ma's yelling gets slower and quieter and the small amount of pain I feel begins to go away. Is this what it is like to die?

"Skunk"

"Yes Ma?"

"Do you know why you are here with us?"

"Cause you are my parents."

"No boy, we aint your real Ma and Pa. We are just looking after you."

"I don't understand Ma."

"Hush boy and let me talk or Ma will smack you upside yur head. Me and Pa never had have the ability to have a child of our own. A long time ago, when we, yur Pa and me, were 'n t'e shop area, outside 'n t'e alley, there were this crazy young girl. She had a child and asked us to buy it off 'er so that she could buy some drugs and alcohol.

"We felt sorry for the bitch so we gave her all we had, twelve dollars, and took you home with us. I'ma just tellin yu this boy, because we stuck our necks out far fer yu. If we hadn't a taken yu, yu probably would have 'nded up where are all of them children go where, when dey don't have a Ma or Pa."

"Where is that Ma?"

"Is a horrible place were children are slowly put to death if they aren't picked up by the next family that shows up there. If yu think yu gawt it bad here boy, then try livin there. We did yu a hell of a god-damn favor, so do as we tell yu, all the time, and we will keep you from goin there, ever."

"I love you Ma."

Two years later I lost my ability to talk.

I can see it. The factory where the children are sent if they don't have a family to love them. There are big black gates on the outside the factory that stretch up as high as the eyes can see. Once you go in there is no getting out without being allowed out.

Inside is a dirty old building were countless children sit. During the night they all sleep head to toe from another on a hard ground were the rats laugh at them more than they laugh at me. During the day they sit on a machine that slowly sucks out their life. It makes a sound more horrible than Ma's screams and yellings. All the while they are slowly dyeing they are put on display for other families to see and laugh at. Or fell pity and maybe the family will take that boy or girl home.

The sun never shines there, the stars never dance. It's just dark, cold and lonely, with constant rainfall.

Wait…

I can feel the rain; this part isn't in my head. I can feel the cold hard rain falling on my body.

Faster than I realize I'm thrown back to reality. Coughing and spitting up drying blood. The rain is falling harder on me than a second ago. Washing the blood out of my hair and trying on my clothes, but its already soaked in.

My eyes begin to focus after a while, and my head begins to stop hurting so much. Once my eyes are focused to a good enough state, I look around. I'm laying in a small pool of my own blood right outside the front door in the mud. I must a been here for a while, cause I don't remember any clouds in the sky when I went in.

I can hear Ma still screaming at Pa. Not for hitting me in the head, but for hitting me in the head with one of her favorite pitchers. The one she got from her mother, and she was going to pass down to the little girl she sees at the grocery store on some days.

Pa doesn't care at all, he has most likely drinkin a lot since he hit me and has probably tuned her out. I begin to be able to start feeling my legs and slowly limp back over towards the door. I try to turn the handle but it's locked.

Ma and Pa are already caught up in their fight and having love on the couch. I don't know what to do. I can't get in from my roof since the last time I got locked out. All options are gone and I begin to bang on the door, but every time I hit the door, a loud crack of thunder hits above my head and my plea is lost in the sound.

I'll have to sleep in the shed for tonight. It's not so bad. It leaks a little but other than that it is the shelter that I can use to survive this night.

Just as I turn around and am about to head for the shed, I start to feel this funny sensation in my chest. My eyes are attracted to the dirt road that leads out to the unknown area. I know I shouldn't but my feet won't stop moving off in the direction.

After a while of walking, I was stopped by another dirt road that ran perpendicular through the one I was following. Now there was two directions I could go. Slowly I looked behind me; I could see a light coming from the house. It wasn't as far away as it seemed.

The rain continued to pour on me, but my mind raced with various questions of what I should do now. After a small moment a bright light began to flash down from the road. The light became brighter and brighter. I could see the body of the car as it drove past me. I stared at it, as fast as I could, and when I looked at the passenger timed seemed to stop. There was a woman, much more beautiful than Ma sitting in its seat. She had brown hair and wore glasses. She looked at me and a pain shot up my spin.

Just as fast as the car came, it was gone. I turned around and headed for the shed.