Author's Note : This was written in the begining of the year 2005. I really like this one. ) Hope you all like it too. (written in 50 minutes)

The Blackened Soul

(Her - Present)

‘Get away from me! You filthy piece of trash!’

She stared bewilderedly at the woman who bore her before she was born, the woman who had solely raised her- her mother. It wasn’t the first time her mother said that. No, it happened so often that she, herself lost count, and other times, it was much worse. It was too much, she had her limits. The last time, she was on the verge of breaking down, and now…

‘I’m your flesh and blood, mother. Does that mean of nothing to you?’

The drunken woman waved her hand and dismissed the question as she made her way across the room and up the staircase. The girl cried and screamed in agony. She furiously banged her hands on the floor; she dug her nails into the couch and made a huge tear. She looked at her hands- blood. Fresh red blood. No, she felt no pain, she was in anguish.

Her soul leaked,

Her soul cracked,

And then it turned black.

She started to laugh hysterically, manically…

‘Who bloody cares anymore, damn it?!’

She glanced at her hands again. Blood- and went on laughing. Perhaps it was the irony in her sentence that she found funny or maybe she had just gone crazy over much sadness and pain, but whatever it was, she was not sane anymore. Then again, perhaps she never was to begin with. Perhaps she never was…

--------------------------------------

(Her Mother - Past)

‘Why are you sleeping around with other women? Aren’t I good enough for you? Aren’t I enough to fulfill your needs? What more do you want from me? What more do you ask from me? What is it? Tell me and I’ll give it to you. Just say the word! Don’t leave me, please, don’t leave...’

Sofia fell to the floor and started sobbing. She grabbed onto her husbands raincoat and tugged him back into the house. Her husband gave her a cold stare. His heart was made of stone. He was a good-looking fellow. Oh yes he was. Dark black hair, always combed back in the same style, thick eyebrows, dark green eyes... Dark. Dark. He was a mean man. He was a terrible man. He kicked her head with his boots on, resulting her to bleed. It was apparent that she couldn’t bear the pain, for she let go of him and started screaming bloody murder.

‘Fine. Good riddance to you too.’ She yelled. But her watery eyes stated different.

The door slammed shut. It wasn’t the same since.

--------------------------------------

(Her - Present)

Rain.

Sweet, sweet rain.

Pure, demure rain.

Pitter, patter,

With no care of the world.

Wish it could cleanse my soul.

Wash away the pain.

Take away my memories.

The rain was making abstract art on her window sill. She used her finger to toy with the water. The water turned red and she wiped her hands on her torn dress once more.

‘Wash away the blood, oh, wash away the blood. Clean my hands and take away my pain.....’

She sang. A song and a melody she produced there and then. She smiled.

--------------------------------------

(Past. Both.)

‘Where’s father?’

She started hitting her mercilessly. First with her bare hands, and next with a hanger lying on the bed. Then, her husbands’ belt. The little girl cried and pleaded for her mother to stop. She didn’t know why her mother was behaving that way, but the rate it was going, she wasn’t even sure if she would be able to make it to see the light of day anymore. Her mother turned a deaf ear to her pleads and went on whipping her till red marks were seen on her back, till blood started splashing out of her back, till her skin tore. She just went on slashing the back of her daughter. Sooner or later, her daughter fainted.

Her mother was satisfied, a grin spread across her no longer angelic nor pretty but demonic face. After a while, terror stroke her. She turned to face her fainted daughter…

‘What have I done?’

She carried her daughter and ran to the nearby hospital.

‘Save her….please….save my precious jewel. Save her….’

--------------------------------------

(Her – Present)

Happiness did not exist.

Not to her it didn’t.

Not after her father left it didn’t.

It was 2 years ago, and her mother still can’t face it. Everyday she receives her beating. It was what her mother called ‘punishment’ for having any resemblance to how her father looked like.

When all hope dies.

And god fails you.

No one can blame her for having a blackened soul.

--------------------------------------

(Her Mother – Past)

‘Your daughter is alive, miss. But who gave her such severe beating? Was it the father?’

Her mother couldn’t help but break down into sobs.

‘Of course it was the father. Who else could it have been? I tried to stop the damned bastard, but he just wouldn’t.’

The doctor took at look at the damage her husband had caused on her head and nodded understandingly.

‘That brute doesn’t deserve to live. May he burn in the flames of hell.’

The doctor bandaged her head and let her take a look of her ‘precious jewel’- me.

Emerald eyes like his.

Dark hair of his.

She was nice the next day, but on the third day, the beating started once more. One would think I would grow use to it. But pain is not something one can get used to. Not only physical pain, but mental pain too. Its not my fault I have his eyes. Its not my fault I have his hair colour.

--------------------------------------

(Her – Present)

No one cared for her tears.

Her soul couldn’t mend.

She stood on top of the house and jumped.

She fell.

And just kept on falling.

For the rest of eternity.

--------------------------------------

(Her Mother)

Her mother woke up the next morning, only to find her daughter now dead. Her daughter, despite her ugly and squashed appearance, was smiling. Perhaps she now found peace. Her mother stepped on her daughter’s body and walked across the lawn with her stilettos. She couldn’t care less, and besides, she was running late for work.

The blackened soul.

Left alone.

Left to rot.

It wasn’t so bad.

The end is not necessarily the end.

It might just be the beginning.

The beginning of life in death for the blackened soul.

--------------------------------------