Vulnerability by Eimy Gonzalez
We were alone. Unconsciously, still in my sleep, I heard the slam of the front door. We were alone, and I was terrified. Slowly, I dragged myself from the covers of my bed. I moved so patiently that I was not sure if I was moving at all. I knew that eventually, I would have to face what was out there. I did. I opened the door quickly. There she was, clearly eavesdropping on my awakening. Her eyes were like glass. She gave a long tight squeeze, her sour smell intoxicating my lungs. I needed to get out, I thought. Instead, I gently pushed her away and closed the door behind me after entering the living room. I tried to push my heavy thoughts away and get lost watching something, anything. The voices were so loud. I could not hear them, but I know she did, as she clumsily turned the house upside down in search of something. I was so nervous; I couldn’t help it. The voices that lived in her head were suffocating me, too. I gained nothing from watching cartoons; I was still swallowed in fear. Still, I hoped. I heard the clicking sound of a door closing. I ran to the window and saw her cross the lawn to the neighbor’s house. I jumped! I went in search of her phone. Time was running out, and once I found it, I dialed the only number I knew. No one answered. I was so terribly alone. I left a desperate voicemail and hung up immediately, just as the front door was pulled open. Her footsteps were harsh, and her breathing was heavy. She was like a ghost, passing through and shutting herself in her room. - 11 -
