Reflection. She almost floated across the empty, box-like room. A cold shiver relentlessly weaved its way down Emmas spine as she ran her bony hand down the bleak wall.

Reflection

She almost floated across the empty, box-like room. A cold shiver relentlessly weaved its way down Emma’s spine as she ran her bony hand down the bleak wall. The fireplace glared at her – its mouth opened wide. The unfamiliar surroundings struck her as if forcing themselves against her weak body –engulfing her. A soft breeze seething its way into the room from the uneven cracks underneath the door meant that the desolate room of openness had become filled with the sigh of the wind. It was as if it was crying, almost howling for its voice to be heard.

The young girl slowly ebbed towards the corner of the room. Something had caught her eye – perhaps a sense of relief from the horrible imaginings that had been taking place the night before. She shook the disturbing thought from her head, turned to the mirror and gazed into the blankness. The reflection of an old withered plant squatting in the midst became apparent. The faint hint of colour brought a sense of calm about the room. However as she peered even closer, its branches and leaves had become warped – twisted with fear. It was as if this dying plant was desperately reaching out to her. A silent plea.

Emma looked down at the floor, at her old nightgown. Memories literally flooded her; memories of when she was a little girl and how she always used to wish for a way to escape her life. She saw memories of her drunken father - coming in the house late at night, only to hit her mother and make her cry; memories of the countless men who abused her - emotionally, physically, in every way imaginable; and a wave of realisation washed over her. "Nothing… I have nothing here…" Emma looked and turned away and shut out the painful memories, which ...

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Almost as soon as she thought things couldn’t get worse, the most terrifying sound rang in her ears. The sudden bolt of the bedroom door unlatching itself made her thin face grow pale. And then she saw him. It was at this point that her imaginings were in fact reality. Draped in a long black coat, stood a man – his eyes pierced her skin as he stared almost straight through her. His face – hidden by the dark layers of shadows – was square and pointed. He lurched forward and seemed to look straight past the young helpless girl. A tight knot in her throat almost strangled her. She screamed…but no sound escaped her lips…

At first she felt nothing, but then a surge of anger mixed with the overwhelming thoughts of humiliation swept through her body. Wispy tendrils of his hair, brushed against her face, causing her to shiver slightly. She could feel his garments moving against her thin nightgown. She remembered how the night before a gentle touch graced her forehead, a hand, and it moved down her face, tracing her eyes…her cheek…her mouth. She tried to pull away, as fear began to overwhelm her senses, but he refused to let her go. He pulled her closer to him and she could feel his warm breath on her face. A tingle, partly fear and partly excitement, shot through her and her heart skipped a beat, as his lips gently, but insistently pressed against her own. He wrapped his strong arms firmly around her body, holding her tightly to him.

Emma couldn’t stand it any longer. She pulled back fiercely and opened her eyes. The rest of which she could remember had become a distant blur. However, all she knew now was that she was back in that room. And the man which had done this to her was standing just a few feet across from her. Looking straight at him, she felt lost… confused… scared… but most of all, utterly alone.

He lifted his face, yet didn’t even batter an eyelid at the young girls presence. All this time, she had been terrified of him. Those strong powerful hands controlling her seemed to lose their strength. Yet now, in his own home, he did not even care. He showed no emotion in his blank face. Step by excruciating step Emma made her way towards the back door. Each second seemed to last a lifetime. Shadows crawled over her half-closed eyelids and a small tremor shook her body. She thought about her mother, holding bravely onto her own sense of pride.

In her frightened haze, she hardly noticed the light snow that had begun to fall outside. As she stepped onto the porch, the icy cold air graced her skin and she breathed deeply, inhaling the coolness of a winter’s morning on the breeze. To Emma, the cold was strangely comforting. When the snow and silver finally settled to the ground, two white doves - wings tipped with silver and eyes flashing, emerged and flew in a spiral towards the moonlit sky. Before fading from view, a bright glow began to surround their bodies and they disappeared in a blinding flash of light. Emma had gone.