Cold Knap Lake

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Lottie Watkinson

Cold Knap Lake

          Shakira closed her eyes firmly as her mother brutally abused her yet again leaving extreme bruising on her arms and legs.

       “Why do you do this to me Shakira? Why” screamed her mother as she smacked her colourless worried looking face.

       “What am I exactly doing to you? You assault me for zilch and you’re asking me why I do this to you” thought Shakira obviously in her head, if she would have said that aloud she would be lying next to her  in the alleged back garden. Now a coward you think she is? No, yet a young suffering victim being intimidated by her own mother.

          Her mother hadn’t always been aggressive; she used to be the dream mother, always spoiling her only child, laughing and joking yet now the only time she laughs and jokes is when she’s striking the sense out of her only family around her. This all started when Shakira’s father died of heart disease leaving her mother to take care of Shakira and her unborn sister. Her mother started to consume too much alcohol, well over the quantity you should especially when you are pregnant and also refused to go to her pregnancy check ups which was definitely not like her, she was always keen to go and find out how her baby’s progress was going but although she never seemed to attend these, she did on this particular appointment and that’s when Shakira’s life changed, for the worsted.

       “Mrs Savani, please sit down”

       “Why? What’s the matter? What has happened” shouted Brianna - Shakira’s mother. The nurse never replied, she was trying to figure out a way of telling her.

       “TELL ME NOW!”

       “I’m really sorry to tell you this but...” the nurse bent her head

       “But what?”

       “Your baby is dead”

Brianna’s jaw hit the floor; silent tears began trickling down her rose-coloured cheeks while her faultless make up smudged across her eyes as she tried to wipe the tears away.

       “I need to ask you something” the nurse said putting her arm around Brianna.

       “What?”

       “Did you consume any amount of alcohol during your        

       pregnancy?”.

Brianna realised that she had killed her baby, her unborn bundle of joy, her flesh and blood and her happiness.

       “Oh I’ve been stupid. Why did I do it?” sobbed Brianna trying to get her words out.

       “That’s why you’re baby is dead Mrs Savani, we think that too much alcohol entered in the baby’s bloodstream”

       “My husband died, I needed something to comfort me, and I

       didn’t think” cried Brianna “It can’t be dead, it just can’t be”

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        “There was no heartbeat, it’s definitely dead Mrs Savani, I’m

       sorry”

        “No” screamed Brianna

        “I’ll leave you alone for a few minutes”.

          Shakira waited outside school anxiously for her mother to collect her not knowing that she had taken a detour to the local off license and had no intension of picking her up.

       “Mum, where were you? I was waiting outside the school gate for

       2 hours. 2 whole hours mum! So ...

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