Page 46 of Poetry of Flowers

“Then like what?”

“You have to tell him that his Mama loves him when I leave and be there for him.” Her hand ruffles through my hair, it’s so cold it almost feels like she just tipped her hand in ice water.

“Where are you going, and when are you coming back? You know Dad is bad at cooking. We need you, Mama.” A giggle escapes me, I don’t like being mean to Dad, but his cooking skills are really questionable.

“I’m not coming back.”

“But you’re always coming back, stop scaring me, Mama.” Water dripped down my arm and it was ice cold, when I looked down Mama’s hand was blue, and she was dripping water everywhere.

“You’re wet.”

Suddenly she grabs my chin roughly and I flinch.

She’s hurting me.

“Mama, stop, your nails hurt.” I cried out, but she just stared at me, her brown eyes going white and blurry.

“You’re a crybaby, Matilda! A pathetic little crybaby who can’t even go through a single day without tears!”

My face was all wet as she was screaming at me.

This isn’t my Mama; this can’t be my Mama.

She would never say this.

“And there it is again, Matilda the stupid crybaby!” She starts yanking on my hair, and I scream in fear and pain.

Why was she doing this to me?

“Mama, stop!”

My socks turn cold and wet. Water is coming in through the windows.

What is happening?

Mama lets go of me, her skin completely white just like her eyes, she looks like a ghost.

This isn’t my Mama.

I want this to stop.

Stop! stop! stop!

“No one is ever going to love you, don’t you see it, Matilda? You’re rotten from the inside out!”

Her voice goes soft again with a smile that only makes me cry harder.

She scares me.

The water is rising. It’s up to my shoulders already. We’re going to drown... we’re going to die!

It’s so dark.

It’s so scary.

STOP!

When I woke up with a jolt, I almost fell face first on the seats in front of me.

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