Role

Chapter 1

A cold chill runs down my spine as my hands gently make contact with the
dark and damp cellar wall. My naked body trembles as beads of sweat run
furiously down my youthful face. To help with the pain, my father
offers two tiny bits of sulfuric rock to bite down on. Perhaps the rocks
offered some stress release but its greater benefit was the distraction
of its awful taste.

In the background, my mother's whimpering rings against
the walls of this hollow cave. The scraping sound of my father's whip
being dragged across the cold rock floor sends my body into a neurotic
state. With my bare back faced to him, he exclaims: "You are a Furystone,
son, your mischief and humor have no place in this family".

With a snap of his wrist the wicked tail of his whip pierces through my trapezius,
exposing bone in the process. I dropped to the floor in excruciating pain
as I attempted to hold back the tears. I looked up at my father, spit out
the sulfuric rock, gave him a sly smile and replied: "Would you like these
foul rocks as a memento?" Unamused, he muttered under his breath and walked
away as my mother rushed over to me.

"It will be okay" she whispered. My mother handed me a intricately crafted
stone rose. "Here, keep this by your side and let it remind you of beauty
in the most vile of times". She was always the compassionate and loving
parent yet it never stopped my father from his cruel punishments.

I looked up towards my mother's watery eyes, smiled at her, and whispered
"Perhaps next time I can parry his whip with this exquisite tiny rose".
We both laughed as she began lulling me into a deep sleep.