I stood there in the dark,

There were the sounds of Tamu and Busara talking, but… I just couldn’t.

I was trapped here, stuck in some kind of “Time and space” tear. Forced to relive the worst parts of my damned existence as part of some kind of horrid test

I sat on the ground covering my head as the memory continued. Fully aware there was nothing I could do to stop what had already happened.

And to make matters worse, part of my own trauma.

Beast: “Viola, I beg you! Stop this! I just want to go back!”

“Back where.” An old raspy voice queried. The Nabagereka Mbwajike herself, Jjaja omukazzi Tia.

Out of pure reflex, I lunged at the root cause of my pain, completely forgetting the futility of the act. With a speed only gained from decades of using the Laughing Curse she instantly grew from her short decrypt form into a grey 3-metre titan and braced for my lung but, to her and Winda’s parent’s surprise, I simply passed through her and slammed into the wall. Which seemed to decide I was a physical object

Tia, in a more bestial voice: “Well I’ll be honest. I wasn’t expecting Winda’s curse to try that”

I got off the ground and growled at the Greying matriarch, annoyed that that one exchange made her so confident in her safety that she had already reverted to her deceptively old form.

“I. AM. NO. CURSE.” I spat “SHE. IS. NO. MONSTER.” I continued while pointing at the newly healed body of my younger self.

Tia:” Then Leave.”

I froze at that, confused at her demand

Tia:” Leave my grandchild’s body alone! You claim that you are no curse, that that beast is no monster but what else would you call a creature that plans to steal the very soul of a child!?!”

“But I don’t want that!” my past voice protested behind her “I want to go away from this horrible place, away from you horrible people. I want to-” Tia’s arm suddenly transformed and grabbed my younger self by her throat, choking her. “Stop it!” I begged but Tia just continued to stare at me “Leave my grandchild’s body.” she retorted, completely without emotion.

Beast: “Are you blind, you're killing her!”

Tamu: “Should we do-”

Busara ”Shut it. Trust in mother’s abilities, she knows what she’s doing”

Beast: “No she doesn’t! Tamu, Father! Please DO SOMETHING!”

But he simply stood there. For whatever reason only Tia and my younger self could hear me and Tia was actively choosing not to.

I started swinging my claws, snapping my jaws, doing anything and everything to get Jaja Tia to stop but I just kept passing through her, until.

Darkness.

Then. red… red everywhere.

I was still in the shack but everything was moving and laughing. Winda’s parents were nothing more than gyrating stick figures, speaking in an unintelligible language.

There were several flasks lying around the room, illegal drugs Tia supplied them to prevent my escape from their torment.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Every so often they would hit my younger self and the room would flash red and dull a little.

This would continue till it got too dark then a bright green light would fill the room and the process would restart. And throughout it all.

My younger self would simply laugh.

Endlessly laughing.

Horribly and mournfully laugh.

I was 11 when I found safety in madness.

I barely remembered 2 years of my torture after I came back around.

And now I know why.

My head began to hurt again…but this time….this time I welcomed it.

I desperately wanted this to end.

My surroundings went black and lit up again.

There I was. Finally free…but completely insane.

“13 years old and already outliving Mom and Dad” idly commented as I watched my younger self brutally devour Tamu and Busara’s corpses.

I don’t remember how I got out or how I managed to even kill them. Just their taste. Bittersweet.

I was free but broken. They got their fucking monster and I lost something important that day.

I approached my younger self, “What are you doing?” I asked solemnly

She froze then turned to look at me, tears in her eyes “I don’t know. Am I the monster?”

Then it all abruptly stopped and I felt a hand on both my shoulders, the silence of the void mercifully returning as my surroundings reverted to nothingness.

I broke down, tears running down my face but no sound leaving my maw.

“Sorry, we made you relive that.”

I tried to regain my composure, so I turned my trauma and pain into rage. Who were these gods to go poking around in my mind! Delving into my darkest moments for some stupid test.

I brushed off their arms.

I don’t care if they think it’s ‘not enough’ I’ve suffered long enough! I outlasted my tormentors! I KILLED THEM AND ATE THEIR BLOODY CORPSES LIKE THE MONSTER THEY THOUGHT I WAS! I FOUGHT TO LAST THIS LONG AND I’LL FIGHT AGAIN NO MATTER THE COST!

I stood up, a disguising growl in my throat and a false anger in my eyes.

I WILL FIGHT THE GODS IF I HAVE TO I WILL BE FREE! I-

I turned around, not to see godly warriors ready to smite me, nor a pair of judgmental deities. But, Viola and what seemed to be her twin slightly buff sister…holding their mouths… a remorseful look in their eye. No blinding light, but a soft comforting golden glow covering their obsidian bodies.

“We’re so sorry we did that to you.” and they both hugged me. “We tried to stop it early but we couldn’t, we weren’t powerful enough.”

I…I don’t get it. Why are they hugging me?

“I-I’m a monster, THE monster. I-if you s-saw everything, you should know I’m a monster.”

They hugged tighter“You're not a monster, anyone that can treat a 6-year-old like that for 7 years is a monster. We’re sorry!”

Why are they sorry?

“But I killed and ate them! I’m the Monster! I’M THE CURSE!”

Right? It’s getting a bit hard to see with these stupid tears, it must be a monster thing…monsters don’t deserve-

“You're not a Monster! Stop thinking that! You were systematically beaten and abused by the very people supposed to protect you, You went through a fate worse than death! Who would come out better than you?”

….

“You were told that you were a monster from the moment you revealed yourself, your first day ever was the last time you were able to prove yourself. You’ve never been given a chance beyond that”

….

“And you deserve one. We’re just sorry it took so long for you to get one”

Are you?

Beast: “Are you going to-”

“We’ll try, we may not remember any of this when we go back. But we know you're not the monster they claimed you are.”

My vision became blurred, my knees buckled and for an unknowable amount of time I wailed

“This time, you get a chance”

Wailed at the unfairness that was my life,

“A chance to be free”

Wailed at the fact that it took so long to get here,

“A chance to have a life worth living”

Wailed because I had finally found people who cared,

“A chance to be yourself”

And Wailed because I didn’t need to be the monster my parents thought I was