She ate, then she ran like a headless chicken to her birthplace - seeking the egg, or any womb wide enough to hide her whole. She went back to the playground, back to the spiderweb. Then she climbed to the highest point despite being afraid. She knew the sky was a lie, she just wanted to feel the wind. Cicadas in her ears and the breeze cooling down the sweat on her nape. Her hair was slightly damp, she wiped off her forehead with her t-shirt. Every time something weird happened, she was leaking some fluid. Maybe next time it would be blood.

Semen ? No, wrong anatomy. She thought for a second. Did she even have a vagina ?

She froze in place.

Then melted away.

Falling like a light spring rain over the playground. Some people looked up to see the child crying alone at the top of the world. There were still a few people here in the park. Walking couples, some elderly. Teenagers hanging together, chatting about nothing much but giggling all the way. There were not a lot of things to worry about for the puppets of this world. Like flowers, they belonged simply by existing. Handmade by god’s hand, unaware of their fortune. Sissy wasn’t handmade. She had been carved into flesh.

And now she was dripping.

Blood, sweat, not semen.

Saliva ?

Did they kiss - left alone in their father’s house, away from people’s gaze ?

Could she kiss someone too, even though she didn't have genitals ? It felt a bit pointless. Did the devil have genitals ? Now she didn't like that thought at all. How dare he. Weren’t all beings born equal ? It was in the fucking constitution. No, you could kiss someone without genitals. Who cares ? It was a tender gesture. Not everything leads to sex. Right ? We were civilized people, except she barely was someone at all. How could he forget to give her genitals ? Did it not matter to him - or to the story ? Was she like the sky, a convenient prop ? A pure expanse of blue. A useful name on the next page of someone else’s autobiography. Why did she act like she cared earlier ? She didn’t. Hell, he could show off his genitals to everyone if he wanted, it wasn’t her business - though it was still gross to think about it. She couldn’t remember why she talked about Peter. If Peter fucking had genitals and she didn't -

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As she was ranting in her mind, something slowly shifted. Sissy smelled the change in the air before she felt it.

A taste of sulfur.

Her whole body gradually tensed up as she focused her attention to her surroundings. But nothing was out of place. Same sounds, same late summer heat. There was a faint laughter echoing at the edge of her perception. She didn't know the sound of her own laugh, she suddenly thought. Then she let the thought go, only for it to coil around her like a snake. The laughter that she thought distant edged closer. Maybe she should laugh, just to see. Sissy opened her lips. She just wanted to try once.

What came out of her mouth was a sharp cry.

Immediately after, her hand burst open in front of her.

Blood gushed out, pain flickered in her wide opened eyes. The silence of her stunned mind deepened as the outside world became louder. Someone called out to her.

“Did you hurt yourself, child ?”

Did she ?

Her palm was cut in half as if she had met a knife, oozing blood.

“Come down now, we need to take you to the ER."

“What happened ?”

“Why are you asking me ?”

The woman’s tone was both worried and condescending. Sissy looked at her. That was a puppet, for sure, but for some reason she could look at her without that creeping feeling of unease. Actually it was quite the opposite. She felt better after meeting the woman’s eyes.

It was fine now.

Still she shouldn't try to laugh again in the future, it was dangerous. They did say some neighborhood kids got hurt on the playground before. Maybe the same thing happened to them. Or maybe they got cut on the metallic parts of the spiderweb’s structure, as some of those edges were rather sharp.

Who knows ? Sissy didn't.

She climbed down with difficulty, keeping her bloody hand away from the ropes and holding back groans of pain. The woman’s warm hands fell on her shoulders as she reached the ground and it lightened her mood.

She was fine now.

The medical staff wasn't so happy when they saw her open wound. At some point someone called Peter. Nate showed up.

He stroked her back like she was some kind of cat.

The whole time Sissy had that strange aftertaste on the tip of her tongue she couldn't swallow - like she was forgetting something. Nate told her again everything would be alright. She closed her eyes.

The rest, she didn’t see.