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Maui's treachery

I woke up with a start to pressure on my chest. My lungs could not draw in air, and my body felt numb, paralysed somehow. I lifted my lids slowly trying to fight my growing anxiety as I tried to wiggle my fingers and toes frantically.
My eyes felt like there was salt rubbing into them, I was perplexed by the burning and itching that scratch at my eyeballs.
Tilting my head, I looked down my chest to see what was causing so much constriction.
At a moments thought I envisioned a snake twisting its body around mine. Its fangs had struck my neck, feeding it’s venom into my bloodstream, paralysing me.
Blinking the image away, what I saw sitting on my chest was more disturbing than a snake preparing to eat me alive. It was a man, I think. With long curling hair that was reaching towards me. I thought it looked damp and I was right something dark dripped from the ends onto my chest, it seemed thicker than water somehow.
His face was suddenly in front of mine, covered with a dark sheen of sweat and breathing heavy, salty breath in my face. My chest constricted as my panicked heart threatened to burst its way through my chest.
My eyes, wide with terror, began to fill with tears as feeling started to come back to my burning body. I welcomed the night’s cold breeze as it washes over my sensitive skin, cooling my fear somewhat.
My head hurt where the man had thrown me against the rocks earlier this morning. I sucked in a deep whimper as memories of the day flooded to the front of my all to aware mind.
I reached towards the wound on my head that came away wet with blood. I looked at the now still man, his stone grey eyes bore into the depths of mine I knew this man from somewhere, but how and why is he here?
His mouth moved, but I missed whatever he said and screamed in pain as he began to move anew.
My whole body tensed as I felt his heavy penis move in and out of me, scraping my sensitive walls with too much force. It was too much for my small, undeveloped body. My fight became real as I begged him to get off, he did not want to hear me and slapped my face towards the wall.
I would not give up my virtue to this stranger, I began to scratch at his eyes in an attempt to free myself from his clutches, and when that didn’t seem to have any effect on him, I began pushing my thumbs into them. I wanted to feel them pop inside his sockets. Blood started to ooze down his face causing a smile to reach mine.
Bringing my knees up I pushed my feet to his stomach, to which he moaned in delight as he sunk deep inside of me. I cried out in pain as he broke some barrier, I felt blood pour out of me and pool under my bottom.
I looked down and realised I wasn’t clothed.
All illusion of dignity gone, I pushed against him. Sweat formed on my skin as I continued to push him away from me, and as I felt him move out of me by my force, I looked up at his face and snarled hatefully at him.
Grinning sickly, he leapt off me allowing me to look at my violated body. The small victory I had felt moments ago vanished as I saw his work on my abused body.
My body, covered in tiny insitions like a bird would make on its prey with its claws, bleeding a little more every time I moved, gasping for breath and fighting dizzyness I scrambled away from him. I turned and ran out of the door, past the sleeping village and towards the ocean.
I made it to one of the boats and pushed it out to sea, allowing the rolling waves to carry me with them past the reef.
I was alone, finally safe. Breathing a sigh of relief, I lay down on the boat and let the rocking of the gentle waves sway me to sleep.
When morning came, I woke to find an eagle perched at the end of the boat. I slowly sat up as it made its way towards me, as it came closer I scooted, slowly towards the sail only stopping when my back hit its post.
I was so tired that my mind and my exhausted body became laden. In an attempt to rid myself of the bird, I thrashed about as much as I could and to my surprise, it flew off.
I lay my head back to rest as my weary eyes closed. The morning had turned to afternoon and with it came a bitter cold. My body was like cold lead floating adrift.
I opened my eyes as my chest began to burn, looking down I saw the bird pecking at my breast, unable to respond I lay there petrified in my lost body.
I witnessed a horrifying truth as the bird shifted into a man, his body, immersed in black pictures, his curling hair and grey eyes stared menacingly at me as he pulled his fist back engulfed in red paint and a fish-hook at the other end of his arm.

~ Jess Bagnall

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