Broken Redemption

      “Let’s go home.”       Home…?       Where is home?       She opened her eyes, blinking and squinting against the bright light that shone directly into her line of vision, feeling a sharp sting as she did. She put her arm up to block the piercing light, just to find out that it was bound by ropes, all bloodied and bruised.       Around her, were dirty walls that used to be white and clean, now stained with ceiling water and dust. There was a light bulb in the center of the room's ceiling, turned off. But ahead of her, was an open door with light pouring in, partially blocked by a figure. The wooden chair she was tied to sat in the middle of the room, right under the light bulb, around her a pool of what seemed to be a concerning amount of blood.       “Your condition is worse than I expected, but that’s fine.”       She shifted her attention from her surroundings to who was in front of her.       A woman.       With good intentions.       “I’m Cathy, and you are…?” the woman smiled, going behind the girl to untie the thick ropes, freeing her frail arms.       The little girl kept silent.       Just like she had been for the last years of her life.       As if she was mute.       The woman chuckled in the silence. “Just like he’d said. You are really a unique one.”       Are you taking me somewhere…?       The question echoed in her head as she was picked up from the hard wooden chair by the woman that had introduced herself as Cathy, carried gently in her arms, waltzing out of the dark stale room.       But she had good intentions…       Right?       That’s what instinct had told her.       But that’s also what instinct had told her before she was kidnapped.       Soft humming…       It was a low tune, comforting, peaceful, and beautiful. It is a familiar tune, yet somehow it seemed new, it sounded new. “Don’t worry. You’re safe now.”       Safe…       What does it mean to be safe…?       Maybe like being carried to a soft bed after falling asleep in the car…       Or maybe being picked up from school, stopping by the park, and getting ice cream...       Or perhaps just sleeping in a warm embrace...       It had been years since that.       It doesn’t exist anymore.       It was destroyed.       “It’s fine… It really is safe.”