I Believed Him

• Poppy Steenbergen, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2019

I remember how I met my husband, he had come to me with a sweet smile. He told me he had a secret. A secret he was only willing to share with me. I asked him why he would only tell me. He said that I was too beautiful to resist. He took me around the corner and told me he could make all my dreams come true. I believed him.

One dream.
I finally had the dog had been wishing for. She had a beautiful golden coat and sparkling blue eyes. She was perfectly well behaved and showered me with kisses.
Two dreams.
I finally had a best friend I could always count on. No matter what happened, he was there for me.
Three dreams.
I am finally in love. He is kind and gentle. He only does things with my permission. I have known him for a long time. He is my best friend.
Four dreams.
I had the wedding of my dreams. I married a man that came to me and told me he would make all my dreams come true. He did.

My first nightmare.
My whole body aches, I can barely walk. When I look in the mirror I see dried blood and bruises. Tears constantly stream down my face. I'm falling, falling and screaming for help. No-one replies. He won’t let me leave the house. I'm trapped. He won’t let me contact anyone. He forces me to be his slave. He beats me again and again. There is no escape.

I remember how I met my husband, he had come to me with a sweet smile. He told me he had a secret. A secret he was only willing to share with me. I asked him why he would only tell me. He said that I was too beautiful to resist. He took me around the corner and told me he could make all my dreams come true. I believed him.

But he forgot to mention my nightmares.

My last nightmare.
I had always been afraid of death.