'Twas Mama Screaming (Declamation Piece)

 'Twas Mama Screaming

by Juztine Ongtangco

Can you hear her screaming? Can you hear her? 'Twas mama, she's scared. Father? He doesn't even deserve to be called father! Where was he? Where was he when it happened?! He was supposed to protect us! He was supposed to save mama! He wasn't there, that is why I had to do it. My mama told me to stay where I was. But her scream, I just couldn't stay there, I needed to help her. I tried to help her, swear to God how I wanted to help my poor mama. I saw it in her eyes, fear, when she woke me one September night.

"Wake up Lei, wake up. You have to stay here okay? There are men in the house, dangerous men. You must hide and keep quiet"

 "Who are they mama?" Mama didn't answer. So I never knew who, and I never knew why. She kissed me on the forehead and went out of my room. I hid in the closet. I waited, waited, and waited. 

Did you hear that? 'Twas mama screaming! I stood up. I had to help mama. I just, I got to do something. I opened my closet door and walked out.

"Mama? Mama?"  I kept on walking, keeping quiet, and then someone grabbed me.

"Let me go! Let me go!"  I moved with so much force that he lost his hold on me and I fell to the floor. I saw the man walking towards me, he was holding a bat. "Please don't. Please don't hurt me!"  He swung his bat and it hit me hard.

 I opened my eyes... darkness. I couldn't see anything. I don't know where I was.

"Mama? Mama I'm so scared" Footsteps... I needed to get out. But I was tied. Suddenly I saw a faint light. It was shiny, sharp, just inches away from me, a knife. I reached for it and freed myself. I positioned myself as they had left me earlier and waited for the bad guy. The footsteps got closer, and then stopped. I looked up at the beast in front of me, and with great force, I stabbed him.

"Aah!"  Don't look at me like that! 'Twas for my mama! I searched the place for my mama but she was not there. I thought maybe they left her at the house. So I tried to find my way home. I ran. I ran as fast as I could. I saw familiar houses. I was close. I was so close to saving mama. And then I got there. I tightened my grip on the knife I brought with me and started searching for mama. "Mama?! Mama where are you?! I escaped mama! I'm okay now! Mama?!" I searched everywhere in the house but no mama. I went out to our backyard but she still wasn't there.  So I stopped, under a tree. Thinking where my mama could be. Then something dripped on my face. I wiped it away with my hands then looked at it. It was blood. I looked up to see where it came from. 'Twas my mama I saw. 'Twas my mama hanging up there, dead. "No, no, no! Mama no! You can't... mama! Ah no!" Then I remembered something. Something shiny, something sharp, something that will take me to mama, a knife.

"I am sorry I was late mama"

I let the knife slide into me. The last thing I heard was the ringing sound of the ambulance. Then everything went dark. And from this darkness, a faint light, and then a figure appeared... 'Twas mama.