Lost - A Short Story

Lost

Something was different today. The soft touch of Lucy's favorite blanket was gone, and in its place was the feeling of a thin, itchy one. Slowly, she opened her eyes and quickly came to realize that she did not recognize where she was. The last thing she remembered was sleeping in her large bed at her parents' house. Panicked, she felt around for her favorite teddy bear, but was disappointed when she came up with nothing. Tears formed in Lucy's eyes as she mustered up the courage to sit up. 

She noticed she was in a bed, covered in dull, tan blankets. Looking around, the room she was in was small, much smaller than her room at home. Her butterfly wallpaper was gone, and was instead replaced with plain, light brown paint. Very slowly, Lucy untucked her feet and placed them on the cool, carpeted floor. She noticed that her head felt foggy, and her limbs were weak. Getting up slowly, she had to stand for a minute, giving her legs time to adjust. She took her first step cautiously, being careful so as not to fall. As she observed the room, she noticed a door to the right of the bed. Lucy desperately hoped that her parents were on the other side, ready to explain what was happening to her. 

Slowly, she took small steps towards the exit, stumbling a few times as her weak legs were making walking difficult. When she finally got to the door, Lucy smiled, feeling triumphant that she managed to reach it, however her hopes were quickly crushed. The door would not open. Letting out a cry of frustration, Lucy harshly jiggled the doorknob, desperate for the door to open.

"Mommy, Daddy!" she cried out, but there was no response.

Lucy gave up and took a small step back. Panic washed over her as she felt herself lose her balance. Lucy let out a short scream before harshly hitting the cold, hard ground. She lay frozen in shock, confused as to why all of this was happening.

Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal two tall, bulky men dressed in all white clothing. The two men walked towards her silently, causing Lucy to desperately crawl away in fear. Once the men began to grab her, she started to panic, trying everything she could to get away. Lucy screamed and kicked, but in her weakened state, the attempts proved unsuccessful. The men were saying something to her, but Lucy's brain was too cloudy to understand. They picked her up and carried her back in the direction of the bed. They laid her back down and began to tie her hands and legs down.

"Get away from me! I want my parents!" she screamed, but the men ignored her.

They were exchanging words with one another, all the while glancing down at her every couple of seconds. Lucy slowly began to stop struggling, now taking the time to watch the men's interaction. A slight pain in her head made her close her eyes momentarily. When she reopened them, she finally noticed the needle in one of the men's hands. She once again began to struggle, but the men overpowered her. A bulky hand grabbed her arm, and she felt a painful pinch in the arm as the man stuck the needle into her. After only a couple seconds, Lucy felt her limbs become numb, and her eyes began to droop. She immediately felt exhausted, and slowly began to sleep. The last thing she saw was the haunting smiles of the two men looking down at her.

Each day was the same. Lucy would wake up feeling weak, her head feeling empty and clouded. The same men, and occasionally a woman who was relatively kind, would come in a couple times a day. They would give her bland, mushy food that reminded her of the food she would eat at her grandpa's nursing home. Next, they would leave her, forcing Lucy to stay in the small room all day with nothing to entertain her but her own thoughts. The worst part of the day, however, was the end. The men would come into the room, rolling in a container of what had become Lucy's worst fear: needles. Every time, Lucy would fight the men, trying to get away from the sharp objects, but their strength overpowered hers, and she would be injected with whatever liquid was inside. The liquid always made her feel even more weak and tired, then she would end up sleeping, and the cycle would begin again the next day.

Lucy didn't understand what she did to deserve being put in this terrible place. She always followed her parent's rules. She made her bed, picked up her toys, and was even nice to her older brother. All she wanted to do was to go home again. Back at home, every time she got scared her parents would let her sleep in their bed, reading stories to her as she fell asleep. Tears rolled down Lucy's face as she mourned the loss of her old life. All hope that she had of leaving this horrible place was gone. Lucy spent most of that day crying, refusing to eat any of the mushy food that the scary men brought in.

When the door opened hours later, Lucy was prepared for the needles that were soon to come but was confused when she instead saw a woman. The woman was around her mother's height, and even resembled her in many ways. She had bright red hair, and green eyes, just like Lucy and her mom. Lucy couldn't help but remember how her mom would always tell her how much she loved having a daughter that looked just like her. The women's eyes were slightly puffy, making Lucy think that she had been crying. She wasn't dressed in the white clothing like the other people who always came into her room. Instead, she was wearing black pants, and a pretty blue blouse. The woman slowly approached her, finally stopping at the bed and kneeling down so to be at eye level with her. Lucy stared at the woman confused. Maybe this kind lady was here to take her home. The woman reached out and grabbed Lucy's hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Do you know where my parents are? Are you here to take me home?"

Tears formed in the woman's eyes as she began to cry. Lucy was confused at this. She didn't understand why this woman was so sad.

"Mom" the woman said. "It's me. I'm so sorry that I haven't come and visited you in a while."

Lucy began to frown. Why was this woman calling her mom? She was old enough to be Lucy's own mother. "Please, take me home. I don't want to be here anymore. I miss my mom and dad. Please." Lucy begged, desperate to make this woman understand. "I hate it here. The scary men are always poking me with needles. I want to go home." Lucy herself began to cry.

"I'm so sorry mom, but you need to stay here. These men can help you in ways that I couldn't anymore. I love you so much." The woman said sadly, but Lucy didn't want to listen to her anymore. She was confused and angry at the woman.

"Go away. I don't want you here. Leave!" Lucy screamed, ripping her hand out of the woman's hand. The woman quickly got up and rushed to the door. Before leaving, she turned to Lucy.

"I'll be back mom. I'm so sorry. I love you." Lucy ignored the woman's words and shut her eyes until she heard the soft click of the door, signaling that the woman had left. Feeling defeated, Lucy pulled her blankets up and wrapped them around her tightly. Just like every other day, Lucy layed there, dreaming of her old life, wishing everything would go back to the way it was before.