One-Shots

Ablutophobia

Inspired by the word itself, or the meaning. Scared of bathing, cleaning, or washing. Specifically, soap.

A little horror by the way, as well as gross.

This fictional story is to tell you that a tiny bar of soap could never hurt you. I mean, it doesn't move. Neither talk.

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-Aelios-

"Little guy, it's time for a bath!" Mom called cheerfully.

But I just stood there, never winced. My dull eyes were just looking down.

"AELIOS, GET YOUR LITTLE BUTT RIGHT HERE, NOW!" My mom shouted after she lost her patience.

My mom is a person who gets her way if someone does not do what she instructed. She has a problem in mood-wise, probably an extremely bad mood swing where she can go to an extent you wished it had never happened to you.

I flinched as her steps were getting louder any second. I stepped back and back until it was the kitchen. Oh no... a dead end.

I wasn't tall enough back then since I was just a 3-year-old, so I couldn't open the back door and just run away.

In the end, I was just stuck there, sniffled in hoping for escape.

She reached here and laughed.

"Oh, you're stuck here now huh? Great." She carried me up and smirked, "Now it's time for you to be in a pool of soap!"

Now, now. You were wondering why was I making a fuss over soap right? Well...

My dad was not a good person. He was a murderer. Though dad was forced to be one since he needed to earn money for our wellbeing.

One day, dad passed because he suicided since he believed that he was too cruel to the innocents in this world.

And due to that, my mom got in trouble because of what my father had done.

A group of gangsters broke into our house, wanting to seek and kill us for revenge.

We hid in the washroom with the door locked securely but I was a toddler so I just burst into tears, crying loudly cause I hated the dark.

She had forgotten to turn on the lights.

My mom kept quietened me down but I wouldn't stop. So...

I didn't know if she purposely or just wanted to do something about it since she was worried about what should she do, and...

She forcefully pushed the whole bar of soap, inserting it into my mouth. To SHUT me down.

I did, but I was choking. She didn't bother to do anything anymore.

I didn't know what happened but I survived. All I remembered was that, and I felt thankful.

But I vowed that I wouldn't touch soap any longer.

Those soap in the bottle too, because they also emit bubbles. And I could never forget that day when bubbles were in my mouth.

Plus, it took me a while to speak again or cry due to that.

Present-day

I turned 17 this year and still had this fear of soap thanks to mum.

I might have acted all tough and cool but I was actually a person who was terrified of something in life.

I mean, everyone had their own fears... right?

I was just an average student in this school, had his own ordinary life until... even school made my life a freaking hell.

It was just that... I had never really used soap blocks after I showered on my own.

I still use it still since I knew soap bottle dispensers wouldn't hurt that much, but I still feared it as it stills cause me to shake constantly as the soap slowly ran down from my hands.

And recently, there was an unknown disease spreading around our area, and it spreads extremely fast.

Faster than the speed of light.

But the condition would worsen very slowly. It takes a month to get extremely sick and you would have one month to live.

There was no vaccine for this sickness yet. With no care, we will all be in trouble. Especially someone like me.

News reporters and school teachers had been reminding us but hell like I'm going to wash my hands with soap every day.

I would rather die... than being forced to touch s-soap...

Now it was cleaning class for this period of time. A class for everyone to learn how to clean their hands even though we weren't kids anymore.

Fortunately, it only lasts for 15 minutes, with the whole guide teaching us how to thoroughly cleanse our hands and other methods for not spreading sicknesses...

"Aelios! Had you been daydreaming? Explain to the class how to wash our hands." The teacher barked loud and clear.

I stood up and muttered, "Just turn on the tap and wash our hands?"

She questioned. "After that?"

"Scrub it with a s-soap..." My tears almost fell when I forcefully blurted it out.

"On where?"

N-no... no more questions, please...

"O-on both of t-the hands..." I gasped for breath, panic-stricken as I broke down and cried. Everyone looked at me all of a sudden.

"Aelios!" She shouted my name as she rushed to my seat. "What happened?"

I gulped, not wanting to say anything but might as well ask. "M-miss... would you force the soap into my mouth?"

She looked as she was paralyzed, her eyes opened wide. "Me? Force the soap into your mouth? No way! Who would do that?"

My eyes felt dull after that. Then I smiled. "Mama would only do that. She was so kind, right?"

Soon a few memories came back to me.

After she choked me with the soap, I cried more with all the strength I had left, at least someone would save me, right?

Nope. No one. I let my hopes up for NOTHING.

She pushed the bar inside more.

Now I fainted. I could have died, but I didn't. I woke up in the hospital baby bed. Everything was vague. Everything that happened. Who sent me there? I could not recall.

I came back to reality.

"Hey, Aelios..." The teacher hugged me and said, "Remember, that was just something your mum had done, but you shouldn't be scared of it. Remember, it could never hurt you, cause it's a non-living thing. It was just an object. Aelios, remember... there were always people who were there for you. I will always be there to help you."

She smiled, and I smiled back. Her hug was warm, and it feels more like home.

-The end-

Published- 24/12/2019

Edited- 9/8/2021