Page 96 of Doubts & Fears

“God, please make him stop.” She mouthed it over and over.

I thought that was the end, but a few minutes later, he had me brought to the arena where we performed. A man whom I hadn’t seen before stood still. His face wasn’t covered. He waited until everyone else was brought in to witness my shame.

The Mask dragged my battered and bloodied body over to the man, who cringed. His eyes were sad. I wondered how he got caught and what he had done to make them mad.

“Meet my good friend, Mischa. Say hello. Where are your manners?” he hissed.

“Mischa is dead, Sir, but Spring can say hello,” I said, even though talking was hard. I must have bitten my tongue in a few places while I was being punished.

“She isn’t dead quite yet, but don’t worry, I have decided that we don’t need you to be Spring anymore, so that’s what my friend is here to help with.”

I looked at the man once more and studied him, then looked over at the pile on the table and knew.

I hurt in so many places. And I was so tired I welcomed his words. If I died, I could be with my mama and papa again. But I would soon learn that I had more fight in me than I thought. The man took out a measuring tape and measured me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. He measured the width of my body as well. The Mask turned to him.

“She’s one of the most intuitive girls here. Her ability to see things goes beyond what the normal eye can see, but she’s still so stupid. She can’t seem to remember her name to save her life. I have no idea how someone can be so smartyet so incredibly stupid.”

The man finished measuring me and stepped back.

“Want to see how good her intuition is?”

He nodded, but he didn’t really look like he wanted to see. He looked frightened, and he had every reason to be.

“Stupid girl, do you know what this man is?”

“He is a carpenter, Sir,” I said, looking at the man. He shook, and his face grew white.

“See, what did I tell you? Now tell the others what this carpenter is going to make for you, girl,” he hissed.

“A coffin, Sir, for Mischa.”

“And why does Mischa need a coffin?”

“Because she’s a stupid girl and is dead, Sir.”

He laughed as the man put the coffin together.It took him two hours to complete it. I stood there in the center of the room, swaying on my feet, while the girls watched on. When he finished putting the last nail in, he stepped back. He was sweating and looked more afraid than before. I was every bit as stupid as the Mask said I was.

I was numb by this point, and death seemed like a dream, one I wanted more than anything else at that moment. Looking at the box, I grew confused.The first thing that threw me was the holes the man drilled into the coffin. There were several small ones on the top piece and one larger-sized hole. My heart skipped. The box was incredibly small, too small, even for me.

“And now look at that, my friend.” He slapped the carpenter on the back, laughing evilly. “She clearly understands that death will eventually come for her. After all, she killed her parents. It’s what she deserves.”

The fear of what he was going to do sank into my mind, and I shook my head no. I knew better. It enraged him. He hit me, knocking me to the ground. I lay there stunned, unable to move. I crawled to my knees and pushed myself up, but I fell once more as he screamed for me to get up. I was so dizzy; I threw up all over my uniform. Which only made him laugh.

“Stupid girl, you better get that under control, now!” he screamed in my ear. “Put her in it,” he ordered the man. The carpenter picked me up, and I barely fit. There was no wiggle room.

“Please, no,” I screamed as he tried to put the top on.

He was having a hard timebecause he didn’t want to do it. It was also not made for me to have my hands up. My hands would need to be by my sides in order for me to fit.

The carpenter collapsed onto the floor and sobbed. He told me over and over how sorry he was. The Mask went insane. He picked up the hammer and bashed him in the head. The girls screamed when he fell over on top of me.

The Mask continued hitting him with the hammer. His blood covered me, and I went into shock and lay as still as I could. I closed my eyes and whispered the prayer Autumn said every night.

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep,

If I should die before I wake,

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