MUFFLED BIRD
She kissed him passionately and pulled away in a haste to leave. “don’t leave baby, you can spend the night here”, Austin beckoned as he held Shade’s hands. “I really wish I could Austin, with sadness written all over her face. I mean, I’d love to but my dad would be home soon and you know how he gets when he doesn’t find me in my room. I’ll come see you tomorrow, I promise. She hugs Austin and turns to leave closing the door behind her.
Shade is from a family of four being the first child and the only girl. She lives with her foster dad and two younger siblings. Her father works in a Law firm and also handles other businesses. Her parents are separated and she was left to take care of herself and her siblings at a tender age as her dad takes to drinking sometimes or is never home on time.
As Shade approaches the gate, her heart begins to thump and one could tell that she was literally shaking. She rings the bell. “Ehen??, who be that?”, the voice of Papa the gateman retorted back at Shade from the other side. “It’s shade” she responded, her voice very shaky. “Ah, Aunty Shade, you don come?” Papa hurriedly opens the gate revealing a three storey building painted in white and the roof blue, different cars parked at the garage. Shade walks in forgetting to great papa who stood there smiling at her hoping she brought him some goodies. He taps her on the shoulder, “ah ah, aunty, you dey vex? Why you look like say you just match shit?” (Ah ah, aunty are you angry, why do you look like you just stepped on faeces?) Papa smiles, in an attempt to make Shade laugh but Shade was too busy stretching her neck to see if the Mercedes-Maybach S-class her dad went out with earlier was already parked. “Shade!!!”, Papa yelled lightly. “what now, can’t you see I’m busy?”. Shade frowns and walks off. Papa was left with his mouth agape and hands akimbo. “see this small girl oh, na me she dey shout for?” (look at this little girl, is she shouting at me?) Papa shakes his head and goes into his quarters head bent in disappointment at his failed attempt to cheer shade up and no goodies as well.
Shade gets close to the garage and finds out that her dad was already home. She walks past the garage to the front door. “Oh my God, what do I tell him now? Where do I tell him I went to? , I’m doomed. she soloquizes in fear. She was cut short as she sees a tall, huge frame come out the front door – her dad.
“Good Evening Daddy”, Shade greets and quickly tries to make her way to the back. “..and where do you think you’re going?” He sharply cut in bringing Shade to a grinding halt. “I… I…”; she stutters with her head lowered. “I believe I asked you a question young woman”, her father’s voice harsh and frightening. Shade looks up at him, tears already welled up in her eyes. “I went to see a friend down the road, I left not too long ago, you can ask Papa” as she struggled to hold the tears in. Her infuriated fathers slams back at her; “how many times have I warned you not to leave this house without my permission Shade, how many times? In an attempt to respond, “daddy, you were….” , Shade’s unfinished sentence was met with a wham. He slapped her. “..So this is what you do in my absence? You go out to meet men? Oh, you think I don’t know it’s that useless, good-for-nothing son of Doctor Williams you went to see? Tears already trickling down Shade’s cheeks, her head still lowered, she mumbles, “but daddy he’s just a friend”. He looks down at her, hatred and irritation all over his face. “just a friend indeed! Get out of my sight!” he blared at Shade and she dashed off.
Later that night….
“this is not right dad”. Shade struggled as she tried to take his hands off her panties, her voice shaky as though she was about to cry. “please don’t do this, it’s a sin. Before God and even the world”. Pretending not to hear what shade was saying, he tore her panties and held her by the neck pinning her to the bed, “shut your mouth you lousy child, don’t you know I’m the only one allowed to devour you? Or did you intend to give this sweetness to that unworthy fellow?” Shade already choking and whimpering manages to blurt out, “daddy please.. please don’t do this… “. He flips her over. Shade keeps struggling and tries to scream in between tears, “help!!!!!!”; her scream felt so faint. After a while of tussle, he overpowers her, ties her hands to the back and stuffs part of the bed sheet into her mouth. Feeling very helpless, Shade cries quietly and still mumbles inaudibly with the cloth in her mouth, “daddy please…”, ….. no one could come save her from the claws of this evil man. She felt his fingers caress her vagina and she tightens her thighs trying to make it hard for him to touch her. He pulls her thighs apart in anger and with force pushes his dick into her. Shade shrieks in pain, her tears all over the pillow and the cloth in her mouth. “Someone please help me”, she prays in her heart, her tears dripping profusely. He grabs her waist pulling her up a bit and thrusts viciously, moaning and breathing hard. After series of thrusting, he pulls out and Shade could feel his hot substance all over her buttocks. Still panting, he unties her and walks out. Hurt, bruised and aching, Shade curls up to her pillow, stuffing her face in – she wails.
The next morning…
Shade’s dad walks into her room and finds her still crying, he sits close to her and strokes her hair. “Don’t worry baby, anything you want, just ask and I’ll get it for you. You were so sweet last night. Don’t worry, I’ll take very good care of you”. He strokes her hair some more and continues, “I left some money on the shelf in the sitting room if you need to get anything”. He plants a kiss on her forehead and leaves. Shade doesn’t say a word. She was traumatized. How could he act like nothing happened? How could he do what he did to her? Even if she wasn’t his real daughter, could he do that to his own? If only she could talk to someone, maybe her mother but her mum wasn’t there. She couldn’t tell Austin, she couldn’t tell anyone. She’ll have to live with it. As these thoughts ran through her mind, it made her cry even more. “I need to leave this place, I can’t stay here, he’ll keep doing this to me. I need to get away. Dear Lord, I need you now, more than ever.” Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She walks to the door and opens it to find Austin beaming with smiles. “hey baby…” His smile disappears as he sees her face all puffy and swollen from continuous crying. “baby, are you okay”?. – “just hug me…”. She leans and hugs him tight as she sobs. “I’ll be fine Austin, I just need you to take me away from here, please.. I need to leave this place.”
Austin tries to mutter a sentence but was cut short by Shade… “now Austin, I need to leave now”
Austin pulls away from the hug and looks at Shade, worry written all over his face he replies, “alright baby, my car’s parked outside, wanna change or…..
Shade nods in the negative and closes the door behind her. He holds her hand and they walk towards his car.
Grey May 