Writings of a Strange Mind

[The Writing Owl]

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God help me.​

That was a phrase I heard often. Different people prayed to their different gods as the men in charge led us away like cattle. Those were the only words I could hear muttered. Everything else was screamed. Me, I didn't scream. I didn't mutter. Who would I mutter to?
The cage next to me opened. "Get up! The master wants you." One of the 'cattle drivers' as we called them barked at a shivering young girl. She seemed no older than thirteen as she whispered that phrase over and over. The cattle driver led her away to her imminent doom.
I felt no pity. It was easy. I had no emotions left. Screams of tortured souls went up in a symphony. It was somewhat musical, how the higher screams complimented the lower ones. It was almost like a song.
Cattle drivers went from one cage to the next, taking more and more victims. They cried. They screamed. They pleaded. It never got them anywhere. They were always led away, never to be seen again.
For the first time since I arrived, my cage door opened. A small cattle driver, probably a new one, glared at me. "Get up! The master wants you." He said his voice young and sweet. Oh, what it would be like to be young again. He probably still thought of the world as black and white. The thought made me chuckle.
The cattle driver glared. "What are you laughing about? Get up!" His angry frown seemed more like a pout to me, causing me to chuckle louder.
"I said get up!" He yelled, a whip cracking through the air. I felt a slight tickle on my arm as I did as the man said. I stared at him, my laughter becoming more unbalanced.
"Stop laughing!" The man yelled, a whip cracking again. This time, my face tickled as I continued to laugh, something warm trickling down from my forehead. Red splattered against the floor. Someone was getting whipped again.
"But you're tickling me!" I giggled, laughing loudly. The screaming and muttering had stopped. I wondered why. Slowly, the man started to lead me to the master's room. He continued to tickle me, making me shriek all the more.
The master's room wasn't anything like a bedroom, as I thought it would be. It was bare except for two tables. One was large enough for someone to lie on. The other was small and covered in different tools. I wondered if they were going to tickle me more.
"Get on the table." The cattle driver ordered, forcing me onto the hard metal. I got on and lied on my back, waiting for them to chain me. They used copper chains instead of the usual stainless steel. It looked prettier as they tore the gray rags off of me. I giggled, feeling the cold air on my chest. I heard the master walk in.
"I heard that my men have been… tickling you." The master said, sending the cattle drivers away. His blue eyes seemed concerned.
"They were also whipping someone. There was blood on the ground." I told the master, still giggling.
"I see… well, let's get you cleaned up." His dark hands moved to the table and picked up a rag and bucket of water. He ran a hand through my dirty hair and started to scrub me down.
I giggled and squirmed, trying to get away. "Stop it! It tickles!" I nearly screamed, trying to move away from the pink rag. It was white just a second ago. The master's face contorted into that of a wicked smirk. He continued to tickle me, despite my pleas for him to stop. His hair hung down in the form of snakes. I played with them, letting their teeth graze over my fingers.
"Does it hurt?" His voice warped, taking on different tones. I giggled more. "I need to know if you're in pain."
"Pain?" I asked, gasping for air. "I'm not in pain!" The master reached his hand into my stomach. I let out a shriek of laughter as he pulled out intestines and my stomach. There was nothing in there anyway so he wouldn't have to worry. I felt it start to become hard to breathe. A strange colored gas was filling the room.
"Are you alright? Please, tell me if any of this is hurting you." The master leaned down in front of my face, his blue eyes showing pleasure. He pulled out more of my organs, throwing them to the floor. I saw red fall from my open stomach. The master must have pricked his hand. The snakes sunk their teeth into my hand, filling my body with poison.
"Ha-ha-ha! It tickles! Make it stop! Make it stop!" With a wide smile, I squirmed away from the master's dark skinned hand trying to make me beg with mercy. The gas made my eyes feel heavy.
"I'm just… you… Iss… Are you… Mi… Plea… alk to… iss… Please!" Buzzing filled my ears as darkness started to surround me. The master was becoming more and more twisted, screaming at me. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to… Warmth filled my chest as my heartbeat stopped. I fell.
"God help the poor thing…"