I was young and I knew what time to come home during the winters. The sun would set by 7 pm and I was a good girl till then. Once summer began I was frequently late, as the sun would set later than usual. My mom got upset and said she’ll give me three chances to be late. What’s wrong with being late? She closed the door and didn’t let me in for a while. I still hate being locked out. That was rude. My sister also closed the door on me several times. That hurt. She used to hit me and say it’s out of love. How could she love me if she hit me? She also was very rude to me. Maybe that’s why I feel like a part of my childhood was frozen in time. Which is why a part of me feels so burdened all the time. I pictured a part of me in complete ruins- dressed in rags and chained them the floor. Her clothes covered in stains and dirt on her skin. I freed her chains and took her for a bath. I cleaned her and fed her. I tucked her in bed. I still didn’t feel satisfied. There was a part of me trying to protect this young girl but the girl was crying out in pain. “Help me! I am in ruins. I need to be loved. Feed me! And give me clothes.”