You close your eyes so he can’t see you. The blow lands anyway. You invent tales of falling. You are so clumsy he agrees.
You learn to live in the shade, hide yourself away – all the world can see is your bright, pretty shell.
You develop an extra sense – it signals to you just before his anger explodes. You wear camouflage, colored by his expectations.
You find a place to hide, burrow deep where he is too large to follow.
You outgrow your cocoon and burst out with wings. Now you can fly.
Clodagh O Connor lives in Dublin, Ireland and has always loved reading and story-telling. She has had some stories published online and won first place for a piece in Retreat West’s (March 2023) micro competition. She can be seen on Twitter as @iamagnat.
The Centifictionist 
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