Short story prompt: Write a story about a character who has to confront their traumatic past when they unexpectedly come face to face with their abuser.
Trigger warning: Brief mentions of abuse, trauma, and emotional distress
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The sun was a giant, crimson orb in the sky, and the air was thick with the scent of freshly-cut grass. The young woman walked down the dusty road, her feet crunching on the gravel, her heart pounding in her chest. She had not been back to this place in years, and the memories that flooded her mind threatened to overwhelm her.
As she turned the corner, she saw him, standing in front of the old, dilapidated house. He was older now, his face lined with wrinkles, but his eyes were the same – cold, empty, and filled with malice. She stopped dead in her tracks, her breath catching in her throat. The memories of the past rushed back with a vengeance.
He was her stepfather, a cruel and abusive man who had made her childhood a living hell. He had beaten her, starved her, and locked her in a dark closet for hours on end. She had thought he was gone from her life forever, but now he was here, standing right in front of her.
He turned to look at her, and their eyes met. For a moment, neither of them moved, the silence broken only by the sound of their breathing. Then he took a step forward, his hand outstretched.
“I never thought I’d see you here again,” he said, his voice smooth and oily. “It’s been a long time.”
She recoiled from his touch, feeling the old fear and anger welling up inside of her. She wanted to lash out at him, to hurt him as he had hurt her, but she knew that she had to be strong. She had to confront her past.
“I didn’t think you’d be here,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“But I am glad to see you,” he said. “I wanted to apologize for what I did to you. I know I was a terrible father to you, and I’m so sorry.”
She stared at him, her mind reeling. She had always dreamed of this moment, of confronting him, of making him pay for what he had done to her. But now that it was here, she was filled with doubt and uncertainty.
“A terrible father would be an upgrade for what you are,” she said, her voice shaking. “You treated me worse than a dog on the street and you should be rotting under the prison right now for it.”
“I know that,” he said, his eyes filled with tears. “But I want to try. I want to make amends for what I did. I want to be a better man.”
She looked at him, searching his face for any sign of sincerity. She saw none.
“You can’t be a better man,” she said. “You can’t change what you are.”
He reached out to touch her again, but she stepped back, shaking her head.
“To hell with your apologies,” she said. “I want absolutely nothing from you.”
He hung his head, his eyes filling with tears.
“I understand,” he said softly. “I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry.”
She turned to leave, feeling a weight lifting from her shoulders. She had faced her past, and although the memories would always haunt her, she knew that she could finally move on.
As she walked away, she heard his voice calling out to her, begging her to stay, to forgive him. But she kept walking, her eyes fixed on the horizon, her heart filled with a sense of hope and possibility. She knew that she had survived, that she had overcome the worst that life could throw at her, and that nothing could ever take that away from her.
I chose this particular prompt because confronting an abuser or someone who has caused you great pain can be cathartic. By imagining a character who is able to call out this person and find a sense of closure, the writer can explore their own feelings of anger, fear, and sadness in a safe and creative way. Writing about they went through can give you a sense of control over what happened, which is often lost in cases of abuse and other situations where you felt powerless. I believe it can also validate and empower, showing people that their experiences are shared and it is eventually possible to move forward.
Minor Inkrements 