lily

by Erika Z. C., 13

April 1, 2020

The other toys are always asking me why I write. My answer is always the same. I write to escape the cruel reality that we were forgotten.

It has been five years and we are still trapped in this box. Some of us still have hope that one day Yeri will come back to play with us, but most of us gave up hope years ago. Being in here for years has allowed me to learn how to eat the anger on the inside. Anger is a spicy and bitter carnivorous plant. It has the color of a withered rose. You eat it gently and calmly or you will be the one who is devoured. I have mastered anger but now I must master revenge.

Revenge is a lot more dangerous because even if you manage to eat it, you still have to be careful. Even when it is inside, it can break out at the least expected moment and rip you apart. Revenge can also make you do things that you would not normally do. I know all this because I have been through it all. Let me tell you of a time that revenge consumed me without knowing it.

It was summer. I found a pair of scissors in the box so in a corner I cut a hole so I could get out. Once I was out, I hid under the bed until nightfall. When Yeri was asleep, I tore holes in all of her clothing and I may or may not have cut some of her hair off. I could have done more damage, but it was morning so soon, so I had to go back to hiding. I decided to hide under the cabinet.

When Yeri woke up, she started doing her routine. She fixed her bed and went into the bathroom and then she screamed. She saw that her hair had been cut. It was getting late for her to get to school so she had no other choice but to leave it. When she opened her closet, she saw that there were holes in all of her clothes. She went downstairs and I went back into the box.

I am so happy that I could get her back. I told no one about what I did because they cared for her even after everything she did to them. Still, I couldn’t be happier with myself.

Some say that revenge is bad. Well I say revenge is only for those who are strong.
The best thing is, Yeri will never find out.

– Lily

That’s where she’s wrong. I now know what she has done.

– Yeri

Red Bank, New Jersey