5 Separation
She was startled awake by a gunshot. A deafening noise that was dampened like a hard hit on a piano string, ringing and then muffled suddenly as the felt encased it. A gunshot with a silencer maybe, is how Brain thought of it within seconds of Body being paralyzed with fear.
Absentmindedly, the Little Red Haired Girl checked the adult Body, Brain asked if pain could be felt, and Body checked with eyes that there was no bleeding or whether hands could feel any damage or blood. Body went into panic with adrenalin, Heart answered by beating faster and Brain questioned who was there, “don’t shoot, who’s there, don’t shoot me” it heard Body say as it listened for a response, and Body became frozen and still.
All Body could hear was the wind rustling the trees outside the pumphouse, and as Body listened, Heart started to slow down as they realised no one was there.
Brain started to think that maybe another person, even if they had a gun, could have helped them get out of this pumphouse. After all, if they got in they would know the way out. Right? Odds it started to way up through the synapses in seconds.
As Body still sat there frozen in fear, Brain was realising how desperate the situation was becoming, They needed to get out of this place, and what were the odds exactly of anyone passing this pumphouse in the woods and finding them.
The Little Red Haired Girl that lived within Body wanted to cry, she was scared and wanted her Mummy, too scared to move but she had to, she had a curl tickling her eyes and so Body winced as she pushed the hair from her face as its hands were still sore. Still sore and bloodied from the efforts of trying to unscrew the lock on the door. The hairs caught on the sticky blood and dragged across the raised skin like little ribbon blades.
‘How long ago? How long ago had they attempted to unpick the lock?’ Brain questioned. It didn’t know without a numerical face or digital number.
Body sat frozen and concentrated on listening, just listening, it had never been that still or Brain that focused before. The wind carried the sound of an Owl, a single solitary call. The leaves rustling in the trees reminded Brain of its similarity to the sound of the ocean. Body heard the rain against the roof and being blown against the walls. Body heard water, not from the well Brain ascertained, but running water on the surface of the ground outside, travelling water that was weighty with debris. Brain scoffed at this train of thought, ‘how could it possibly tell?’ Brain was lost in this thought when the gunshot happened again only this time it came from above and Body, still frozen, stopped breathing momentarily in absolute terror.
This time it didn’t call out, this time Body listened hard for any sign of movement or further direction, just listened while Heart beat faster and louder and the breath was short.
‘Count silently’ Brain relayed to body and remembered as a child, the Little Red Haired Girl, who helped the little sister who was having an asthma attack, and how she had encouraged her to breathe into a paper bag. ‘In 2,3,4 Out 2,3,4’ and Brain envisaged the crackling paper bag expanding and shrinking as Body breathed silently counting. It worked as Body began to calm and Heart began to resume slower beating.
Brain recalled where the pumphouse was positioned amid Pine and Eucalyptus trees and with great relief realised the wind was dropping Pine cones on the pumphouse roof. It was loud yet muffled in tone, and although it had no idea what the pumphouse roof was made from, it assumed there was probably moss or debris on the roof that cut its sound on landing after impact. It was certainly very alarming but a reasonable assumption thought Brain.
“You and your imagination” Body stated after a huge intake of breath. “For a start who the hell would put their Body out there in the middle of the Forest, in all this rain and wind, or within this pumphouse for that matter in all this darkness”
“Is that a rhetorical question?” Brain asked but the question was ignored by Body.
Body was listening to itself. The fear of what could be out there to harm it grew, but this time, as it started to get more tired, it relaxed and the eyes grew heavy and it fell asleep knowing it was safe. The Little Red Haired Girl felt safe. Nothing could get to them in here, and therefore the prison had suddenly become Bodies haven.
© Jennifer Harris 2024
