Sour sweet bitter sweet(Jen Yuri Amaya Tran) Welcome to my world. I’m here to tell you my story of child abuse and how I have lived through it.

I was supposed to be the only child, living a dream with no one to get in trouble with. My mum, when I was little, left me for work. I was only five when she started making me do the house chores. She left me for most of the day. I would see her for five hours a day. She was an alcoholic. When I saw her coming home she was not in a good mood. I was only five, you see, and when she saw the floor not mopped, she slapped and punched me hard and threw me into a room with no food and water and locked the door. I would just sit in there crying because I didn’t know what just happened. After two days she would unlock the door and come in drunk, yelling at me for not cooking her food, and saying that she only loved her new child. She would drag me out of that room and beat me up and order me to do the chores and paint my room for the new baby. She would leave for work then. It was also my birthday the next day and so I looked out of the window to see if she was gone yet and would unlock the door since it was down at my height. I ran for my life. my dad's house was a street away. I thought it was my right time to escape. I was wrong. to be only five and would turn six soon, I wasn’t smart. My mum drove back to the house, seeing me run, and she stopped the car and came out. “Where did you think you are going, you rat?” she yelled.

“I was jussss” that was only what I could say at my age.

“Just shut it you spoiled brat. thinking you would just run away... you was wrong”. After she would hit me on the street and drag me metres up the road. I was screaming and yelling trying to break free and she would kick me hard on the side. When I was too hurt I would give up and let her do her thing. I was lucky then. my mum was late for work so she just gave me another hard core kick then went. I was crying and a neighbour I knew well came out and asked what’s wrong. I would point at my mum and cry. The neighbour took me to the hospital and the doctors and nurses said that I have lots of broken bone that were not treated at all and a head injury I never knew about.

After spending a year in hospital, missing out on my birthday, I was finally let home. My dad took me to his house, giving the good news that my mum was in jail. I was so happy. He was too. he shows me to a room. there I saw my lil sis. She was so small. but I was happy that I was free.

Many years went by. I was now ten and living a great life and having friends. also finding out the real world. My lil sis grew up too we were one happy family, forgetting my mother's abuse. Until one day she was let out of jail. I was asleep when there was a knock on the door. No one answered. So I rose up and went to get the door. When I opened it my mum was standing at the door with rage. “You got me this time you rat, but you can’t get away with it”.

I was scared in all my living day light. She dragged me by my hair and I was screaming. She shut me up with a slap. My dad got to the door but it was too late at that time. My mother has driven me away. At her house it was a dark spooky atmosphere. She drags me into the basement and takes out a wooden stick and starts hitting me and then went up the steps and she spit at me and shouted, “You stupid kid I would have killed you for taking away my life”. I went and threw a stick at her and ran up biting her and hitting, but she knew I was weak and threw me back down the stairs and locked the door. I spend my life in the basement and every night she brings food and beats me up for not helping her out. I hear my dad shouting and banging on the door at my mum telling her to let me go.

Eventually another of my birthday's passes. I’m now eleven. no education, no more friends, no more real life. I never see the light again. I eventually have so much pain. my mum was getting more drunk than usual and I was tortured more often, from slaps to punches to knocking my head against the wall. In the basement it was dark and cold. I have a bed only, no blankets, and a bathroom.

When it was dark out on November the 28th my dad was again there. I eventually went around to find a window. when I stumble on a curtain and find a window I open it quick and climb through the window. I was skinny and could fit. I ran to the front door into my dad arms. I was free.

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