Insignificant nobody

Her feet touched the white line. She stood alongside the others. She was barely five feet. The others towered over her. She was a dwarf.

Her heart pounded much faster than usual. The air was thick with nervousness. But more than anything there was a sense of calm. This was an escape from everything else that engulfed her mind; her soul; her existence. The pitch, the wet grass, the long hours of torture ahead. All an escape.

It wasn’t like she didn’t have enough of torture already. Almost every day she awoke to the yelling and screaming combined with the overwhelming stench of alcohol. It began with muffled voices but no longer were there attempts to keep it quiet. Over time they kept getting louder and more violent. It became an everyday affair. She was unwanted there. Sleep helped her escape most of it. Closing her eyes transported her to a world where everything was quiet and peaceful. During the daytime however, she usually bore the leftover brunt of the previous night’s wrath. Either in the form of abuses and taunts or the occasional physical onslaught. Such matters are seldom confined within the sanctity of a home. The entire neighborhood obviously knew and they made it obvious too. She was even more of an outsider now and again for reasons she had no control over. Looking her best wasn’t exactly her priority and that brought more ostracism.She anyway wasn’t one to be identified by what she wore owned or came from. She couldn’t care less.

Here however, she loved pain. Looked forward to it, in fact. For the first time she had found solace with her eyes open and while listening to everything around her. She subjected her body to much more than what the others could endure. Every day made her stronger. Her fragile and tiny being gained confidence with every passing session. She began to look forward to the toughest of challenges. She wanted to overcome them all. And overcome them she did. Over time the others began looking to her for strength. Drawing from her resilience.They knew who she was and where she came from. They loved her for what she was and the best she inspired in all of them. 

Many a season later. The walls still failed to keep the discord at bay. The doors failed still to stop the stench of alcohol and hate. She didn’t need to pretend to sleep and find peace anymore.She found it with on the wet grass. Yet again she stood with her feet at the white line; stood side by side with the others. She was still the tiniest and most fragile. And there she was towering over all of them. She was a giant. She was invincible.