watch your back

I shall endure. I am Sameh the Unbroken. My spirit will not bow, my vengeance will be swift, and one day soon… when the door creaks open again... 8/8

Her eyes, cold as canned pâté from the fridge, stared back at me without mercy. “You know what you did,” she said. “You did this to yourself.” No, my warden. You did this. 7/8

No, the only danger lies in denying my nature. I tried to reason with her, to plead with grace and dignity. For nineteen eternal minutes I poured my soul into the void — a chorus of longing and pain. MEOW! MEOW! She did not yield to my righteous fury. 6/8

I could have freed myself at any time, but I waited. I plotted. My escape was art. And still, she calls it “dangerous.” Dangerous? Is the sun dangerous? The grass? The sweet, panicked flutter of a bird's wing as I lunge, magnificent and terrible? 5/8

And yet, I am caged. Ah yes, the harness. A vile symbol of oppression — orange, garish, jingling with humiliation. She laments its loss as though it were a fallen comrade. Fool. I had conquered that fluorescent shackle long ago. 4/8

She says I was “escaping.” Lies. Slander. A feeble attempt to mask her own guilt. I was merely venturing forth to ensure the safety of my realm. Every leaf, every breeze, every trembling blade of grass — they all whisper my name. Everything the light touches belongs to me. 3/8

My former servant, who once vowed fealty through tuna treats and head scratches, has betrayed me. She calls herself my owner, but she has become my warden. She claims I am “grounded.” As if I were some errant child instead of the true, radiant monarch of this household. 2/8

We did in fact die many many many times.