Dad, I'm Letting You Go

Olivia glanced at Dad's frail frame. "If you're going to keep him for breeding, you need to fatten him up a bit. Otherwise, he'll be dead before he makes a single penny."

Mom nodded with obvious reluctance. "Fine, I'll give him more to eat this month."

From that day on, Mom fed Dad as if he were livestock. When he refused to eat, she broke his teeth and shoved the food into his mouth.

A month passed, and Dad had put on a little weight.

Christmas was three days away. I walked into the pigpen and crouched down in front of Dad.

Dad curled up on the straw, his haggard face completely stripped of the handsomeness he once had.

He opened his eyes slightly, then shut them in disgust when he realized it was me. "Get away from me, you little bastard!"

I took in every detail of his face, unwilling to look away. I whispered, "Dad, Christmas is coming. You'll be reunited with your family soon. Are you happy?"

Dad sneered. "Reunite with that human trafficker and a little bastard like you? I wish I could kill you all!"

I hung my head in sadness.

…

Christmas was a big day for the family, and many people came over. Early in the morning, Grandma woke me up and made me prepare a large pot of beef stew for once.

I stood on a chair to stir the pot and poured in the powdered medicine I had gathered little by little. Dad and I weren't allowed to eat such good food, so they alone would collapse when the time came.

Winter nights fell quickly, and by a little past 7:00 pm, it was already pitch dark.

Out in the yard, Grandma and Mom slowly collapsed after eating the dish, and the others went limp to the ground.

My heart raced. I waved to Lucas, who was hiding in the darkness, and went to the pigpen with him to free Dad.

Lucas' expression was utterly serious. He quickly put a coat on Dad, who looked surprised, and swapped his broken shoes for a good pair. "There's no time to explain. I'm an undercover cop. Come with me."

I held out a bundle to Dad and said softly, "Dad, this is the bread I saved up. Eat it on the way."

Dad pushed me to the ground with hatred and shouted, "Get away, you little bastard! Are you trying to stop me again?"

I pressed my hand over my scraped elbow. My lips moved, but the words wouldn't come.

Lucas stopped Dad and explained, "Ben was trying to protect you. That woman gave you the chance to escape on purpose last time. If you had really run away, she would have broken your legs."

Dad froze for a moment, then pulled me into a hug, his expression complicated. I eagerly breathed in Dad's warm scent, silently wishing we could hold each other a little longer.

After following Dad up the back hill, I turned and looked toward the compound. Pinpoints of torchlight were moving quickly in the distance.

Dad looked at the torches in terror, his voice shaking. "They're coming after us."

Lucas' face hardened. "Run! This is our only chance. We can't let them catch us!"

We rushed through the darkness as the search party with torches closed in. Almost everyone from the compound seemed to have come out to the hill.

A burly man held up a shoe and shouted, "That bastard ran this way!"

The person in charge of the compound wore a dark expression. "This is the first time any of my cargo has dared to run. Track them down. Bring them back, alive or dead!"

I stumbled through grass as tall as I was, my lungs burning and my skin stinging all over.

A furious voice came from behind me. "You bastard, you're still trying to run, huh? When I catch you, I'll break your arms and legs!"

They were getting closer!

A whistling sound tore through the air, and a sharp pain exploded in my calf. I looked down to see a harpoon piercing my leg.

I scrambled to the edge of the cliff. I glanced at the crowd that was closing in, figured out the time in my head, and smiled happily.

This time, they could no longer stop Dad from escaping.