My life in a Cupboard

NATALIE'S POV

“Mother, please, I am sorry. Spare me this time around.” I cried as I banged my cupboard's door loudly and at intervals.

My foster mother had locked me up there to serve as punishment because I spilled her tea when serving it to her. She was in a bad mood, so she transferred her aggression to me.

“You are going to rot in there. I trained you since you were young and all you still do is to make mistakes.” She shouted as she left my room.

I was scared all alone and the heat emanating from the cupboard was unbearable. I was sweating already, and my clothes were wet, like I have just taken a bath. Furthermore, I wished I could disappear and never have to see her.

~

She opened the cupboard an hour later, after I had calmed down and was sober. Tears trickled down my eyes and my hair clothes were damp. She dragged me by my hair and I winced, then she threw me on the bed.

“I cannot allow you to make my efforts on training you go to waste. Get that into your skull! Now, get dressed, I want you to go on an errand for me.” She ordered and left my room, looking annoyed.

I stood up slowly as my muscles were tensed up. Then I took my bath and changed my clothes. On my way, I watched as high school students went into the school in groups. They were giggling and discussing. I envied them because I had always wished to attend high school too, but I was now too old to do that.

I wished that I would be able to attend college to study any course of my choice. It was really a sad thing to watch days pass by without achieving something great. One of my biggest dreams was to meet a prince charming, who would take me out of this misery and bring me into a world of affluence.

I got back to the house and gave her what she sent me to get, then while I was going back to my room, I overheard her on a call. She was crying and begging her boyfriend to come back to her.

Oh, goodness! That was the reason she tortured me for nothing. He had broken up with her, and she didn't know she was shameless.

A week later, I was in the sitting room, cleaning, when my foster mother came in with a younger man who looked like he was in his late twenties. She was all smiles when she came in, and I had to leave the sitting room because that was what she wanted. I noticed the man looked at me like he was amused or something, but I ignored that look and went to my room to rest while I still had the chance.

~

I woke up and saw a man standing before me. He was handsome, tall and had a great body build. He stretched out his hand to me and I hesitated to take his hand at first, but I decided to follow my heart. His hand felt warm and like as if healing and joy streamed into my hands and went through my whole body.

“Would you like to follow me?” He said, with a smile on his face.

I nodded, and we entered a wall, with the light so bright, that instead of it blinding our eyes, it was radiating joy and I felt joy within me. The place he took me to was unbelievable, it was like a dream. This was a garden that looked exceptionally beautiful and a good one to rest in. There was a swing there and then a pond near the garden, there were pretty ducks quacking and enjoying their morning swim.

The surrounding aura was calm and inviting, the man placed a picnic mat on the floor and placed fruits and desserts on it. He looked at me sweetly and gave me a charming smile that made my appetite grow wild. This was the prince charming I had been waiting for, the man of my dreams.

Suddenly, a dark cloud came, hovering over us and rain began to fall heavily, that I stood up to run with my prince charming. To my utmost shock, he wasn't there with me, I didn't know where he had gone to. As I looked around, trying to see if he went to get something to help, or he went to hide, due to cowardice, but I couldn't see anything. Then I heard a mighty footstep approaching me, I couldn't bear to see the creature behind the mists that had covered up the land, so I screamed.

“Ahhhh!” I screamed out of my dream, panting hard and sweating heavily.

I was sweating due to the fear. Rain was falling over here too, then I heard my name. It was my foster mother, calling me. I rushed over to meet her, to avoid any issue with her.

“Get something to cook for my man.” She said, proudly, as she stroked his hair.

“Alright, mother.” I replied, trying to avoid eye contact with the man, as he was staring at me.

If he didn't stop staring, he could have bore a hole in me with his eyes. I made toast and served him pineapple juice, it was a simple breakfast that most people who had come to visit, loved. I was expecting a thank you from him, but instead, he dashed the plate away, looking disgusted.

“Is this the best you can offer?” He said as he faced my foster mother.

~

“Mother, no, please. Do not do this to me.” I cried out as she threw me out of the house, in the harsh rain.

“Stay here until morning. That is your punishment!” She lashed out at me and slammed the door against me in anger.

I bent down and rested my chin on my knees while hugging myself because I knew there was no point in banging the door or my punishment would be worse. I was shivering and couldn't get a hold of myself. Suddenly, I felt a presence. I looked to my left and saw a figure blending in with the dark a little, and his eyes were white.

“Today, you will die with me.” It said, with its voice sounding raspy.

Natalie’s Pov

I closed my eyes as I shook my head, and then when I opened them, it was gone. Could I have been hallucinating? I was really shivering and wished that something warm would come to overwhelm me, but my wishes never got granted.

The next day, my foster mother checked up on me and took me in, as I was too weak to stand or do anything. I was running down with a fever.

“I don't understand why you are this useless. You stayed in the rain for how many hours and now, you are shivering? I really don’t know what to do with you anymore.” She complained as she came in with drugs to give me.

She sat on the bed and put a spoon of liquid drug in my mouth, and I drank it, even if it was bitter. The next day, I was still shivering, and my temperature had not gone down at all. I hated this feeling, but thankfully, my foster mother took me to the hospital, where I was treated.

“Hello, Natalie. I am Doctor Glen. You will be fine, all you just have to do