They say open up but I don’t know how.  There are so many ways to open up and I don’t particularly want to do any of them.

Open my heart.  That’s the hardest, because it’s been punched shut so many times.

Open my eyes. I tried that. They said it would enlighten me. But all I saw was his hands on her. His mouth.

Open my ears… to those moans, the rhythmic creaking bed. They didn’t hear my feet on the stairs.

Open my mind.  I did yoga on hilltops in rolling mists, bowed to yogis, chanted Namaste to stop my mouth from screaming.

In the end, I opened a cafe and sold chai latte and stem ginger, hand printed scarves, hoop earrings and crystals that heal everything and everyone.

Except me.

I open a wooden box under my bed; bury my crystals in there.

Debbi has short stories and flash fictions published in print and online. Her Novella-in-Flash, “The 10:25” is forthcoming from Flash: The International Short-Short Story Press in 2021. She is seeking an agent for her novel, whilst running online writing workshops and courses, details of which can be found at www.debbivoisey.co.uk. Follow her on Twitter @DublinWriter.