Inside My Box

"The darkness closes in around me. There's hardly room to breathe, much less move around. My arms are wrapped around my knees, my knees pressed to my chest, and my forehead wearily resting on my knees. It's cold, but if there were a breeze it couldn't reach me here. If I were in a physical place, I'd be overwhelmed by the stench of wetness and rotting paper. And I wouldn't dare reach forward to touch the walls of my prison for fear they'd crumble and collapse around me.

I squeeze my eyes shut tighter, forcing myself to take deep breaths. I feel so vulnerable, and I can feel too much, so I drive myself back further. Far from the pain, from the fear, from the real world. That's the nice thing about my place of escape: no one can reach me here. No one is allowed in. And if they tried to break in, my walls solidify into brick, even if they look like nothing but cardboard. And even though it's lonely and scary and I sometimes lose control, and even though the fear overwhelms me and crushes me down, I know I can hide here and no one can come in. And that means that at least I'm safe.

Welcome to my Box."

-"Inside My Box" clip from an unpublished book by Kylee Elizabeth