Belittled

Belittled

Stephanie woke up and couldn’t move. It wasn’t long before she realized she was tied down. Three large leather straps ran across her chest, belly and hips and pushed her down into the mattress. Her arms and legs were free to move about. She pried on the leather straps but she couldn’t find a buckle anywhere. What was going on? Where was she?

It was dark, she could barely see a thing. The silhouette of bars surrounding her. Was she in a cage, but why tie her down if she was already caged, that seemed a bit excessive. She stared into the darkness. It wasn’t a cage. Little plushies were dangling over her. It was as if she was in some sort of cot with a dangling mobile. She pulled on the leather straps once more, she pushed her hips up, she kicked her legs high up in the air, but all in vain.

She screamed in frustration. Around her just silence. Silence and darkness. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself, she needed to think rational. How did she end up here? She searched her memories. The last thing she remembered was after work walking home from the bus stop to her apartment building. Did she ever make it home? No, there was this stranger, wasn’t there? He tried to talk to her, he was handsome and kind at first, but quickly he became creepy and pushy, insisting they would go out for a drink right then and there. She had rejected him and he had pushed a smelly cloth into her face. She remembered the stench, the light-headed feeling. She got goosebumps. Did that mean she was kidnapped? It felt surreal. Why on earth would anyone want to kidnap her?

She wasn’t rich or famous, she wasn’t powerful or political. Ever since she’d finished college she was stuck in this stupid Barista job, almost thirty she was, she thought she would’ve achieved more by now, but she didn’t even have a boyfriend. Not pretty enough maybe. She was a petite girl, barely 5 ft 2, and her breast were tiny, her cheeks full of freckles and she had kind of floppy ears. She worked out a lot though to stay in shape, and she liked her hair, she did have nice blond curls.

But still, no one would kidnap her for just her hair. It just didn’t make sense. She struggled in her bounds for a while. After a few minutes she was sweating and panting, but the straps hadn’t moved an inch. She cussed and banged her hand against the bars. She screamed for help until her voice got hoarse and her throat hurt.

After a while the darkness faded away, it became morning, some faint light shined through the curtains and Stephanie could finally see the room she was in. It was a nursery, but everything was adult size, the cot she was in, the high chair, the clothes in the wardrobe, frivolous silk dresses and velvet footsies. There were toys on the ground and there was a changing station with stacks and stacks of diapers.

Stephanie was still dressed in her own clothes. She looked down at her jeans and faded t-shirt.

The door swung upon. A burst of light. A silhouette entering her room. ‘How’s my little girl?’ A male voice asked.

Stephanie blinked against the bright lights until she could see the man. He was tall. Way older than her. He must be in his fifties maybe. His face was calm and friendly. He leaned into the cot and winked at Stephanie. His hand reaching into the cot and patting her belly.

‘You’re awake I see. Did you sleep well sweety?’

Bewildered Stephanie stared up into the mans face. ‘No?’ she said hesitantly. She pushed his arm away and started struggling and squirming in another futile attempt to escape the bounds.

‘No? Didn’t you sleep well? Daddy is sad to hear that sweety. Daddy likes his little girls to be happy and well rested in the morning.’

‘You’re not my Daddy.’ She said.

‘Yes I am.’ He said. ‘Or at least I will be soon.’

‘No your not.’ Stephanie yelled. She kicked her legs through the air, but she couldn’t reach him. He just smiled at her, then his face disappeared. She heard rumbling and moving around in her room but she couldn’t see what he was doing.

‘Let me go.’ She said. ‘Untie me right this instant.’ When he didn’t react to her commands she started pleading and begging, but he still didn’t pay her any attention, she just heard some clinking and rustling. ‘What are you doing there?’ She asked. ‘What are you going to do to me?’

Now his face appeared again, he was looming over her cot and showing her a baby’s bottle of milk. ‘I’m just spiking your milk with some muscle relaxer and some psychotropic drug that will help you obey me, you think I need to add some general sedatives as well?’ He clacked his tongue. ‘Yeah, maybe I need to do that, you’re quite worked up already, aren’t you? We need you to be nice and calm, nice and calm is better. Be right back.’

She heard some more clinking and banging noises.