Hillary_Tail of the Dog Read Online Free

“ Please let me out of here. Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me? ”
    Hillary continued banging and pushing up on the top with all her might, hoping to pry it open. It didn’t budge.
    Fifteen minutes passed. It felt like fifteen years to Hillary. She was still stuck in the box the only difference was that she had sore, scraped-up knuckles and a hoarse voice from all the screaming she had done. She wondered where she was, though she felt confident that she was not buried underground, since she could see the beams of light from above.
    Hillary listened closely to the sounds around her, hoping they might give her a clue as to her whereabouts. In the distance, she could hear a train passing by. She heard various birds tweeting and screeching. She was clearly outdoors. Though she had no idea what season of the year it was, much less what day it was, she could tell it was hot outside because she was sweating within her confined area. She caught a whiff of body odor and wondered just how long she had been in the box. It made her shudder. She began trembling. Though, she reasoned, it could not be that long, since she was not starving, nor was there any indication that she had wet her pants or worse—moved her bowels—within the box.
    It’s a joke , she thought, it has to be…someone’s sick idea of a prank.
    Hillary waited in silence as thoughts ranging from ludicrous to terrifying invaded her mind. As the hours passed on slowly, she envisioned hundreds of scenarios—from her rescue to her burial within the cold earth and her subsequent suffocation when the air ran out. She had moments of hope, followed by moments of despair, moments of intense fear and several moments of complete detachment where nothing mattered anymore and she just didn’t care what happened to her.
    The beams of light grew dim and Hillary knew that it was nearing dusk. The only good thing about it was that it had started cooling off. Hillary had always been afraid of the dark. She began breathing heavily, growing anxious as she thought of the impending blackness. She couldn’t imagine how much longer she could stand being in the box. She cried quietly as she waited for the shroud of darkness to engulf her.
    Hillary awoke after drifting off. It took her a few moments to remember the predicament she was in. Yet, it wasn’t dark in the box as she has anticipated. Did she sleep through the night? She winced at the bright light beaming down from the holes at the top of the box. It was as if the sun was right over her. Then she heard movement, the sound of footsteps.
    “Who’s there?” she yelled anxiously. “Help me! Please help me!”
    No one responded, though Hillary knew someone was close by. She heard the jangling of keys, then the click of a lock being opened.
    “Who’s there?” Hillary asked, praying that someone had come to rescue her, but she knew better. If it was someone there to help, they would have spoken up and assured her that everything was going to be all right. Besides, the only person who would have a key to her coffin would be the person who put her there in the first place. Overcome with dread, Hillary wished she were alone again.
    Hillary squinted as the person slowly lifted the cover to the box. The lid was only open about six inches, but there was a bright lantern which illuminated nearly the entire tomb where Hillary lay, fearing the worse. She wanted to push the lid open all the way and run out of there, but she wouldn’t know where to go, and her captor would surely catch her. She could only imagine what would happen if she made the person angry. Then again, how much worse could it get?
    “Please let me out of here,” she pleaded softly. She tried to look through the crack to see the person who had kidnapped her, but the light was too bright in her eyes. Her captor did not reply.
    “Who…who are you?” Hillary asked hesitantly.
    Still no reply.
    Hillary heard the sound of paper rustling. Then the light was partially