Submissions sent into projectunbreakablesubmissions@gmail.com from Central Michigan University, taken March 19th.
LINK IS IN THE TITLE
Dear anyone and everyone,
This is the account of one of my closest friends in the whole wide world. We’re trying to spread the word about her story, because this kind of thing happens much, much more often than anyone knows. It’s scary stuff, but please, spread the word. Show your friends, tell you family, especially those who are in college or college-bound. If you feel compelled to do so, then by all means tweet it, facebook-share it, re-blog it, but most especially: read it.
Thank you.
It’s strange: with the UK going through twists and angry self-inspection over the Jimmy Savile case (where a serial abuser appears to have got away with it for over 40 years on an almost unimaginable scale, because the power and fame disparities between himself and his victims meant that they were never taken seriously when they did have the guts to complain,) and after posting something like Neverwear’s account the other day, something like this leaves me fuming, but also puzzled that an institution would want things like this swept under the carpet. When the facts come out they cause more damage to the institution, and in the meantime it just causes more hurt to the victims.
4 am [Trigger Warning]
4 am
he broke in
bitter
with the moonlight.
she woke up, no one else home.
she had never seen him before.
when he kicked the cat across the room
she knew he had come for her.
her shattered leg,
in a cast from
her motorcycle accident
gave him no pause.
he was not ugly to look at
but he held a gun,
threatening,
he told her he was going to kill her anyway.
she said,
no,
with tears in her voice,
but
she did not cry.
she was only 21.
As her raped her,
he told her
he had been watching her, waiting.
waiting until no one else was home.
she could not see him,
he was behind her,
but she
could feel
the cold steel
against her temple.
he was behind her,
hurting her
but she she was gone.
after,
he stood up and
pushed the blond hair out of his eyes.
he said, where is the money.
flat, like that, a statement.
she looked up at him
from far away
and said, what money-
look around you
there is no money here.
but he
found the five dollars
in her little green wallet.
and before he left,
gun still aimed at her head,
he threw that crumpled bill down and said,
you keep this money baby
you need it more than me.
he told her
to count to one hundred
before she moved, that he would be watching her.
she looked at him no more.
after he left
she couldn’t talk or drive,
rocking back and forth.
she was sick over and over again.
sickest she’s ever been.
Later
her friends made her call the cops
where she was raped all over again,
and they kept that five…
they kept that five dollars for fingerprints.
Later still.
she came up pregnant.
no question in keeping this child.
with heart heavy,
she lied to the “support group”
that she and her “boyfriend” weren’t ready,
were not ready for children.
after all,
she was only 21.
Now, years in the future,
childless still.
haunted still,
by the face
and actions
of a man
who was never caught.
the words of the politicals,
“forcible rape”
makes her (me) sick all over again.
Sickest I have ever been.
-Cat Mihos
I just read this and I cried. Cat’s probably the gentlest, sweetest person I know. I’m proud of her for writing this.