Chapter 20 - THE FREEDOM OF THE HORIZON
The judge delivered the final verdict,
finding Logan guilty on all counts,
sentencing him to ten long years,
in the state penitentiary without bail,
mom let out a loud shriek in court,
falling back into her wooden seat,
but nobody came to comfort her now,
the family lies had failed completely,
I walked out of the courthouse room,
stepping into the warm spring sunshine,
feeling a massive weight lift away,
from my shoulders and my young soul,
Dr. Reeves was waiting near the steps,
she gave me a beautiful proud smile,
you did it Emily she said softly,
you saved your own life today,
I thanked her with a warm embrace,
knowing she was the one who started,
who started this path to true freedom,
by refusing to cover for him then,
I walked down to the main bus station,
buying a ticket to a new city far away,
where nobody knew my tragic name,
and nobody knew my broken family history,
I boarded the bus with my small bag,
sitting next to the clear window pane,
watching the city of Dayton disappear,
fading into the green distance behind,
the scars on my scalp were still there,
a permanent reminder of the past war,
but they no longer caused me pain,
they were just marks of my survival,
as the bus drove into the open road,
toward a bright and beautiful horizon,
where I could finally live my life,
in perfect peace and absolute safety,
May you like
free from the shadows of the monster,
and free from the chains of silence.
