Sustenance

here is some flash fiction. picture from pixabay

As light issued under her cell door she lay in wait of the hatch in the bottom of her door to open. She was anticipating great things when a hot pot noodle with a small carton of apple juice slid inside before it quickly closed again.

When Pip saw the food, she was delighted. She struggled with all her might to reach the much-needed sustenance as the chains hindered her movements. Finally, she got a finger to the edge of the pot noodle and inched it closer and closer towards her, eventually it was in her outstretched hand. She did the same for the carton of juice.

Pip never enjoyed pot noodles until the second she picked up a hot long single noodle with her fingers and carefully maneuvered her body so as she could put it into her mouth. This was the best meal ever. Pip was vegetarian and even though the food tasted like chicken, she threw caution to the wind and followed her grumbling stomach and ate it anyway.

When all the noodles were gone, Pip drank the remaining hot water, like a broth. She liked the feeling of the liquid that ran down her throat and into her stomach making her whole body warm.

She closed her eyes and smelled the container before she drained it for the last time. It was an aroma she couldn’t describe. It was the first bit of normality she had in what seemed like days. She stashed the apple juice because she felt as though she was going to be there for some time and knew she would get thirsty at some point. She threw the empty pot noodle container in the corner hearing it hit the ground with a clatter. Her ribs ached.

Pip lay down on the damp cobbled floor and cried. Were chicken pot noodles going to be her life now? Lenny had said in the car, what felt like a lifetime ago, that she would be his from then on. A chill flashed through her body like a bolt of lightning.