Starved to Death by My Mother, I Became My Family's Eternal Regret

My newborn baby sister fell gravely ill right after she was born.

A passing clairvoyant told my mother that it was because I was the vessel of a dark entity. He said the only way for my sister to survive was for me to go on a strict spiritual fast, praying for a hundred days.

To save my sister, they fed me nothing but a small plate of boiled greens every day.

I was so starved that I kept blacking out. One day, I fell to my knees, begging them for just a scoop of mashed potatoes or a slice of bread.

But Mom kicked me hard, shoving me into the small pantry under the stairs, and locked the door from the outside.

"You really are a monster, aren't you? You know your sisters life depends on this, yet youre still trying to cheat? Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Its just a simple fast and a few prayers, Hazel! How hard can it be? Lily only has a few days left to get through this. Can you stop being so incredibly selfish for once?"

But Mom, my stomach hurts so bad. I think Im dying.

My limbs felt like they were filled with lead.

Through the heavy wooden door, I heard Dads hesitant voice.

"Eleanor... maybe we should let her out to eat something? Just a little bit?"

"No!"

Moms voice was sharp, laced with panic.

"How can you softhearted now, David? Did you forget what happened a few days ago? She snuck a piece of turkey, and Lily had a life-threatening fever in the middle of the night!"

I knew exactly what night she was talking about.

A few days ago.

During my fast, I was so dizzy from hunger that I dragged myself to the kitchen and took a tiny bite of leftover meat from the fridge.

Mom caught me.

She broke down in tears on the spot, crying hysterically.

Dad rushed in and slapped me across the face so hard I hit the linoleum floor.

Blood dripped from my nose, staining the prayer book on the counter.

That night, I was locked in the pantry to "reflect on my sins."

When they finally let me out the next morning, the pain in my stomach was so agonizing I couldn't even stand up straight.

"She is a curse! She knew she would hurt her sister, yet she still snuck out to eat! She did it on purpose!" Moms voice had been freezing cold.

Leaning against the pantry door now, I didn't even have the strength to shake my head.

No, Mom.

I was just so, so hungry.

I understood they were terrified of losing baby Lily.

But why did they have to treat me like the enemy?

I wasn't a demon. I was their daughter, too...

I tapped my weak knuckles against the door, over and over.

I wanted to tell them I couldn't hold on much longer.

"Eleanor, the pediatrician said Lilys illness is just a standard infant infection," Dads voice drifted in, carrying a sliver of doubt. "What if that spiritual medium was just a fraud? We can't keep Hazel locked up like this"

Mom cut him off instantly.

"Shut up! What do you know? I knew something was wrong with Hazel the moment she was born. She was too quiet, and her eyes were so cold. Marcus said there's a dark energy inside her, feeding on Lilys life force!"

She then turned toward the pantry door, her tone hardening into steel.

"Hazel, stop acting. I know you can hear me. Just stay in there quietly. Once the hundred days are over, the bad energy inside you will be purged, and we can go back to being a normal family, okay?"

I couldn't squeeze a single word out of my throat.

My stomach felt like it was being ripped apart by rusty knives.

The pain in my chest was suffocating.

Using every ounce of life left in me, I struck the door one last time.

Mom stormed over and kicked the door from the outside.

"Hazel! What kind of stunt are you pulling now? Do I need to teach you another lesson?"

She unlocked the door and threw it open.

A crack of warm light spilled into the darkness of the pantry.

My heart flared with a desperate spark of hope

Am I saved?

"Mom."

A hand gently grabbed Mom's wrist.

It was Ethan. My older brother, who used to protect me from everything when we were kids.

He stood at the pantry door, his eyebrows slightly knitted in annoyance.

"Hazel is just being stubborn. The more you yell at her, the more shes going to resist."

He sighed, turning his eyes toward the dark pantry.

"Hazel, I know this sucks. But Lily is a baby; she cant handle any setbacks. Just hang in there a little longer, okay? Once this week is over, Ill take you out to McDonald's and buy you whatever you want."

There was no reply from inside.

I couldn't move.

My body was curled on the cold floor, like a wounded animal seeking a dark corner to die.

The dried blood from my forehead had sealed one of my eyes shut.

Cold sweat mixed with warm, sticky fluid ran down my cheek.

I stared blankly at the crack of the door.

*Mom, please. Just look down.*

*Just a little bit more.*

*And you would see me.*

But

The light vanished.

The door slammed shut, and the lock clicked.

I heard Ethan sigh softly on the other side.

"Don't worry, Hazel. As soon as Lily gets better, I'll convince Mom and Dad to let you rest. I'll buy you anything you want to eat."

Their footsteps faded away.

They all left.

The pantry plunged into a terrifying, absolute silence.

I lay frozen on the floor.

And my chest stopped moving.

*Mom.*

*You were so close.*

*You could have saved me.*

In the darkness, my soul drifted out of my cold shell. I saw them gathered around Lilys white crib in the nursery.

Mom was tucking Lily in with a soft blanket, while Dad carefully fed her a bottle of formula.

Ethan was organizing the blessed silver crosses and lavender satchels around the room.

They all had relaxed, hopeful smiles on their faces.

Only I was left behind, locked in that cramped pantry, transforming into a silent, frozen statue.

*Dad. Mom.*

*Lilys life was everything to you.*

*But what about mine?*

My spirit followed them to the spiritual temple the next day.

Everyone was praying devoutly.

Only Dad looked restless, constantly checking his watch.

When the service finally ended, he practically begged Mom as they walked to the parking lot.

"Im really worried about Hazel, Eleanor. She was too weak to sleep last night, and she didn't eat anything this morning. We need to go home and check on her!"

Mom frowned, her face tightening.

"Check on what? Shes missed a couple of meals. Is her attitude more important than Lilys life?"

Dad clenched his fists, his voice shaking with desperation.

He grabbed Mom's arm, but she slapped him across the face.

Moms eyes grew red, her voice cracking with emotion.

"These last few days are the most critical! If we mess up now, does that mean all of Hazels sacrifices were for nothing?"

"Just stay here and keep praying. Ill drive back to get our insulated thermoses and check on her while Im there."

Dad finally let out a sigh of relief.

Mom drove back to our suburban house.

She grabbed the thermoses from the kitchen island.

Then, she walked over to the pantry door. Her voice softened slightly, though it was still laced with deep suspicion.

"Hazel, I know youre listening. Just behave yourself. Don't try any tricks. Once the fast is over and the dark energy is gone, Ill let you out, okay?"

Silence.

Moms expression darkened.

"Hazel."

She lowered her voice, spitting the words through her teeth.

"When are you going to stop this drama? Do you think I don't know what you're doing? Every time you scream about your stomach hurting or being hungry, youre just acting. You want us to feel guilty so well let you out, so you can ruin Lilys recovery, don't you?"

She banged heavily on the wooden door.

But then, she stopped.

Frowning, she muttered to herself, "Why is she so quiet? Is she planning something?"

She grabbed the brass doorknob and turned it.

The door swung open slightly.

The hem of my oversized yellow pajama shirt was visible in the crack.

Just then, Dad's call rang through Mom's phone.

"Eleanor! Lily just woke up and shes crying for you. Did you check on Hazel?"

Mom hesitated for two seconds, then let go of the doorknob.

"Well deal with Hazel after the final prayer," she said to the phone, turning on her heel and walking away.

Inside the pantry, my lifeless body was propped against the door, one hand still frozen in a claw-like shape, as if trying to knock.

Floating in the air, I watched her retreating back in absolute despair.

*Mom, you were just one step away.*

*If you had just pushed the door open, you would have found my corpse.*

That night.

Knowing I was still locked up, Dad waited until Mom fell into a deep sleep, then crept downstairs to the pantry door.

He whispered through the wood.

"Hazel, I hid the spare key under the welcome mat by the front door. Grab it and get yourself something to eat!"

"I left some chicken soup on the kitchen counter for you. I know your stomach is sensitive, so make sure to microwave it first!"

Dad always remembered.

He knew I had chronic gastritis.

Over the years, whenever Mom locked me in my room or the pantry, Dad would sneak food to me when she wasn't looking.

He had even bought me a giant plush teddy bear and placed it in the pantry.

Inside the bear's zippered belly, he would hide packets of Oreos and crackers.

I floated over and looked at the plush bear.

Its belly was bulging.

Dad had stuffed it with cookies again.

*But Im so sorry, Dad.*

*I cant eat them anymore.*

The next morning.

Dad woke up and immediately checked his phone.

There was no reply to the text messages he had sent me.

Panicking, he found Mom in the kitchen.

"I texted Hazel about the key, but she hasn't replied. What if she passed out from starvation?"

"Don't you have the security camera app linked to the pantry nanny-cam? Open it! Let me see how she is!"

Mom rolled her eyes.

"Shes playing mind games with you, David. She wants you to break the rules so she can bring the bad luck back to Lily."

Still, she pulled out her iPhone.

She tapped the security app.

The live stream of the pantry loaded on the screen.

In the video, my back was turned toward the camera.

Dad shoved his face close to the screen.

"Hazel! The key is under the mat! Theres warm soup in the kitchen, please eat something. Don't starve yourself!"

No response.

Mom frowned.

"Hazel, if youve learned your lesson, just open the door and eat. Stop worrying your father."

But the figure on the screen remained completely motionless.

Dads voice began to crack with terror.

"Hazel? Are you sick? Please, just turn around and look at me. Just let me see your face!"

Moms expression shifted slightly.

She pinched the screen to zoom in.

In the dim, grainy night-vision feed, I was curled up in the corner.

My body was bent tight, like a dead shrimp.

Mom stared at the image for a few seconds.

Then, she let out a cold, mocking laugh.

"Another one of her tantrums. She loves playing the victim."

When I was younger, I used to curl up like that to get her attention when she ignored me.

She thought I was doing it again.

"Hazel, we told you where the key is. If you want to act like a civilized human being, get out of there and eat! Stop trying to ruin your sister's blessing!"

Mom locked her phone and tossed it onto the granite island.

I let out a bitter, silent laugh.

*Mom, if you had just zoomed in for three more seconds, if you had just looked closer...*

*You would have seen that my chest wasn't rising.*

*I wasn't throwing a tantrum. I was dead.*

*We were so close to the end, and you still didn't see me.*

Finally, the hundredth day arrived. The final prayer was completed.

Dad was the first one to bolt out of the chapel.

"The spiritualist said the curse is broken! Lily is safe! Lets get home and tell Hazel the good news!"

"Shes been alone in that house for so long. She must be terrified."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Moms eyes welled with tears.

"I know I was too harsh on Hazel. But I had no choice, David. The entity inside her was too strong. Now that she's purified, she can finally be our sweet, normal daughter again."

Floating above them in the SUV, I smiled. It was a smile more painful than crying.

*Dad, Mom.*

*I waited one hundred days for this day.*

*But I couldn't make it to the finish line.*

The car pulled into the driveway.

Dad ran to the front door, unlocking it and throwing it open.

But then, he froze.

His eyes fell on the kitchen island.

The bowl of chicken soup he had left out was untouched, covered in a thick layer of green mold.

His voice began to tremble violently.

"Hazel... she hasn't eaten in days..."

Mom froze for a fraction of a second, her face turning pale.

But then, anger took over. She stormed to the pantry door and banged her fist against it.

"Hazel! What do you want from us?! Are you trying to destroy this family?!"

"Do you have any idea what we went through these past few days? We barely slept, trying to find spiritual guidance to save you! And what did you do? You went on a hunger strike to spite us? To make us feel like monsters?!"

Dad grabbed her shoulders, his voice cracking.

"Hazel wouldn't do this! Eleanor, something is wrong!"

Moms expression stiffened.

Just then, the front door opened, and Ethan walked in. He held his phone in his hand, looking incredibly confused.

"Mom, Dad, a police officer just stopped me on the driveway. He said a neighbor called 911 because they heard weird noises coming from our house a few days ago."

He looked toward the pantry.

"Hazel, did you call the cops on us? Why would you do that?"

Hearing this, Mom snapped.

"Hazel! You called the police?! You want to ruin this family that badly?! You wouldn't even pray for your baby sister, and now you want to drag us to jail?!"

Dads face turned dark and disappointed.

"Your sister is just a baby, Hazel. And you brought the cops to our door? You want the whole neighborhood to think were criminals?"

"Hazel, what is wrong with you?!"

They stood there, judging me, condemning me.

But the pantry remained dead silent.

Moms eyes were bloodshot.

"Im done with this!" she screamed, lunging for the door handle.