7 Dragged Through The Mud

The sun popped out from behind the clouds, once again raining light onto the courtyard. The light reflected off Wu Niu's tears, making them sparkle as they rolled down his face and trickled to the floor.

Wu Niu was always treated so well by the patriarch, and now the patriarch wished he was dead—his cherished successor. It was a stark contrast to everything Wu Niu thought he knew about him.

The patriarch had a look of apathy and disgust toward Wu Niu's quandary. He even seemed almost vengeful in his demeanor toward Wu Niu. It was as if Wu Niu had somehow wronged him, which if he had, Wu Niu was unable to recall.

The patriarch's two henchmen appeared at Wu Niu's sides and seized hold of him by his arms.

Wu Niu futilely struggled to break out of the henchmen's grips, as they tied his hands behind back with thick binding rope. The rope was rough and irritating to Wu Niu's skin.

Soon enough, his hands were tightened together, uncomfortably behind his back.

The patriarch sighed with frustration and then grumbled, "Alright. Prepare a stake and pyre."

-They're going to burn me alive?!

Wu Niu's father, having just arrived, pushed his way through the crowd. He was befuddled and outraged to see Wu Niu bound like a criminal.

Wu Niu's father angrily questioned the patriarch.

"What the hell is happening here?! Why is my son tied up?!

Wu Niu crying looked to his father and yelled, "Dad! Save me! They want to kill me!"

"THEY WHAT?!"

The patriarch then gave orders to his henchmen.

"Put the boy in the shed with the pigs."

Wu Niu's father attempted to strike at the henchmen. However, he was held back by the mob. They screamed and yelled at him as though he was somehow at fault for being the father of Wu Niu.

"NO! NO! NOOO!" yelled Wu Niu's father, trying to escape from the mob's grasp.

The henchman kicked Wu Niu to the ground, slamming his chin on the hard dirt. The force made Wu Niu bite deep into his tongue.

Blood filled Wu Niu's mouth and leaked out on to the floor.

Lifting Wu Niu by his legs, the henchmen dangled him low enough that his face pushed into the ground. Then they started to walk, dragging Wu Niu's face through the rocky soil.

Wu Niu could hear the cries of his father fade away as the distance between them grew.

The henchmen laughed while dragging Wu Niu's face through a, particularly sharp patch rock. Wu Niu recognized where he was by the sharpness and shape of the rocks. It was an area that was in the wrong direction.

-These bastards are deliberately drawing this out.

After the men were done having their fun shredding Wu Niu's face through the rocks, they redirected back toward the proper direction.

Wu Niu knew he had arrived when he smelled the scent of pig shit. His face intermixed with mucky dirt. It stung as it entered the wounds on his bloody perforated face. Some of it got in his mouth, filling it with the wretched taste of dirt and feces.

Although Wu Niu couldn't see from the blood and feces clogging his eyes, he did hear the henchmen unlatch a door. Having halted to a stop, Wu Niu knew that his little expedition had come to its end.

The henchmen opened the door and began to swing Wu Niu back and forth. Then throwing Wu Niu with gained momentum, he landed onto the squishy ground beneath.

As he laid there, Wu Niu tried opening his eyes, but he simply couldn't. They stung far too much to open.

He heard the men laughing as they slammed the door shut and dropped the latch into place.

Wu Niu laid on his back in the darkness of the pig shed, eyes watering. He couldn't tell if he was crying or cleansing themselves of all the stinging refuse and sharp particles.

-My face hurts so much.

A pig came up and sniffed Wu Niu's face.

Letting out a cute sounding oink, the pig began licking the blood and muck off of Wu Niu's face.

Wu Niu couldn't help but laugh a little.

-Of all the things to clean my wounds for me, it ended up being a pig.

Wu Niu sighed and slightly relaxed his tensed body.

-How poetic.