They Locked Me in the Freezer and Forgot I Existed

The day of the school field trip, I had a hundred-and-four-degree fever.

Mom didn't care whether I lived or died. She took my brother and walked out the door.

Before leaving, she turned to Grandma. "Keep an eye on her, Mom. Don't let her make a fuss."

Grandma came into my room. She looked at the sweat soaking through my sheets, and her face twisted with disgust.

"What a nuisance," she said. "It's just a fever. You're not dying. Stop being so dramatic."

She ripped the blanket off me, grabbed my arm, and dragged me out of bed.

"A little cold will knock a fever right out. Doctors and medicine are just a waste of money."

I stumbled and fell to my knees, kowtowing frantically, my forehead cracking against the tile floor with dull, hollow thuds.

"Grandma, I'm sorry, I know I was wrong, please, don't put me in the freezer. I'll die!"

She ignored me completely. She opened the chest freezer, shoved me inside, and pushed the lid down.

"You're not going to die. Take a nap, sweat it out. I'll let you out when I get back from my card game."

Bang! The lid slammed shut. Then came the click of the padlock snapping into place.

I pounded against the walls with everything I had, but my breathing was already slowing. Every sound I made was swallowed by the steady drone of the compressor.

I didn't know how long it had been.

Ice crystals formed on my lips. My vision blurred. My eyelids grew unbearably heavy.

Before I lost consciousness entirely, only one silent, delirious thought remained.

Grandma.

Kate Dickerson knows she was wrong.

Next life, I promise I'll never get a fever again.

...

I thought my life was going to end right there.

Then came the sound of a key turning in the front door.

"Herbert! Honey! Mom! I'm home!"

That familiar voice. It was like a spark catching fire inside my chest.

It was Dad.

Dad was home!

But almost instantly, my heart sank.

How could it be?

It had to be a hallucination.

Dad was away on a business trip. There was no way he was back.

Mom had taken my brother out. Grandma had gone to play cards.

There was no one home.

Despair swallowed me again.

Through the haze, I heard footsteps drawing closer.

My eyes flew open.

Riiip.

The crisp, wet sound of my frozen eyelids tearing apart rang in my ears.

My body was encased in ice. I couldn't move at all.

A desperate idea surged into my mind.

Ignoring the pain, I twisted my head and slammed it against the wall of the freezer.

I told myself, just once. Just one hit.

If Dad heard the noise, he would find me.

And then I would be saved.

A flicker of hope sparked inside me. I thought I'd found my lifeline.

Bang! The sharp crack of my skull against the freezer wall rang out at the exact same moment as a phone ringtone.

"Honey, you took Herbert on the field trip?"

"Great. Text me when you get there tonight, and I'll come pick you up."

"How's Kate doing? Still at home throwing a tantrum?"

It was Mom's voice.

I knew it. Mom did love me. She was still asking about me.

"I haven't seen her," Dad said. "Mom probably took her out somewhere."

"That girl is so spoiled. Just because we didn't take her on the trip, she starts faking sick for attention."

Dad let out a sigh, his voice cool and detached.

"I don't know where she picked it up, but now she's learned how to compete for attention."

The tiny flame that had just flickered to life inside me went out in an instant.

Mom, I wasn't lying. I really do have a fever.

Why won't you believe me?

Then Grandma's voice came from outside.

"Son! When did you get back?"

"A little while ago."

"Mom, where's Kate? Didn't she go out with you?"

Dad finally asked about me.

I thought Grandma would open the padlock on the freezer and let me out.

I waited. And waited.

Praying for Grandma to remember me.