Silenced smile

This isn't my story.

This isn't about me.

This is all about them.

Every word.

Is about them.

Who has fallen victim of being abused.

By the very person

claiming to love them.

...

I thought I knew.

I haden't had any experience of my own, I am blessed that way, but still, I thought I had a clue.

I didn't.

I had the odd a-hole of a boyfriend.

Some cheated, some lied, some used me and some had even tried to control me.

But nothing like this.

When I've got the news that my best friend growing up had been killed by her husband I was just floored.

We hadn't talked in ages.

We sort of drifted apart when she met Him.

Now it seems so obvious.

How could I have been so blind?

Her sudden clumsiness, bruises, a black eye and the more often and sudden cancellations.

And then we just didn't seem to talk anymore.

I thought it was just how life goes..

You drift apart.

But it was Him.

Controling her.

Making her feel useless.

Like we didn't love her.

He was blocking our calls, making it seems like we turned our backs on her. Making her feel like he was the only one that loved her, cared about her.

And after a while.

She beliveved Him.

Maybe it was easier that way.

But then we got the call.

From her mother.

Letting us know.

That she was dead.

Dead.

DEAD!

After the funeral and way too much to drink, all of us old friends sat in the local bar and talked about how life where back then.. Growing up.

Our hopes and dreams.. The silly little things we did.. All the time we got in trouble. All the times we had helped eachother out.

I was angry.

Angry and drunk.

I was yelling that these sort of things should never be allowed to happen

to anyone..

That someone had to raise their voice and take a stand.

I didn't think much about it afterwards.

He got convicted. He should have gotten life if you ask me.

Then I got a call.

Someone had overheard our "talk" in the pub and asked me if I was willing to be the one.

The one to take a stand.

And I was.

We decided to do an Art show.

It was suppose to tell the real story about abuse.

It was suppose to hit hard.

If you could leave and just go on with your day, we had failed.

Since I had a background in Theather, I sort of took the lead..

I had the vision, they had the know how and the talent.

And Omg the word spread.

We didn't offer any money, and not a singel person asked for anything.

Every cent that we made was going directly to womens shelters around the world.

Even the company owning the building didn't ask for more pay then to cover electric and insurance.

We called it Silenced smile

The exhibition was in several rooms featuring different stages of the relationships.

Infatuation

You where greated by a chours of women voices.

All these women were either survivors of abuse, or friends or family to others that wheren't so lucky.

-He said He loved me.

-He said I am beautiful.

-He said I am the only one.

-I have never been this happy.

-He said he would never leave me...

-He said it was going to be me and him.

Forever

On the walls there where pictures of women.

Smiling, happy, in love.

Rich, poor, young, old, every skin color, every religion.

Some pictures where so old they was in black and white. Others just from a few months ago.

-And then something changed.

The Change

The room was dark and covered with screens.
There where still pictures showing up.

Some where the same women as before, but now there was something different about them.

They didn't smile as before.

They where smiling, but it just didn't seem the same.

It was like the smile had been silenced somehow.

Then the pictures changed in to words

You are UGLY

Whore!

You can't do Anything Right

You are Useless

SLUT!

No one can love you but me

Without me you are Nothing!!!

You are Nothing

NothingNothingnotHingnothIngnOthingnothinGnoTHingn



otHinGNothingNOTHING!!!!!!!!!

Dance with Death

This room was the most spectacular in my oppinion.

You where greated with the soft sounds of nature. Birds singing, the sound of waterfalls and so on.

All the colors where soft and pastell.

On different scenes couple where performing an odd sort of dance.

They where all volontairs.

Ballet

Modern dance

and even Breakdance

It was a beautiful intricate complicated

showing a struggle between a man and a women.

The nature slowly dies away

and the pastelles are turning agressive

and then

when the room is completely scilent

and the couples are sort of frozen in eachothers gaze.

BANG BANG!

2 Gunshots sounds

and all the women suddenly falls to the floor.

The Aftermath

This room isn't fun.

The stroboscope lights hurts the eyes,

and you get to see fast flickers of images you wish you never seen.

Bruises

Blood

Bodyparts

Coroner reports

Police reports

Funerals

Left behind

In the final room you see pictures of children.

Some school pictures

Some taken by the police

Children hiding

Crying

hurt

Lonely

confused.

(They did an amazing job with this part)

Then the light changes and with the soundeffects it seemed like the images of the children where washed away by a waterfall of Blood.

And when all the children were gone

and all you could see was "blood"

the sound stopped

Ring..... Ring.....

-911 what is your emergancy?

(a childs voice)

-I want my mum...

And then the rooms goes dark, and an exit sign is all the audience can see..

Leading them outside

into the light.

From Creative Reader

This isn't real

This has never happened.

This is just in my imagination.

But for so many women

All over the world

THIS is their Everyday.

This can NEVER be ok.

During this pandemic

The violence against women has gone up

Even scarier is that the degree of violence being used

has gone up too.

And this is not just about women

Men are being abused too

A Smile

Should Never be allowed

to be Silenced

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