“I never knew daylight could be so violent”
Contains: generic whumpee and caretaker, captivity, rescue, blindfold
They’d longed for light, those long days locked in the cell. There were no windows, and the few times the door did open there was only more darkness beyond. Whumpee’s eyes had adjusted to it as best they could - not that there was much to see in the cell, anyway. But they’d dreamed of the sun, of basking in its rays and taking in the beautiful, colorful sights of the world once more.
Rescue came, at last. The cell door opened for the final time, and Whumpee finally got to stumble through it, following the gentle hands that guided them down the dark hallway toward freedom. It was so close. Their battered, weak body moved a little quicker, ready for fresh air and sunlight.
But when the door to freedom was thrown open and the daylight flooded in, Whumpee cried out and threw themself backward, trying to escape it. They closed their eyes, but even through their eyelids it hurt. With their back to the door and their arm slung across their face, they tried to catch their breath, involuntary tears from the sudden strain wetting their eyelashes.
They were finally free, and they couldn’t even enjoy it. Couldn’t even take the last few steps to leave this place behind. They tried again to look, squinting, but everything was blinding white and they couldn’t hold their eyes open against it.
“Here.” Caretaker placed a hand on their shoulder, then something soft touched their face. “Is it okay if I tie this around your eyes? It’ll help until we can get you somewhere that’s not as bright.”
Reluctantly, Whumpee lowered their arm, eyes squeezed tightly shut, and allowed themself to be blindfolded. “It’s just…temporary, right?”
“Of course,” Caretaker reassured them. “We’ve just got to take it slow, alright? We’ll introduce a little bit of light at a time.”