The Little Yellow Wallpaper

Yellow walls surround my bed. Pieces of the yellow wall paper are missing, but you can still see the tints of yellow in it. There are dark shadowed claw marks that scale one of the walls, to be exact it is the wall that faces my bed. This bed I lay at night on is nailed to the floor and it gives me the urge to stay awake at night. Daddy does not like it when I stay up late. He says that if I do not get rest, I will turn into a monster. I know this isn't to be true, so I stay up late writing in this journal. Daddy doesn't like me writing in my journal. He says it will make me sad. I must go though I can hear him on the other side of the door.

I wish I knew my Mommy sometimes. Daddy said she left when I was a baby. Daddy said she liked to write in her journal, but it made her sad. Daddy doesn't like to talk about her much. I bet she would have loved this yellow wallpaper. 

The rooms in this house seem to be emptier and emptier by each day. Daddy is always away in town. He tells me that one day he will not have to work and we could stay in this house forever. For now I just spend my time alone. I like to sit in the beautiful garden and watch the creatures play. There are small ones, big ones, skinny ones, fat ones, furry ones, and scaly ones too. Once I was laying in the cool grass, I saw a enormous butterfly. Its body was as black as coal, but its wings were as yellow as the wallpaper in my room. Its kind of an ugly color. I wish Daddy would paint it a pretty blue or pink. Maybe some other day. 

The bright yellow moon is out tonight. It's light streams through my bedroom window and dances on the yellow wallpaper. The light of the moon makes different shadows appear on the yellow wallpaper. Sometimes they remind me of the creatures in the garden. All night long I will stare at these creatures. Watching them. Waiting for them to move. Until I hear Daddy standing outside my door.

Once the sun rises I can see new shadows on the yellow wallpaper. These shadows seem to shrivel up into cracks, maybe even claw marks. I can only imagine what had happened in this room. I must go Daddy is bringing me breakfast. 

I couldn't finish my breakfast this morning. I grew to tired in my bed. Daddy said I should stop writing in my journal or else I will get tired and sad, but I like to write. I like to keep my thoughts clear and written down. You never know when you might need them.

The light from the moon is shinning through the windows again, but this time the creatures seem angry. They seem trapped behind bars. I do not want to set them free, but rather watch them and see if they can free themselves. One of the creatures has a face that seems to be upside down. It's eyes glow almost as bright as the yellow wallpaper. It whispers to me every night.

After breakfast this morning Daddy said he will be gone until tomorrow night, he has to visit an old friend in town. He wouldn't tell me her name, but he said she was as beautiful as me until she stopped listening to him. I believed Daddy then. I wanted to listen to him, but I love to write and I love to stay up all night. Maybe what he says isn't true. 

The moon did not come out tonight to dance on my yellow wallpaper and the creatures seemed to be still now. I wish I could show my Daddy what I see at night, but I know he won't believe me. I wish he could see how beautiful the creatures are with their bright yellow eyes, crooked grins, and upside down faces. Maybe they will dance for Daddy or whisper to him as they do to me. 

Daddy is in his study next to my bedroom. He keeps banging on the wall telling me to be quiet. I can not help but giggle at the yellow wallpaper. The creatures are beginning to come to life in the sun light now. The sunlight shining through the window turns the creatures a beautiful orange color. They keep telling me to help them, but i don't think it is the right time yet.

Dinner was very quite tonight. Daddy was still mad at me from earlier. He found me writing in my journal. I apologized to him so many times he just got madder and madder. I think if I just stay quiet he wont yell at me anymore. 

The bright yellow wallpaper is grinning in the moon light tonight. The creatures seem to have an idea on how to escape. They ask me for my help. They begged and pleaded on their knees. I could see the red and yellow tears rolling down their cheeks. My eyes began to cry for them. I could feel their pain. I could feel their sorrow. I myself felt like I was trapped in that yellow wallpaper with them. I think tonight is the night I show Daddy what I see.

The sunlight never came out this morning. The room was as dark as night. Gloomy clouds were hanging over the house. I waited on my bed for Daddy to wake up, but he wasn't moving. I shook him and shook him, but he did not get up from the cold wooden floor that lay by the yellow wallpaper. The creatures of the yellow wallpaper were surrounding us. When I looked back at the yellow wallpaper I could see a woman's shadow. She looked so beautiful, maybe as beautiful as me. I could feel the happiness in the room. A very dark happiness. They placed a hand on my shoulder and said "Your mother is waiting for you" and they pointed to the yellow wallpaper. I could feel my smile growing from ear to ear. It was my mommy opening up her arms up to me!