^{Designed in Canva}

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Rose's childhood was ripped away at an impossibly young age when a cruel twist of fate stole her parents far too soon. The orphaned little girl found herself essentially a prisoner, under the "care" of her reclusive uncle – a man whose warm smiles and soothing words concealed a sickening, twisted secret.

This uncle of hers was the charismatic leader of a cult, brainwashing followers into believing the warped ideology that children were fragile vessels of purity to be shielded at all costs from the "corrupting" outside world. Even if it meant stripping kids of their innocence and freedom in the process.

But little Rose had now grown from an absolutely adorable baby to a sharp, curious little girl with a mind full of questions and a soft heart, and her uncle’s cruel grasp over her only tightened. He instituted infinite, harsh laws that did not allow Rose to interact with others her age or even question the mad teachings of his cult.

It was the old swing set which they once had in the hidden garden; it became her only getaway, the rhythmic creaking of the chains in unison with the contemplative silence as this pigtailed little angel in a scarlet frock found solace on it, managing to run away into her vivid imagination.

^{Original image taken from the announcement post of the contest}

Rose spent countless hushed hours daydreaming about what lay beyond the cult's walled compound, yearning to explore the wonders of the outside world she was confined from, dying to make friends and experience life rather than remain a prisoner of her uncle's malevolent ideology. But she remained oblivious to the true depravity he had in store.

Then one fateful night, she inadvertently stumbled upon horrifying truths about a ritual in the planning stages —a very abhorrent ceremony that would victimize the innocence of children in sickeningly unimaginable ways.

Petrified, knowing she just had to get out of there no matter what, Rose pretty much saw the compound was escape-proof with the armed guards and an ever-staring eye from her uncle.

Somehow, the terrified girl was able to code a plea for help with her trembling hands, slipping the message into the jacket of one of the cultists visiting the place, unnoticed. And praying that somehow, the message made its way to the outside.

Agonizing day by day, her spark of hope dimmed as the cult's twisted preparations for the ritual kicked into high gear.

Just when all seemed lost, an anonymous tip came through. This would eventually lead to a daring covert extraction. The raid was at the cult's compound, from which Rose was finally extricated from her prison of psychological torment and depravity, along with a handful of other children.

On the evening of her extraction, while the sun was waning on the compound, Rose took her last seat on that old, familiar swing. Her heart overflowed with unbelievable relief and sorrow all at once: free from her uncle's evil at long last, yet the haunting memories would follow her forever.

In that silent moment, Rose took a vow to be the voice that could save others from the horror she had to go through, make this world a place where no child would have to live in fear again.

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^{I would like to invite @cruzamilcar63, @waterjoe, @senehasa, @f2i5, @edgargonzalez, @weisser-rabe, @enrisanti, and @o1eh to join this contest through this link, if they have not already taken part in it.}

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^{Author: @waqarahmadshah | Date: 14-Mar-2024 | Achievement 1}