Invisible Leashes | by Miss M.

It was late afternoon,

and I felt overwhelmed with my upcoming exams and the guests at home. I had already failed two subjects that year, so I absolutely had to ace the next one.

I decided to study at the library until 6 pm every day instead of 3 pm. Every evening at six, I'd catch a cab home—as it was winter, and transportation was scarce.

That was, until I depleted all my funds on cabs in ten days. That day, I had no choice but to take the tram. I paled when I saw the crowd: over a hundred men, and only one or two women. But I reassured myself, hoping nothing would happen.

I was on my phone when I felt something touch my hip. At first, I told myself it was nothing. But it wasn’t. The friction was rhythmic. It wasn’t a person passing by, but rather… something touching me.