My Birthday Present From My Mummy

I sit crunched up in a ball. The pain so excrutiating that I can't breath. They say it will pass. They say I am a disgrace for not embracing my fate. 

They say this is how I become a woman. This is how I release my urges. But what are these urges they speak of? How will this pain make me a woman? All i want is choclate, will this remove that urge? Will this squash it? 

It was my ninth birthday last week, they said it was time. Time to do what all girls do to keep themselves pure. But all I want is icecream, to make my mouth so cold, is that so unpure? 

They took me to a room, at the bottom of the stairs. It was so dark, I thought it was a party, a party just for me! 

They switched on the light and all I see is women surrounding a big, brown table. Is that where my cake will go? 

They told me to come closer. I took a step, then I took two. I was as close as i can be. 

The light shone on the table, there were so many red spots on it. I wondered if that was the juice that i would get for my birthday. 

They picked me up and put me on the table. It was so cold but what was colder was the smiling face of my mother. My sweet, sweet mother, she walked down the stairs, holding a knife so long and thin that i felt the cold go down my spine. This should be the knife to cut my cake, it has to be, it just has to. Two women grabbed my legs and pulled up my dress. I felt so scared, this was a joke. A silly little joke mummy was playing on me, wasnt it? 

She came closer with her knife in hand and there my panties went on command. What was she doing? Why was i here? 

The women held me down with my legs bent and hands spread far from my body. Mummy came closer, 'oh baby, don't you worry, you are going to be a woman now, we all did, now you do too.' 

Her hands touched my skin, the soft, caring hands i remember were so cold and rough on my bare skin. 'Hold her still' she said to the women. 'mummy why?' I cried to her. 'Hush, hush darling this is your fate' 

The women held me tight as i tried to fight and get away, back to my daddy, back to my birthday party. The women held me so tight, i couldnt move an inch and mummy held her knife and smiled at me. 

She lowerd her knife down to the area i was never allowed to touch. I screamed and screamed as its cold touched my skin. I fought with all my tinny might and told mummy to stop, to please stop. I told her that it hurt so bad but she kept on, slicing and dicing as i felt the blood rush down the table. 

The pain was so bad that I couldnt breathe. Then mummy moved her knife away. I could still see my blood on it. 

A woman handed mummy a needle with thread and mummy put her head back between my legs. I could feel her poke me with it but i could feel no more pain, I was numb with the pain that came before. 

Mummy stood up after some time and smiled at the women around, 'the job is done' she said to them. 

The women removed me from the table. They pulled my dress back down, but where were my panties? They had a rope, or was it two? They tied my hands and legs. They told me that i had to stay here. That i couldnt eat or drink. 

'Why, mummy?' was all I could whisper through all my pain. 'The pain will pass my child. You are now a woman, you will stay pure for your husband now...' Her voice trailed off as i closed my eyes. 

I heard their foot steps on the stairs. The door now opened and then it closed. I drifted off into an unknown land where flowers grew and birds sang and then it all turned into blood. 

A day has passed, my tummy hurts, my throat is dry. Noone has come and noone has gone. I sleep on the floor covered in dry blood. 

A few more days pass by as i cradle my cold shaking body. The door opens and here comes my mum. With a bit of water to quench my thrist. She puts it to my mouth and lets me drink, drink it all! She pulls up my dress then lets it fall. She walks away without a word. 

So i sit here, cradling myself. Cuddled into a ball with the pain burning my body, burning my soul. That pain, that pain is nothing I see now, compared to the pain I feel deep within my heart because mummy let me hurt, because mummy let me bleed, because mummy heard me cry and tell her to stop but she stood, cutting me deeper and deeper. 

Why did mummy do this? Mummy said it will make me a woman, but I am a child. Mummy said she is a woman as well, does that mean her mummy did this to her? I feel bad for mummy now, she felt the same pain I am feeling now. I love mummy, I would never hurt her how she hurt me, why did she make me go through this when she knew how painful it was. I think I know, yes, I think I know. Mummy doesn't love me. If she loved me she wouldn't do to me what was done to her. She doesn't love me. This was my birthday present from mummy. 


Female circumsision is just wrong and shouldn't be done. Put a stop to it, you have the power. Tradition does not give you an excuse to hurt others just because you were hurt!