No Exceptions

      Helpless. Confused. Young. Too young. Ellie, 10 years old was too young to experience these feelings.
      Ellie didn't understand the reason she always felt the need to clean. Or the reason she felt urges persuading her to complete nonsense rituals. Her small house used to be a place filled with laughter. Now it was a prison. She was trapped.
      It triggered over winter break. Ellie's parents had fought for years, but this time her mother was through. Every day, for a long time, Ellie's mother lay in bed, tears streaming down her face. Ellie wanted more than anything to see her mother smile again, so she cleaned... everything. Ellie strived to create an atmosphere of perfection. Constantly intruders bombarded her mind with their screeching voices. No exceptions.
      The worst didn't come until night. Showering became a task for Ellie. She had to scrub her body until her mind felt satisfied. No exceptions.
      Brushing her teeth also felt difficult. Her mind refused to let he leave the bathroom sink until "it felt right." So Ellie brushed and brushed until her gums were so raw and bloody she couldn't speak. No exceptions. Every night, Ellie lay in bed, the intruders persuading her to check the light switches, curtains, and door locks. No exceptions.
      Every night after the obsessive routine, Ellie traveled down the dark hallway to where her mother rested. Weakly she would say "Mom, I am shaking again." In attempt to comfort Ellie, her mother caressed her back and assured her everything was going to be alright. Not believing her mother Ellie ear splittingly screamed " Why am I like this?!" Thinking her daughter's shaking was a sign of diabetes, Ellie's mom told her to sip some orange juice. Ellie obeyed, but knew in her mind that once she drank the orange juice she would have to redo her entire routine. No exceptions.
      After many months of obsessive routines, Ellie and her mother found that Ellie had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Ellie's O.C.D became a part of her she could not change, but she now began to find the strength to control herself.
Now and then when the urges came back to her Ellie halted herself. "No exceptions!"